The sale of a $35 million Picasso sets the tone at Art Basel.
Art Basel opened its doors in Basel, Switzerland on Tuesday, June 16th with an invite-only preview, and the market wasted no time making a statement. This year’s flagship fair brings together 290 galleries from 43 countries, and early sales signaled broad-based demand across price points, generations, and categories. The headline transaction of the day came from contemporary and modern art gallery Hauser & Wirth, which sold Pablo Picasso’s Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage (1963) at an asking price of $35 million. Works by David Hockney and Louise Bourgeois also found buyers on the first day, with placements reported with major institutions and foundations across Europe, Asia, and North America.
The Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts appoints José Roca for its 37th edition.
Colombian curator José Roca has been named curator of the 37th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, set to take place in 2027. One of the oldest biennials in the world, the Ljubljana Biennale was established in 1955 and is organized by MGLC, the International Centre of Graphic Arts in Slovenia. Roca brings an expansive curatorial vision to one of printmaking’s most prestigious platforms. Currently serving as inaugural curator-at-large of Latin American and Latin diasporic art at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., he previously served as artistic director of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney in 2022, adjunct curator of Latin American art at Tate in London, and co-founded Bogotá’s influential independent art space FLORA ars+natura.
MoMA will dedicate its first exhibition to the art and power of information design.
This September, MoMa opens “Full Disclosure: The Edge of Information Design,” its first exhibition devoted entirely to information design. On view starting September 27, the show brings together 30 works, digital and analog, that trace how humans visualize information and how designers shape our understanding of an increasingly complex world. Organized by senior curator Paola Antonelli alongside Jules Bernstein and Forrest Pelsue, the exhibition moves from William Playfair’s invention of the bar chart in 1786 to the data-driven visual journalism of the present.
UNESCO celebrates children’s art in Beijing.
UNESCO’s Regional Office for East Asia has opened “The Brushstrokes of Time: Beautiful China through Children’s Eyes,” a painting exhibition featuring 120 works by children aged 6 to 15 from across China. On view through June 28 at 798CUBE Art Museum in Beijing, the show was launched as part of UNESCO’s Arts and Culture Education Week under the theme “Culture and Arts Education for Lasting Peace.” Selected through a nationwide open call, the works are presented across three thematic sections: Footprints of Nature, Memories of Home, and Future Habitats, offering young perspectives on China’s natural landscapes, cultural traditions, and aspirations for sustainable development.
Bianca Saunders is the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund’s 2026 winner.
Bianca Saunders has been named the 2026 winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, one of British fashion’s most significant awards. The British-Caribbean designer will receive £150,000, alongside pro-bono business mentoring and professional services to support the continued growth of her label. Founded in 2017 following her graduation from the Royal College of Art, Saunders has built a world around reimagining traditional menswear codes through the lens of her heritage. The label has quietly accumulated a devoted following including Stormzy, Nick Jonas, and Usher.
Curated by Yabu Pushelberg, the exhibition “Don’t Stop. Stand Up!” explores LGBTQ+ identity, activism, and resilience through art, cultural artifacts, and community.
Opening today at Yabu Pushelberg New York, “Don’t Stop. Stand Up!” explores queer identity, activism, and resilience in response to HIV/AIDS through photography, archival works, and community gathering. The exhibition—curated by the multidisciplinary design agency and presented in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)—spotlights 41 never-before-exhibited photographs from Tony Mansfield’s personal archive, featuring images of Warhol, Candy Darling, and members of the Factory, along with a selection of photographs from Your Shame Bores Me by Canadian photographer Christopher Sherman, as well as other community artifacts and ephemera.
Today’s attractive distractions:
The Admiralty Arch in London is being transformed into a Waldorf Astoria hotel with 114 rooms, restaurants, and a spa.
Miami’s Mutra just became the world’s first kosher restaurant to receive a Michelin star.
Artist Diana Beltrán Herrera blurs the line between art and nature with embroidered paper works.
Caitlin Clark unveils her first ever Nike signature shoe.
