Unionized staffers voted unanimously on Wednesday morning to continue their rolling strike over staffing levels, building maintenance, security, etc. Management did open a “masterpiece route” in parts of the museum which allowed tourists to view its most popular attractions, Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. - ARTnews
Sellers tracking the market downturn started slapping lower price-tags on their pieces as well, which stoked momentum in the second half of the year. Overall, Sotheby’s and Christie’s sales topped $13.2 billion in 2025, up from $11.7 billion the year before. - The Wall Street Journal
In Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, a bumper crop of lavishly funded art and history museums is growing. They’re largely designed by foreign architects and, at least for now, developed and run by foreign consultants. Is enough local talent being trained to take over in the future? - Artnet
Small museums, looking to raise their profiles and educate the masses, are turning their paintings, sculptures and tapestries into the unlikely stars of TikTok microdramas. - The Wall Street Journal
“The National Museum of Libya – housing Africa’s greatest collection of classical antiquities in Tripoli’s historic Red Castle complex – had been closed for nearly 14 years due to the civil war that followed the former dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s downfall.” - The Guardian
There is another way of looking at the shake-ups and shutdowns that have defined the art trade in 2025. Instead of a collapse, the process might better be thought of as the right-sizing of an industry where collectors were not alone in making big speculative bets on enormous growth that simply did not materialise. - The Art Newspaper
Guerrero said the biennial—which is the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the US—will interrogate themes such as kinship and infrastructure to try and shed light on how artists connect with the world, but also sometimes reject it. The event will also question the US’s role in global affairs. - ARTnews
The lawsuits centre on the family’s extensive collection of furniture, priceless historic objects and paintings held at the baronial domain, the Chateau de Pregny in Switzerland, which one visitor described as a “mini Louvre”. - The Guardian
A narrow band of stars feature in a lot of shows, followed by a long tail of artists with much more limited visibility. Only slightly more than 200 artists are simultaneously in three or more shows in December, and only a little under 400 are in two or more. - Artnet
“One of the world’s most important collections of Latin American art will double in size following the acquisition of over 1,000 new works. Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) will accommodate its new holdings with a major expansion, which will be initiated next year to mark its 25th anniversary.” - Artnet
“The world's most-visited museum was closed on Monday after workers walked out on strike in protest against working conditions and other complaints, dealing another blow to the landmark after an embarrassing jewellery heist in October.” - Euronews
It’s become genuinely hard to understand what Tate’s priorities are when it chooses artists for the annual Turbine Hall commission. And the Turner prize is even more mystifying. Once the stage of shocking, provocative art that engaged – whether they were for or against – a massive public, it has retreated into wilful obscurity. - The Guardian
In large and small shows under-the-radar artists surfaced and were hot. At the same time, the arrival of a new political order firing off anti-diversity mandates cast a pall over both the year and the cultural future. - The New York Times
Nettrice Gaskins’ artwork sparked a passionate discussion about AI Thursday when a video of the exhibit posted to the Bay Area subreddit drew hundreds of comments and thousands of interactions from people questioning the airport’s decision to feature AI-generated art. - KRON4
The National Museum of Asian Art’s "records showed that there were no export licenses for the objects, as required under Cambodian law, and that the items had passed through the hands of middlemen known to have trafficked in looted artworks.” - The New York Times
