Showcases & Scandals: Global Art News Weekly (June 9–15, 2025)
Explore the most talked-about stories in Global Art News this week – from our new showroom launch in Barcelona to record-breaking auctions and international scandals. Aurora & Athena brings you insights, highlights, and cautionary tales from June 9–15, 2025.
Table of Contents
Global Art News saw its share of highs and lows this week, with exciting developments balanced by cautionary tales. At Aurora & Athena, we keep our finger on the pulse of the art world, and the week of June 9–15, 2025 brought everything from grand openings and auction records to startling forgeries and NFT-fueled controversies. In this edition of our weekly update, we recap six key stories shaping the art market’s trends and talking points – art market trends spanning new collector initiatives, rising stars in textile art, headline-grabbing art auctions, and lessons in provenance and museum security.
At Aurora & Athena, we remain committed to bringing you informed insights – whether you’re looking to buy or sell fine art, our team is here to help.
Aurora & Athena Opens Barcelona Showroom and Plans Summer Auction
This week, Aurora & Athena proudly unveiled our new Barcelona showroom – a state-of-the-art space designed to connect European collectors with our curated collection of contemporary art.
After months of preparation, the showroom is now complete in the heart of Barcelona’s art district, reflecting our commitment to global accessibility.
We’re already preparing to launch an upcoming summer auction, officially announced alongside the showroom opening. This sale (scheduled for July) will feature a diverse selection of artworks spanning genres and regions – from European modernists to Asian contemporary gems – highlighting the breadth of auction house news we champion.
One exciting highlight of our upcoming catalog will be a luminous oil on canvas by Beauford Delaney, a visionary figure in 20th-century American abstraction. Following the enthusiastic response to Delaney’s Abstract Composition (1968) — which we successfully placed at our December Fine Art Auction [see the lot] — we are proud to feature another of his vibrant abstract works in our summer auction.
Delaney’s rising market trajectory and growing institutional recognition make his paintings especially sought-after among discerning collectors. (Collectors will soon be able to preview the full auction lineup in our Upcoming Catalogs section. If you’re interested in consigning a piece, visit our Sell page — we are always welcoming exceptional works.) The opening of our new Barcelona showroom marks a pivotal chapter for Aurora & Athena, and this auction will reflect our continued commitment to curating powerful, historically significant, and globally relevant art.
Art Basel Launches “Premiere” Section to Court Young Collectors
The international art fair circuit is abuzz as Art Basel 2025 opens its doors with a bold new initiative aimed at the next generation of buyers. The fair’s director, Maike Cruse, announced the launch of “Premiere,” a brand-new section dedicated to ultra-contemporary work (art created within the past five years) [theartnewspaper.com theartnewspaper.com].
This curated section – featuring ten cutting-edge galleries – is designed to appeal to emerging and millennial collectors, reflecting Art Basel’s strategy to nurture new clienteles.
According to Art Basel’s latest market report, the share of sales to first-time buyers grew to 38% last year [theartnewspaper.com], a clear signal that young collectors are increasingly influential.
“Premiere” taps into that trend by offering fresh works from rising artists in an accessible format. The ultra-contemporary art on display ranges across genres but shares one thing in common: it’s no more than 5 years old, ensuring the spotlight is on the here and now. Cruse noted that galleries are “optimistic” and putting their most ambitious works forward despite broader economic headwinds [theartnewspaper.com].
The new section not only provides a platform for emerging talent but also invigorates veteran fairs like Art Basel with a dash of youthful energy. By embracing innovation while leveraging its global prestige, Art Basel is setting an exciting example of how to keep the art market’s momentum resilient and forward-looking.
Textile Art Surges as Olga de Amaral Sets Auction Record
Imagen perdida 27 (1996) by Olga de Amaral – a gold-gilded textile work – recently sold for over $1.1 million at Phillips, setting a new auction record for the artist [ocula.com]. This success highlights surging demand for textile art as collectors expand beyond traditional media. Amaral, a 93-year-old Colombian fiber art pioneer, saw her shimmering gold tapestry shatter her previous auction record of ~$700,000 set only last year [ocula.com]. The piece’s $1.2 million result (against a $300–500k estimate) demonstrates that finely crafted fiber works can command blue-chip prices on the global stage.
![Imagen perdida 27 (1996) by Olga de Amaral – a gold-gilded textile work – recently sold for over $1.1 million at Phillips, setting a new auction record for the artist [ocula.com]. This success highlights surging demand for textile art as collectors expand beyond traditional media. Amaral, a 93-year-old Colombian fiber art pioneer, saw her shimmering gold tapestry shatter her previous auction record of ~$700,000 set only last year [ocula.com]. The piece’s $1.2 million result (against a $300–500k estimate) demonstrates that finely crafted fiber works can command blue-chip prices on the global stage.](/app/uploads/2025/06/887d9cca-acf9-4806-9f41-7c90480810a9.png "Imagen perdida 27 (1996) by Olga de Amaral – a gold-gilded textile work – recently sold for over $1.1 million at Phillips, setting a new auction record for the artist [ocula.com]. This success highlights surging demand for textile art as collectors expand beyond traditional media. Amaral, a 93-year-old Colombian fiber art pioneer, saw her shimmering gold tapestry shatter her previous auction record of ~$700,000 set only last year [ocula.com]. The piece’s $1.2 million result (against a $300–500k estimate) demonstrates that finely crafted fiber works can command blue-chip prices on the global stage. | Aurora & Athena Auction House")
The sale’s 67% jump over Amaral’s prior record [heni.com] is emblematic of a broader momentum around textile-based art. Long undervalued as “craft,” fiber artworks are now earning recognition as masterpieces of contemporary art. Collectors and auction houses are taking note: along with Amaral’s triumph, other fiber artists have achieved record results in recent seasons, validating textiles as a hot category. This trend speaks to a widening appreciation for diverse materials and techniques in the art market.
As Amaral’s glittering linen-and-gold tapestry affirmed, the global art news is no longer just about paint on canvas – woven textiles and other once-overlooked mediums are having their breakthrough moment [ocula.com]. It’s an encouraging development for art lovers who celebrate craftsmanship and cultural heritage, and it suggests that auction art market trends will continue to broaden in scope.
Sotheby’s to Auction Elizabeth Peyton’s Portrait of the Gallagher Brothers
One of Britain’s most iconic musical duos is crossing into the art auction realm: Sotheby’s has announced an upcoming sale of Elizabeth Peyton’s 1996 portrait of Liam and Noel Gallagher (the feuding brothers of Oasis fame) [theguardian.com].
The painting, titled Liam + Noel (Gallagher), captures the rockstars at the height of 1990s Britpop – complete with what experts describe as a “quiet tension” between the siblings [theguardian.com].
Sotheby’s contemporary art specialists are billing the work as a highlight of their June 24 London sale, with an estimate of £1.5–2 million [theguardian.com]. If achieved, that price would underscore the enduring allure of music legends as subjects in fine art.
Peyton is renowned for her intimate, lushly colored portraits of cultural figures – from Kurt Cobain to Princess Diana – and she painted several images of the Gallagher brothers in the 1990s.
(One sister work from the series resides in SFMOMA’s collection, and another portrait of Liam alone sold for $4.1 million last year, marking Peyton’s current auction record [theguardian.com].) The offering of Liam + Noel arrives serendipitously amid Oasis’s much-hyped reunion tour this summer, a fact not lost on Sotheby’s. “It feels like the perfect moment for this painting to come up,” noted Antonia Gardner, Sotheby’s head of contemporary evening sales, alluding to the Gallagher brothers’ mix of camaraderie and rivalry [theguardian.com].
For collectors of both art and rock memorabilia, Peyton’s work presents a rare crossover opportunity – a chance to own a “very beautiful” snapshot of music history, immortalized on canvas [theguardian.com]. With a starting bid likely to be supersonic, all eyes will be on whether this portrait can set a new auction benchmark for the artist and satisfy the fervent Oasis fan base in the process.
French Furniture Forgery Scandal Rocks Versailles
A major forgery scandal in France reached its conclusion this week, sending shockwaves through the world of antiques and museum curation. On June 11, a French court sentenced expert Bill Pallot to prison for orchestrating an elaborate 18th-century furniture forgery scheme [hurriyetdailynews.com hurriyetdailynews.com].
Pallot – once lauded as the world’s foremost specialist in French Rococo furniture – was convicted of producing fake antique chairs and tables and passing them off as royal treasures that supposedly belonged to figures like Queen Marie Antoinette and Louis XV’s mistress, Madame du Barry [hurriyetdailynews.com].
For years, Pallot and his accomplice (master woodcarver Bruno Desnoues) fabricated these remarkably convincing pieces, which Pallot then “authenticated” as genuine 1700s furnishings.
The scandal came to light when suspicious experts noticed inconsistencies, and the fallout has been dramatic. Among the duped buyers were the Palace of Versailles itself and even a member of Qatar’s royal family [hurriyetdailynews.com] – a testament to how far the forgeries penetrated the highest echelons of collecting. French authorities called it one of the biggest art frauds in recent memory, exposing the “diabolical maneuvers” behind the scenes [hurriyetdailynews.com].
Pallot received a four-year sentence (largely suspended, with only a few months of actual jail time) along with hefty fines and a ban from the art world [hurriyetdailynews.com]. While some critics argue the punishment was too lenient, the case has already prompted calls for tighter museum security and vetting processes. This forgery saga serves as a cautionary tale – even the most reputed experts can fall from grace, and blue-chip cultural institutions must remain vigilant to avoid getting caught in the web of art crime.
Frida Kahlo Diary Pages Disappear – and One Burns in NFT Frenzy
In a bizarre intersection of art crime and crypto speculation, pages from Frida Kahlo’s personal diary have gone missing – with at least one apparently destroyed in an NFT stunt. Recent reports from Mexico highlight that a dozen pages were stolen from Kahlo’s famed diary (held at Casa Azul Museum), a fact first discovered in 2009 when curators found 12 pages gone from the bound volume [hildatrujillo.blog]. For years the disappearance remained a mystery. Now, evidence has surfaced that some of those missing diary pages made their way into private hands – and even to the auction block – without authorization [hildatrujillo.blog].
The most outrageous twist came when a Miami-based collector, Martín Mobarak, claimed to have one of Kahlo’s original diary drawings and burned it publicly to mint NFT artworks from it [hyperallergic.com].
In a 2022 event complete with mariachis and martini glasses, Mobarak filmed himself torching what he alleged was Kahlo’s 1944 drawing “Fantasmones Siniestros,” turning the ashes into a digital token offering.
The stunt was intended to generate 10,000 NFTs and millions in sales – with promises of charity donations – but instead it prompted public outcry and a government investigation [hyperallergic.com hyperallergic.com]. Mexico’s cultural authorities asserted that if the burned sketch was authentic, Mobarak violated national heritage laws (Kahlo’s works are protected as monuments) and lacked permission to reproduce the image [hyperallergic.com].
This Frida Kahlo scandal has cast a harsh spotlight on the lengths speculators will go in the NFT art craze. Kahlo’s descendants and art lovers worldwide have expressed anger at the destruction of an irreplaceable artifact for profit.
The incident also raises broader questions about protecting art in museum archives – if a precious diary can be plundered for illicit sale, what does it say about collections management and oversight? As authorities probe the NFT scheme and track the fate of the other missing pages, the episode stands as a stark reminder of the new challenges technology and greed pose to cultural stewardship. In the words of one observer, when art meets crypto in such fashion, “everything was fake, except the money” [lemonde.fr].
Staying Ahead in Global Art News
From showroom grand openings to scandals that spark international headlines, this week’s stories illustrate the art world’s unique mix of glamour and intrigue. We’ve seen how auction records, innovative fair programming, and vigilant law enforcement all play roles in shaping the current art landscape. At Aurora & Athena, we strive to navigate these triumphs and turmoil with a steady, informed voice. We believe that staying educated on global art news – from market highs to cautionary tales – makes us all better collectors, sellers, and guardians of art.
As we celebrate our own milestone in Barcelona and prepare for the season ahead, we invite you to follow our Aurora & Athena Journal for weekly insights and updates. Whether you’re tracking art market trends, looking for your next acquisition, or ensuring your collection’s legacy, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Stay tuned for more compelling stories next week – the global art market never stays quiet for long, and neither do we.
(For more on our mission and services, feel free to read About Us or explore our latest lots. Together, let’s continue to celebrate the art we love while learning from the news that unfolds around it.)