STAY ICONIC
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Photo by Steve McCurry
Investing in art and culture
Exhibitions, biennials and fairs are the heartbeat of the art and cultural world, reinvigorating our perspectives and serving as a counterpart to Sotheby’s calendar of auctions and events. This year will see a particularly thrilling program cross the walls of treasured institutions and our global salerooms, many of which are energizing new additions to our footprint. With so much on offer, we have again called upon our team of international specialists to share their month-by-month edit of unmissable moments. “The Global Agenda” is your cultural compendium, a complement to the coming year of insight from “Sotheby’s Magazine.”
There is a spirit of novelty in the air throughout 2025, with old friends reopening their doors and new museums landing from Amsterdam to Manhattan. Landmark art exhibitions will reinterpret modern titans from Munch to Picasso, and celebrate contemporary visionaries from Hockney to Saville. In the realm of luxury, activities span from a historic auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart to a Rick Owens retrospective at the Palais Galliera in Paris and, in between, we will hold our first sale in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia and host the world’s most distinguished whisky auction in one of Scotland’s finest country houses.
This fall, the Breuer building (pictured) will become our New York HQ. A modernist masterpiece, and the former home of the Whitney for almost 50 years, the landmark is the ultimate embodiment of our ethos around creative vision. Fusing global influences with bold innovation, we have turned to architects Herzog & de Meuron to prepare this temple to art for its next chapter. The move follows the opening of new buildings in Hong Kong and Paris in 2024 and another sensational season in our London home, the city where it all began in 1744.
These are the places where creativity and collecting meet. We hope to see you there.
Charles F. Stewart CEO, Sotheby’s @charlesfstewart
Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Sotheby’s 2025 Sales Calendar Highlights
JANUARY
JANUARY 23-24
RM Sotheby’s Arizona
The Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix
JANUARY 24-29
Visions of America
Sotheby’s New York
FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY 1
RM Sotheby’s W196 R:
The Monza Streamliner
Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
FEBRUARY 4-5
RM Sotheby’s Paris
Salles du Carrousel du Louvre, Paris
FEBRUARY 5-11
Old Masters
Sotheby’s New York
FEBRUARY 8
Origins
Diriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
FEBRUARY 26
Contemporary Curated Sotheby’s New York
FEBRUARY 27-28
RM Sotheby’s Miami Coral Gables, Florida
MARCH
MARCH
The London Sales
Sotheby’s London
MARCH 1-2
ModaMiami
Coral Gables, Florida
MARCH 6
NBA 2025 All-Star Game
Sotheby’s New York
MARCH 6-14
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
MARCH 13-19
Asian Art
Sotheby’s New York
MARCH 26-APRIL 10
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Paris
MARCH 29-30
The Hong Kong Sales
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
APRIL
APRIL
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Cologne
APRIL
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Milan
APRIL
The Paris Sales
Sotheby’s Paris
APRIL 3
Area 51
Sotheby’s Geneva
APRIL 3-4
Popular Culture
Sotheby’s New York
APRIL 10
Classic Design
Sotheby’s London
APRIL 15
Classic Design
Sotheby’s New York
APRIL 15-25
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
APRIL 29-MAY 1 Islamic, Orientalist & Middle Eastern Art
Sotheby’s London
MAY
MAY 7-16
The New York Sales
Sotheby’s New York
MAY 11-22
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Geneva and Zurich
MAY 13-JUNE 3
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
MAY 14-15
Asian Art
Sotheby’s London
MAY 15-JUNE 5
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s London
MAY 20
Design
Sotheby’s Paris
MAY 22
RM Sotheby’s Milan
Sotheby’s Milan
JUNE
JUNE 10-11
Modern British & Irish Art
Sotheby’s London
JUNE 10-26
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s New York
JUNE 11-12
Design
Sotheby’s New York
JUNE 11-JULY 11
Fine Books & Manuscripts
Sotheby’s New York, London and Paris
JUNE 12
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Paris
JUNE 24-25
The London Sales
Sotheby’s London
JUNE 26
Classic Design
Sotheby’s Paris
JUNE 27
Asian Art
Sotheby’s New York
JULY
JULY 2-4
Old Masters
Sotheby’s London
JULY 8
RM Sotheby’s Cliveden House Berkshire, U.K.
JULY 15-17
Geek Week
Sotheby’s New York
JULY 22
NBA Finals
Sotheby’s New York
AUGUST
AUGUST 14-16
RM Sotheby’s Monterey
Monterey, California
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 10-19
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
SEPTEMBER 11-17
Asian Art
Sotheby’s New York
SEPTEMBER 29-
OCTOBER 10
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Paris
OCTOBER
OCTOBER
The London Sales
Sotheby’s London
OCTOBER
The Paris Sales
Sotheby’s Paris
OCTOBER
RM Sotheby’s Munich Motorworld Munich
OCTOBER 2-3
The Hong Kong Sales
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
OCTOBER 7-8
Popular Culture
Sotheby’s New York
OCTOBER 8-9
RM Sotheby’s Hershey
The Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pennsylvania
OCTOBER 10
Distillers One of One Hopetoun House, Edinburgh
OCTOBER 14-15
Classic Design
Sotheby’s New York
OCTOBER 14-24
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
OCTOBER 28-29
Islamic, Indian & Middle Eastern Art
Sotheby’s London
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER
Modern and Contemporary
Sotheby’s Cologne
NOVEMBER 1
London Motor Week
Sotheby’s London
NOVEMBER 1
RM Sotheby’s London London
NOVEMBER 4-14
Asian Art
Sotheby’s London
NOVEMBER 5-14
The New York Sales
Sotheby’s New York
NOVEMBER 9-20
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Geneva & Zurich
NOVEMBER 11-DECEMBER 3
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
NOVEMBER 12
Classic Design
Sotheby’s London
NOVEMBER 16
Hospices de Beaune
Halles de Beaune, France
NOVEMBER 18
Design
Sotheby’s Paris
NOVEMBER 18-19
Modern British & Irish Art
Sotheby’s London
NOVEMBER 24-26
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s London
NOVEMBER 25
Classic Design
Sotheby’s Paris
NOVEMBER 26
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Milan
DECEMBER
DECEMBER 2-5
Old Masters
Sotheby’s London
DECEMBER 3
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Paris
DECEMBER 4-17
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s New York
DECEMBER 9-11
Design
Sotheby’s New York
DECEMBER
RM Sotheby’s Dubai
Dates are subject to change. Please visit sothebys.com for latest sale information.
Museum Openings
Drift Museum
Amsterdam driftmuseum.com
AmsterdAm’s immersive new museum comes courtesy of Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, who founded Studio DRIFT
in 2007. They have teamed up with Dutch entrepreneur Eduard Zanen to take over the refurbished Van Gendt Hallen factory buildings with DRIFT’s cutting-edge experiential sculptures, installations and performances. The multidisciplinary studio has exhibited around the world, but it might be best
Studio Museum in Harlem
New York studiomuseum.org
A hub for artists of African descent and an important center for Black culture, the museum is to reopen this fall in a new purpose-built home. Designed by Adjaye Associates and taking inspiration from the neighborhood, it offers more space for the permanent collection, special exhibitions, educational and public programs, aspiring to be a cultural anchor for the Harlem community. The inaugural exhibition is dedicated to Tom Lloyd (1929-96), the artist, educator and activist who was the subject of the Studio Museum’s first exhibition in 1968.
known for “Franchise Freedom,” a 2023 performance that launched more than a thousand illuminated drones into the night sky over New York’s Central Park. DRIFT’s ambition is to harness technology to manifest the patterns and phenomena of nature, from flowers to flocks of starlings.
V&A East Storehouse
London vam.ac.uk/east
the victoriA And Albert Museum’s new venue, opening on May 31 in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, invites you behind the scenes of its massive collection: half a million objects that run the gamut from Dior haute couture to the Glastonbury festival archive. The V&A East Storehouse offers unprecedented access to the museum’s stores, with guided tours, events, curated displays and more. Anyone can book to see a specific object using the “Order an Object” service, a world first. Fans of David Bowie can see his archive—acquired by the V&A in 2023—in its new home from September 13. The nearby V&A East Museum is scheduled to open in spring 2026.
The Frick Collection
New York frick.org
the frick collection is returning to its historic Beaux-Arts home on Fifth Avenue/East 70th Street for an April reopening, following its first major renovation since 1935. Led by Selldorf Architects, the redesign will increase display space for the collection by opening up the mansion’s second floor, once the private living quarters of the Frick family. Special exhibitions are destined for a suite of new galleries, beginning in June with “Vermeer’s Love Letters,” and the museum will be unified physically with the adjacent Frick Art Research Library.
Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery
London nationalgallery.org.uk
PlAns to refurbish the Sainsbury Wing on the west side of the National Gallery were approved in 2022, with the aim of opening up the existing space for an everincreasing number of visitors. The architectural competition was won by the New Yorkbased studio of Annabelle Selldorf, who says she is creating “a more generous and welcoming space.” The wing, which first opened in 1991, is home to some of the gallery’s finest Renaissance paintings, including works by Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Uccello and Botticelli. After being scattered throughout the main building’s galleries during the redesign, they will be reunited again when the wing reopens in May.
New Museum
New York newmuseum.org
An extension designed by OMA, the practice led by Rem Koolhaas, is set to double the footprint of the New Museum. Artist residencies and public programs are moving into the space, along with the museum’s digital art affiliate Rhizome and cultural incubator NEW INC. The expansion will create a new public plaza at the intersection of Bowery and Prince Street for art installations, gatherings and performances.
JANUARY
Specialist Picks
JANUARY 25-MAY 25
Islamic Arts Biennale
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
With more than 500 objects on view across five exhibition halls and outdoor spaces, the second Islamic Arts Biennale juxtaposes historical objects from Islamic cultures with contemporary art to explore different experiences of faith.
Auction Highlights
JANUARY 23-24
RM Sotheby’s Arizona
The Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix
The premier sale of Arizona Car Week, this auction is an annual tradition for the North American collectible car market.
JANUARY 24-29
Visions of America
Sotheby’s New York
A series of auctions that celebrate American craftsmanship and culture, from fine, decorative and folk art; furniture; fashion and whiskey to historic maps, books and manuscripts.
Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Islamic Arts Biennale 2023.
JANUARY 25-MAY 25
Islamic Arts Biennale
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia biennale.org.sa
The second IslamIc Arts Biennale juxtaposes historical objects from Islamic cultures with contemporary art from Saudi Arabia and around the world to explore the different ways that faith is experienced. The biennale, which takes place at the Western Hajj Terminal at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, has significantly expanded since its inaugural edition two years ago. More than 500
objects and contemporary artworks are on view across five exhibition halls and outdoor spaces. The Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum are among more than 30 international institutions taking part with loans from their collections. This year’s edition sees the launch of the $100,000 AlMusalla Prize, an international architecture competition to design a prayer space within the exhibition.
BENEDICT CARTER Senior Director, Head of Department, Islamic and Indian Art, London
In the two years since its last edition, there have been various significant exhibitions in the field of Islamic art but none of these can compete for sheer scale with Jeddah’s Biennale. Once again revisiting Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s iconic 1981 Hajj Terminal, it takes ‘the sacred in objects’ as a key theme, with loans from more than 30 international museums, including the Vatican Apostolic Library, alongside historically important pieces from the holy places of Mecca and Medina. In addition to the contemporary artworks, the Homage section will showcase the heights of Islamic civilization in two private collections. In sum, it promises to be another landmark undertaking: a journey, in the words of artistic director Julian Raby, through “heart, mind and hand.”
Left:
B.O’Kane /Alamy Stock Photo. Right: Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Above left: Artist Yasmeen Lari designed a trio of demountable mosques for the 2023 Islamic Arts Biennale.
JANUARY 24-29
Visions of America: Art, Luxury, Culture
Sotheby’s New York sothebys.com
A month-long series of auctions and events that celebrate American craftsmanship. Spanning three floors of gallery space at Sotheby’s New York headquarters, Visions of America presents unparalleled examples of
American art and objects spanning the 17th century to today. The auctions include a diverse array of fine art, furniture, fashion, decorative arts, folk art, historic maps, books, whiskey, manuscripts and more.
Executive Vice President, Chairman, Americas
While our traditional Americana week of auctions has been focused on 18thand 19th-century furniture and decorations, changing taste and forward thinking have given birth to a series of sales under the umbrella of “Visions of America.” We are no longer looking only at the past, but we are embracing the past, present and future of American art, design and innovation. Pairing an 18th-century pie crust table with a Frank Lloyd Wright lamp shows how great art and objects always complement each other and give license for new vision.
BENJAMIN DOLLER
The William Sheppard Woodside Family Classical “George Washington” Shelf Clock, made for the American market by Jacques Nicolas Pierre François Dubuc, circa 1805-15.
JANUARY 16-20
Maison & Objet
Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, Paris maison-objet.com
after the many exhibitions marking the centenary of the publication of the Surrealist Manifesto last year, it is clear that the celebrations are still going strong. Case in point: This year’s Maison & Objet fair has “new Surrealism” as its theme. Titled “Sur/ Reality,” the fair showcases artists and designers who use elements of fantasy, distortion and humor to create surprising and desirable objects, from trompe-l’œil art to anthropomorphic lamps.
JANUARY 17-19
ART SG
Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore artsg.com
Singapore’S contemporary art fair returns for its third edition with presentations from an array of regional and international galleries, talks and a program of large-scale installations. The fair is a linchpin of Singapore Art Week (January 17-26), which celebrates the city’s growing and vibrant art scene.
This page, from top: © Genevieve Lutkin; Courtesy of Sam Chin and ART SG.
Opposite, from left: Image courtesy of the artist and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles,
photo by Ed Mumford; © musée du quai BranlyJacques
Chirac/Claude Germain.
Furniture by Maison & Objet’s designer of the year, Faye Toogood.
Art SG 2024.
2023.
JANUARY 23-26
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco fogfair.com
in time for its 11th edition, FOG Design+Art has appointed its first fair director, Sydney Blumenkranz. Specializing in the intersections between art, design and innovation, the fair welcomes 59 exhibitors this year as well as the debut of FOG MRKT, a curated installation of artisanal products and crafts with a spotlight on the Bay Area.
JANUARY 29-MAY 25
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power
Louvre Abu Dhabi louvreabudhabi.ae
Louvre Abu DhAbi traces the rich history and cultural heritage of African royalty through this selection of around 300 objects from various regions of the continent. The exhibition is a partnership with the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, which is lending artifacts of importance, including an Ife head from Nigeria (12th-14th century).
Cammie Staros, “Zeus and Ganymede,”
A 19th-century Luba ceremonial bowstand, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
FEBRUARY
Specialist Picks
FEBRUARY 1
RM Sotheby’s W196 R:
The Monza Streamliner
Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
A historic 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R “Monza” Streamliner stars in a single-lot sale at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, which supports the upcoming renovation of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
FEBRUARY 5-9
ZSONAMACO
Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City
Latin America’s largest contemporary art fair has sections dedicated to site-specific projects from the Global South, 20thcentury art and, this year, a curatorial focus on the connection between art and freedom.
FEBRUARY 6-JUNE 15
Sharjah Biennial
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
The 16th Sharjah Biennial extends across the emirate with works by more than 140 participants—including over 80 new art commissions—inspired by the theme set by the team of five curators: “to carry.”
FEBRUARY 8
Origins
Sotheby’s Diriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sotheby’s presents the first international art auction in the history of the Kingdom, featuring works by Saudi and international artists as well as jewelry, watches and handbags.
FEBRUARY 15-MAY 18
Kandinsky’s Universe: Geometric Abstraction in the 20th Century
Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany
This exhibition unites more than 100 works by over 70 artists, from Wassily Kandinsky to Frank Stella, to trace the growth of geometric abstraction through six decades of the 20th century.
MARCH 1-2
ModaMiami
Coral Gables, Florida
The ModaMiami weekend is a unique alternative to a traditional vintage car show, bringing together the automotive, art and luxury worlds.
Auction Highlights
FEBRUARY 4-5
RM Sotheby’s Paris
Salles du Carrousel du Louvre, Paris
The spiritual birthplace of bespoke coach-building, Paris is a natural home for an auction offering a superior selection of supercars, past and present.
FEBRUARY 5-11
Old Masters
Sotheby’s New York
Paintings, drawings, sculpture and 19th-century and European art.
FEBRUARY 26
Contemporary Curated
Sotheby’s New York
An exceptional array of works from postwar masters to today’s cutting-edge artists.
FEBRUARY 27-28
RM Sotheby’s Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
The official auction of ModaMiami, featuring ultimate blue-chip collectibles from nearly every age of motoring.
FEBRUARY 1
Mercedes-Benz W196 R streamliner auction
Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany sothebys.com
The exTremely rare 1954 MercedesBenz W196 R “Monza” Streamliner, a variant of the Grand Prix singleseater that was specially developed for high-speed circuits, is the solo star of this single-lot sale with an estimate of €50 million-€70 million. It has a great racing pedigree: the famed Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio competed in this very car—chassis 00009/54— at the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix
and, after the spectacular Streamliner bodywork was added, the British racer Stirling Moss drove it at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The car has been consigned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to help fund its upcoming renovation and expansion. It will go under the hammer at a special auction hosted at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
GORD DUFF President, RM Sotheby’s
The Mercedes-Benz W196 R “Monza” Streamliner isn’t just one of the most beautiful racing cars ever made, it is also one of the most significant. This particular example is truly exceptional, having been raced by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss—without a doubt two of the most talented racing drivers of all time. We are immensely proud to have been trusted to sell this car by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and to know that the proceeds will contribute to the Museum’s endowment fund makes this auction even more special. That the sale will take place in the car’s spiritual home only amplifies the sense of occasion. This is one for the history books.
FEBRUARY 20-23
Frieze Los Angeles
Santa Monica Airport, Los Angeles frieze.com
around 100 conTemporary art galleries are landing at Frieze LA’s airport venue for the fair’s sixth edition. As well as presenting a selection of local and international galleries, the fair hosts the curated Focus section, dedicated to solo presentations by galleries that have a space in the U.S. and were formed in or after 2013.
The Mercedes-Benz W196 R.
Frieze Los Angeles.
FEBRUARY 5-9
ZSONAMACO
Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City zsonamaco.com
ZSONAMACO iS the largest art fair in Latin America. In addition to its main section for international contemporary art, it has areas dedicated to site-specific projects from the Global South, 20th-century art and experimental works from galleries and artist-run spaces in response to a curatorial theme.
The focus for this year’s Ejes section, curated by Bernardo Mosqueira, is the connection between art and freedom.
LULU DE CREEL
Senior Vice President, Chairman, Latin America, Mexico City
ZSONAMACO has been the best art hub in Latin America for many years, opening collectors’ eyes to art from Latin American countries. You see people from all over the world enjoying Mexico’s cultural scene, food and beautiful sunny climate. What happens around the fair is also important: the city puts on incredible exhibitions and local collectors open their homes. Sotheby’s does a takeover of Contramar, one of the most popular restaurants in Mexico, starting at 2 p.m. and ending around midnight. Guests come in and out all afternoon, as they visit nearby galleries. People say that everything that happens at ZSONAMACO happens on the first day at Contramar.
FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 2
ModaMiami
Coral Gables, Florida modamiami.com
thiS luxury eveNt for car enthusiasts brings together the world’s finest automobiles, alongside live music and entertainment, five-star culinary delights and select premier brands. A two-day auction (February 27-28) includes nine incredible and historically significant motorcars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The showfield at ModaMiami 2024.
Zsonamaco 2024.
FEBRUARY 6-JUNE 15
Sharjah Biennial
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates sharjahart.org
The 16Th Sharjah Biennial extends across the emirate of Sharjah with works by more than 140 participants, including 80 new commissions by artists including Cécile B. Evans, Julianknxx, Luke Willis Thompson and Zadie Xa. The theme set by the team of five curators is “to carry”: an open-ended framework for questions and reflections about what it means to enact change and to imagine new collective futures. The resulting projects take the form of residencies, workshops, sonic experiences and publications as well as exhibitions. The curators hope to encourage critical conversations and narratives told from multiple perspectives, geographies and languages.
KATIA NOUNOU BOUEIZ
Deputy Chairman, Middle East, Dubai
The 16th edition of the Sharjah Biennial is curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Öz. Titled “to carry,” the theme invites us to think about our histories, cultures and the weight of navigating foreign spaces. The biennial provides an opportunity to explore the Emirates’ rich history and sites, allowing visitors to venture beyond Sharjah city into its surroundings, including Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid, Kalba and Al Madam.
FEBRUARY 8
Origins
Diriyah, Riyadh sothebys.com
SoTheby’S preSenTS the first international art auction in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, featuring works by Saudi and international artists as well as jewelry, watches and handbags. “Origins” encompasses a free public exhibition (February 1-8) followed by a two-part evening auction in the historic city of Diriyah, where the first Saudi state was established in 1727. The sale coincides with the annual festival Diriyah Season and marks the opening of Sotheby’s new office in nearby Riyadh, located in the landmark Al Faisaliah Tower designed by Norman Foster.
EDWARD GIBBS
Chairman, Middle East & India
This inaugural auction in Saudi Arabia is the culmination of years of supporting cultural initiatives in the Kingdom and a natural evolution of our business, coming hand in hand with opening our Riyadh office. The Saudi market is developing apace, with a young demographic, growing collector base and expanding art community. Sotheby’s is also proud to support the second edition of the Ministry of Culture’s Islamic Biennale in Jeddah, following its launch in 2023. This is a long-term commitment; we look forward to what the future brings.
Sharjah Biennial.
Salma Palace, Diriyah.
FEBRUARY 15-MAY 18
Kandinsky’s Universe: Geometric Abstraction in the 20th Century
Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany museum-barberini.de
At the beginning of the 20th century, pioneering artists aspired to a new visual language that abandoned figurative representation for the abstract interplay of colors, lines and shapes.
This exhibition traces the growth of geometric abstraction in Europe and the U.S. over the subsequent six decades. It features more than 100 works by over 70 artists, including Wassily Kandinsky,
Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Josef Albers, Barbara Hepworth, Victor Vaserely, Agnes Martin, Bridget Riley and Frank Stella. Many of them sought to represent higher spiritual values in their work, none more so than Kandinsky, whose 1926 treatise “Point and Line to Plane” remains one of the most influential books written about 20th-century art.
HELENA NEWMAN
Executive Vice President, Chairman, Worldwide Head of Impressionist and Modern Art, London
I am very much looking forward to the Museum Barberini’s forthcoming survey of “Kandinsky’s Universe.” Kandinsky is one of my favorite artists, and we have been privileged to handle a number of his important paintings at Sotheby’s. The exhibition will take Kandinsky as a starting point to explore his influence and the impact of the 20th century’s new visual language of geometric abstraction through the works of more than 70 artists from across the world. Spanning six decades and artists as diverse as Sonia Delaunay and Frank Stella, it promises a fresh look at this seminal development in the history of modern art.
Above left: Wassily Kandinsky, “In the Black Square,” 1923.
MARCH
Specialist Picks
MARCH 5-MAY 18
Nicolas Pineau: Shaping Rococo Art
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
The Paris museum showcases the exuberant designs of the French 18th-century ornamental sculptor and architect Nicolas Pineau, one of the key proponents of Rococo style.
MARCH 7-JUNE 9
Anselm Kiefer: Sag mir wo die Blumen sind
Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Paintings from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam complement works by Anselm Kiefer in this exhibition—the first to feature artworks by both artists in tandem.
MARCH 13-JUNE 15
Edvard Munch Portraits
National Portrait Gallery, London
The U.K.’s first exhibition to focus on Edvard Munch’s distinctive approach to portraiture looks at how the Norwegian artist brought bold color and emotional sensitivity to his many portraits and selfportraits over a six-decade career.
MARCH 15-JULY 13
Picasso for Asia: A Conversation
M+, Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s M+ museum reinterprets more than 60 masterworks by Picasso in dialogue with around 80 pieces by Asian and Asian-diaspora artists.
MARCH 15-OCTOBER 6
The Gorgeous Nothings: Flowers at Chatsworth
Chatsworth House, Bakewell, England
A floral-themed exhibition at the stately home of the Duke of Devonshire takes inspiration from the estate’s history of gardening, botany and landscape design.
Auction Highlights
MARCH
The London Sales
Sotheby’s London
Works from modern and contemporary masters and designers.
MARCH 6-14
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
The finest jewelry, watches, handbags, sneakers, wine and spirits.
MARCH 13-19
Asian Art
Sotheby’s New York
Works spanning the Neolithic period to the present day.
MARCH 26-APRIL 10
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Paris
The finest jewelry, watches, extraordinary handbags and sneakers.
MARCH 29-30
The Hong Kong Sales
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Showcasing the finest modern, contemporary and Chinese works of art.
Delft flower pyramids grouped in the fireplace in the State Bedchamber at Chatsworth, circa 1691-97.
MARCH 5-MAY 18
Nicolas Pineau: Shaping Rococo Art
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris madparis.fr
Known for his exuberant designs, the French ornamental sculptor and architect Nicolas Pineau (1684-1754) was one of the key proponents of Rococo style. Pineau spent more than a decade in the early 18th century in St. Petersburg, working on the palace of Peter the Great, before returning to France to work for Louis XV and the Parisian nobility.
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris holds almost 500 drawings by the artist and his studio, which it has recently restored. This exhibition, which coincides with the Salon du Dessin fair (March 26-31) presents these drawings alongside decorative objects from the museum’s collection to show Pineau’s full design process.
LOUIS-XAVIER JOSEPH Senior Director, Head of Department, European Furniture and Decorative Arts, Paris
The exhibitions of Bénédicte Gady, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ Chief Curator of Graphic Arts, are consistently curated with remarkable talent and exceptional quality. Nicolas Pineau, one of the leading artistic figures of his period, patronized by royalty and the French, German and Russian aristocracies, is now in the spotlight. As a sculptor, ornamentist and architect, Pineau channeled his genius into silverwork, furniture, wood paneling and architecture. This is a rare opportunity to revisit the golden age of French rocaille, a style that balances like a tightrope walker on the fine line of grace and movement.
Panel with rocaille and Chinese motifs. Graphite, pen and black ink on laid paper, circa 1735.
MARCH 7-JUNE 9
Anselm Kiefer: Sag mir wo die Blumen sind (Where have all the flowers gone?)
Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Netherlands vangoghmuseum.nl
The German arTisT Anselm Kiefer was 17 when he first encountered Vincent van Gogh’s work in 1962, following in his footsteps on a travel scholarship from the Netherlands to Belgium, Paris and Arles, France. Now, two of Amsterdam’s art institutions join forces to show the artists together. Paintings and drawings from
the Van Gogh Museum will complement past and recent works by Kiefer that are influenced by the pioneering postimpressionist—some never seen before.
Van Gogh has informed the subjects and techniques of Kiefer’s deeply emotional and spiritual paintings and sculptures throughout his six-decade career.
ALEX BRANCZIK
Chairman and European Head of Modern and Contemporary Art, London
I am looking forward to this groundbreaking exhibition as a showcase of the profound influence of Vincent van Gogh on Anselm Kiefer’s artistic journey. The show presents their works side by side for the first time, revealing how both artists transform psychological landscapes into powerful visual metaphors. Van Gogh’s expressive brushwork and vibrant palette find echoes in Kiefer’s textured surfaces created with unconventional materials. Their shared exploration of complex emotional and existential themes creates a compelling dialogue. The offering includes previously unseen works by Kiefer, giving a rare glimpse into the deep connections between these two artistic legacies.
Vincent van Gogh, “Snow-Covered Field with a Harrow (after Millet),” 1890.
MARCH 16-JULY 20
Tracey Emin
Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence palazzostrozzi.org
The Fondazione palazzo Strozzi hosts the first institutional exhibition in Italy of the work of the British artist Tracey Emin. A selection of historical and recent works across media conveys Emin’s controversial and lacerating art of disclosure, which places a strong focus on the body and human relationships.
MARCH
15-20
TEFAF Maastricht
Maastricht Exhibition & Conference Centre, the Netherlands tefaf.com
The european Fine Art Fair returns for its 38th edition in the Dutch city of Maastricht, with hundreds of galleries presenting treasures from ancient times to contemporary works. A favorite with curators from major international museums, as well as discerning private collectors, TEFAF features Old Master paintings and antiques in half of the fair, alongside modern and contemporary art, photography, jewelry, design and works on paper.
Above right: Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. Below: TEFAF Maastricht.
MARCH 15-JULY 13
Picasso for Asia: A Conversation
M+, Hong Kong mplus.org.hk
Pablo Picasso’s enduring influence is reinterpreted through a contemporary Asian lens in this cross-cultural exhibition. Hong Kong’s M+ museum—Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture—is placing more than 60 works by the Spanish master in dialogue with around 80 works in its collection by Asian and Asian-diaspora artists, including
China’s Gu Dexin and Japan’s Keiichi Tanaami. Among the loans from the Musée National Picasso-Paris is the 1951 painting “Massacre in Korea,” which is seen as Picasso’s critique of American intervention in the Korean War. The exhibition promises to decenter the Western view of Picasso, examining his complex legacy on a global scale.
ELAINE HOLT
Deputy Chairman, Asia, Chairman of Modern & Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
While the past two years have seen a flurry of exhibitions reexamining Picasso’s legacy upon the 50th anniversary of his death, they largely left one theme underexplored—the interplay of his contributions with modern and contemporary Asian artists. Of the works being drawn from the M+ collections for this new show, I am especially looking forward to seeing new light shed on the paintings of Luis Chan, a Hong Kong-raised artist and true pioneer of modernism in Asia. With his oeuvre ranging from surreal Chinese ink landscapes to graphic collages, Chan was one of the few artists in the 20th century to come close to matching Picasso in his exceptional breadth of output.
Pablo Picasso, “The Acrobat,” 1930.
MARCH 13-JUNE 15
Edvard Munch Portraits
National Portrait Gallery, London npg.org.uk
The NaTioNal PorTraiT Gallery presents the U.K.’s first exhibition to focus on Edvard Munch’s distinctive approach to portraiture, characterized by bold color and emotional sensitivity. The Norwegian artist (1863-1944) produced many portraits over more than six decades, both as commissions for patrons and as personal depictions of his family,
friends, lovers and fellow artists. He was also a prolific creator of self-portraits —including selfie-style photographs— that give an insight into the mind of an artist who led a troubled life marked by tragedy. Munch masterfully captured the universality of human experience through his allegorical portraits, such as “Anxiety,” 1894, and “Jealousy,” 1895.
SIMON SHAW
Vice Chairman, Global Fine Arts, New York
Among many exciting exhibitions on the horizon, I am particularly looking forward to “Edvard Munch Portraits” at London’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG). Following the revelation of “Trembling Earth,” an exhibition exploring Munch’s landscapes, it’s the perfect moment to examine his groundbreaking portraiture. As the creator of “The Scream”—perhaps the most celebrated of all modern paintings—Munch is the ultimate painter of people. Every brush stroke is loaded with a pathos that captures the inner life of his sitters while speaking of timeless human themes. The Norwegian is also a painter’s painter. It will be fascinating to see the diverse technical means he deploys to capture character. So much flows from Munch. He brought soul into painting, and his influence is visible everywhere today. The NPG is on a roll, too, after its recent reinvention under Nicholas Cullinan. I’m thrilled to see where visionary new director Victoria Siddall will take things next.
Edvard Munch, “Portrait of Felix Auerbach,” 1906.
MARCH 15-OCTOBER 6
The Gorgeous Nothings: Flowers at Chatsworth
Chatsworth House, Bakewell, England chatsworth.org
The palaTial sTaTely home of the Duke of Devonshire is surrounded by 105 acres of gardens, so it is no surprise that flowers have long played an important part in its history. Over 500 years, many important landscape designers, gardeners, scientists and botanists have worked in the gardens, planting and foraging for everyday life and enjoyment but also contributing
to research and conservation of an array of specimens. Chatsworth’s new exhibition about flowers takes the estate as its inspiration and dives into the house’s collection of art and objects, one of the most significant of its kind in Europe. The show displays rare volumes and illustrated manuscripts in the botanical library and also extends into Chatsworth’s grounds.
HARRY DALMENY Senior Director, U.K. Chairman, London
As Laura Burlington puts it: “There has never been a more important time to look towards nature, marvel at it, celebrate it and consider how we should treasure it and all that it might offer us.” Burlington first conceived of this exhibition five years ago, continuing the Devonshire family’s long-standing tradition of championing the arts and culture. Under the guidance of curator Allegra Pesenti, the show will present remarkable objects from Chatsworth’s historic collection, archives and estate, energized alongside contemporary works and commissioned installations from artists including Eileen Agar, Frank Bowling and Elliot Hundley. I cannot imagine more fitting and fertile grounds to reflect upon this vital theme.
House.
Chatsworth
MARCH 23-AUGUST 2
Jack Whitten: The Messenger Museum of Modern Art, New York moma.org
Jack Whitten came of age as an artist at the height of the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s. Despite facing pressure to create representational art as a form of activism, Whitten dared to invent new forms of abstraction. MoMA pays tribute to his visionary career with the first comprehensive retrospective of his groundbreaking art. The exhibition brings together more than 175 works from the 1960s to the 2010s, including paintings, sculptures, rarely shown works on paper and archival materials.
Portrait of Jack Whitten in 1975 with “Pink Psyche Queen,” 1973.
MARCH 28-30
Art Basel Hong Kong
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre artbasel.com
One Of the leading contemporary art fairs in Asia, Art Basel Hong Kong hosts hundreds of galleries with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The curated sections of the fair include Discoveries, displaying works created specifically for the fair by emerging
artists; Kabinett, offering thematic solo presentations by modern and contemporary artists; Encounters, dedicated to large-scale installations; and Conversations, which brings together cultural figures for discussions and debates on topics shaping the art world.
Art Basel Hong Kong.
APRIL
Specialist Picks
APRIL 3
Area 51
Sotheby’s Geneva
A sale of exceptional timepieces, held during the annual Watches and Wonders fair.
APRIL 9-SEPTEMBER 1
David Hockney
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
A retrospective ranging from Hockney’s acclaimed 1960s works to his latest creations.
APRIL 12-NOVEMBER 16
Cartier
V&A South Kensington, London
Exploring Cartier’s legacy with a display of jewelry, watches, clocks and unseen drawings.
APRIL 18-JANUARY 18, 2026
Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Johnson’s largest exhibition to date unfolds.
APRIL
40th anniversary of Air Jordan sneakers
Celebrating the legendary shoe design.
Auction Highlights
APRIL
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Cologne
Bringing together works by celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
APRIL
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Milan
Bringing together works by celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries from Italy and beyond.
APRIL
The Paris Sales
Sotheby’s Paris
Showcasing the major artistic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, the sales present works from modern and contemporary masters and designers.
APRIL 3-4
Popular Culture
Sotheby’s New York
Celebrating the art and objects that have been inspired by and—in their turn—inspired contemporary culture across film, entertainment, music, sports and comics.
APRIL 10
Classic Design
Sotheby’s London
Celebrating where history and artistry come together in the decorative arts.
APRIL 15
Classic Design
Sotheby’s New York
Celebrating where history and artistry come together in the decorative arts.
APRIL 15-25
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Showcasing the finest Chinese works of art, including ceramics, jade, bronzes, furniture and glass.
APRIL 29-MAY 1
Islamic, Orientalist & Middle Eastern Art
Sotheby’s London
Presenting sought-after art and objects spanning centuries and continents.
Joshua Woods.
Portrait of Rashid Johnson, New York, 2024.
APRIL 3
Area 51
Sotheby’s Geneva
On April 3, Sotheby’s and the watch magazine “heist-out” are teaming up for the second time to host an immersive auction in Geneva, coinciding with the annual Watches and Wonders fair. While last year’s event was an
underground sale staged in a wine cave, this year’s takes off with the idea of UFOs and, consequently, watches that are out of this world. It is a oneof-a-kind experience that brings together the watch-collecting community.
GEOFF HESS
Global Head of Watches, Sotheby’s New York
Following the success of our Rough Diamonds sale in 2024, this year’s heist-out x Sotheby’s auction on April 3 shifts to a UFO theme, focusing on delivering an unparalleled client experience. The event draws inspiration from the mystery of UFOs, offering collectors the chance to explore bold and imaginative timepieces with futuristic materials and unique designs. More than just a transaction, the auction aims to immerse collectors in a creative, engaging atmosphere. By combining a quirky alien-inspired narrative with extraordinary watches, the goal is to create a memorable one-of-a-kind experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional auctions.
Visuals for Area 51.
APRIL 9-SEPTEMBER 1
David Hockney
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris fondationlouisvuitton.fr
This DaviD hockney retrospective will take over all of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s exhibition spaces and span his career, from his early works in the 1950s and 1960s that brought him international acclaim—such as “Portrait of My Father” (1955) and “A Bigger Splash” (1967)—to his latest creations. Displaying a wide selection of painting, photography, drawing and digital pieces, the show
will demonstrate Hockney’s skills in a variety of media and explore recurring themes, such as portraits, swimming pools and nature. Visitors can expect to see his large-scale artworks depicting the Grand Canyon, the Yorkshire countryside and Normandy’s seasons. The show also interweaves historical and cultural works that have influenced Hockney, from painting to opera.
ANDRE ZLATTINGER
Deputy Chairman U.K., Head of Modern British & Irish Art, London
A David Hockney exhibition always draws a crowd. His 2017 retrospective at the Tate Britain was the gallery’s most visited exhibition in its then 120-year history. While attendance numbers are not a universally accurate guide for artistic merit, in this case, they reflect the exceptional breadth and scale of Hockney’s contributions across his seven-decade career. One throughline in this story is the artist’s ceaseless interest in experimentation. Given his direct involvement in assembling this latest retrospective, I look forward to seeing what he has in store for us at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
David Hockney in 2016.
APRIL 12-NOVEMBER 16
Cartier
V&A South Kensington, London vam.ac.uk
The VicToria and alberT Museum presents the first U.K. exhibition in almost 30 years to be dedicated to the French jewelry house. The display of more than 350 objects will explore the company’s legacy since the turn of the 20th century, including precious jewelry,
watches and clocks, as well as previously unseen drawings from the archives. With so many royal clients, Cartier became known as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers,” and the show will include works loaned by King Charles III from the Royal Collection.
ANDRES WHITE CORREAL Chairman, Jewelry EMEA, Head of Noble Jewels
A dedicated Cartier exhibition is always a wonderful highlight for jewelry enthusiasts because the house shares its own treasures, and private lenders are enthused to show jewels that otherwise largely live in bank vaults. One of the joys for me personally is seeing pieces that I have held, valued and sold during my tenure at Sotheby’s—it is like a reunion with old friends and an introduction to new ones. Among institutions around the world, the V&A is fantastic at creating interactive conversations between objects and all visitors. The Fondation Cartier will soon be moving to a new building designed by Jean Nouvel on the Place du Palais-Royal, so 2025 is set to be another historic year for the company.
This page: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Opposite: Image courtesy the artist
© Rashid Johnson, 2024.
Photo: Martin Parsekian.
Cartier bandeau in emerald, ruby, sapphire, diamond and platinum, 1928.
APRIL 18-JANUARY 18, 2026
Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers
Guggenheim Museum, New York guggenheim.org
The TiTle of Rashid Johnson’s new show at New York’s Guggenheim Museum takes its name from a poem by the American writer and activist Amiri Baraka that reflects the artist’s wide-ranging inspirations.
Johnson’s largest exhibition to date unfolds across the museum’s rotunda with works that span pivotal phases of his career, beginning
with his early explorations of photography, video and installation in the 2000s, and culminating with recent paintings and assemblages that incorporate different materials. The rotunda floor will act as a stage, featuring a piano for an accompanying program of performances, while a monumental site-specific work titled “Sanguine” takes over the building’s top ramp.
LISA DENNISON
Executive Vice President, Chairman, Americas, Sotheby’s New York
Rashid Johnson’s ability to brilliantly draw from a variety of sources, ranging from art history and philosophy to literature and music, is impressive, and I am excited to see the Guggenheim’s iconic rotunda activated by nearly 90 examples from his diverse body of work. Having curated the mid-career survey of Francesco Clemente at the Guggenheim in 1999-2000, I appreciate a mid-career retrospective as a powerful measure of the artist’s work to date and a forecast of the work to come. This will be an unparalleled opportunity to deep dive into the practice of one of the most important artists working today.
Rashid Johnson, “Untitled Escape Collage,” 2018 (detail).
APRIL
40th anniversary of Air Jordan sneakers
nike.com
One Of the most famous sneaker designs in history is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The first pair of Air Jordans was produced by Nike in 1984 for the American basketball star Michael Jordan while he was on the Chicago Bulls team. The distinctive red-and-black shoes created by Peter Moore, Tinker Hatfield and Bruce Kilgore famously cost Nike $5,000 in fines each
time Jordan wore them on court because they broke the NBA’s strict uniform policy. Air Jordan 1s were released to the public in April 1985 and sold out, and the legendary design remains incredibly popular today. Nike is re-releasing many vintage models of the shoe as well as new collaborations with the likes of renowned crystal maker Swarovski throughout the anniversary year.
BRAHM WACHTER
Senior Vice President, Head of Modern Collectibles, Sotheby’s Los Angeles
Every day, I recognize the profound impact of the Air Jordan brand, especially as we celebrate its 40th anniversary. This milestone not only honors a revolutionary sneaker but also highlights its cultural significance in sport, fashion and art. Air Jordans have transcended mere footwear, becoming coveted collectibles that represent innovation and nostalgia. Each pair tells a story of athletic excellence and creative expression, igniting passion among collectors worldwide. As we reflect on four decades of influence, we also look to the brand’s future, which promises to inspire new generations of sneaker enthusiasts and collectors alike.
Michael Jordan’s sneakers from 1985.
This page: Stephen Chung/Alamy Stock
Photo. Opposite, from top: © Salone del Mobile, Milano; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift; Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo.
APRIL 8-13
Salone
Internazionale del Mobile
Fiera Milano Rho, Milan salonemilano.it
The world’s leading international event for the furnishing and design industry is back for its 63rd edition. The fair, which was established in 1961, enables even the smallest businesses to reach a wide audience. The fair’s 2024 edition drew record numbers of visitors, welcoming more than 370,000 people, as well as nearly 2,000 exhibitors from 35 countries.
APRIL 13-OCTOBER 13
Expo 2025
Osaka, Japan expo2025.or.jp
held every five years, the Expo brings together people and innovators from around the world in an effort to address the big issues facing humankind. The Osaka Expo 2025 includes initiatives from 150 countries and 25 international organizations under the theme
“Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” looking at how we can save, empower and connect lives. This edition is using augmented and virtual reality to enable people to experience the exhibition online.
APRIL 12-SEPTEMBER 15
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva: Anatomy of Space
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice guggenheim-venice.it
The Peggy guggenheim Collection in Venice presents a selection of paintings showing the Portuguese artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva’s (1908-92) continuously evolving deployment of abstract forms and optical illusions. The exhibition traces the artist’s output from the 1930s to the late 1980s, while considering her relationship with urban architecture and the role of memory and play in her work.
Yumeshima station, Osaka City.
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, “Composition,” 1936.
Sara Ricciardi, “Bosa Oasis.”
MAY
Specialist Picks
MAY
40th Anniversary of the Saatchi Gallery
Saatchi Gallery, London
The Saatchi Gallery celebrates 40 years of pivotal artworks and exhibitions.
MAY
Opening of Goodwood Art Foundation
Goodwood, West Sussex
The stately home launches its art foundation with an exhibition of works by the British artist Rachel Whiteread.
MAY 10-OCTOBER 26
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
An exploration of the Black dandy, which sets the theme for the 2025 Met Gala.
MAY 23-SEPTEMBER 7
The Shakers:
A World in the Making
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
A close look at the Shakers’ radical design philosophy and the outsized influence it continues to have.
Auction Highlights
MAY 7-16
The New York Sales
Sotheby’s New York
Presented in partnership with
Showcasing the major artistic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, the sales present works from modern and contemporary masters and designers.
MAY 11-22
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Geneva and Zurich
Showcasing magnificent jewels, watches, handbags and accessories, the sales pay testament to the unique and exceptional.
MAY 13-JUNE 3
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Presenting rare Asian works, including classical Chinese paintings.
MAY 14-15
Asian Art
Sotheby’s London
Fine art and objects from China and Japan.
MAY 15-JUNE 5
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s London
The finest jewelry, watches, handbags, sneakers, wine and spirits.
MAY 20 Design
Sotheby’s Paris
Remarkable creations by Les Lalanne and other greats of 20th-century design.
MAY 22
RM Sotheby’s Milan
Sotheby’s Milan
Led by the finest Italian marques, the auction returns to Palazzo Serbelloni, an 18th-century jewel in the Porta Venezia neighborhood.
Shaker Museum, Chatham, New York.
Ceiling brooms, Mount Lebanon, NY, U.S., from “The Shakers: A World in the Making.”
MAY
40th anniversary of the Saatchi Gallery
Saatchi Gallery, London saatchigallery.com
The adverTising magnaTe Charles Saatchi chose a disused paint factory in north London as the first home for his burgeoning contemporary art collection, which opened to the public in 1985. The collector became a prominent tastemaker in the 1990s, credited with launching the
careers of Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Rachel Whiteread and others with the “Young British Artists” exhibition series. The gallery moved in 2008 to the Duke of York’s Headquarters building in Chelsea, and this year looks back at pivotal works and exhibitions from its 40-year history.
JAMES SEVIER Deputy Chairman, Contemporary Art, Europe
The Saatchi Gallery has played a transformative role in contemporary art since its founding 40 years ago. Known for showcasing emerging talent and hosting groundbreaking exhibitions, the gallery has launched the careers of countless leading artists, including Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, pivotal figures in the “Young British Artists” movement. The gallery has also played a key role in democratizing the appreciation for contemporary art for a wider audience. Its influence has reshaped London’s art scene, turning the city into a global hub for contemporary art and fostering dialogue about innovation and cultural change.
Rong Bao, “The Enigma,” 2023, which was on show at the Saatchi Gallery until May 2024.
MAY
Opening of Goodwood Art Foundation
Goodwood, West Sussex goodwoodartfoundation.org
The Goodwood esTaTe, a historic home in the English county of Sussex, is synonymous with both horse and motor racing, with a year-round calendar of eclectic events. Now the estate— home to an impressive art collection amassed over three centuries by the Dukes of Richmond, including works by Canaletto, George Stubbs and Anthony van Dyck—is launching the Goodwood Art Foundation. Semi-
permanent displays of sculptures will be staged throughout the newly landscaped grounds and an annual exhibition will run from spring to autumn inside the new Pavilion Gallery. Led by the independent curator Ann Gallagher, who was formerly the director of the British art collection at the Tate, the foundation’s season opens with an inaugural exhibition dedicated to British artist Rachel Whiteread’s photographic works.
OLIVER BARKER
Executive Vice President, Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe, London
The longtime vision of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, the opening of the Goodwood Art Foundation represents the arrival of a new international destination for contemporary art within one of the most historic estates in the U.K. The choice of Turner Prize-winner Rachel Whiteread—an artist whose practice explores themes of history and legacy—for its inaugural exhibition brilliantly reflects the foundation’s core pillars of art, environment and education. I look forward to seeing Whiteread’s lesser-known photographic work presented in the Pavilion Gallery and her spectacular sculptures spilling out into a sequence of rich, biodiverse environments created by landscape architect Dan Pearson.
Pavilion Gallery, Goodwood Art Foundation.
MAY 10-OCTOBER 26
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York metmuseum.org
The CosTume InsTITuTe at the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines the sartorial legacy of the Black dandy in its spring exhibition, which sets the theme for the 2025 Met Gala. The show is guest-curated by the scholar Monica L. Miller, based on her research for the
2009 book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.”
Historical and contemporary garments and accessories come together with art, photographs and films to explore the subject from the 18th century to the present.
FRANK EVERETT
Senior Vice President, Vice Chairman, Jewelry Americas, Sotheby’s New York
The theme of this year’s Met Gala is rich with possibilities and long overdue for the spotlight. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will no doubt feature jewelry as adornment, fashion accessory, status symbol and cultural emblem in the context of centuries of Black dandyism. With the concept of a cohesive total look an intrinsic part of dandyism, expect to see carefully chosen jewelry that complements rather than overpowers. It is no surprise to see Colman Domingo as co-chair of the Gala. He epitomizes the true modern dandy and always wears jewelry creatively and beautifully.
Unknown (American) studio portrait, 1940s-50s.
This page:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Twentieth-Century Photography Fund, 2015 (2015.330). Opposite: Photo Jacopo Salvi, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia.
MAY 10-NOVEMBER 23
Venice Architecture Biennale
Venice labiennale.org
The 19Th ediTion of the Venice Architecture Biennale presents design proposals employing natural, artificial and collective intelligence to combat the climate crisis. The concept “Intelligens” has been chosen by the curator Carlo Ratti to emphasize an inclusive understanding of intelligence in the
future. The construction industry is one of the largest contributors to atmospheric emissions, and the biennale looks to assemble “a global kit for adapting to the future.” Many of the architectural projects are collaborative and the national pavilions are responding to the same idea: “One place, one solution.”
MAY 23-SEPTEMBER 7
The Shakers: A World in the Making
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany design-museum.de
In the late 18th century, a dissident group of Quakers, known as the Shakers, fled the U.K. to America and established a commune. Their egalitarian movement believed that God was both male and female, and preached gender and racial equality as well as pacifism. They welcomed enslaved African Americans from 1790 and purchased their freedom. The Shakers considered work to be an act of worship, and
this fostered a radical design philosophy to reflect their ascetic lifestyles. From chairs to barns, the simple and functional objects they created would shape modern design and inspire many contemporary practitioners. This exhibition displays the fruits of Shaker craft alongside contemporary art and design, revealing the legacy of this disappearing religious community, now reduced to just two members.
JODI POLLACK Chairman, Co-Worldwide Head of 20th Century Design, New York
The influence of Shaker furniture is everywhere— Donald Judd’s work comes immediately to mind but also that of George Nakashima, Danish midcentury designers and Isamu Noguchi. This summer’s show “The Shakers: A World in the Making,” at the Vitra Design Museum, looks to be a fascinating deep dive into the religious community’s design philosophy. Created by Formafantasma, the exhibition will also bring in contemporary art and design to sit in conversation with the Shaker pieces.
Amie Cunat, “Stacked Boxes,” 2018.
MAY
9-13
TEFAF New York
Park Avenue Armory, New York tefaf.com
TEFAF NEw York, the American outpost of the historic Dutch fair, presents the crème de la crème of modern and contemporary art and design, jewelry and antiquities. Featuring around 90 leading exhibitors from around the world, the fair also presents a series of talks and Meet the Experts discussions with dealers and artists in front of specific featured works.
MAY 7-11
Frieze New York
The Shed, New York frieze.com
FriEzE NEw York returns to stateof-the-art cultural venue The Shed for the fifth time. A select group of around 65 contemporary art galleries will present solo, group and themed booths by both up-and-coming talents and some of art’s most important figures.
Frieze New York 2024.
JUNE
Specialist Picks
JUNE 15-SEPTEMBER 21
Vija Celmins
Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Switzerland
A presentation of LatvianAmerican artist Vija Celmins’ work, showing her masterful skills in painting, drawing and sculpture.
JUNE 20-SEPTEMBER 7
Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
Jenny Saville is credited with helping to reinvigorate contemporary figurative painting with her visceral images of faces and bodies, 50 of which are going on view in the U.K.’s first major museum exhibition dedicated to the artist.
Auction Highlights
JUNE 10-11
Modern British & Irish Art
Sotheby’s London
Celebrating the leading figures of postwar and modern British and Irish art.
JUNE 10-26
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s New York
The finest jewelry, watches, extraordinary handbags and sneakers.
JUNE 11-12
Design
Sotheby’s New York
Creations by the 20th century’s greatest designers from the U.S. and beyond.
JUNE 11-JULY 11
Fine Books & Manuscripts
Sotheby’s New York, London and Paris
A broad range of compelling books, letters and other printed material and manuscripts.
JUNE 12
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Paris
Fine Asian art, from Buddhist sculpture to jades and furniture.
JUNE 24-25
The London Sales
Sotheby’s London
Showcasing the major artistic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, the sales present works by modern and contemporary masters and designers.
JUNE 26
Classic Design
Sotheby’s Paris
Celebrating where history and artistry come together in the decorative arts.
JUNE 27
Asian Art
Sotheby’s New York
Fine artworks and objects from China, Japan, Korea and beyond.
Courtesy of Fondation Beyeler. Fondation Beyeler.
JUNE 15-SEPTEMBER 21
Vija Celmins
Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Switzerland fondationbeyeler.ch
Fondation Beyeler opens the most significant presentation of LatvianAmerican artist Vija Celmins’ work in Europe in almost 20 years, showcasing her masterful skills in painting, drawing and sculpture. Featuring works from the
1960s to the present, the exhibition covers her early focus on everyday objects and images of violence.
Later she created mesmerizing depictions of spider webs, oceans, deserts and the night sky. Also included
is a selection of sculptures, which the artist describes as “three-dimensional paintings.” The show is completed by a new group of works that carry forward her longstanding engagement with surfaces and spatial depth.
Above and right: © Vija Celmins, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery. Above:
Photo by Aaron Wax. Far right: Courtesy of Art Basel.
CAROLINE LANG Chairman, Sotheby’s Switzerland
Fondation Beyeler never ceases to amaze me with its program, and choosing Vija Celmins to spearhead the summer season marks no exception. Over 50 years, Celmins, who was born in Latvia but lives in the U.S., has mesmerized us with her depictions of night skies and seascapes. With their simultaneous intimacy and vastness, her works powerfully redescribe what we all know but have perhaps never truly seen. It is great to see such a significant exhibition dedicated to the grande dame of artists.
JUNE 19-22
Art Basel
Messe and Congress Center Basel, Switzerland artbasel.com
More than 250 galleries bring their best modern and contemporary works to Basel each summer. This year sees the launch of a new section titled Premiere, which focuses on recently created works and precisely curated exhibitions including up to three artists. This joins existing sections such as Feature, for historical presentations by 20th-century artists; Statements, for solo projects by emerging artists; and the unmissable Unlimited, for monumental projects.
Above: Vija Celmins, “Lamp #1,” 1964. Right: Vija Celmins, “Untitled (Big Sea #2),” 1969. Above right: Art Basel.
JUNE
20-SEPTEMBER 7
Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London npg.org.uk
Jenny Saville’S viSceral images of faces and bodies are credited with helping to reinvigorate contemporary figurative painting. The National Portrait Gallery has worked closely with the artist to organize what is, remarkably, the U.K.’s first major museum exhibition dedicated to her work. This broadly chronological presentation will display 50 works from across Saville’s career, including her energetic charcoal drawings and monumental oil paintings of the human form. Tracing the development of Saville’s practice from her emergence in the 1990s, the exhibition will also feature recent “portraits,” whose fluorescent tones interrogate the increasingly blurred lines between the physical and virtual.
OTTILIE WINDSOR Senior Director, Private Sales, London
“I use my body a lot because it’s there and I don’t mind what I do to myself,” said Jenny Saville in a conversation with Nicolas Cullinan, former director of the National Portrait Gallery. Saville constantly questions how, pictorially, one represents the many concurrent realities of modern life. Her fascinating control of the human form in paint and the conversations she is able to have, on canvas, with the core collection of the gallery will show the importance of art history in her practice and continue a valuable discourse on how, and by whom, human stories are told.
Left, from top: Jenny Saville, “Reverse,” 2002-03; “Drift,” 2020-22. Right: Pieces from “Babel,” the Rick Owens ready to wear spring/summer 2019 collection, and (gold dress) from “Tecuatl,” the spring/summer 2020 collection.
JUNE 28-JANUARY 4, 2026
Rick Owens: Temple of Love Palais Galliera, Paris palaisgalliera.paris.fr
Rick Owens has been a transformative force in fashion since he founded his label in 1994, and has cultivated a devoted international following over three decades. He is admired for his “grunge meets glamor” aesthetic, and an approach to formal invention that is complemented by a mania for new materials. For this show, the first comprehensive exhibition of his work, Owens fills the late 19th-century palace that houses the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris with temporary installations that will serve as backdrops for his many creations.
JULY
Specialist Picks
JULY 10-JANUARY 11, 2026
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Tate Modern, London
A major exhibition dedicated to the Aboriginal Australian artist, who produced monumental, shimmering canvases and vibrant batiks that reflected her spiritual engagement with her ancestral homelands.
JULY
Colors! Masterpieces of the Centre Pompidou
Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
More than 100 masterpieces of modern art from the Centre Pompidou come together with design pieces, sound compositions and fragrances in a multisensory exploration of color.
Auction Highlights
JULY 2-4
Old Masters
Sotheby’s London
Old Master paintings, drawings and sculpture, and 19th-century and European art.
JULY 8
RM Sotheby’s Cliveden House
Berkshire, U.K.
Returning to the Berkshire countryside after its 2024 debut, the sale complements the long-established London auction in November.
JULY 15-17
Geek
Week
Sotheby’s New York
For its fifth edition, this sale series presents marvels in the fields of natural history, space exploration and more.
Wassily Kandinsky, “Bleu de ciel” (“Sky Blue”), 1940.
JULY 10-JANUARY 11, 2026
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Tate Modern, London tate.org.uk
The AboriginAl AusTrAliAn artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910-96) only began painting in earnest in her late 70s. Over the following eight years she produced more than 3,000 works— around one a day. The Tate Modern in London is mounting the first major exhibition of Kngwarreye’s work in Europe in collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia.
Kngwarreye produced monumental, shimmering canvases and vibrant batiks that reflected her spiritual engagement with her ancestral homelands. A selection of these works, many of which have never been seen outside of Australia, are going on view alongside film and audio elements to honor the artist’s extraordinary late-blooming career.
EMMA BAKER Senior Director, Senior Specialist, Head of Evening Sale, London
Though she came to painting late in life, Emily Kame Kngwarreye left behind an astonishing and powerful body of work. Rooted in the spiritual beliefs of Australia’s Anmatyerre people, their ancestral home in the Northern Territory, and the rhythm and cycles of the natural world, Kngwarreye’s densely layered paintings are utterly mesmeric. Including rich textiles, monumental paintings, film and audio elements, the Tate show will offer an opportunity to examine Kngwarreye’s lived experience through her renowned work.
Emily Kame Kngwarreye, “Ntang Dreaming,” 1989.
JULY
Colors! Masterpieces of the Centre Pompidou
Grimaldi Forum Monaco grimaldiforum.com
During the five-year closure of the Centre Pompidou for major renovations, the museum’s masterpieces of modern art will be exhibited in partner venues in France and beyond, including at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. The Pompidou’s senior curator Didier Ottinger assembles more than 100 works
JULY 28-AUGUST 2
Aspen ArtWeek
Aspen Art Museum and other locations, Colorado aspenartmuseum.org
aspen artWeek is part of the Aspen Art Museum’s mission to support groundbreaking art. The annual festivities feature free public events —last year’s ArtWeek included a mountain summit concert, rooftop performances, guided art hikes and artist talks. The ArtCrush Gala, which raises funds for Aspen Art Museum’s artistic and educational programs, takes place at the end of the week with a heady combination of food, music, dancing and a live auction.
by 30 artists, from Wassily Kandinsky to Jean-Michel Basquiat, with design pieces by Jean Prouvé, Ettore Sottsass and Philippe Starck. The exhibition is brought to life with a multisensory scenography featuring sounds composed by Roque Rivas and fragrances created by Alexis Dadier for the perfumery Fragonard.
LOUISE GRETHER Head of Monaco Office
The team at the Grimaldi Forum continues its tradition of presenting museum-worthy summer exhibitions. After 2024’s success of “Turner’s Sublime Legacy,” this year’s show comes from the Centre Pompidou, marking one of the first exhibitions held outside the Pompidou’s walls while its building undergoes a five-year renovation. I am looking forward to admiring the 100 works on show, as well as a selection of design pieces highlighting the interplay between color and interiors. Curated by Didier Ottinger, the exhibition is proudly sponsored by Sotheby’s.
Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Israel at Aspen Art Week
Sonia Delaunay, “Prismes électriques,” 1914.
Auction Highlights
AUGUST 14-16
RM Sotheby’s Monterey
Monterey, California
This flagship auction remains a pinnacle event, year after year.
Associated Press/Alamy Stock
Photo.
Burning Man.
AUGUST 14-16
RM Sotheby’s Monterey
Monterey Conference Center and Portola Hotel & Spa, California sothebys.com
Now iN its 28th year, the RM Sotheby’s flagship Monterey auction is the longest-standing tradition of the Monterey Car Week, America’s most extensive automobilia show that includes exhibitions, motor shows and concours events. The Sotheby’s sale sets the standard for collector car auctions with its long history of record-breaking results, high-caliber consignments and impeccable presentation. Last year
saw the $17 million sale of a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder—the first ever built—and a record breaking sale for a Ferrari F50. This year’s auction will once again bring some of the world’s most sought-after and collectible automobiles to California.
AUGUST 24-SEPTEMBER 1
Burning Man
Black Rock Desert, Nevada burningman.org
the traNsformative week-long event combining art, music, selfexpression and community in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada marks its 39th edition this year. Described as “not a festival,” Burning Man welcomes tens of thousands of visitors known as “Burners” to the playa, a vast expanse of desert, to enjoy communityled art installations, performances, DJ sets and events culminating in the burning of a large wooden effigy.
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2024.
An aerial view of Black Rock City, Burning Man 2015.
AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 7
US Open
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York usopen.org
Italy’s JannIk sInner will defend the men’s singles title and Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka the women’s at this year’s US Open tennis championships. However, there will be no Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray as the two former champions retired from the sport in 2024. Among the old guard, Novak Djokovic will most likely remain one of the top seeds.
Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the men’s singles final at the 2024 US Open.
SEPTEMBER
Specialist Picks
SEPTEMBER 14JANUARY 17, 2026
New Photography 2025: Lines of Belonging
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Works by 13 artists and collectives from Johannesburg, Kathmandu, New Orleans and Mexico City go on view in the 40th anniversary edition of the Museum of Modern Art’s celebrated “New Photography” series.
SEPTEMBER 20JANUARY 18, 2026
Kerry James Marshall
Royal Academy, London
The Chicago-based artist Kerry James Marshall celebrates his 70th birthday with a major show at the Royal Academy, featuring around 70 works from across his career, including a new series of paintings.
Auction Highlights
SEPTEMBER 10-19
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Showcasing magnificent jewelry, watches, extraordinary handbags, sneakers, wine and spirits.
SEPTEMBER 11-17
Asian Art
Sotheby’s New York
Presenting fine artworks and objects from China, Japan, Korea and beyond.
SEPTEMBER 29- OCTOBER 10
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Paris
Offering the finest jewelry, watches, handbags, sneakers, wine and spirits.
© Sandra Blow. Sandra Blow, “Allan Balthazar,” 2017.
Prasiit Sthapit, “Saloni and friends,” 2013, from Change of Course, 2012-18.
SEPTEMBER 14-JANUARY 17, 2026
New Photography 2025: Lines of Belonging Museum of Modern Art, New York moma.org
The museum of Modern Art’s celebrated “New Photography” series has featured more than 150 international artists since it first launched in 1985. This year, 13 artists and collectives are taking part in the 40th anniversary edition, each working from four cities that have existed for longer than the nation states in which they are located: Johannesburg, Kathmandu, New Orleans
and Mexico City. Presenting their work for the first time in New York, the artists are at various stages in their careers but are all expanding the horizons of photography in the 21st century. The works in “Lines of Belonging” interweave the artists’ personal narratives with environmental and colonial histories to consider how communities are formed.
EMILY BIERMAN
Global Head of Department, Sotheby’s Photographs
“New Photography” at MoMA is the most important annual showcase of emerging and mid-career photographers. It debuted work by today’s most lauded photographers, including Wolfgang Tillmans, Cindy Sherman, Judith Joy Ross, Andreas Gursky, Deana Lawson and Barbara Kruger, who are routinely represented in Sotheby’s auctions now. It expands the definition of photography and challenges the medium’s traditional narratives. Its success has influenced how museums curate photography (see the International Center of Photography’s triennial, which launched in 2003). I cannot wait to see what the curators have discovered this year.
SEPTEMBER 4-7
The Armory Show
Javits Center, New York thearmoryshow.com
Galleries from around 30 countries are represented at this year’s Armory Show, with more than 200 participating in total. The modern and contemporary art fair is divided into various sections that focus on curated booths, solo shows, dual-artist presentations, large-scale installations and works from emerging galleries.
SEPTEMBER
Frieze Seoul
COEX, Seoul frieze.com
The fourTh ediTion of Frieze Seoul features more than 100 galleries from across Asia and beyond, with a primary focus on contemporary art. There is also a Frieze Masters section for art from antiquity to the 20th century, as well as Focus Asia, which showcases the work of artists from galleries that have been operating for 12 years or less.
“Frieze Week” magazines at Frieze Seoul.
SEPTEMBER 20-JANUARY 18, 2026
Kerry James Marshall
Royal Academy, London royalacademy.org.uk
The Royal academy celebrates Kerry James Marshall’s 70th birthday with his first institutional show in the U.K. for almost 20 years. The Chicagobased artist, who was elected an honorary Royal Academician in 2022, is renowned for his lyrical, frequently large-scale figurative paintings and murals that place Black bodies front and center. He draws on his memories and
on the tropes of how Black people have historically been depicted in Western artistic tradition to reinterpret them in the modern day. The exhibition features around 70 works from across Marshall’s career, including a new series of paintings and the sculpture “Wake” (2003-ongoing), which commemorates the first enslaved Africans who landed in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619.
DAVID GALPERIN
Head of Contemporary Art, New York
I am particularly excited about Kerry James Marshall’s major survey exhibition opening at the Royal Academy, which will later travel to the Kunsthaus Zurich and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. It has been almost a decade since Marshall’s last retrospective “Mastry” at the Met Breuer, which ranks as one of my favorite solo exhibitions in New York. Marshall’s work has grown in importance since then, positioning him as one of our foremost living painters today. The depth and narrative complexity of his paintings are heightened when presented together—displaying the full range of his power and impact in reinventing Western modes of picture making.
SEPTEMBER 12-14
Tokyo Gendai
PACIFICO Yokohama, Tokyo tokyogendai.com
Tokyo Gendai, now in its third edition, is taking place in September for the first time, moving from its usual slot in July. Galleries from around 20 countries are represented with approximately 70 participating in total. The fair promotes Japanese contemporary art to a global audience and brings international artists and galleries to Japan.
Kerry James Marshall, “School of Beauty, School of Culture,” 2012.
Tokyo Gendai 2024.
OCTOBER
Specialist Picks
OCTOBER-FEBRUARY 2026
Leonora Carrington
Palazzo Reale, Milan
Italy’s first solo exhibition of Leonora Carrington’s work surveys the artist’s lifelong relationship with the country and affiliation with the surrealist movement.
OCTOBER 10
Distillers One of One
Hopetoun House, Edinburgh
A charity auction of fine and rare whiskies from across Scotland returns to Edinburgh to raise money for good causes.
Auction Highlights
OCTOBER
The London Sales
Sotheby’s London
Presented in partnership with Highlighting 21st-century works by contemporary masters.
OCTOBER
The Paris Sales
Sotheby’s Paris
Presented in partnership with
Coinciding with the Art Basel Paris art fair, this sale presents works by titans of the 20th and 21st centuries.
OCTOBER
RM Sotheby’s Munich
Motorworld Munich
Presenting a stellar array ranging from classics to supercars, the annual event has come to define the German automotive auction market.
OCTOBER 2-3
The Hong Kong Sales
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Presenting modern and contemporary works from Asian and global masters.
OCTOBER 7-8
Popular Culture
Sotheby’s New York
Offering iconic artifacts and collections connected to contemporary culture.
OCTOBER 8-9
RM Sotheby’s Hershey
The Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pennsylvania
The official auction of the Eastern Division AACA National Fall Meet, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
OCTOBER 14-15
Classic Design
Sotheby’s New York
Celebrating where history and artistry come together in the decorative arts.
OCTOBER 14-24
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Presenting masterworks of Chinese classical and modern painting.
OCTOBER 28-29
Islamic, Indian & Middle Eastern Art
Sotheby’s London
Sought-after art and objects spanning centuries and continents.
OCTOBER-FEBRUARY 2026
Leonora Carrington
Palazzo Reale, Milan palazzorealemilano.it
The BriTish-Born arTisT Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) was a rebellious teenager at a finishing school in Florence when she came under the influence of early Italian Renaissance painting. Now, Milan’s Palazzo Reale is presenting the first solo exhibition of her work in Italy. The show emphasizes Carrington’s lifelong relationship with the country, as well as her affiliation with the Surrealist movement. Key moments in Carrington’s life are illuminated by her paintings, a selection of photographs, books from her personal library and archival material. The exhibition reveals an artist who pursued self-knowledge as a perpetual traveler, as both an exile in Mexico and a creator of fantastical images exploring other worlds.
THOMAS BOMPARD
Co-Head of Department, Modern & Contemporary Art, Paris
As an admirer of Carrington in particular and of Surrealism in general, I am excited to see Carrington in Milan. The show may seem like an oxymoron because the Surrealists wanted a tabula rasa—to break with the art of the past, which is everywhere in Italy. But the Palazzo Reale feels very natural and even organic as a place for a solo show of Carrington. Why? Because her technical virtuosity is echoed in the beauty of the Palazzo and the fabulous Duomo nearby. Having been part of the team that brought Carrington’s market into a new dimension, I feel we are at the dawn of something new. Carrington is now, with Frida Kahlo, a market-leading female artist.
Leonora Carrington in 2000.
OCTOBER 10
Distillers One of One Hopetoun House, Edinburgh
The Third biennial One of One auction, a charity auction of fine and rare Scotch whiskies, is returning to the stately Hopetoun House near Edinburgh this year. Organized by the Distillers’ Charity in partnership with Sotheby’s, it offers guests the opportunity to bid on one-off, never-to-be-repeated whiskies from distilleries across Scotland, raising millions for good causes. Donors include Arbikie Distillery, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Berry Bros & Rudd, House of Hazelwood, Glen Grant and Suntory Global Spirits. All of the hammer proceeds are donated, with the main beneficiary being the Distillers’ Charity’s Youth Action Fund, which aims to transform the lives of young people in Scotch whisky-making communities.
JONNY FOWLE
Global Head of Spirits, London
The Distillers One of One event has, in my opinion, the most electric saleroom of any Sotheby’s auction. Imagine a room full of whisky collectors, philanthropists and industry professionals congregated in Scotland —and with charged glasses— to celebrate the rarest whiskies ever produced. Every bid receives raucous applause, cheers and banging on tables. So many records are set and each time the hammer goes down the roof comes off. It is as much a party as it is an auction. And, most importantly, it is all for a good cause.
Distillers One of One.
This page: Distillers One of One/Getty Images. Opposite, from top:
Courtesy of Frieze and Hugo Glendinning; Courtesy of Art Basel.
OCTOBER 22-26
Art Basel Paris
Grand Palais, Paris artbasel.com
ArT BAsel PAris, now in its fourth edition, brings together around 200 galleries from 40 countries exhibiting art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The fair, located in the renovated Grand Palais, includes special sections that place a spotlight on emerging galleries (Emergence) and invite distinctive curatorial proposals (Premise).
OCTOBER
Frieze London and Frieze Masters
Regent’s Park, London frieze.com
The 22nd ediTion of Frieze London, the U.K.’s most important contemporary art fair, welcomes around 160 international galleries. It includes the Focus section for young galleries showing emerging artists. In parallel, Frieze Masters hosts around 130 galleries dedicated to art made before 2000, including antiquities, Old Masters and 20th-century works. Large-scale sculptures are displayed outdoors in Frieze Sculpture, a month-long exhibition in the English Gardens of Regent’s Park.
Frieze Masters 2024.
Art Basel Paris 2024 at the Grand Palais.
NOVEMBER
Specialist Picks
NOVEMBER 26APRIL 12, 2026
Caravaggio’s Cupid
The Wallace Collection, London
Caravaggio’s celebrated painting “Cupid as Victor,” 1601-02, is the centerpiece of an exhibition at the Wallace Collection in London, paired with the museum’s marble statue of the same subject.
NOVEMBER 27APRIL 12, 2026
Turner and Constable
Tate Britain, London
Tate Britain celebrates the two romantic artists with a landmark exhibition exploring their lives and legacies.
Auction Highlights
NOVEMBER
Modern and Contemporary
Sotheby’s Cologne
Bringing together works by celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
NOVEMBER 4-14
Asian Art
Sotheby’s London
Fine art and objects from China, Japan and beyond.
NOVEMBER 5-14
The New York Sales
Sotheby’s New York
Works from modern and contemporary masters and designers.
NOVEMBER 9-20
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s Geneva and Zurich
Presenting exceptional jewelry, watches, handbags and accessories.
NOVEMBER 11-DECEMBER 3
Asian Art
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Chinese works of art, including ceramics, jade, bronzes, furniture and glass.
NOVEMBER 12
Classic Design
Sotheby’s London
Celebrating where history and artistry come together in the decorative arts.
NOVEMBER 16
Hospices de Beaune
Halles de Beaune, France
The world’s oldest charity wine auction.
NOVEMBER 18
Design
Sotheby’s Paris
Remarkable creations by artistic greats of 20th-century design.
NOVEMBER 18-19
Modern British & Irish Art
Sotheby’s London
Celebrating works from Britain and Ireland from the 19th to the 21st century.
NOVEMBER 24-26
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s London
Offering the finest jewelry, wine and spirits.
NOVEMBER 25
Classic Design
Sotheby’s Paris
Celebrating where history and artistry come together in the decorative arts.
NOVEMBER 27
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Milan
Works by artists of the 20th and 21st centuries from Italy and beyond.
© The Frick Collection, New York.
Photo: Joseph Coscia Jr.
John Constable, “The White Horse” (detail), 1819.
NOVEMBER 26-APRIL 12, 2026
Caravaggio’s Cupid
The Wallace Collection, London wallacecollection.org
A celebrAted pAinting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is taking a rare holiday from its home at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin to visit the U.K. for the first time. “Cupid as Victor,” 1601-02, which shows the Roman god of desire holding two arrows, is the centerpiece of a new exhibition at London’s Wallace Collection. It is
displayed alongside the museum’s own marble statue “Love Triumphant,” 1871, made after an 18th-century original by Jean-Pierre Tassaert. Part of the show will examine Caravaggio’s relationship with the patron who commissioned the painting, Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, an architect and musician from a Genoese banking family.
ELISABETH LOBKOWICZ
Director,
Head
of Evening Sale, Specialist, Old Master Paintings, London
This exhibition will see one of the most significant paintings of the Baroque era make its public debut in England. The show at London’s beloved Wallace Collection will explore the theme of the paragone— the historic debate on the superiority of painting or sculpture. For art lovers, this will be an extraordinary opportunity to experience this masterpiece in an entirely new context, making this landmark exhibition one that we will all undoubtedly remember for years to come.
Above: After Jean-Pierre Tassaert, “Love Triumphant,” circa 1871. Opposite: Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), “Cupid as Victor,” 1601-02.
NOVEMBER 27-APRIL 12, 2026
Turner and Constable
Tate Britain, London tate.org.uk
TaTe BriTain is marking 250 years since the births of J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) and John Constable (1776-1837) with a landmark exhibition exploring the intertwined lives and legacies of these two outstanding British artists, both of whom used landscape painting to reflect the changing world around them.
Highlights of the show include Turner’s dynamic later paintings and Constable’s cloud sketches, which beautifully captured England’s changeable skies. The painters took different but equally bold approaches—described by one critic as a clash of “fire and water”—in a rivalry that changed the course of British art.
ALEX BELL
Chairman, Sotheby’s U.K. and Ireland, Worldwide Co-Chairman, Old Master Paintings, London
While the past decade has seen masterworks by Turner and Constable individually triumph in our saleroom, this exhibition will present these artists as they were often seen in their own time—side by side. The two titans powered British painting to the forefront of European art in their lifetimes, but the longrunning debate about their respective technical merits has at times stifled an appreciation of their distinct artistic visions. This exhibition aims to remedy the oversimplification with its scale and scholarship. That said, I hope it will also echo the dynamism that accompanied their infamously competitive annual unveilings at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition.
This page, from top: Courtesy Tate; © The Frick Collection, New York.
Photo: Joseph Coscia Jr. Opposite, from top: Courtesy of Art x Lagos; © Alexandra Birken, Courtesy die Künstlerin und BQ, Berlin, Foto: Roman März.
From top: J.M.W. Turner, “The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire,” exh 1817; John Constable, “The White Horse,” 1819.
NOVEMBER
Art X Lagos
The Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria artxlagos.com
Art x LAGos, the leading art fair in West Africa, presents contemporary art from the continent and its diaspora. Launched in 2016, the fair draws artists and galleries from more than 70 countries, and its program features immersive experiences spanning music, film, design and art. The annual Access Art X Prize supports early-career artists with grants, exhibitions and residencies.
NOVEMBER
Art Cologne
Koelnmesse, Cologne artcologne.com
Around 170 GermAn and international galleries are represented at the 58th edition of Art Cologne, one of the world’s oldest art fairs. Its sections include Neumarkt, dedicated to emerging galleries less than 10 years old, and Art + Object, a category launched in 2022 for modern and contemporary design as well as pre-1900 works.
Above: A guest at Art Lagos. Left: Alexandra Birken, “The center will not hold,” 2023, at Art Cologne 2024.
DECEMBER
Specialist Picks
DECEMBER 16
250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen
Hampshire, England
Events across the U.K. celebrate the English author’s birth, including a sculpture, a TV series and a book.
Auction Highlights
DECEMBER 2-5
Old Masters
Sotheby’s London
Presenting Old Master paintings, drawings and sculpture, and 19thcentury and European art.
DECEMBER 3
Modern & Contemporary Art
Sotheby’s Paris
Works by celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
DECEMBER 4-17
Luxury Week
Sotheby’s New York
Showcasing magnificent jewels, watches, handbags, sneakers, wine and spirits.
DECEMBER 9-11
Design
Sotheby’s New York
Creations by the 20th century’s greatest designers from the U.S. and beyond.
DECEMBER RM Sotheby’s
Dubai
Following the success of last year’s debut edition, the auction returns to the UAE city renowned for its passionate car culture.
Ana Suarez, Instagram/ana.s.photographer.
Lummus Park, Miami Beach.
DECEMBER 16
250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen
Hampshire, England
Jane austen was born in the village of Steventon, in the English county of Hampshire, on December 16, 1775, and events across the U.K. this year are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the beloved author’s birth. A life-size sculpture of the “Pride and Prejudice” writer is coming to the grounds of Winchester Cathedral, her final resting place, while the BBC is airing a new
docu-drama series titled “Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius.” Jane Austen’s House museum in Chawton, Hampshire, where she spent the last eight years of her life, is home to treasures including letters, first editions of her novels and her writing table. Its curators are publishing a book, “A Jane Austen Year: Celebrating 250 Years of Jane Austen,” to mark the anniversary.
RICHARD AUSTIN Global Head of Department, Books & Manuscripts, New York
Perhaps only Dickens rivals Austen as a 19th-century novelist still widely read for pleasure today. Her works “Sense and Sensibility,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma” in particular find new readers in each generation, and continue to provide entertainment even for those who don’t read the books, but come to her through the film adaptations— there would be no “Clueless” or “Bridget Jones’s Diary” without Austen. Yet, for much of the 19th century and before a later critical reappraisal in the 1920s, her readership was limited—perhaps surprisingly, it was not so much female readers who kept turning the pages, but gentlemen of the English upper classes who appreciated her keen observation of the struggles of both sexes to find their place in a modern society. No doubt this anniversary will see a flood of new editions to keep her work as current as the latest serious novel, beach read or miniseries. The cult will continue, and rightfully so.
Above left: Jane Austen.
DECEMBER
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach artbasel.com
Art BAsel MiAMi BeAch, one of the most important art fairs in the U.S., gathers around 280 galleries from the Americas and beyond. In addition to the main Galleries section, the fair incorporates five sections, including Nova, for work made in the past three years; Positions for solo shows by emerging artists; and Meridians for large-scale works.
DECEMBER Design Miami
Convention Center Drive and 19th Street, Miami Beach designmiami.com
the 21st edition of Design Miami, which takes place alongside Art Basel Miami Beach, exhibits the best in collectible design, from 20th- and 21st-century masters to the latest emerging styles. A range of galleries and designers display furniture, lighting, jewelry and art.
Design Miami 2023.
Miami Beach Convention Center.
