Politics A Gigantic Public Artwork About Hong Kong’s Protests Was Quietly Censored in the Middle of Art Basel Week "A few years ago, this would have been an acceptable and legal expression," said the artist Patrick Amadon. By Vivienne Chow, 9 hours ago
Art Fairs Hong Kong’s Art Scene Is Booming Despite Its COVID Nightmare and Political Turmoil. As Art Basel Returns, Can the City Shine Again? The international art crowd has high expectations, while local players are hoping for the best. By Vivienne Chow, Mar 20, 2023
Art World JR’s Gigantic New Installation in Hong Kong, Unveiled Ahead of Art Basel, Has Worried the City’s Feng Shui Masters. Here’s Why Feng shui practitioners say JR's new work is a bad omen—they felt the same way about Kaws's 'Companion.' By Vivienne Chow, Mar 17, 2023
Auctions Sotheby’s Surrealism Sale Fails to Meet Expectations, Pulling in an Under-Estimate $18 Million With Several Blue-Chip Works Going Unsold The sale was led by Magritte's homage to Vermeer, which sold for $3.2 million. By Vivienne Chow, Mar 16, 2023
Auctions How the French Auction Market Expanded and Diversified in 2022 to Hit a Spectacular $4.6 Billion in Sales Paris, in particular, is becoming more appealing to buyers and consignors. By Vivienne Chow, Mar 8, 2023
Auctions Phillips Pulled In a Modest $24 Million Contemporary Sale in London, Led by Cecily Brown, Caroline Walker, and Other Female Stars Gerhard Richter's star lot was withdrawn at the last minute. By Vivienne Chow, Mar 2, 2023
Art Fairs ARCO Madrid, Spain’s Biggest Art Fair, Saw Steady Sales Thanks to Lower Prices and an Influx of Latin American Collectors Collectors welcomed the fair as a platform for discovery of new artists and galleries, though sales did not move as quickly as other fairs. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 24, 2023
Reviews The U.K.’s Asian-Focused Esea Contemporary Museum Reopens With a More Diversified Staff and Program—But Skepticism Lingers The government-backed art center in Manchester is making a comeback after allegations of racism. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 24, 2023
On View In Pictures: See Every Single Artwork in the Rijksmuseum’s Vermeer Show, a Once-in-a-Lifetime Exhibition That Is Already Sold Out Here is an up-close and complete look at the Rijksmuseum's once-in-a-lifetime show dedicated to the Dutch Master. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 22, 2023
Shows & Exhibitions WikiLeaks Is Showing Classified Government Cables in an Art Exhibition Meant to Raise Awareness About Threats to Free Speech Ai Weiwei, Dread Scott, and Vivienne Westwood are among the big names also featured in a new show detailing the impact of Julian Assange's case on free speech. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 20, 2023
Art Fairs Whoops! A Clumsy Art Fair Visitor Shattered a $42,000 Jeff Koons Balloon Dog Sculpture in Miami An artist-collector wants to buy the broken shards, believing that its story is more interesting than the artwork. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 20, 2023
People ‘It’s Okay to Fail’: Rising Market Star Doron Langberg on the Lesson of Letting Paintings Go The artist's solo presentation at Frieze L.A. juxtaposes exuberant depictions of flowers with some very explicit paintings. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 16, 2023
Art World Banksy’s Startling Valentine’s Day Mural Exposes Domestic Violence as a Dark Reality Ignored on the Most Romantic Day of the Year The anonymous artist's new work appeared overnight in Margate. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 14, 2023
Museums The Drag Queen at the Center of Tate Britain Protests Speaks Out After Clashes Outside the Museum One man was arrested as LGBTQ rights supporters met right-wing protesters outside the London museum. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 13, 2023
Shows & Exhibitions I Went Searching for Vermeer in the Dutch Master’s Home City of Delft. Here’s What I Found A tour of the Dutch Golden Age artist's hometown completes Rijksmuseum's blockbuster retrospective. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 13, 2023