ART
Condition Report: Randall Suffolk, Director of Atlanta’s High Museum
As museums have recalibrated to ride out the MAGA storm, Suffolk has made it imperative to diversify the High Museum’s audiences and offerings—and to embrace Atlanta’s unique history and strengths.
Julie Brener Davich
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July 29, 2025
Jane’s Addiction
News and notes on the aftershocks from the $10.1 million Birkin prototype sale at Sotheby’s Paris and the state of the secondary “quota” bag market.
Julie Brener Davich
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July 27, 2025
Gehry’s Boy From Biloxi
Unheralded during his lifetime, ceramicist George Ohr later drew praise from museum curators (and Warhol and Johns) for his abstract expressionist teapots and vases. This week, several of his works from the Donald Hecht collection are up for auction.
Marion Maneker
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July 25, 2025
Paris Is Turning
The French art world is checked out for the summer, and its attention has already turned toward the fall, where Paris has a lineup of exhibitions—from George Condo to Richter—and a new home for the Fondation Cartier in time for October’s Art Basel.
WAG the Art Market
The merger of Winston Art Group with Artory is a possible step toward the greater financialization of art. But will art ever really be an “asset”?
Marion Maneker
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July 22, 2025
The Phillips Fee Screwdriver
As auction houses look to regain their mojo by tweaking pricing and structures, Phillips has announced a true potential game-changer—a triple whammy that increases the buyer’s premium, offers a discount to early bidders, and previews intent. So… will it work?
Julie Brener Davich
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July 20, 2025
JARheads
Luxury sales at the auction houses have grown exponentially as a percentage of their global business in the past few years, just as prices for fine and decorative arts have fallen. Jewelry, in particular, is performing exceptionally well.
Marion Maneker
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July 18, 2025
Beauford Delaney, Renaissance Man
Beauford Delaney’s big, brightly colored works forged his identity as an artist, and not just another expat friend of James Baldwin and Georgia O’Keeffe. Now, a sweeping exhibition of his work at the Drawing Center shows the remarkable range of an underappreciated great American artist.
House Calls
A report from the auction houses’ earnings calls as they try to steer the press toward a narrative of stability rather than sky-is-falling panic. While not entirely successful, they did provide some reasons for optimism.
Marion Maneker
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July 15, 2025
Goldin Ticket
A wide-ranging conversation with the sports collectibles and Netflix impresario Ken Goldin, whose Goldin Auctions has helped legitimize the market. Naturally, he’s now expanding his collectibles empire even further.
Julie Brener Davich
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July 13, 2025
Blazing Paddles
The art scene of the American West, epitomized in the upcoming Coeur d’Alene auction in Reno, is a thriving world apart from the otherwise dominant coastal art scene. And that’s fine with them.
Marion Maneker
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July 11, 2025
Magritte Surprises & Glimcher’s Rothko
The art world may have decamped to the Greek Isles or the South of France, but there’s still plenty of exceptional work to enjoy in Manhattan’s galleries. Herewith, a survey of a few gems you might have overlooked…
A 1H25 Art Market Wellness Check
A gold mine of proprietary data from ARTDAI offers a nuanced portrait of the auction market in its current state. There are causes for concern, particularly at the top of the market, but also evidence of stability.
Marion Maneker
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July 8, 2025
Ay Tjoe’s Meaning of Life
Indonesian artist Christine Ay Tjoe has been a rising star in Asia for two decades. But her first U.S. show, at White Cube, offers a comprehensive view of how she grapples with the theme of grief after the death of her father.
Julie Brener Davich
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July 6, 2025
The Bone Collectors
Demand for rare dinosaur fossils has been heating up, even as the major auction houses struggle to tame the “Wild West” quality of an immature market without many comparisons.
Julie Brener Davich
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July 3, 2025
The Old Masters vs. Everything Else
As the London sales proved yet again, there’s a value gap between the best and the rest. Desire is the differentiator, with deeply covetable, exceptional works setting record prices, while much of everything else struggles to meet the reserve.
The Blumquake & The Next Shoes to Drop
Tim Blum’s shocking-but-not-surprising decision to call it quits is a signal of bigger changes afoot—not just the apparent anhedonia of the collector class, but the profound effects of financialization on the art market.