The article describes Laura Kukkonen, a 17-year-old violinist from Finland, performing the first violin solo in the first movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ray Chen at the Hollywood Bowl. It notes that Kukkonen won first prize in a competition called Play with Ray, and mentions her instrument by maker (Joseph Gagliano, Naples 1792) and that she played on a Guadagnini for the event.
Dib Bangkok has opened in a converted warehouse, placing the Osathanugrah family's collection of more than 1,000 works by over 200 artists on public view. The museum completes the project begun by collector Petch Osathanugrah before his death in 2023.
David López Ibáñez, a violinist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, reports that his 1740 Lorenzo Carcassi violin and three bows were stolen near Canonbury in the London Borough of Islington. The theft occurred around 7:30 PM on February 18, 2025, and involved a black Riboni Unoeotto case. The missing bows include an unlabelled Morizot frères bow, a Dodd bow with a mother-of-pearl tip, and a carbon fiber violin bow. The case and items are being pursued with police Crime Reference Number 01/7178074/25, with CCTV footage available. López Ibáñez has publicly appealed for assistance and asked others to share information via email david.lopez_ibanez@gmail.com or phone +44 7759 305552.
The Violin Post reports that the 1715 Baron Knoop Stradivari violin was sold for $23 million (£17.8 million), setting a new record for the most expensive violin. The instrument features a two-piece maple back, spruce top, and a scroll with Stradivari’s signature black edging; it was made in Cremona in 1715 and previously owned by David L. Fulton.
The Turin exhibition titled Count Cozio and the Myth of Stradivari. Masterpieces in Piedmont between the 1700s and 1800s commemorates Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue’s 270th birth anniversary. It runs September 19 to November 23, 2025 at Palazzo Madama in Turin and is organized with Associazione Il Salabue, curated by Giovanni Accornero and Duane Rosengard to highlight Cozio’s work as a collector and scholar of stringed instruments.
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for a high price at Sotheby's, with the piece linked to a narrative of an elaborate ruse to escape Nazi persecution. The article discusses results from recent modern art sales at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York and reflects on market behavior in unsettled times.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art voluntarily returned three Khmer sculptures after concluding that they left Cambodia during the country's civil war. The group includes tenth-century sandstone figures and a bronze Prajnaparamita dating to around 1200.
The Violin Channel reports that Lufthansa apologized to German violinist Carolin Widmann after she was told she could not bring her 1782 Guadagnini violin in a case on a Helsinki to Leipzig flight and had to carry it in her arms. Lufthansa issued multiple apologies, with the latest stemming from Widmann’s first complaint via email to the Helsinki Vaanta airport station manager; further communications included a call from customer service and discussions about EU regulations.
Leonard A. Lauder’s collection led Sotheby’s Breuer debut evening at $527.5 million, while Gustav Klimt’s Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (1914-16) sold for $236.4 million, a new record for the artist and Sotheby’s Modern category, part of a $706 million evening sale. Maurizio Cattelan’s golden toilet brought $12.1 million in a strong Contemporary sale, with notable participation from Asian collectors.
Gustav Klimt's Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer) sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s in New York, making it the most expensive modern artwork sold at auction. The portrait, from 1914–1916, depicts Elisabeth Lederer, daughter of Klimt’s patrons, and was previously owned by Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder. The painting was looted by the Nazis during World War II, restituted to the Lederer family in 1948, and later sold in 1983. The sale underscores strong demand for iconic modernist works and the prestige of Sotheby’s new Breuer building flagship location, and it ranks behind Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi as the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.
Piet Mondrian’s 1922 Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue sold for $47.6 million at Christie’s marquee sale in New York, as the Leonard & Louise Riggio collection, 39 works estimated at $252–326 million, achieved $271.9 million after withdrawals and an unsold lot. Other notable lots by Alberto Giacometti, René Magritte, Barbara Hepworth, Gerhard Richter, Mark Rothko, and Andy Warhol sold to third-party guarantors, illustrating a cautious high-end market.
The article reports that a Guarneri del Gesù violin dating from 1727–1730 sold for €2,314,800 (including fees) at Artcurial in Paris on December 16, 2025. It notes the instrument’s Cremonese lutherie provenance and that Stéphane Aubert conducted the auction.
Article reports that a Guarneri del Gesù violin (circa 1727–1730) sold at Artcurial in Paris on December 16, 2025 for 2.3148 million euros including fees. The instrument, attributed to Giuseppe Guarneri Filius Andreae, is one of about 150 known Guarneri del Gesù violins, with documented provenance from Philippe Dennery’s private collection and an authentication package including certificates by Peter Biddulph, Dmitry Gindin, and John & Arthur Beare, plus dendrochronology analysis by Versteeg (April 2025).
Christie’s reported $6.2 billion in projected global sales for 2025, up from $5.8 billion, with auction sales at $4.7 billion and private sales at $1.5 billion. The top lot was Mark Rothko, No. 31 (Yellow Stripe), which sold for $62.1 million in New York; other notable results included Fabergé’s Winter Egg in London and a Picasso record in Hong Kong.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Onion Gum (1983). Courtesy of Sotheby's New York. The work is priced at $21.5 million and was highlighted in the Art Basel Miami Beach context; past sale price noted as $7.36 million at Sotheby’s in 2012 and references to subsequent sale activity.
The Violin Channel reports that British luthier Andrew Fairfax, a longtime restorer at London’s J&A Beare, has died after an illness. Fairfax studied at NSVM, worked in the Netherlands, and later co-founded Fairfax Violins with his wife Anneleen; he authored The British Violin and The Voller Brothers and curated the Panormo exhibition for Tarisio London.
Christie’s reported a projected total of $6.2 billion for the year, up 6 percent from 2024, with auctions at $4.7 billion (up 8 percent) and private sales at $1.5 billion. Sotheby’s reported total sales of $7 billion, up 17 percent from 2024, with private sales at $1.2 billion and fine art at $4.3 billion (up 15 percent). The reports suggest a improving market sentiment, though details are not fully disclosed due to private ownership of both firms.
The Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (Malba) led by Eduardo F. Costantini announced the acquisition of the Daros Latinamerica Collection, bringing the combined holdings to about 3,000 works by 117 artists. The deal, viewed as a significant cultural repatriation, accompanies Malba’s expansion plans including a building extension to roughly 90,000 square feet and new galleries for permanent and temporary exhibitions planned for Malba’s 25th anniversary in 2026.
Frida Kahlo’s 1940 painting El sueño (La cama) sold at Sotheby’s for $54.7 million, setting a new benchmark as the most expensive work by a woman at auction and the highest-valued Latin American artwork. The winning bid was placed by Anna Di Stasi, and the final result redefines perceived value for women artists in the global market. The sale surpassed Georgia O’Keeffe’s prior record and Kahlo’s own earlier record for Diego y yo (1949).
The Daros Latinamerica Collection, consisting of 1,233 works by 117 artists, was acquired by Malba, increasing the museum’s holdings to about 3,000 artworks. The acquisition, announced by Eduardo F. Costantini, is expected to significantly expand Malba’s focus on post-1950 contemporary Latin American art and will drive a large-scale expansion in conjunction with Malba’s 25th anniversary.
Reginald Madison, a self-taught painter and sculptor from the Black Arts Movement in Chicago, has joined Uffner & Liu gallery for representation. Paul Soto Gallery now represents John Sandroni, whose work is currently on view in New York. KSS Architects completed a new Learning and Engagement Center at the Newark Museum of Art. Meanwhile, at least eight blue-chip galleries have dropped out of Art Basel Miami Beach, and Karim Crippa has been appointed director of Art Basel Paris. Christie’s four auctions held concurrently with Art Basel Paris totaled $107.4 million, with Yves Klein’s California (1KB 71) selling for $21.3 million, a record for the artist in France.
Lieke Mulder reported a 7/8-sized violin by Aegidius Kloz stolen from his home in The Hague, The Netherlands, on November 14, 2025. The instrument, housed in a dark blue rectangular case with a carbon fibre bow, is believed to have been built between 1740 and 1760. Mulder has offered a reward and requests information through a contact link.
Christie’s examines Discover what J.M.W. Turner bought at Christie's - and why and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts returned 41 terracotta relief fragments valued around $400,000 to Türkiye after an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit. The reliefs, dating to the 6th century B.C.E. Phrygian temple, were acquired in the 1970s (34 from Summa Galleries in 1978 and others as gifts from Harlan J. Berk and Summa Galleries).
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, 1914-16, sold for 236.4 million dollars in New York, becoming the most expensive modern artwork sold at auction and the highest price for a Klimt at Sotheby’s. The canvas is a full-length portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, daughter of Klimt's patrons, and has a complex, psychologically teasing presence despite its modest surface opulence compared to Klimt's Golden Period works.
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s New York, setting a new record for a modern artwork. The painting, created between 1914 and 1916, has a provenance including Nazi-era theft and restitution, and was later acquired by Leonard A. Lauder in 1985. The sale, which exceeded pre-sale estimates, underscores confidence in museum-quality modern masterpieces with strong provenance and historical narratives.
Suzanne Valadon’s painting Nu au chat, allongé sur une draperie à fleurs (1920) sold for 1.9 million dollars at Sotheby’s Paris, a world record for the artist, above its estimate of 460,000 to 700,000 dollars. The work is an oil on canvas circa 1920 measuring about 145.7 × 97.2 cm and features a reclining nude with a cat, set against a floral drapery, reflecting modernity and Valadon’s approach to female nudes.
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $236 million, becoming the most expensive modern-art piece sold at auction; the painting was part of Leonard Lauder’s collection and has a history linked to Elisabeth Lederer and Nazi-era provenance.
The Lorenzo Carcassi violin, made in Florence in 1740, was stolen from the Marquess Tavern in North London on February 18, 2025. Ahmed Sami Madour, 46, has been charged with two counts of theft and pleaded not guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court; his trial is set for May 10, 2027. The instrument was loaned to violinist David Lopez Ibanez of the Philharmonia Orchestra and is valued at more than £150,000 (about $201,550).
Peter Paul Rubens created a long-lost 1613 painting that resurfaced in a Paris townhouse and sold for €2.3 million ($2.7 million), with fees bringing the total to €2.94 million ($3.41 million). The work is noted as the only Rubens crucifixion showing blood and water from Christ’s side wound, and authentication involved the Rubenianum, X-ray imaging, pigment analysis, and microscopic study.
Warhol’s Muhammad Ali (1977) by Andy Warhol sold for $18 million during the VIP Preview of Art Basel Miami Beach, with Lévy Gorvy Dayan selling the work. The painting was autographed on the reverse by Muhammad Ali and was previously owned by Richard L. Weisman, who commissioned Warhol’s Athletes series.
Christie’s examines PHILLIPS PRESENTS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART & DESIGN SALE IN HONG KONG ON 12 DECEMBER and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
Tehran Auction sold 120 works for 134 trillion Iranian toman, or $1.5 million before fees, at the Azadi Hotel. The result shows continuing domestic demand for Iranian Modern and contemporary art despite banking sanctions and the aftermath of regional conflict.
The Winter Egg by Fabergé realised £22,895,000 (approx. $30,244,295) or €26,008,720 at Christie's London, a new world auction record for Fabergé. The sale was part of Christie's Classic Week events in London, with The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection and the Old Masters Evening Sale achieving a combined total of £40,515,964.
Peter Paul Rubens’s long-lost painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus sold at auction for €2.3 million in Versailles. The work was authenticated by the Rubenianum after scientific analysis.
Peter Paul Rubens, Christ on the Cross (c. 1614-15), was auctioned for €2.3 million ($2.7 million) at Osenat in Paris, exceeding its presale estimate. Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat and art historian Nils Büttner confirmed the work, which had remained in Parisian ownership and was previously unknown to art historians beyond engravings.
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $236 million, becoming the most expensive piece of modern art sold at auction. The work, painted between 1914 and 1916 and formerly part of Leonard A. Lauder’s collection, has a history tied to Elisabeth Lederer and Nazi-era provenance debates.
The record-setting $32 million sale of Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Fräulein Lieser (1917) fell through after a restitution settlement failed to resolve gaps in provenance. The work, discovered in early 2024 and sold at Im Kinsky in Vienna to an anonymous Hong Kong buyer, has a history tied to Nazi-era turmoil and contested sitter identity, with the potential legal heir emerging after the sale and the buyer ultimately pulling out.