The Art World This Week: Ari Emanuel to Buy Frieze, US Venice Pavilion Adds New Guidelines, Art Institute of Chicago Director Under Investigation, and More
Everything you need to know about the most important headlines from the world of art in the last seven days
黑料不打烊
May 08, 2025
Frieze New York 2025. Photo by Casey Kelbaugh. Courtesy of Frieze and CKA.
Ari Emanuel to Buy Frieze From Endeavor
The entertainment company's former chief executive has signed a deal reportedly worth $200m to acquire the leading art fair and media brand.
US Venice Pavilion Adds New Guidelines for ‘American Values’
The State Department has published the grant application for the Venice Biennale’s US pavilion with a revised agenda insisting on the promotion of ‘American values and policies’.
Chicago Museum Director Under Investigation After Airplane Incident
James Rondeau, the director of the Art Institute of Chicago, took a voluntary leave after a report that he stripped off his clothes during a flight to Germany.
SFMOMA Cuts Nearly 30 Staffers Citing Financial Challenges
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has cut 29 positions, constituting nearly 8 percent of the workforce, a decision that has drawn criticism from union representatives amid ongoing contract negotiations.
Frieze New York Shows Signs of Stability in Challenging US Art Market
Alongside the Frieze fair, a growing cohort of satellite events and weeks of auctions attest to the resilience of the trade in a turbulent macroeconomic climate.
Black Dandyism, the 2025 Met Gala’s Theme, Has Its Roots in 18th-Century Painting
A young Black boy, wearing deep red livery with gold trimming, a gold earring, and red-and-white turban secured with a jeweled brooch, stares out at the viewer.
Christie’s Names New Global President
Alex Rotter's promotion is the latest senior management shuffle at the auction house since Guillaume Cerutti stepped down.
Dara Birnbaum, Video Art Pioneer, 1946–2025
Dara Birnbaum, a pioneer of video art, has died. Birnbaum came to prominence in the 1970s, recognising television not just as a revolutionary medium in communications, but as a new source of material in artmaking, too.
Defne Ayas Named Director of Van Abbemuseum
The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, has announced Defne Ayas as its new director, beginning in September.
Yu Nishimura Brings his Dreamlike Canvases to America with David Zwirner
The German gallerist said his daughter introduced him to the Japanese artist and he was 'immediately intrigued'.
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