News

26 February 2026

Super Rare "Jungle Book" Illustrations Resurface in London Family Home

For decades, two watercolors hung unassumingly in a family home in London. Only recently did the residents discover the works' storied pedigree: they are original illustrations created for a 1903 edition of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, which were long thought lost. ... read more (external link)

26 February 2026

What Would Happen to Auction Houses If Luxury Sales Outstrip Art Sales?

Since I started reporting on the convergence of the art and luxury markets last year, I've been asking people in the auction game a simple, rational question: What happens if luxury sales overtake art at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips? The answer tends to be an emphatic: No, that would never happen. Art is and always will be the houses' bread and butter, I'm usually told. ... read more (external link)

26 February 2026

35 Rembrandt Etchings Re-Discovered in a Family Home in the Netherlands

Many people around the world were cooped up at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but few had the same good fortune as Charlotte Meyer, who spent some of her unexpected downtime after a house move going through a folder of works on paper that her late grandfather had handed down to her. She shared her findings with the Rembrandt House in Amsterdam, who confirmed that the 35 etchings are in fact by the Dutch Old Master. ... read more (external link)

26 February 2026

What Will Define Art in 2026? Key Themes From the Big U.S. Shows

What mood will define art in the United States in 2026? What themes are bubbling up? ... read more (external link)

11 February 2026

This Serene Canaletto Is Now One of the Italian Master's Most Expensive Works

A signature view of Venice by Canaletto brought a strong price for the 18th century Italian master at Christie's on February 4, leading the Old Master week in New York. Hammering at $26 million, it sold for a total of $30.5 million including fees, just over its $30 million pre-sale estimate. Backed by a guarantee and irrevocable bid, it was sure to sell. ... read more (external link)

11 February 2026

Lost Michelangelo Draws $27 Million, Trouncing Estimate and Smashing Record

When Giada Damen, an expert in Christie's Old Master drawings department, received an unsolicited photograph via the auction house Request an Auction Estimate online service, she could never have imagined what had just rolled into her inbox. ... read more (external link)

11 February 2026

Italian Culture Ministry Revealed as Buyer of $15 M. Painting Pulled from Sotheby's Old Master Sale

Days before it was set to go on sale during Sotheby's Old Masters auction on February 5, a double-sided panel by the Italian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina was withdrawn from the high-profile evening sale. Today, Sotheby's revealed that the Italian Ministry of Culture purchased the painting for $14.9 million before it could reach the auction block. ... read more (external link)

11 February 2026

Battle Over 1,800 Paintings Attributed to Russian Modernist Masters Intensifies After Litigation Funder Raises Authenticity Concerns

A long-running dispute over a collection of roughly 1,800 paintings attributed to Russian modernist masters has escalated after a litigation funder said it may have been misled about the works authenticity. The development has added a new layer of tension to a case already entangled in competing ownership claims, criminal investigations, and multimillion-dollar lawsuits across several countries. ... read more (external link)

04 February 2026

As the great wealth transfer gets underway, what are the current inheritance tax rules?

The flood of material from the estates of deceased collectors sold in New York's November auctions looks set to become the norm in years to come, as the demographic bulge of the acquisitive Baby Boomer generation passes away. ... read more (external link)

04 February 2026

Nicolas Party's New Miniature Paintings Are a Hit. Will They Reset His Struggling Auction Market?

One of the most buzzed-about gallery shows in New York right now is Nicolas Party's Dead Fish in Chelsea. Insiders see it as a flex by Party, an ambitious 45-year-old Swiss artist who handles painting as deftly as he does gallery politics. ... read more (external link)

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