JEFF KOONS RETURNS TO GAGOSIAN FOUR YEARS AFTER DEPARTING FOR PACE
Jeff Koons has returned to Gagosian, after leaving both Gagosian and David Zwirner back in 2021 for sole representation at Pace. At the time, Koons shared that “the environment in which my work is viewed and supported would be a positive thing,” but the artist has since left Pace due to the financing of a new sculpture series. Earlier this year, Gagosian staged a solo presentation of Koons' works at Frieze New York, showcasing sculptures from the artist’s Hulk Elvis series. Koons is currently the most expensive living artist following a record-breaking auction result at Christie’s New York in 2019 with Rabbit (1986) sold for USD 91.1 million (including fees).
Jeff Koons with Larry Gagosian in 2013
ÖZGE ERSOY APPOINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ASIA ART ARCHIVE
Asia Art Archive (AAA) has announced Özge Ersoy as its next executive director. Ersoy has held previous roles as public programs chief and senior curator at the Hong Kong-based research and cultural organisation. Born in Istanbul, Ersoy holds an MA in curatorial studies from the Centre for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and has worked with art centres, biennials, and grant-making foundations across the world. Christopher K. Ho, who held the role previously, has noted, “At AAA, people and values are paramount, and no one embodies these ideals more fully than Özge Ersoy. Her unwavering integrity, deep empathy, and steadfast commitment to collaboration will propel Asia Art Archive into a new era. I cannot imagine a better successor.” During her time at AAA, Ersoy has co-curated exhibitions such as “In Our Own Backyard” (2025) and “Countering Time” (2024). In addition, she oversaw the renovation and expansion of the archive’s library, where the latter exhibition was held. Ersoy has shared, “I am honoured and excited to build upon the visionary leadership of Claire Hsu and Christopher K. Ho, alongside our board of directors, as well as the achievements of our team over the past twenty-five years. With our renovated library and new digitisation lab, we are more committed than ever to amplifying underrepresented voices, making archives accessible, and nurturing connections with artistic sensibility.”
Özge Ersoy
THE BIGGEST-EVER RAPHAEL EXHIBITION IN THE U.S. IS OPENING AT THE MET
Next year, over 200 works by Renaissance master Raphael will travel to the Met in New York, marking the first comprehensive exhibition in the US dedicated to Raphael. Titled Raphael: Sublime Beauty, the exhibition will follow the artist’s journey from his early life in Urbino to his emergence in Florence as one of the masters of the High Renaissance. From preparatory sketches, paintings, tapestries, and decorative objects, well known masterpieces will be presented alongside rarer, lesser-known works, providing a broad view of the artist’s prolific career. Highlights include The Virgin and Child with Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Alba Madonna) (c.1511), a tondo that has been a part of a number of prominent European collections including those of the Spanish Dukes of Alba and Nicolas I of Russia. Curator Carmen Bambach, has shared, “The seven-year journey of putting together this exhibition has been an extraordinary chance to reframe my understanding of this monumental artist. It is a thrilling opportunity to engage with his unique artistic personality through the visual power, intellectual depth, and tenderness of his imagery.” Many of the works in the exhibition have been loaned by leading international museums like the British Museum and the National Gallery in London, the Louvre in Paris, the Galleria Borghese and Vatican Museums in Rome, the Uffizi in Florence, the Prado in Madrid, the Albertina in Vienna, and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. The exhibition will be running from 29 March 2026, through to June 28, 2026.
Raphael, Alba Madonna (c. 1511)
TADAO ANDO’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF UZBEKISTAN BREAKS GROUND IN TASHKENT
The National Museum of Uzbekistan, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, has been announced by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF). Set to open in March 2028, the museum will be both an architectural and cultural landmark in Tashkent and will the country’s foremost art institution. The museum also marks Ando’s first major project in Central Asia, integrating the architect’s minimalist architectural language with references to Uzbekistan’s heritage. ACDF hopes that this project will place Uzbekistan within global cultural networks as well as foster cultural exchange locally. Atelier Brückner, a German studio known for its work in narrative architecture and scenography, will be collaborating with Ando and developing the exhibition design of the museum. The museum’s programme will include exhibitions, publications, artist residencies, and educational initiatives, with a particular focus on increasing accessibility for younger audiences. Tadao Ando has said, “By building with these pure forms, I wanted to return to the origins of thought and create a space from which powerful ideas could be sent out into the world. I hope that the Museum will serve as a new centre of creative expression directed towards the world.”
A rendering of the National Museum of Uzbekistan
LOUISE BOURGEOIS: THE EVANESCENT AND THE ETERNAL
Louise Bourgeois: the Evanescent and the Eternal, will be running from August 30, 2025, to January 4, 2026, at the Hoam Museum of Art in Seoul. The exhibition will be Bourgeois’ first museum-level solo presentation in Korea in twenty-five years, the title taken from Bourgeois’ own writing. The exhibition showcases more than 110 works and explores the tensions between mother and father, conscious and unconscious, masculine and feminine. Starting with Bourgeois’ early paintings and the iconic Personages sculpture, the exhibition follows Bourgeois’ diverse career as she explores with different subjects and mediums. Highlights of the show include Destruction of the Father (1974), Janus Fleuri (1968), Red Room (Parents) (1993), and Cell (Black Days) (2006). Staged across two floors, the exhibition will be divided into one section representing rationality, order, and the conscious mind, while the other will stand for unreason, emotional intensity, and the unconscious. Feelings of vulnerability, melancholia, jealousy, and aggression will punctuate the lower level, contrasting with the immersive lightness of the upper rooms. The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with The Easton Foundation, and has had presentations in Sydney, Tokyo, and Taipei.
Louise Bourgeois, Cell (Black Days), 2006
GENRE DEFYING AMERICAN PAINTER PETER SAUL JOINS GLADSTONE GALLERY
Gladstone Gallery has announced its representation of Peter Saul, an American artist known for his blend of pop art, surrealism, and abstract expressionism. This news follows the recent announcement of Anna Christina Furney’s appointment as director of the gallery. Gladstone will be co-representing Saul with Michael Werner Gallery, which has locations in the US, London, Berlin, and Athens. Across his practice, Saul has challenged traditional art movements and political narratives and after returning to the US in 1964, Saul used his work as a channel to critique the Vietnam War. Saul commented on his practice, saying, “I like the collision between the art style and the subject. I like the conflict.” Saul’s practice combines symbols of humour with explorations of violence and the grotesque, presented through a psychedelic lens. Saul has had a number of prominent institutional shows, including exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Musée d’Art Contemporain in Marseille, and the National Centre for Contemporary Arts in Moscow. His work can also be found in permanent collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Peter Saul (b. 1934)
Jordan Tan holds an MA in History of Art from the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art. With a passion for fine art and the art market, Jordan plays a key role at Art Works by researching and interpreting trends across the primary and secondary markets, delivering valuable insights and business intelligence for the fine art department.
