News & Briefs

David Zwirner's platform reported a 60% year-over-year increase in online sales revenue for Q1 2026, with works priced under $50,000 accounting for nearly half of all transactions — a significant shift from its launch in 2017, when the platform was oriented primarily toward established collector relationships. The gallery cited improved mobile experience and expanded price-point transparency as key drivers. What it means: The primary market's online turn is no longer experimental. Galleries that haven't built a real digital sales presence are behind.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has confirmed a major survey of McArthur Binion's work for fall 2027, which would be the artist's first full retrospective at a major American institution. Binion, 79, has described the news with characteristic understatement. The show will span five decades of work and travel to two additional venues. Why it matters: Binion spent more than thirty years largely outside the institutional spotlight. The Smithsonian show is both a correction and an overdue acknowledgment.

Christie's New York spring sales totaled $680 million across categories, down roughly 8% from the same period last year, but the headline figure obscures a more interesting trend: online and telephone bidding now accounts for 44% of all lots sold, up from 31% in spring 2024. Works in the $10,000–$100,000 range saw the strongest participation growth. The top lot — a late Cy Twombly — sold for $38.2 million against a $30–40 million estimate to a buyer bidding online.

The estate of Carmen Herrera, the Cuban-American painter who died in 2022 at 106, has gifted twelve works to the Whitney Museum spanning her career from the 1950s through her final decade. The gift includes two large-format works from her late Estructuras series, which the estate had previously indicated would remain in private hands. The Whitney will display six of the works in a dedicated gallery beginning in September.

Pace Gallery has opened a 6,000-square-foot space in Seoul's Hannam-dong district, its ninth location globally and its second in Asia following Hong Kong. The opening show features three Korean artists newly added to the Pace roster: Lee Ufan, who had previously worked with the gallery on a limited basis, and two emerging painters whose names have not yet been publicly announced. The Korean market has been among the fastest-growing in the world for contemporary art over the past three years.

Frieze has confirmed it will relocate its New York fair from The Shed at Hudson Yards to a purpose-built pavilion structure in Hudson Yards' public plaza beginning with the 2027 edition. The move doubles available gallery space and adds an outdoor sculpture section. The 2026 fair — taking place this month at The Shed — will be the last at its current location. Organizers cited the need for expanded infrastructure to accommodate growing international gallery participation.

The Museum of Modern Art has named Dr. Ananya Krishnamurthy as Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture, effective September 2026. Krishnamurthy, currently Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago, will be the first woman of South Asian descent to hold the position. She will oversee MoMA's permanent collection of over 3,000 works in the department and lead its acquisition strategy. Her appointment follows an eighteen-month search.

The Japan Art Association has named Kara Walker the recipient of the 2026 Praemium Imperiale in the painting category, one of the most significant international prizes in the visual arts. Walker, known primarily for her large-scale silhouette works examining American history, race, and violence, will receive the prize at a ceremony in Tokyo in October. The award comes alongside her forthcoming permanent installation at the new National Museum of African American History and Culture annex.

Hauser & Wirth has quietly updated its online viewing rooms to display prices for all works under $250,000, ending a longstanding "price on request" policy for most of its inventory in that range. The change, which took effect without announcement, brings the gallery in line with a growing number of mid-size galleries that have moved toward price transparency. A spokesperson confirmed the policy change was permanent and would expand to higher price tiers "over time."

Art Basel has received a record number of applications for the 2026 Miami Beach edition, with organizers noting that approximately 40% of applicants are galleries that have not previously participated in the fair. The surge is attributed in part to the fair's expanded Nova sector for emerging galleries, which carries lower booth fees and a streamlined application process. Final gallery selection will be announced in July. The fair takes place December 3–7, 2026.