Below are the most relevant news of the week in the international contemporary art system.
News from the new art fairs on the calendar
A new boutique fair, Enzo, will debut on February 25 in a warehouse in Echo Park, coinciding with the Frieze Los Angeles event. Ten emerging galleries from New York, including Margot Samel and Sara’s, will participate, confirming the Californian city’s appeal for more agile and curatorial formats.
On the same dates, from February 25 to March 1, the Felix Los Angeles will return to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for its eighth edition. Of the 50 expected exhibitors, 20 are participating for the first time, including the L.A.-born Feia and the Japanese Som Gallery from Tokyo, marking a growing international openness.
Additionally, Art Cologne is relaunching its fair in Palma de Mallorca, scheduled from April 9 to 12 at the Palau de Congressos de Palma, with 88 galleries announced for the first edition in this format. About a third of the exhibitors come from Spain, including Balearic entities like La Bibi + Reus and Barf.
What’s happening in the main auction houses
Auction houses at the beginning of 2026 are focusing on historical collections. In March, for the marquee week of Christie’s London, modern masterpieces collected by Belgian collectors Roger and Josette Vanthournout will be auctioned in three different sales. The overall estimate is around 40 million pounds (53.5 million dollars), with about a third of the lots dedicated to surrealist and dadaist works.
The highlight is the 1940 painting by René Magritte, La Plaine de l’Air, depicting a large leaf against a distant mountainous background and valued at around 4.7 million dollars. This sale confirms the market’s enduring interest in 20th-century Belgian painting and its more visionary interpretations.
Meanwhile, a rare collection of portraits, letters, and manuscripts related to Oscar Wilde will be offered by Bonhams London on February 18. Leading the auction will be an 1891 copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray, expected to fetch up to 24,000 dollars. In another event on January 27, Bonhams will offer three paintings by iconic TV artist Bob Ross in the “Americana” sale, with the main lot estimated between 40,000 and 60,000 dollars, indicating a growing collector demand for these pop works.
What news interests international art galleries
In the gallery sector, there are changes in leadership and new strategies. In New York, Roland Augustine has stepped down as co-founding partner of Luhring Augustine to focus on philanthropy. The direction is now taken over by Lawrence Luhring along with partners Donald Johnson Montenegro and Lauren Wittels, in continuity with the gallery’s history.
Additionally, New York’s Lehmann Maupin has announced a permanent presence in London, in the No. 9 Cork Street spaces of Frieze. The new venue will be inaugurated on February 26 with an exhibition by painter Freya Douglas-Morris, newly added to the gallery’s roster, complementing the New York and Seoul locations in strengthening the brand’s international network.
Other updates concern artist representation: New York’s Ortuzar gallery now represents the Peter Hujar Archive; Phoebe Helander has signed with P.P.O.W. (New York); Se9verin Guelpa is represented by Fabienne Levy (Lausanne); Jolien Kwakkenbos joins Carl Freedman (Margate). These moves indicate growing competition for archives and new voices.
That said, there are also reconsiderations of the traditional gallery model. In Berlin, the gallery Mehdi Chouakri, founded in 1996, has announced a temporary suspension of programming to reflect on how to continue its work in the future. In New York, finally, Ariel De Sal has been promoted to director of the Jane Lombard Gallery, marking a generational change in leadership.
What news is coming from museums and institutions?
On the institutional front, Smithsonian director Lonnie G. Bunch III has delivered some internal communications and other requested documents to the White House, as the Trump administration seeks to intervene in the programming of the federal museum network. The affair raises questions about the curatorial autonomy of U.S. public institutions.
In New York, the historic Park Avenue Armory has appointed Deborah Warner as the new artistic director, replacing Pierre Audi, who passed away last year after a decade in the role. In Chicago, Maria Keller has been chosen to lead Wrightwood 659, a nonprofit center dedicated to art and architecture with a strong social imprint.
In Amsterdam, Jo-Lene Ong is the new curator of Buro Stedelijk, an experimental space founded by the Stedelijk in 2022. Additionally, the Rijksmuseum has announced a new public sculpture garden designed by Foster + Partners, valued at 11.5 million dollars, set to open in the fall, made possible by the support of the Don Quixote Foundation.
Overall, there are also leadership movements linked to the geopolitical context. Peter Doroshenko is leaving the leadership of the Ukrainian Museum in New York, intending to move to Kyiv to work on cultural projects in Ukraine.
In London, the nonprofit institution dedicated to Arab art Mosaic Rooms will reopen on February 17 after a year of renovation, with an inaugural exhibition by Franco-Moroccan artist Bouchra Khalili, known for her focus on migratory and political themes.
What developments are emerging between technology and law?
In the regulatory field, France is discussing an amendment to the 2026 budget law that would introduce a new tax on artworks and luxury goods, treated as “tangible movable property.” The debate in parliament could have significant effects on the French and international collector market.
A recent French court decision has also ordered Galerie Kraemer to refund the amount for a Chinese vase worth 2.8 million euros (3.25 million dollars) purchased in 2012 by Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, after the 18th-century dating was questioned. This case highlights the importance of appraisals in the buying and selling of antiquities.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, fintech executive and collector Alan Lau is launching a new A.I. x Creativity Fellowship at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at Oxford University. The first designated fellow is new media artist Refik Anadol, recognized for his immersive installations based on data and artificial intelligence, exploring the boundaries between technology and visual language.
What news is coming from biennials and major exhibitions
The biennial scene is marked by political controversies. The South African pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2026, which was to host the work Elegy by Gabrielle Goliath, has been canceled, sparking strong reactions. The work addresses themes such as femicide, anti-queer violence, the war in Gaza, and the German colonial genocide in Namibia.
According to a new report by the South African publication Daily Maverick, Qatar Museums expressed interest in acquiring a video recording of the work. South African culture minister Gayton McKenzie stated last week that the pavilion was canceled due to a foreign nation’s purchase attempt, calling it an exercise of “proxy power.” Subsequently, the Israeli media Ynetnews speculated on Qatari interference aimed at promoting an anti-Israeli line.
In contrast to these tensions, the The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum has launched a new decade-long exhibition series opening with the show “I am what is around me“, dedicated to 40 artists based in Connecticut, including Jilaine Jones, Ellen Altfest, and Arghavan Khosravi. The exhibition is scheduled from June 7, 2026, to January 10, 2027, and aims to build a long-term observatory.
What awards and news are reshaping the art landscape at the beginning of 2026
In the field of awards, the Andy Warhol Foundation has announced the allocation of over 4 million dollars in grants to organizations active in the United States, Lebanon, and Ukraine. The largest share, amounting to 180,000 dollars, has been allocated to the National Coalition Against Censorship in New York, supporting expressive freedoms in the cultural sector.
Additionally, the Berresford Prize of 50,000 dollars, promoted by United States Artists for cultural operators of exceptional relevance, has been awarded to Lori Lea Pourier, founder of the First Peoples Fund, which supports Native American artists. Another 50 artist fellows have each received grants of 50,000 dollars, contributing to strengthening networks and projects in the medium term.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
