Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in On Balance, the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up here to receive it every Wednesday.
Happy Tuesday! Here’s a round-up of who’s moving and shaking in the art trade this week.
- Jessica Silverman Adds Rebecca Manson to Roster: The New York–based sculptor, known for her large intensely tactile ceramics, will debut at the gallery with a solo exhibition in January.
- Denver Art Museum to Host 20th Petrie Institute Symposium: Titled “Southwest Impressions: A Broader Perspective,” the January 16 event will feature talks on how the American Southwest inspired generations of WPA-era and modern printmakers.
- Whitney Museum Art Party Returns with DJ Set from The Dare: The annual event, set for January 27, benefits the museum’s Independent Study Program. Guests are encouraged to appear in their “loudest prints and most vibrant patterns,” per the invite.
- Rubin Museum Acquires Works by Seven Contemporary Artists from the Himalayas: The new acquisitions—by Uuriintuya Dagvasambuu, Tserang Dhundrup, Tsering Nyandak, and others—were purchased through the Rubin’s acquisition fund or received as gifts.
- NCAR and AWARE Launch Research Fellowship on Women Artists in Japan: The National Center for Art Research, Japan and the Archives of Women Artists, Research, and Exhibitions have launched a joint fellowship for researchers and curators exploring under-recognized, women-identifying and non-binary artists with ties to Japan.
Big Number: $757 M.
That’s the cumulative total for 10 highest auction results of 2025, led of course by the $236.4 million sale of Gustav Klimt’s Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (1914–16). That total is the market’s highest since 2022’s $1.1 billion, and well above last year’s $512.6 million and 2023’s $660 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly all but one of the top ten results happened during the November marquee sales week.
Read This
2025 was a rough year any way you slice it: an unstable economy, ravaging climate disasters, the return of President Trump to the Oval Office—and all the chaos that entails—and a viciously divided political climate sporadically punctuated by previously unthinkable violence. Narrow the focus to the art world and none of those pressures disappear. In fact, perhaps more than ever, the art world seemed intertwined with all of them. With the year drawing to a close, ARTnews is taking stock, looking at the defining artworks of the year, the most important news events, the best exhibitions in New York, and much, much more. Have a look, and happy holidays!
