Jan 6th, 2026 - The publication draws on inventories, correspondence and rediscovered works to reveal new theories Consider Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves: an enigmatic look, cast from beneath heavy-lidded eyes; a long nose, the soft breath from which is almost felt; a red velvet gown richly adorned with gold and pearls, set against a blue background made more vivid by its recent restoration. Serving as the cover image for Elizabeth Goldring's biography, it is a ...
Jan 6th, 2026 - Our books editor picks out some of the highlights of the months ahead Michaelina Wautier , Katlijne Van der Stighelen, Lund Humphries, 152pp, 63 col. illus., £35 (hb), 28 April The Illuminating Women Artists series goes from strength to strength, with this volume on the Brussels-based 17th century painter, and another on the 18th-century French still-life artist Anne Vallayer-Coster, both arriving in April. Knife-Woman: The Life of Louise Bourgeois , Marie-Laure Bernadac, translated by ...
Jan 2nd, 2026 - Artist's daughter Marguerite features in most of the pieces, kept in the family until 'complete surprise' donation The Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris has received an "extraordinarily generous" donation of 61 works by Henri Matisse that have been kept in the artist's family. Most of the donated art – which includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs and a sculpture – features the painter's daughter Marguerite. The donation, described by the museum as exceptional and ...
Dec 31st, 2025 - The exhibitions to visit in London, New York, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid Paris: springtime brings Rousseau and Renoir There are a few days left in January to catch the Georges de la Tour exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André (until 25 January), which has seen record visitor numbers. Here, the candlelight master is positioned in dialogue with Caravaggio's Europe-wide sphere of influence. These ideas will find an intriguing resonance in the subsequent Clair-obscur group show at the ...
Nov 20th, 2025 - A self-portrait by legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold for $54.66 million in New York on Thursday, setting a new record for the price of a painting by a woman, the auction house Sotheby's said. The sale of Kahlo's 1940 artwork, titled "El sueno (la cama)" — which translates to "The dream (The bed)" — breaks the previous record in this category, set by American artist Georgia O'Keeffe, whose 1932 painting "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1," sold for $44.4 million in 2014. Kahlo's ...
Nov 13th, 2025 - From the Mona Lisa to the American Gothic, these famous paintings don't just grace museum walls; they offer a glimpse into the past and define entire generations. Although most of these masterpieces are centuries old, they continue to fascinate art buffs and collectors alike, with each piece telling a captivating story. Whether they're on display for the whole world to see or hidden behind closed doors, these paintings prove that art has the power to create and sometimes, even change history. ...
Oct 27th, 2025 - The momentum in Paris generated last week by Art Basel—and the strong sales and dynamic activity across all the fairs—culminated in the Paris evening auctions, where results exceeded estimates and expectations at both Christie's and Sotheby's. Buyers who seemed hesitant in the days leading up to the art weeks regained confidence after seeing the positive results in London. "They called back, asking for guarantees or pre-auction bids," Alessandro Diotallevi told Observer ahead of the ...
Oct 18th, 2025 - Morgan Library & Museum, New York Famed impressionist painter's lesser-seen drawings are the focus of a major new exhibition that invites us into the stages of his artistic process is luminous colours and sensual brushwork adorn countless mugs, posters and tote bags as well as blockbuster exhibitions . But the commodification of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his fellow impressionist painters has been missing something. Renoir was an accomplished draftsman who produced a distinguished but largely ...
Sep 16th, 2025 - With Sotheby's landing the $400 million Leonard A. Lauder Collection and the Pritzkers' modern masterpieces, and Christie's securing the Weis and Wynn estates, November's sales may yet rescue the slumping auction market. It has become clearer in these past few years that the real battle between auction houses isn't about results but in the race for consignments. Yesterday, Sotheby's landed a knockout: the $400 million Leonard A. Lauder Collection , set to hit the rostrum during November's New ...
May 6th, 2025 - If the new show at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, " Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits ," were only what the title indicated — an exhibit of the paintings and drawings Van Gogh did in Arles in the last two years of his life of his friend, the postman Joseph Roulin, and his family — it would be a significant event. It would be the first show ever devoted to these intimate portraits, and would tell us some new things about an artist we all think we know through his most popular ...
Apr 11th, 2025 - Eugène Boudin at the Musée Marmottan Monet Video: Musée Marmottan Monet Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz: have just this week opened a new exhibition dedicated to Eugène Boudin (1824-1898) drawn in-part from a single private collection. According to their website: Collector Yann Guyonwarc'h has assembled a collection of works by Eugène Boudin (1824 – 1898) that is unrivalled in any museum in the world. Every facet of the artist's career is ...
