News

08 April 2026

$25 Million Modigliani Goes to Jewish Heir in Landmark Restitution Case

The heir of Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner has won a major victory in an 11-year-old Amedeo Modigliani restitution case. A New York Supreme Court judge found last week that Stettiner’s estate is the rightful owner of the 1918 painting Seated Man With a Cane, ruling on a case filed by his grandson, Philippe Maestracci, in 2015. ... read more (external link)

08 April 2026

Two Monet Paintings, Unseen for a Century, Resurface at Auction

In the spring of 1883, Claude Monet moved to Giverny, the bucolic village where he would spend the final four decades of his life. There, he continued his love affair with the Seine, paddling out in a customized studio boat and lending bob and flow to the meaning of plein air painting. ... read more (external link)

08 April 2026

Yves Saint Laurent's Lalanne Mirrors Set for $15 Million Sale

You could say Yves Saint Laurent and Claude Lalanne got carried away. In 1974, the fashion designer commissioned his favorite artistic collaborator to craft two mirrors for the Salon de Musique of his Paris apartment. By 1985, Lalanne had made 15, each framed in gilt bronze and alive with electroplated leaves plucked from her garden. The commission established the mirror as a Lalanne hallmark, offering her botanical fantasies on a scale beyond jewelry and tableware. ... read more (external link)

08 April 2026

Bic Family Heirs File Lawsuit for Return of Fra Angelico Painting Stolen by Chauffeur

The heirs of the Bic family fortune filed suit in March for the return of a painting by Fra Angelico that sold at Christie's for $5.4 million in 2018. That sale was only possible, the heirs allege, because a chauffeur for the family had stolen the work, then sold it to a prominent art dealer who then consigned it to the auction house. ... read more (external link)

25 March 2026

Raphael Died Before 40. His Met Retrospective Begs the Question: What If He Had Lived?

Imagine I asked you to name the famous Italian Renaissance artist who angered his patron by repeatedly missing deadlines because he was busy studying perspective. You'd probably answer Leonardo da Vinci. Other artists could be dilatory, but no other artist is as famous for putting his research before his painting. It's practically Leonardo's signature. ... read more (external link)

25 March 2026

Monumental Bellini Altarpiece Undergoes Major Restoration in Public View

In the 1810s, a commanding Giovanni Bellini altarpiece was removed from its custom-crafted stone frame inside San Giobbe church and moved across Venice to the Gallerie dell' Accademia. More than three centuries of damp had deteriorated the wood panel painting and it was in serious need of restoration. ... read more (external link)

25 March 2026

Zurich Transfers Ownership of Looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Switzerland's Museum Rietberg has transferred ownership of 11 looted artifacts to Nigeria, according to the city of Zurich, which oversees the museum. They are just a few of the estimated thousands of works of art taken when British forces raided Edo, the capital of the Kingdom of Benin (now Edo state in modern-day Nigeria), in 1897. Dispersed among collections in the West, these objects have been the focus of a long and in recent years, highly publicized effort to retrieve them on the part of the Nigerian government. ... read more (external link)

25 March 2026

Never-Before-Seen Paintings Reveal Anthony Van Dyck's Formative Italian Period

What shaped Anthony van Dyck's signature style? A sweeping new exhibition points to the Flemish artist's Italian years as the decisive turning point in his rise to international fame. ... read more (external link)

18 March 2026

Rare Letter Reveals Cash-Strapped Monet Once Put His Paintings Up as Collateral

Claude Monet may be one of the market's most bankable artists, but the pioneering painter faced persistent poverty during his ascent. One letter immortalizing a loan Monet secured from the brother of his fellow Impressionist Edouard Manet will headline an online auction of 1,600 autographs, manuscripts, and letters that International Autograph Auctions is hosting on March 25. It's expected to command EUR 80,000 - 120,000 (USD 92,100 - 138,200). ... read more (external link)

18 March 2026

El Greco Painting Found Hidden Beneath a Forgery in the Vatican

This weekend, the Vatican revealed a newly discovered painting by master Mannerist El Greco, long hidden underneath a forgery. This small work of oil on board, titled The Redeemer (c. 1590-95), turned up in the Pope's home. The newfound relic features in a two-artwork exhibition titled "El Greco in the Mirror: Two Paintings in Dialogue" now open at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo, 17 miles southeast of the Catholic city-state. ... read more (external link)

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