The Art World This Week: Christie鈥檚 to Sell $30 M. Basquiat, Turner Prize Shortlist Announced, $1580 eBay Magritte To Fetch Over $100k, 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
Apr 24, 2025
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Baby Boom, 1982, acrylic, oilstick and paper collage on canvas mounted on tied wood supports. Courtesy of Christie’s.
Christie’s to Sell $30 M. basquiat Painting During May Auctions
Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s market dominance seems poised to continue during the May auctions in New York, where Christie’s will sell one of his paintings with a $20 million–$30 million estimate.
Tate Announces 2025 Turner Prize Shortlist
The four nominated artists will take part in an exhibition in Bradford later this year as part of the UK City of Culture festival.
Magritte Acquired Over eBay Expected To Fetch Over $100k
A René Magritte sketch that was bought over eBay for only $1580 is expecting to fetch over $100,000 in an upcoming auction.
‘The World Needs Artists’: Looking Back on Pope Francis, Advocate of the Arts
Artists played a crucial role in building a more compassionate world, according to the recently passed Pope, who called on makers to focus on social issues and 'fight the rejection of the other'.
Chuck Connelly, Combative Neo-Expressionist Artist, Dies at 70
His heavily textured paintings brought him renown in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Nick Nolte played a character inspired by him in a Martin Scorsese film.
Ho Tzu Nyen Named Artistic Director of 2026 Gwangju Biennale
Singaporean artist, filmmaker, and curator Ho Tzu Nyen has been appointed artistic director of the Sixteenth Gwangju Biennale, set to open September 2026.
Ibrahim Mahama to Wrap the Kunsthalle Bern Ahead of Its Opening
Ibrahim mahama, born in Ghana in 1987 is to wrap the Kunsthalle Bern in response to Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s wrapping of the Kunsthalle – the first building they ever wrapped – on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 1968.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Spanish Sculptor Jaume Plensa
Alongside metal sculptor Albert Paley, Plensa has been recognised for his ethereal yet monumental installations that have generated awe for over three decades.
See Historic Bronzes Displayed in MFA’s Prized - and Now Doomed - Benin Kingdom Gallery
The wealthy donor who pledged them to the museum asked they be returned to him amid talks to transfer ownership to their African land of origin.
Guy Ullens, Preeminent Collector of Chinese Art, 1935–2025
Guy Ullens, whose collection of Chinese contemporary art was one of the most respected in the world, has died.
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