A PIECE OF BARBARA GLADSTONE’S COLLECTION UP FOR SALE AT SOTHEBY’S THIS MAY
The late art dealer Barbara Gladstone’s collection will be going up for auction at Sotheby’s for the first time this May in New York. Gladstone passed away at 89 last June, leaving behind a notable collection featuring a number of works by prominent artists such as Mike Kelley, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Prince, and Andy Warhol. An art dealer, gallerist, and art history professor, Gladstone has had an immense impact on the art world. Lisa Dennison, Sotheby’s Chair of the Americas, has said, “her collection is not just a group of important works by renowned artists, but a deeply personal testament to her sharp eye, the relationships she nurtured, and the singular vision she had for contemporary art.” Sotheby’s have predicted that the sale could bring in over USD 12 million. Highlights of the sale include Richard Prince’s Man Crazy Nurse (2002-2003), which is estimated at USD 4 million – USD 6 million, and Rudolf Stingel’s Untitled (Bolego) (2006), estimated at USD 1.5 million – USD 2 million. The auction will be taking place on May 15 2025.
Rudolf Stingel, Untitled (Bolego), 2006
MELLON FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES $15 MILLION EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR STATE HUMANITIES COUNCILS
The Mellon Foundation have announced that it will donate USD 15 million in emergency funding for humanities councils in all fifty US states and six jurisdictions. All of the councils had relied on funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, but this funding has been halted under the direction of Donald Trump. The Mellon Foundation is the country’s largest funder of arts and humanities programs and holds an annual grant-making budget of around USD 550 million. The president of the foundation, Elizabeth Alexander, has shared, “The projects that fall under the rubric of the humanities are of an extraordinary range, it would be terrible if countless people across the country lost access to all the things that help us understand what it is to be human, in history and in a contemporary community.” Each council will receive USD 200,000 for operational support, with the rest of the money distributed through challenge grants. Although this is only a fraction of what these organisations would usually receive in funding, the donations are seen as a short-term relief in order to provide more time to work out a long-term solution.
8 MUST-SEE GALLERY SHOWS AT GALLERY WEEKEND BERLIN 2025
Gallery Weekend Berlin will be running from May 2 – 4 2025, welcoming its 21st edition. With 52 participating galleries, works by over 80 artists will be presented across 59 locations. There will also be a range of off-program exhibitions and performances happening alongside the main events. Artsy have selected 8 shows from this year’s Berlin Gallery Weekend, starting with Retinal Rivalry at Sprüth Magers, by Cyprien Gaillard. The gallery will be transformed into a multi-sensory experience, presenting a range of works by the French media artist, from sculpture to new film works. At Buchmann Galerie, works by Turner prize winning artist Tony Cragg will be presented in Sculptures and Drawings. Key pieces like It Is, It Isn’t (2016) and Double Take(2014), highlight Cragg’s focus on the exploration of the tension between organic forms and industrial materials. A standout group show will be opening at Pace Gallery with Galerie Judin, bringing together Jean Dubuffet, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Robert Nava. Titled, Reverse Alchemy: Dubuffet, Basquiat, Nava, the exhibition celebrates raw, crude, and unfiltered explorations of mark-making. Other shows mentioned include Ekimyula Ekijjankunene (The Gorgeous Grotesque / Die prächtige Groteske) by Leilah Babirye at Galerie Max Hetzler, and a showcase of works by Frank Auerbach at Galerie Michael Werner.
Tony Cragg, Breakaway, 2017
ANNA WEYANT’S JEWELRY-INSPIRED PAINTINGS SET TO SHINE AT TEFAF NEW YORK
TEFAF New York is opening next week, running from May 9 – 13. Gagosian will be presenting a new body of work by stand out artist Anna Weyant, featuring meticulous paintings of jewellery, from dainty gold chains to iridescent pearls. Throughout the works, Weyant’s delicate and precise treatment of light and shadow results in a naturalistic sheen that is reminiscent of the art of the Dutch Golden Age. Weyant adds a modern touch to the works through the inclusion of price tags, a reminder of the commercial side of jewellery. Having joined Gagosian in 2022, Weyant has had three international shows with the gallery. The most recent of which was in London, titled, Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolves? in 2024. At TEFAF, Weyant’s jewellery paintings will be presented alongside a painting of a vase overflowing with flowers; the floral imagery here is reflected in the daisies of Daisy Necklace (2025) and Daisy Earrings (2025).
Anna Weyant, Daisy Necklace, 2025
TWO NEW ART CENTRES SET TO OPEN IN VENICE
Two new art spaces are set to open in Venice next month: the San Marco Art Centre (SMAC) and a new space by the Nicoletti Firoucci Foundation. Focusing on art, architecture, fashion, technology, and film, the SMAC is set to open on 9 May at the Procuratie in St Mark’s Square. The new hub was founded by David Hrankovic, Anna Bursaux, and David Gramazio; Hrankovic is the managing director of TBA21 space in Venice, while Bursaux and Gramazio help provide international strategy for museums worldwide through Museum Box. The founders released in a statement, “We are a spontaneous and experimental organisation, testing traditional models of arts institutions and exhibition making.” The space will include 16 galleries, with inaugural shows coinciding with the Venice Architecture Biennale, running from May 10 – November 23, 2025. The second space is being opened by the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation at a historic building previously owned by the painter Ettore Tito in the 1920s. The space will open with a site-specific installation by Georgian artist Tolia Astakhishvili, running from May 7 – November 23, 2025. Having been opened in 2022, the organisation has said in a statement that it, “encourages the exploration of art through multisensory and unconventional approaches while fostering the cross-pollination of radical ideas.”
Interior shot of San Marco Art Centre
HO TZU NYEN APPOINTED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF 16TH EDITION: GWANGJU BIENNALE
The Gwangju Biennale is set to open its 16th edition in September 2026 with Singaporean visual artist and curator Ho Tzu Nyen as its Artistic Director. The announcement of Ho’s appointment was made by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation on April 23. Ho was chosen due of his exploration of Asian modernity within his work, his curatorial approach predicted to create a new direction for the biennale. He has previously contributed to the Gwangju Biennale for the 13th edition through a commissioned piece titled Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning (2021). Ho has also had a number of solo exhibitions, held at prominent institutions such as Mudam—The Contemporary Art Museum of Luexembourg, Art Sonje Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, and the Singapore Art Museum. In addition, he was chosen to be a part of the Singapore pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011), the 10th Shanghai Biennale (2014), Aichi Triennale (2019), and Sharjah Biennale 14 (2019). The 16th Gwangju Biennale sets to explore themes of the collective and solidarity in response to the current global crises. There is a goal to shift the narrative away from the individual paralysis that is often felt during troubling times. Ho has shared, “This edition will bring together the energies, propositions, practices, and ideas that have inspired and propelled me over the past two decades. It will be an opportunity to explore how the practice of artistic transformation resonates with Gwangju’s legacy of democratic change. Rather than delivering a single message, this Biennale will seek to generate propositions for change that are shared and shaped by all of us.”
Ho Tzu Nyen
Jordan Tan holds an MA in History of Art from the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art. With a passion for fine art and the art market, Jordan plays a key role at Art Works by researching and interpreting trends across the primary and secondary markets, delivering valuable insights and business intelligence for the fine art department.
