Pace Launches Secondary Market Venture, El Salvador Comes to Venice, and More Art World News
Save to My OculaCecilia Vicuña named inaugural Art Basel Awards Icon, Michael Werner Gallery partners go separate ways, and Ibrahim Mahama tops ArtReview’s Power 100. Here’s Ocula’s briefing on the past seven days in the art world.
Art Fairs and Market
Art Basel Miami Beach Ends the Year on a High Note
Art Basel’s Floridian edition opened to invited guests on Wednesday, with the top sales reported so far including a $5.5 million Gerhard Richter canvas at David Zwirner and a George Condo work from Hauser & Wirth for just under $4 million. Perrotin reported 19 five to six-figure sales, including four works by Lee Bae, and at newcomer kó’s booth, a beaded work by Nike Davies-Okundaye was acquired by the Toledo Museum of Art for $100,000.
Inaugural Art Basel Awards Announce Gold Medallists
Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña was named Art Basel’s ‘Icon’ in Miami yesterday, with $50,000 to be donated by Art Basel to an organisation chosen by the artist. Iranian-born German Nairy Baghramian and Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama were named as gold medallists in the Established Artist category; each receive an unrestricted honorarium of $50,000, while Baghramian and Mahama will also present a large-scale public commission during Art Basel’s Swiss fair in June 2026.
Art Dealers Association of America Fair to Return with New Name
Following a ‘strategic pause’ since cancelling the 2025 edition of The Art Show, the membership organisation has announced its return to New York’s Park Avenue Armory next November with a new ADAA fair. Kinsey Robb, the ADAA’s executive director, said in a statement: ‘This fair signals a new era for the ADAA—one rooted in our mission and responsive to the cultural needs of our time.’
Biennials and Institutions
Moscow Gets a New Private Museum
A new private museum named Zilart—on the site of the former Zil car factory—opened in Russia’s capital on Tuesday, showing the art collection of billionaires and founders Andrey and Yelizaveta Molchanov. Although its patrons have close governmental connections, Zilart maintains that all funding comes from Molchanov’s property development firm in Saint Petersburg.
El Salvador to Stage Venice Debut
The Central American nation will participate in the Venice Biennale for the first time next year. Salvadoran American artist J. Oscar Molina will present Cartographies of the Displaced, an exhibition of sculptures about migration at the Palazzo Mora.
Sequences Biennial in Reykjavík Announces Curators
The Icelandic visual arts festival has revealed that Raphael Fonseca and Yina Jiménez Suriel will curate its 13th edition in October 2027. Hailing from Brazil and the Dominican Republic respectively, the curators hope to ‘inform Iceland’s creative community’ through their experiences working with Latin American and Caribbean artists.
London’s National Gallery Unveils Shortlist for New Wing Architects
Since announcing the £750 million ‘Project Domani’, a planned new wing for 20th- and 21st-century art, the National Gallery has unveiled its architect shortlist: Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Foster + Partners, Kengo Kuma and Associates, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Selldorf Architects, and Studio Seilern Architects. The final decision will be announced in April.
Galleries
A Conscious Uncoupling at Michael Werner Gallery
Gallerists and longtime collaborators Michael Werner and Gordon VeneKlasen have announced they will part ways early next year. Galerie Michael Werner will continue in Berlin, while existing spaces in London, New York and Los Angeles will be rechristened VeneKlasen from February.
New Year, New Secondary Market Enterprise in New York
Pace Gallery has partnered with Di Donna Galleries and Sotheby’s private sales chief David Schrader for PDS, a new gallery exclusively managing secondary market sales. The gallery will begin operations next spring, while its new space will open Manhattan’s Upper East Side in summer.
Southern Guild Leaves Los Angeles for New York
The Cape Town-based gallery will soon exit its California outpost after two years and debut a new space in Tribeca in March. Southern Guild is currently participating at Art Basel Miami Beach for the first time.
Awards and Residencies
Ibrahim Mahama Named Most Influential Art World Figure
The Ghanaian artist landed the top spot in the ArtReview Power 100, the magazine’s annual list of the art industry’s most influential figures. He is followed by Gulf powerhouses Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, and artists Wael Shawky, Ho Tzu Nyen, Amy Sherald, and Kerry James Marshall.
Andy Warhol Foundation Awards Over $1 Million to American Arts Writers
The late Pop Artist’s foundation has announced the 31 recipients of its 2025 Arts Writers Grants, ranging from $15-50K, which support writing about contemporary art. Translators were awarded grants for the first time this year, supporting Jessica Gogan, Eriko Ikeda Kay, and viento izquierdo ugaz to translate Portuguese, Japanese and Spanish art publications into English. —[O]
Main image: Art Basel Miami Beach. Courtesy Art Basel.
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services