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Source-linked reporting
savannahherald.com
Julie Mehretu, an Ethiopian-born, New York-based painter, created an 83-foot glass installation titled Uprising of the Sun for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The 35-panel work rises on the north façade and will be seen by millions when the center opens in June 2026, marking a landmark public artwork by an African-born artist in American history.
codex.vasari.art
Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s in New York, making it the most valuable work of modern art ever sold at auction and the most expensive artwork ever sold by Sotheby’s globally. The sale totaled $706 million for the evening, with notable results for Edvard Munch and a Klimt landscape, while two top lots did not sell, and Maurizio Cattelan’s America drew a single bid.
Tatler Asia
Ahead of its 25 January 2026 Modern and Contemporary Art auction during Singapore Art Week, Sotheby's highlighted works including three David Hockney iPad pictures from his 2011 Woldgate series (his Singapore auction debut) and Marc Chagall's Couple et mimosas (1960), alongside Walter Spies' Die Schlittschuhlaeufer (The Ice Skaters) (1922), Raden Saleh's The Eruption of Mount Merapi, Pacita Abad's Assaulting the Eye with Ecstasy (1984), I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih's Buah Kesukaanku, Anthony Poon's Colour Waves and Jane Lee's Painting Is 3 Phases. No monetary figures were stated in the preview.
observer.com
Frederic Remington’s An Argument with the Town Marshal sold for $11,847,500 and Frederic Remington’s Coming to the Call sold for $13,285,000, each well above high estimates. The two-part sale Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection at Christie’s realized $84.1 million with fees, making it the most successful Western art auction to date. The collection included works by Monet, Renoir, Degas and Cézanne, with a focus on Western art and Remington, Charles Marion Russell, and Albert Bierstadt.
codex.vasari.art
Jean Siméon Chardin's still life The Cut Melon (1760) was acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum from the Rothschild family after a record-breaking auction at Christie's Paris in June 2024 fell through; the winning bidder Nanni Bassani Antivari did not pay, Christie's sued, and the Rothschilds sold the painting directly to the Kimbell, which had been underbidder. The work, with its original 1761 frame, went on view on May 22 in the French still life gallery. The acquisition fills a long-standing gap in the Kimbell's collection, complements a companion work at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and highlights volatility in the high-end Old Master market.
The Art Newspaper
The Art Newspaper published a market guide to Gustav Klimt, noting that his Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (1914-16) sold at Sotheby's in November for 236.4 million dollars with fees, that Lady with a Fan (1917) made 85.3 million pounds at Sotheby's London in 2023 and Birch Forest (1903) made 104.6 million dollars at Christie's in 2022. It highlights the scarcity of Klimt paintings and a restitution controversy over his 1897 portrait Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona, quoting experts Richard Nagy, Jane Kallir and Tobias Natter.
codex.vasari.art
Julie Mehretu was honored at the Whitney Museum of American Art gala, along with Fern Kaye Tessler and Adam D. Weinberg. Mehretu donated $2.25 million in 2024 to fund the museum’s 'Free Under 25' initiative, and the gala raised $6.3 million. Attendees included Rashid Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Anicka Yi, Fred Wilson, and Beth Rudin DeWoody.
news.artnet.com
The article notes JD.com unveiled plans for a JD Museum in Shenzhen, a 108,000-square-foot institution designed by Büro Ole Scheeren with interiors by Neri and Hu, slated to open in late 2027 with Robin Peckham as executive director. It also covers updates in Asia’s art scene, including Art SG attendance and acquisitions for Singapore Art Museum by Mona Hatoum and Lotus L. Kang, and listings about galleries and regional exhibitions.
Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s reports on New Auction Record for a Saudi Artist Set at Sotheby's Origins Sale in Diriyah. Its source account states that highest Total Ever Achieved in a Single Night at Auction in Europe: £393.4m / $520.7m](https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/highest-total-ever-achieved-in-a-single-night-at-auction-in-europe-393-4m-520-7m).
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Barbara Jakobson’s temple of style and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
The Art Newspaper
Brafa expanded to 147 exhibitors and added a third hall for its 71st edition in Brussels. A rediscovered Peter Paul Rubens portrait priced above €1 million led the Old Master material, while early sales included an Enrico Castellani work placed with a European museum.
Christie’s
Christie’s reports on Christie's to offer Magritte's celebrated work Les grâces naturelles as the leading highlight of the upcoming The Art of The Surreal Evening Sale. Its source account states that christie's will present René Magritte's Les grâces naturelles as the leading highlight of its upcoming The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale on 5 March 2026.
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Explore the best new art books of 2026 and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
The Art Newspaper
The Paris court of appeal cancelled Galerie Kraemer's sale of a Chinese porcelain vase and ordered the gallery to repay €2.8 million. The ruling followed serious doubts about whether the object's gilded bronze mounts dated to the 18th century.
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Irene Roosevelt Aitken’s enchanting Fifth Avenue home and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
The Art Newspaper
A portrait of Jesus Christ painted live by Vanessa Horabuena sold for $2.75 million during a New Year's Eve charity auction at Mar-a-Lago. The event raised funds for a local children's hospital and provides a completed, price-specific sale result.