The Tamesis
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in On Balance, art news Newsletter about the art market and beyond. Register here Receive it every Wednesday.
Happy Tuesday! Here’s a roundup of the moves and shakers in the art trade this week.
- Jessica Silverman adds Rebecca Manson to the list: The New York sculptor, known for his tactile, large-scale ceramic works, will debut with a solo exhibition at the gallery in January.
- The Denver Art Museum will host the 20th Annual Petrie Institute Symposium: The January 16 event, titled “Impressions of the Southwest: A Broader Perspective,” will discuss how the American Southwest has inspired generations of WPA-era and modern printmakers.
- The Whitney Museum Art Party returns with a DJ set from The Dare: The annual event, scheduled for January 27, benefits the museum’s independent research program. Guests are encouraged to show up in “the loudest prints and brightest patterns,” according to the invitation.
- The Rubin Museum acquires works by seven contemporary artists from the Himalayas: New acquisitions such as Uuriintuya Dagvasambuu, Tserang Dhundrup, Tsering Nyandak and others were purchased through the Rubin Acquisition Fund or received as gifts.
- NCAR and AWARE Launch Research Fellowship for Japanese Women Artists: The National Art Research Center of Japan and the Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions have launched a joint fellowship for researchers and curators to explore under-recognized, female-identified and non-binary artists with ties to Japan.
big numbers: $757 million.
This is the cumulative total of the 10 highest auction results of 2025, led by a work by Gustav Klimt that fetched $236.4 million. Bildness Elizabeth Lederer (1914–16). The total is the market’s highest since 2022 at $1.1 billion, well above last year’s $512.6 million and 2023’s $660 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all but one of the top ten results occurred during November’s big sales week.
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No matter what, 2025 is a tough year: a shaky economy, a raging climate disaster, President Trump’s return to the Oval Office and all the chaos that brings, and a viciously divisive political climate punctuated by occasional previously unimaginable violence. Narrow the focus to the art world and none of these pressures go away. In fact, the art world seems more intertwined with them than ever. As the year comes to an end, art news is taking stock, looking at the year’s most iconic art, the biggest news stories, New York’s best exhibitions, and more. Check it out and happy holidays!
