Bob Ross paintings to be sold by Bonhams to support public TV stations. https://ift.tt/9pkZf7r

Bonhams will offer 30 original paintings by Bob Ross, together valued between $850,000 and $1.4 million, in a series of auctions benefiting public television stations across the United States. The sales are organized in partnership with American Public Television (APT) and will take place beginning November 11th, running through 2026. The profits will help stations affected by recent federal funding cuts in the United States.

Ross, a former drill sergeant from Florida, emerged as a national icon due to his instructional television show, The Joy of Painting. From 1983 to 1994, the series aired for 11 seasons on public television. The show encouraged audiences to follow Ross’s “wet-on-wet” painting technique. Ross often completed works in one sitting, calling mistakes “happy accidents.”

At Bonhams’s California and Western art auction in Los Angeles on November 11th, three of Ross’s works—Winter’s Peace (1993), Home in the Valley (1993), and Cliffside (1990)—will be offered. Winter’s Peace and Home in the Valley are estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 each. Ross created Winter’s Peace in a single take during an episode of The Joy of Painting. Similarly, Home in the Valley was completed on air in 26 minutes, without editing. Cliffside, an ocean scene from the instructional book The Joy of Painting Volume 20, is estimated at $25,000 to $45,000.

The remaining 27 paintings will be offered throughout 2026 at Bonhams locations in Los Angeles, Boston, and New York. All proceeds will go toward APT and PBS member stations, which faced budget shortfalls when the U.S. government cut $1.1 billion in federal funding. APT said it will direct its net proceeds from the auctions to help sustain programming and operations for affected stations.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ross’s market has gained momentum. In August, two Ross paintings from the early 1990s—Lake Below Snow-Capped Peaks and Cloudy Sky (ca. 1990–91) and Lake Below Snow-Covered Mountains and Clear Sky (ca. 1990–91)—smashed their estimates when they sold for $114,800 and $95,750, respectively. Lake Below Snow-Capped Peaks holds the current auction record for the artist.

“Ross remains a beloved cultural icon whose work continues to spark joy among collectors and fans in the current landscape,” said Robin Starr, general manager of Bonhams Skinner. “Currently, Bonhams holds the world auction record for Ross’s work, and with his market steadily rising, the combination of live-on-air works on offer, and proceeds supporting public television, we’re expecting to see spirited bidding. We’re excited to build on this momentum and surpass previous records.”

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How to Do Frieze Week 2025, According to Insiders https://ift.tt/D28szgt

Each October, the art world descends upon Regent’s Park as the white tents of Frieze London and Frieze Masters open for the week.

Taking place from October 15th to 19th, Frieze will host more than 280 galleries between its two fairs. At Frieze London, expect to discover compelling contemporary art. Frieze Masters, meanwhile, bridges past and present, showcasing everything from antiquities to 20th-century masterpieces.

The energy of the fair will also be spread across the London art scene throughout a period colloquially known as “Frieze Week,” when the city becomes a whirlwind of standout shows, satellite fairs, and other art happenings.

Along with the fair itself, the sheer number of things to see can pose a challenge for even the most experienced art navigator. To help you make sense of this bustling landscape, Artsy spoke to some of London’s most exciting art world figures for their tips (answers have been edited for length and clarity).

Aaron Cezar

Founding director of Delfina Foundation

What does Frieze Week mean to you?

Lack of sleep! But seriously, Frieze Week offers the opportunity for London to take centre stage in the art world and for institutions like Delfina to welcome our international audiences.

What are your tips for the fair?

Start with the Focus section, then visit the curated section by Jareh Das featuring artists from Brazil, Africa, and their diasporas. Finally, take in the rest of the fair closely by following the map. Allow yourself the opportunity to discover something new in Focus or the curated sections. Plan an early or late lunch to avoid the crowds.

What shows are you looking forward to?

“Giacometti x Mona Hatoum” at Barbican, Sojung Jun at The Showroom, Yto Barrada at South London Gallery, as well as many of Delfina’s alumni artists: Lawrence Lek at Goldsmiths CCA, Candice Lin at Whitechapel Gallery, Jane and Louise Wilson at Bloomberg SPACE, and Tacita Dean at Frith Street Gallery. At Delfina, we’re celebrating an exhibition by our alumnus Maxwell Alexandre.

Where are your top food/drink recommendations?

I adore Brunswick House, which is set alongside an antique store in Vauxhall. It’s great to pair with a trip to Tate Britain, Matt’s Gallery, Gasworks, or Sunday Painter, which are in the immediate vicinity. I also adore Asian food. My favorites are the Royal China, Ning’s Hotpot, The Noodle Inn, and Lao Café.

Your tips for those visiting London for the week?

Explore smaller commercial and non-profit spaces where you will discover emerging trends. London is a cultural capital not only because of its flagship institutions and galleries, but also because of the smaller initiatives that fuel them, cultivating and nourishing the next generation of artists.

Helena Czernecka

Publisher of HELA Press and independent curator

What does Frieze Week mean to you?

The excitement of back-to-school.

What shows are you looking forward to?

Peter Doig at Serpentine Galleries and Cosima von Bonin at Raven Row.

What’s your favorite thing about the London art world at the moment?

How it interacts with literature. Through gallery exhibitions, live events, book clubs, book fairs, and so much more.

Where are your top food/drink recommendations?

Drinks at Bar Italia. One Club Row for a fun dinner.

And your tips for those visiting London for the week?

Make time to visit the new wave of galleries in Bloomsbury (Hot Wheels, a. SQUIRE, Brunette Coleman).

Brigitta Spinocchia Freund

Interior architect

What are your tips for navigating Frieze?

The fair is vast, so the key is to curate rather than cram. I like to decide on a few threads to follow, whether that is emerging voices, female artists, or masters. A little research beforehand helps, but I always allow room for detours. Some of the most rewarding encounters happen when wandering without expectation.

What shows are you looking forward to?

This year, I am drawn to presentations that foreground women in art, materiality, and artistry and craft, with ceramics as a particular personal focus.

I am excited to see “Echoes in the Present” at Frieze, curated by Jareh Das, and Frieze’s Focus section is always fertile ground for discovery. I am keen to visit young galleries such as a.SQUIRE, Bombon, and Kayokoyuki.

Among the established galleries, I never miss Sadie Coles HQ, Victoria Miro, Lisson Gallery a,nd Kate MacGarry. At Frieze Masters, I anticipate a rich conversation between past and present, particularly in the Spotlight and Reflections sections.

Teodora Axente’s exhibition at rosenfeld is another highlight. Her work feels at times surreal; it evokes both beauty and discomfort, which I find compelling, and the richness, combined with spiritual and symbolic imagery, creates a rather haunting dialogue.

Ambra, 2016
Teodora Axente
rosenfeld

The Interior, 2024
Teodora Axente
rosenfeld

What’s your favorite thing about the London art world at the moment?

Its extraordinary range. As an interior designer and collector, that breadth constantly feeds my imagination. For example, White Cube continues to surprise and inspire. I love the current exhibition by Cai Guo-Qiang, which is intimate yet conceptually powerful, with a sensitivity to surface and presence.

The Hayward Gallery is having a remarkable moment under the curatorial direction of Rachel Thomas, whose recent Yoshitomo Nara exhibition felt brave, layered, and human. I am especially drawn to Flowers Gallery and Matthew Flowers’ vision. He has championed emerging artists with quiet determination for many years. Angelica Jopling’s Incubator gallery also brings fearless energy, creating spaces where the next generation defines itself.

Jarelle Francis

Independent curator, founder of Meadow, and exhibitions assistant at Tate

What does Frieze Week mean to you?

A week when the art scene in London comes alive! There is always something that leaves an indelible mark: I still think about Divine Southgate-Smith’s presentation at Nicoletti’s booth last year, and I remember the joy I felt seeing Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Black Tuxedo (1982) in 2021. It’s a rare opportunity to discover new work from emerging artists or see work you’ve seen on screen or in art books. I always feel inspired.

What are your tips for those looking to make the most of things?

Look out for the smaller emerging galleries and project spaces away from central London. Head to Enclave Projects in Deptford, for example, where there are several great spaces. There are also so many galleries within walking distance of Frieze, in Fitzrovia, for instance.

What shows are you looking forward to?

I can’t wait for Minor Attractions at the Mandrake hotel. My nomadic gallery, Meadow, will be showing work by Dohyun Baek. There are so many great galleries taking part. Look out for the live events program curated by Sophie Barrett-Pouleau.

What’s your favorite thing about the London art world at the moment?

There is a wonderful community of “baby galleries,” which are under 10 years old. The art world is full of gatekeepers, but community is a way to redress that balance to try and keep the art ecology more collaborative rather than competitive.

Where are your food and drink recommendations?

If you are near Frieze, head to ShakeShuka for some great food and juices. After eating, head into Soho and get some drinks. Frieze Masters is closer to Camden, which has a livelier nightlife. The Dublin Castle is a great pub, and Parkway has a mix of restaurants.

And your tips for those visiting London for the week?

There are so many live music gigs or great theatre shows to see, so make use of your time in the city. If you want to experience something different from the arts, why not go to one of the many lower league football games ?

Faridah Folawiyo

Independent curator and researcher, founder of FF Projects.

What does Frieze Week mean to you?

If I’m being totally honest, it means feeling extremely overwhelmed, but also really grateful to catch up with people and see all the art. It also means committing to lots of things and then eventually realizing I don’t have the energy to actually attend them.

What are your tips for navigating the fair?

You’re on your feet all day, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes and try not to get caught up in the fashion show of it all. I also really like going with someone, usually my mum. I always have the galleries that I’m looking out for, and so it’s always nice when someone else has their own hit list. You can combine and conquer.

I also suggest going at off-peak times. Also, go to Frieze Masters! Always.

What are your tips for the week?

Do what you can handle and don’t get caught up in missing things. There’s always next year!

What shows are you looking forward to?

“Nigerian Modernism” at Tate Modern, Karimah Ashadu at Camden Arts Centre, Kerry James Marshall at the Royal Academy of Arts, and Lisa Brice at Sadie Coles HQ. Also, Jareh Das’s curated section at Frieze, especially Bunmi Agusto’s work at TAFETA.

What’s your favorite thing about the London art world at the moment?

Some of my favorite artists are living and working in London right now. There is a really deep well of talent here, and I’m always trying to figure out structures and projects to support and give access to that.

Where are your top food/drink recommendations?

It’s hard to beat a post-Frieze meal at The Royal China Club on Baker Street. I also love to meet people for a coffee and dessert at St. John in Marylebone. The Coburg at the Connaught is my favorite bar.

While it’s quite a specific vibe, I don’t think I’ve had a better mezcalita in London (granted, my sample size is not huge) than downstairs at Kol. A bit further out, Miga is serving my favorite food in London at the moment. I also love Cafe Cecilia, and Violet is my favorite bakery in the world.

And your tips for those visiting London for the week?

Pace yourself!

Hannah Tilson

Artist

What does Frieze Week mean to you?

It’s the end of summer and the first hurrah of autumn. A week when collectors, artists, and gallerists dissolve into a frenzy on the Bakerloo line.

What are your tips for those looking to make the most of things?

Follow Spittle or Hector Campbell on Substack to find the latest events happening around town. Check out other art fairs going on at the same time. Minor Attractions is happening at the Mandrake Hotel, amongst others.

What shows are you looking forward to?

I currently have a solo exhibition at Cedric Bardawil, so I’ve been in the deadline zone and am looking forward to seeing what’s happening: First stop is Evangeline Turner at A. SQUIRE, and Herald St’s Frieze booth always draws me in.

Obscuring Skin, 2025
Hannah Tilson
Cedric Bardawil

Vertigo, 2025
Hannah Tilson
Cedric Bardawil

What’s your favorite thing about the London art world at the moment?

There’s a real sense of community right now, and I feel lucky to be surrounded by supportive and talented friends. In a world that can often feel dog-eat-dog, it’s nice to see everyone showing up for one another.

Where are your food/drink recommendations?

Wong Kei on Wardour Street (bring cash). You might end up sharing a table with someone holding the ticket to your next Frieze event. In East London, Albers on Englefield Road. The perfect spot to impress the friend you made last night. You’ll find yourself surrounded by Frieze-worthy art here, too.

And your tips for those visiting London for the week?

During Frieze Week, London turns into New York, a city that doesn’t sleep. Take as much in as you can and try to take some of the next week off to debrief. That is, unless you’re already on the Eurostar to Art Basel Paris…

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Kochi-Muziris Biennale announces participating artists for its 2025 edition. https://ift.tt/U63KjSx

The Kochi Biennale Foundation has announced the full roster of artists set to participate in “For the Time Being,” the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. This year’s event will be curated by Indian artist Nikhil Chopra and HH Art Spaces. Opening on December 12, 2025, and running through March 31, 2026, the biennial will present 66 artists and collectives, including Marina Abramović and LaToya Ruby Frazier, from over 20 countries.

Inaugurated in 2012, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is South Asia’s largest contemporary art event and the first biennial established in India. It spans multiple cultural sites across Kochi in the state of Kerala, including Aspinwall House, Pepper House, the Island Warehouse on Willingdon Island, 111 (KVJ Building), Durbar Hall, and Space, the former Indian Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s lineup features a number of artists from the region, including leading Indian names like Gulam Mohammed Sheikh and Gieve Patel, alongside others from around the globe, including Moroccan artist Hicham Berrada and Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama.

“Our invitation to companions was to work with Kochi’s climates, conditions, and resource realities; to make time, think nimbly, and collaborate locally,” the curatorial team said in a statement.

Around 50 new commissions will be created for “For the Time Being.” Many of them will be developed in collaboration with local communities and installed in first-time venues throughout Kochi. “We draw from the past editions and their lives, and continue to see the exhibition as a growing organism constantly nourished by ideas, emotions, and actions,” the statement continued. The curators also acknowledged the need to “hold space for grief and mourning” during what they describe as a “transformative time.”

The fifth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale featured 90 artists and over 40 new commissions when it returned in 2022 after a four-year gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The full list of artists participating in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025 is as follows:

• Abul Hisham
• Aditya Puthur
• Adrian Villar Rojas
• Ali Akbar PN
• Anja Ibsch and Grüntaler9
• Arti Kadam
• Athina Koumparouli
• Bani Abidi and Anupama Kundoo
• Bhasha Chakrabarti
• Biraaj Dodiya
• Birender Yadav
• Cinthia Marcelle
• Dhiraj Rabha
• Dima Srouji and Piero Tomassoni
• Dineo Seshee Bopape
• Faiza Hasan
• Gieve Patel
• Gulam Mohammed Sheikh
• Hicham Berrada
• Himanshu Jamod
• Hiwa K
• Huma Mulji
• Ibrahim Mahama
• Jayashree Chakravarty
• Jompet Kuswidananto
• Jyoti Bhatt
• Khageswar Rout
• Kirtika Kain
• Kulpreet Singh
• Lakshmi Nivas Collective
• LaToya Ruby Frazier
• Lionel Wendt
• Malu Joy (Sister Roswin CMC)
• Mandeep Raikhy
• Maria Hassabi
• Marina Abramović
• Mark Prime
• Matthew Krishanu
• Meenu James
• Minam Apang
• Mónica de Miranda
• Monika Correa
• Moonis Ahmad Shah
• Naeem Mohaiemen
• Nari Ward
• Niroj Satpathy
• Nityan Unnikrishnan
• Otobong Nkanga
• Pallavi Paul
• Panjeri Artists’ Union
• Prabhakar Kamble
• Raja Boro
• Ratna Gupta
• Sabitha Kadannappally
• Sandra Mujinga
• Sayan Chanda
• RB Shajith
• Sheba Chhachhi and Janet Price
• Shiraz Bayjoo
• Smitha Babu
• Sujith S.N
• Tino Sehgal
• Utsa Hazarika
• Vinoja Tharmalingam
• Yasmin Jahan Nupur
• Zarina Muhammed

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5 Artists on Our Radar This October https://ift.tt/NsdYboS

“Artists on Our Radar” is a monthly series focused on five artists who have our attention. Utilizing our art expertise and Artsy data, we’ve determined which artists made an impact this past month through new gallery representation, exhibitions, auctions, art fairs, or fresh works on Artsy.

Bunmi Agusto

B. 1999, Lagos. Lives and works in London.

Dyeing the Sky, 2025
Bunmi Agusto
Tiwani Contemporary

Theatre in the Skies, 2025
Bunmi Agusto
Tiwani Contemporary

Spirits, braids, and shells feature in Bunmi Agusto’s surreal compositions, which combine fantasy with elements of West African folklore. In her latest solo exhibition, “Tales By Moonlight,” on view at Tiwani Contemporary in London through November 1st, the artist presents a new body of work spanning drawing, painting, printmaking, and moving image. These new works continue her world-building practice, taking place in the self-referential fictional universe the artist calls “Within,” where her alter ego is the protagonist.

In one featured work, Dyeing the Sky (2025), “Within” crosses into the spiritual realm. Oral tradition inspired this scene, where spirits sit above the sky, coloring it deep indigo using Nigerian dyeing techniques. Cowrie shells become stars. Believed to be the first pan-regional currency in West Africa, these shells are highly symbolic, representing divinity, fertility, and wealth. Such dreamlike settings and intricate details produce scenes that are at once familiar and unknown.

Behind the Night’s Cloak, 2025
Bunmi Agusto
Tiwani Contemporary

The Ascension of Ó, 2025
Bunmi Agusto
Tiwani Contemporary

An Offering to my Older Self, 2024
Bunmi Agusto
kó

Planting the Hybrids, 2025
Bunmi Agusto
Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery

In 2020, Agusto earned a BFA from Central Saint Martins. She holds an MA in history of art and archaeology from SOAS University in London, and an MFA from the Ruskin School of Art at the University of Oxford. This month, Agusto will exhibit at Frieze London, participating in a group presentation with Tiwani Contemporary and mounting her debut solo presentation at the fair with TAFETA.

—Adeola Gay, Senior Curatorial Manager

Gregory Hodge

B.1982, Sydney. Lives and works in Paris.

Interior with Books, 2025
Gregory Hodge
NINO MIER GALLERY

Millefleur, 2025
Gregory Hodge
NINO MIER GALLERY

Historically, Gregory Hodge’s works reveled in bold, muscular brushstrokes and restless abstraction. More recently, his focus has shifted to quieter scenes: a tree-lined lakeshore, a cluttered storefront, a dim home library. Painted in acrylic on linen, these scenes appear crumpled or blurred. The effect comes from Hodge’s technique of dragging layers of pigment across the surface with combs and custom tools, creating the illusion of woven textiles.

These new works are the subject of a solo show at Nino Mier Gallery in Brussels, “Echo,” on view through October 17th. In Interior with Books (all works 2025), a domestic scene dissolves into a mesh of flickering marks, while Millefleur erupts with blossoms that appear embroidered. Hodge’s fascination with fibers developed during two residencies at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, where he studied French weaving traditions as a way to rethink painterly gestures.

Night Lights , 2025
Gregory Hodge
NINO MIER GALLERY

Stacks, 2025
Gregory Hodge
NINO MIER GALLERY

Figure 4, 2019
Gregory Hodge
Sullivan+Strumpf

Red Rug with Plants, 2025
Gregory Hodge
NINO MIER GALLERY

Hodge earned a PhD in fine arts from the Australian National University in Canberra. Earlier this year, he presented solo shows at Australia’s Sullivan+Strumpf and Paris’s Galerie Anne-Laure Buffard. Next year, Nino Mier will mount a second solo exhibition for the artist in New York.

—Maxwell Rabb, Staff Writer

Joya Mukerjee Logue

B. 1976, Springfield, Ohio. Lives and works in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Storytellers, 2024
Joya Mukerjee Logue
Rajiv Menon Contemporary

Joya Mukerjee Logue treats her paintings as a visual diary, capturing scenes such as bustling nighttime bazaars or clusters of conversing women. Raised in Ohio by an Indian American family, she merges her experience of Midwestern domestic life with South Asian cultural memory, creating portraits that read as both personal records and collective stories.

A selection of such works stood out in Rajiv Menon Contemporary’s booth at Untitled Art, Houston last month. They featured figures in near-darkness, their gestures charged with quiet intensity. In Tala’s Roses (2025), a woman with a worried look on her face clutches a bouquet close to her chest. Storytellers (2024) shows a circle of women leaning toward one another, their configuration suggesting ghost stories told around a campfire. Soft brushwork and earthy tones make these works gentle and inviting.

Tala's Roses, 2025
Joya Mukerjee Logue
Rajiv Menon Contemporary

Procession, 2024
Joya Mukerjee Logue
Vadehra Art Gallery

Origins, 2024
Joya Mukerjee Logue
Vadehra Art Gallery

Remnants in the Bazaar, 2024
Joya Mukerjee Logue
Vadehra Art Gallery

Logue studied at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She has exhibited internationally at High Line Nine Gallery in New York, Cromwell Place in London, and the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati.

— Maxwell Rabb, Staff Writer

Shu Hua Xiong

B. 1994, Shanghai. Lives and works in New York.

Hilma, 2025
Shu Hua Xiong
island

You Are So Worldly, 2025
Shu Hua Xiong
island

Inspired by the ancient wisdom of Taoism—which emphasizes the importance of human harmony with nature—Shu Hua Xiong captures the beauty of simple objects in glistening, ethereal paintings. Xiong started her career as a brand designer at Google before pivoting to illustration, earning commissions for the New York Times and Tiffany & Co. with her glistening, airbrushed style. Now, as a painter, she uses her signature palette of calming pastel hues to capture the spiritual elements of the natural world.

At her debut show at island in New York, on view through October 11th, her subjects include a rain-drenched leaf, a pale egg, and a nautilus shell. These natural elements are portrayed with the careful reverence of Renaissance still lifes, with solid-colored backgrounds that deepen the focus on the central subject. Elsewhere in the show, works like Hilma (all works 2025) contain traces of Xiong’s airbrushed illustration style. This effervescent blue canvas subtly evokes an angel’s wings—a theme the artist returns to in other paintings, such as Prayers. In Xiong’s hands, this mythological motif appears dazzling, shimmering with light.

A Way of Being, 2025
Shu Hua Xiong
island

Apple, 2025
Shu Hua Xiong
island

We Outlived the Night, 2025
Shu Hua Xiong
island

Prayers, 2025
Shu Hua Xiong
island

Xiong’s show at island is her second solo outing, following her debut at Almost Perfect in Tokyo last year. She has previously presented works in group shows at New York galleries including island, Allouche Gallery, and IRL Gallery. Xiong holds a BFA and MFA from School of Visual Arts, New York.

—Josie Thaddeus-Johns, Senior Editor

Leon Xu

B. 1995, Zhongshan, China. Lives and works in New York.

Back to my fantasy, 2025
Leon Xu
Mai 36 Galerie

Through blurred city lights as seen from car windows and slices of neon signs, dreamy new paintings by Leon Xu evoke fleeting nocturnal encounters and half-remembered impressions. These glimpses make up “𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑔𝓁𝑜𝓌,” the Chinese artist’s second solo show with Zurich tastemaker Mai 36 Galerie, on view through November 1st. Xu drew inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s cult classic After Hours (1985), reinterpreting images from the film, which follows one man’s night of increasingly bizarre encounters in New York. The artist’s blurred, glowing scenes carry a similar sense of disorientation and intensity.

Moments here feel as though they pass quickly but linger emotionally. This is manifest in Back to my fantasy (2025), where a luminous sign reading “amusements” beams out from a murky window; the title of the work suggests revisiting an imagined state, nodding to a tension between what is real and what is remembered.

Or die trying, 2025
Leon Xu
Mai 36 Galerie

Promises, promises, 2025
Leon Xu
Mai 36 Galerie

If there is fate can we escape it, 2025
Leon Xu
Mai 36 Galerie

I hope I sleep tonight, 2025
Leon Xu
Mai 36 Galerie

Xu studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and received his BFA in fine art from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019. He has shown in group presentations at Karma, Capsule Shanghai, and Seoul’s Worship Gallery, and has had solo shows at New York galleries Whaam! and Helena Anrather.

—Arun Kakar, Senior Art Market Editor

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Artsy Insider: The Must-Read Art Market Intel for October 2025 https://ift.tt/LKuEMgq

Welcome to Artsy Insider, your monthly digest of the key art market intel you need to know.

We’ve got a sharp overview of what’s to come in a hectic month for the European market—punctuated by major art fairs Frieze London and Art Basel Paris—where openings, events, and auctions tee up a packed mid-October fortnight. Below, we’ll highlight some key themes to watch as all this gets underway.

We also bring you the insights of a legendary art market figure, Jussi Pylkkänen—auctioneer of both the most expensive painting ever sold and the most expensive work by a living artist under the hammer—who shares what he’ll be keeping an eye on over the next few weeks.

And finally, we share exclusive data on the artists who have seen the sharpest surges in commercial demand on Artsy this month.

Hope you enjoy this edition!

Art market news

October in the art market is headlined by two major art fairs taking place over two weeks in two European capitals: Frieze London and Frieze Masters, which kick off on October 15th, and Art Basel Paris, which gets underway on October 22nd. Frieze is now in the 22nd edition of its London fair, while this year will be Art Basel Paris’s fourth iteration.

Each takes place alongside an array of other fairs in their respective cities. London will also host PAD London (design-focused), 1-54 London (art from Africa and its diaspora), Minor Attractions (emerging art, in a hotel), FOCUS (art from Asia and its diaspora), and newcomer Echo Soho (women-led galleries). Paris, meanwhile, will play host to Paris Internationale (cutting-edge contemporary art), Design.Miami (design works in a magnificent 18th-century maison), AKAA (art and design from Africa), and Asia NOW (art from Asia and its diaspora). That’s just the art fairs: Visitors can also expect a bevy of gallery openings, museum offerings, and auctions (more on that below).

While it’s tempting to compare the relative merits of the two headline fairs (and the cities in which they take place), the reality is that both offer different propositions that are worth paying attention to.

What to expect at Frieze London 2025

What to expect at Art Basel Paris 2025Since Art Basel launched its Parisian fair in 2022, Frieze has leaned deeper into its standing as a barometer of curatorial currents: a place to discover the next big thing, across categories.

Frieze London and Masters returns with more than 280 galleries and a curator-led focus. At the main fair, keep an eye on Artist-to-Artist, in which established artists (including Amy Sherald and Chris Ofili) select emerging voices for solo booths. There’s also a new section Echoes in the Present, curated by Jareh Das, which maps ties between Brazil, Africa, and their diasporas in art. And don’t forget about Focus, the fair’s long-standing section dedicated to galleries under 12 years old that is also ripe for new artist and gallery encounters. Extending that curatorial approach at Frieze Masters are Spotlight (focused on 20th-century artist rediscoveries) and Studio, highlighting living artists’ practices.

What to expect at Art Basel Paris 2025

While there is plenty of room for discovery at Art Basel Paris, institutional gravity and blue chip artworks are what it’s best known for.

Art Basel Paris brings both scale and concentration to its second edition at the Grand Palais: 206 galleries from 41 countries will feature, including 25 newcomers. The question for the Paris fair this year is whether it will overtake Art Basel’s fair in Basel as the brand’s most important fair. Market observers will be closely watching the number of international visitors to the French capital, along with the quality of works on view, and how it compares to the Swiss fair.

This year represents what director Clement Delépine called the fair’s first “normal edition.” For the first time, it will take over the entirety of the Grand Palais, and it’s likely that galleries will once again bring their strongest works from their leading artists. Last year’s fair opened with the $9.5 million sale of a Julie Mehretu artwork and multiple seven-figure sales—evidence of the fair’s clout at the top end. But keep an eye out for the fair’s Emergence and Premise sections. The former is dedicated to emerging galleries and artists, and the latter showcases curated presentations that “transform our perception of art.” So, while visitors will be treated to some leading works by some of the world’s most important artists, they can also expect to add some new names to their watchlists.

October 2025 art auctions to keep an eye on

London and Paris wouldn’t be bona fide art weeks without auctions. Tentpole sales will be held at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in both London and Paris, with Phillips also hosting a sale in London.

Auction houses have seen a broad sales decline over the last couple of years. For example, sales at global auction houses fell by 6.2% to $3.98 billion in the first half of 2025, according to ArtTactic. So you can expect these auctions to be tightly managed affairs, where lots are tailored to meet pockets of demand in a more selective market.

That’s why there’s an increased focus on tried-and-tested canonical names for this season’s headline evening sales. At Christie’s, works by Lucian Freud, Yoshitomo Nara, and Paul Cézanne are among the leading lots of its evening sale. Sotheby’s will hold a dedicated 17-lot David Hockney sale, along with a tight 27-lot evening sale led by a pair of works by Francis Bacon estimated at £6–9 million ($8–$12 million) and £5–7 million ($6.7–$9.4 million) apiece. Phillips, meanwhile, leads its sale with a pair of seven-figure works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, but one lot to keep an eye on is Sasha Gordon’s Drive Through (2019). The artist, who recently joined the mega-gallery David Zwirner, is one of the most talked-about young artists working today. Gordon just opened a show at Zwirner’s New York space to packed crowds and plenty of hype: expect the work to soar past its £80,000–£120,000 ($107,436–$161,154) estimate.

In Paris, the “Modernités” sale at Sotheby’s will span Impressionism to European avant-garde and contemporary art, while a dedicated Surrealism sale will focus on a category that has continued to see strong demand (details for both sales are yet to be released). At Christie’s, details from a trio of core sales are still emerging, but the auction house has teased works from leading 20th-century names such as Paul Signac and René Magritte. Leading the lots from its contemporary art sale is Georg Baselitz’s Doppelnachtigall (2009), which carries an estimate of €300,000–€600,000 ($350,334–$700,668).

In-demand artists on Artsy, October 2025

The above chart shows the artists who have experienced the most growth in inquiries on Artsy from August to September 2025. Inquiries are messages from potential buyers about works they’re interested in purchasing.

Leading this month’s chart is Idris Khan. The British artist is known for his densely layered works across photography, painting, and sculpture that compress text and music into singular, charged images. Khan’s work is currently the subject of a solo show, “Over and Over,” at London’s Cristea Roberts Gallery, and last month it was announced that he had been commissioned by the Obama Foundation to create new work for the Obama Presidential Center, which is set to open in Chicago next year. Khan is represented internationally by Victoria Miro in London, Sean Kelly Gallery in Los Angeles and New York, Mennour in Paris, and Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin.

After the reflection (Quinacridone Purple), 2025
Idris Khan
Cristea Roberts Gallery

I Will Always Remain, 2025
Jess Allen
NINO MIER GALLERY

Following Khan is Jess Allen. The British artist, represented by Unit and Nino Mier Gallery, is known for paintings of meditative interiors—sofas, benches, empty cinemas—where pared-back compositions and shadows explore memory, place, and time. Earlier this year, Allen mounted a solo show presented by Unit, “There’s A World Out There,” at Château La Coste in the south of France, and her work was featured as part of Nino Mier Gallery’s booth at The Armory Show in New York last month. Affordably-priced works by the artist are also featured as part of the gallery’s presentation at the Artsy Edition Shop.

Mailbag

Legendary auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen on what he’s looking out for at the October sales

Few figures in the art market understand its top end quite as well as Jussi Pylkkänen. The former global president of Christie’s has hammered some of the most important sales in auction history, including the most expensive work ever sold at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi (ca. 1499–1500) in 2015), the first painting sold for a hammer price over $100 million (Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) in 2013), the most expensive work of art by a living artist (Jeff Koons’s Rabbit (1986), in 2019), and the most expensive painting by a 20th-century artist (Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn (1964) in 2023). Pylkkänen left the auction house in 2023 and today runs the consultancy Art Pylkkänen, which advises collectors and institutions looking to acquire major works of art. Ahead of a crucial run of tentpole auctions, we asked Pylkkänen for his predictions.

What are some of the themes you’re keeping an eye on during the October 2025 auctions?

History indicates that the art world needs convincing results to encourage collectors back into the market when the global economy is struggling. Back in 2008, the doubts that came in the wake of the credit crunch were swept aside by the extraordinary performance of the Yves Saint Laurent sale at Christie’s in Paris. In my view, the Pauline Karpidas Collection at Sotheby’s London last month began to offer the positivity that the market needs to recover.

I predict that the London and Paris sales will perform robustly, encouraging excellent results in New York in November. The outlook for this autumn, largely driven by better works at better prices, is bright.

Earlier this year, Christie’s made the difficult decision to forego their summer sales and plan for the autumn. The strategy has clearly worked, yielding a roster of 54 quality works and fewer present-day works than in recent Frieze-affiliated sales—a sign of Christie’s desire for a more classic modern sale, and potentially a reflection of uncertainty around 21st-century works. The secondary market for less established contemporary art is fragile, and prices have generally settled down.

Instead of higher-risk names, the sale is full of established artists such as Lucian Freud, Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, Claude Monet, Peter Doig, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Coming from a host of private collections across Europe and America, these are the strongest London sales in October we have seen for a while.

The Christie’s Modern British sale is also impressive, and may prove to be the success of the season. It will feature great works by British titans in a Frieze week that will attract plenty of great collectors and energy to London. After focusing on the highly effective marketing of the Karpidas Collection, Sotheby’s has a well-priced, smaller evening sale of 27 lots, including two Francis Bacon oils, which should further buoy the art market.

The October sales always serve secondarily as a weather vane for the major New York auctions in November. The New York sales are already exciting, currently rumored to feature as many as eight significant collections. News is being gradually announced by both houses in order to generate maximum anticipation.

The October sales always serve secondarily as a weather vane for the major New York auctions in November. The New York sales are already exciting, currently rumored to feature as many as eight significant collections. News is being gradually announced by both houses in order to generate maximum anticipation.

At present, we are aware of masterpieces including the Gustav Klimt works from the Leonard Lauder collection, the Claude Monet Nymphéas (1907) from the Kawamura Museum, Vincent van Gogh’s Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes) (1887) from the Pritzker collection, Mark Rothko’s No. 31 (Yellow Stripe) (1958) from the Patricia G. Ross Weis and Robert F. Weis, and the great Lucian Freud work The Painter Surprised by a Naked Admirer (2005) from the collection of Elaine Wynn.

There is much to look forward to in a market that is finding its feet, and the London sales will set a steady pace.

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