2015 UOB Painting of the Year Gold Award Established Artist Category SingaporeArtist: Aaron Gan Ming Chern
Title: Starry Starry Night
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Size (cm): 103 x 68

TATE LAUNCHES £150M ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN, SECURES £43M IN INITIAL DONATIONS

Tate has unveiled the Tate Future Fund, an ambitious endowment campaign aiming to raise £150 million by 2030 to support its exhibitions and research programmes in perpetuity. Announced during Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary gala, the fund has already received £43 million from major donors including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Manton Foundation, and several Tate trustees. The campaign is the most significant of its kind for a UK cultural institution, inspired by endowment models used by leading North American museums. The gala itself raised over £1 million for immediate programming needs, while Tate continues to grow its young audience, with its Tate Collective membership exceeding 180,000. Tate’s director Maria Balshaw reaffirmed that all donations are reviewed by the ethics committee, following scrutiny over Bloomberg’s involvement amid pro-Palestine protests.

 

TATE CONSIDERS SELLING TURBINE HALL NAMING RIGHTS TO BOOST ENDOWMENT FUND

Tate Modern may offer naming rights to its iconic Turbine Hall for a minimum of £50 million as part of efforts to raise £150 million for the newly launched Tate Future Fund. Chair of trustees Roland Rudd floated the idea in an interview with The Telegraph, noting that naming opportunities could also extend to curatorships and leadership roles. While a Tate spokesperson clarified that no formal offer is in place and the figure is “hypothetical,” the proposal signals an ambitious approach to endowment building. The Turbine Hall, one of the most prominent stages for contemporary art globally, is set to host Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara this autumn as part of a renewed commitment to Indigenous perspectives under director Karin Hindsbo.

MUSEUM OF WEST AFRICAN ART TO OPEN IN NOVEMBER WITH MAJOR EXHIBITION AND NEW ARTIST COUNCIL

The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City, Nigeria, will officially open to the public on 11 November 2025, marking a major milestone in African cultural infrastructure. Set within a 15-acre campus, the institution will eventually house research, exhibition, performance, and hospitality spaces. The launch will include the unveiling of the 48,000 sq ft MOWAA Institute and the exhibition Nigeria Imaginary Homecoming, curated by Aindrea Emelife. Expanding on Nigeria’s 2024 Venice Biennale pavilion, the show will feature works by Kelani Abass, Modupeola Fadugba, Ngozi-Omeje Ezema, Isaac Emokpae, and others, running until April 2026.

MOWAA’s programming includes talks, workshops, tours, and a two-day preview colloquium addressing cultural and political imaginaries across Africa and its diaspora. Built atop the ruins of ancient Benin City, the museum embraces archaeology, conservation, and community engagement. As part of its artist-led approach, MOWAA also announced the formation of an Artist Council featuring Yinka Shonibare, Michael Armitage, Victor Ehikhamenor, and others, to guide programming and regional collaboration. Director Ore Disu described the museum as “an institution centred on transformation,” aiming to regenerate African cities and scholarship through contextually grounded, impactful practice.

BLUM GALLERY TO SHUTTER PHYSICAL SPACES, MARKING A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE LOS ANGELES ART SCENE

Blum, the influential gallery formerly known as Blum & Poe, will close its Los Angeles and Tokyo spaces and abandon plans for a new New York location, transitioning to a private, studio-based model without a public gallery or formal artist roster. Founded in 1994, the gallery played a pivotal role in shaping the L.A. art market and represented major artists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Mark Grotjahn. Tim Blum cited a shifting art world and the need for flexibility as reasons for the move. The closure, which includes widespread layoffs, underscores wider market challenges and signals caution for galleries facing overexpansion. Despite the end of its public-facing operations, Blum intends to continue working on artist collaborations and special projects under a new structure.

BILLIONAIRE ART COLLECTOR BUYS LINCOLN’S HANDWRITTEN 13TH AMENDMENT FOR $13.7M

Billionaire hedge fund manager and art collector Ken Griffin has acquired President Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten copy of the 13th Amendment at Sotheby’s for $13.7 million, setting a new auction record for the document. One of only four privately held copies, it surpassed its $8–12 million estimate. Griffin also secured a signed 1864 copy of the Emancipation Proclamation for $4.4 million. A major patron of the arts and American historical institutions, Griffin described the acquisitions as a way to inspire civic engagement ahead of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. The purchases follow his 2021 $43.2 million acquisition of a rare Constitution copy, which he recently lent to the National Constitution Center with a $15 million donation.