British Museum Protests, Louvre Thefts, and More Art World News

Art Basel Paris introduced a new preview event—which yielded huge sales. In New York, the Met announced a Liu Wei commission, and in London, Bonhams changed hands again. Here’s Ocula’s briefing on the past seven days in the art world.

Art Fairs and Market

Avant-Première Preview Drives Sales at Art Basel Paris

The fair introduced its Avant-Première preview: a Tuesday opening for trusted clients ahead of the official VIP day. The new day yielded promising sales—Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (Abstract Painting) (1987) made headlines, selling for $23 million at Hauser & Wirth’s booth. Other notable sales included a €4.2 million Alberto Burri canvas from Thaddaeus Ropac, an $11.5 million Julie Mehretu painting from White Cube, and a $7.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture from David Zwirner. 

Paris Internationale Announces Milan Edition

The French art fair revealed in advance of its eleventh edition this week that it will expand to Milan. Paris Internationale serves as an alternative for emerging galleries during Art Basel Paris; its Italian fair will coincide with Miart next April.

Bonhams Sold to Asset Management Firm

The 231-year-old London-headquartered auction house has changed hands, with Pemberton Asset Management purchasing the company from private equity firm Epiris. The terms of the acquisition are undisclosed, although C-suite personnel changes have already ensued.

Biennials and Institutions

Korean Pavilion at Venice to Become ‘Liberation Space’

The Arts Council Korea has announced the theme for the Korean Pavilion at next year’s Venice Biennale. Curated by Binna Choi, Liberation Space will recall the three-year period following Japanese colonial rule, featuring work by artists Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro.

Liu Wei to Create 2026 Met Facade

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has picked the Chinese artist for its next Genesis Facade Commission. Four large-scale sculptures evoking ‘cycles of rupture and resistance’ will grace the museum’s front entrance from September 2026.

Protester Disrupts British Museum Gala

An environmental protester interrupted a speech by the British Museum’s chair of trustees at its Pink Ball fundraiser on 18 October. The protestor, from the group Energy Embargo for Palestine, criticised the museum’s continued sponsorship by oil and gas conglomerate BP.

A New Era for Fondation Cartier

Fondation Cartier opens this weekend in Paris; the private contemporary art museum will debut its new home at 2 Place du Palais-Royal, in a Haussmann-era building situated next to the Louvre. The inaugural exhibition will feature around 600 works from across the foundation’s collection.

Louvre Jewellery Heist Rattles France

The Louvre Museum reopened to the public on Wednesday following the theft of eight pieces from the French Crown Jewels worth approximately €88 million on Sunday morning. The thieves gained entry through the windows of the Apollo Gallery. An investigation is ongoing.

NY’s Canal Projects to Change Focus

The contemporary art non-profit announced this week that it will close its gallery space on Canal Street in downtown Manhattan. Canal Projects will transition to a new grantmaking model from next May, committing approximately $3 million in arts funding over the following three years.

Galleries

Sean Kelly Gallery to Halt Los Angeles Exhibitions

Sean Kelly Gallery has announced that its L.A. location, which opened in 2022, will only be used for private viewings after its current James Casebere and Jose Dávila exhibition ends on 1 November. The gallery maintains its New York base in Midtown Manhattan. 

Galerie Francesca Pia Announces Closure

The Swiss gallery posted on Instagram on Tuesday that it will shut its doors on 25 October after the closing celebration of its current Wade Guyton exhibition. Founded in Bern in 1990, Galerie Francesca Pia has been a Zurich mainstay since 2007.

Gallery Representations

Celia Paul Joins Gladstone Gallery

The British painter Celia Paul has joined the roster of Gladstone Gallery in New York, which now co-represents Paul in collaboration with her longtime European gallerist Victoria Miro. Her first solo show with the gallery will take place next year.

Mennour Announces Representation of the Baya Estate

Parisian gallery Mennour has added the self-taught Algerian artist Baya (Fatma Haddad-Mahieddine) to its roster, in collaboration with the late artist’s family. The gallery will also produce catalogue raisonné of Baya’s oeuvre and establish an authentication committee.

The Estate of Pacita Abad Joins Alison Jacques

Alison Jacques has announced representation of Pacita Abad, the late Filipino-American artist. The London-based gallery will represent Abad’s estate in partnership with Silverlens in Manila and Tina Kim Gallery in New York, and host its first solo exhibition of her work in 2027.

Richard Diebenkorn Estate to be Represented by Gagosian

International mega-gallery Gagosian has partnered with the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation to represent the late Californian painter and printmaker. Gagosian will open a Diebenkorn exhibition at its 980 Madison Avenue location in New York on 8 November, the artist’s first with the gallery since 1993. —[O]

Main image: Duyi Han, Bank, Art Basel Paris (24–26 October 2025). Courtesy Art Basel.