Monet’s Iris sells for $56.2 million, setting France’s all-time auction record.
Claude Monet’s Iris (1924–25) sold for €50 million ($56.2 million) at Sotheby’s Paris on October 22, the highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction in France. After a 45-minute contest among six bidders, Jen Hua, Sotheby’s deputy chairman for Asia, won the nearly six-foot canvas by phone for a private Asian collector, far above its €22 million–€30 million estimate. The result beats the €43.2 million paid for Amedeo Modigliani’s Tête de cariatide at Christie’s Paris in 2010. Iris led “Le Temps Retrouvé: The Schlumberger Collection,” a white-glove sale that totaled €74.4 million ($83.7 million), Sotheby’s most valuable fine art auction in Paris. Oil heir Jeanne Schlumberger built the collection from the 1950s with dealer Katia Granoff, who bought the studio holdings Monet left to his son Michel. Monet’s Saule pleureur (L’arbre de feu) brought €9.7 million, Pierre Bonnard and Gustave Moreau set new marks, and 74 percent of lots beat their high estimates. Three early Cézannes, designated national treasures, were withdrawn ahead of a planned purchase by Aix-en-Provence for the Musée Granet.
Studio Museum in Harlem names Turiya Adkins, Timothy Yanick Hunter, and Clifford Prince King as 2026-27 artists-in-residence.
The Studio Museum in Harlem has named multidisciplinary artist Turiya Adkins, artist and curator Timothy Yanick Hunter, and photographer and filmmaker Clifford Prince King as its artists-in-residence for 2026–27. The yearlong residency runs from this November through October 2027, with each artist receiving an individual studio in the museum’s new building on West 125th Street. Long one of the institution’s signature programs, the residency pairs studio space with professional development training and material support. It concludes with a group exhibition of the three artists’ work in one of the museum’s galleries. The incoming residents will be the latest to work in the museum’s new home on 125th Street, where the program continues its role in supporting emerging artists at an early stage of their careers.
Gensler converts former BNP Paribas offices into Ruby’s first hotel in Marseille.
Gensler has converted the former BNP Paribas office headquarters in Marseille into Ruby Lilou, a 237-room hotel and the first French location for Ruby, the urban lifestyle brand owned by IHG Hotels & Resorts. Gensler worked with the existing geometry to create 23 distinct room types, limiting demolition and leaving structural elements exposed in public areas. During construction, contractors found a concealed façade from the building’s days as a trading post, identified as a traditional trois fenêtres marseillais. Working with conservation authorities, Gensler redesigned the elevation mid-build, pairing a stone base with a contemporary ceramic crown.
New Riopelle pavilion opens in Quebec City, home to the largest public collection of his work.
The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Quebec City opened its Espace Riopelle–Michael Audain Pavilion to the public. Devoted to Jean Paul Riopelle, among the most important Canadian artists of the 20th century, the building will show some 130 of his paintings, sculptures, and prints from the museum’s holdings, the largest public collection of his work, alongside more than 100 works by contemporary artists from the region. Designed by Montreal firm Les Architectes FABG, winner of a 2022 competition, the $84 million pavilion was half funded by the Government of Quebec. The three-story, 54,000-square-foot building sits at the heart of the museum complex and includes galleries, a restoration lab, and visible storage. Spruce ceilings recall Riopelle’s studio, while planted patios evoke L’Isle-aux-Grues, the St. Lawrence island where he lived from 1995 until his death in 2002.
LVMH moves Tiffany creative chief Hector Muelas to Louis Vuitton.
Louis Vuitton has appointed Hector Muelas to the newly created role of chief brand creative officer, effective November 1. Muelas, who has served as global chief brand and creative officer at Tiffany & Co. since August 2023, will report to Damien Bertrand, Vuitton’s deputy chief executive officer. The house said Muelas will shape its creative storytelling across every customer touch point to keep its image consistent. He will oversee all brand campaigns, with the art buying team led by Magena Chansarel and the content factory team led by Carole Fuchs moving under his leadership. He joined the group in 2015 at Rimowa as global vice president of content and creative, later becoming chief brand officer and leading the luggage maker’s global relaunch. The memo credited him with a “transformative role” in redefining Tiffany’s creative voice. Before LVMH, Muelas worked at Apple, Vice Media, and Canal+, and held creative and executive roles at Creative Artists Agency and Wieden + Kennedy.
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Snøhetta’s Shanghai Grand Opera House opens with a fan-shaped spiral staircase.
