German Museum Boom, Elbtower Museum Standoff, Prune Nourry's Visionaries, Beltracchi Claim, and London's Divided Market

Germany's cultural institutions are flourishing, as evidenced by the Neue Nationalgalerie's impressive 608,000 visitors in 2025, making it the top art museum in terms of attendance. The Kusama exhibition at Museum Ludwig also set a new record. According to Stefan Trinks in FAZ, this surge can be attributed to a variety of establishments like Museum Reinhard Ernst, despite the increasing expenses. In Hamburg, the Elbtower consortium, which includes Dieter Becken, is firm on a €595 million price tag for a natural history museum, turning down a lower bid from Büll & Liedtke. Negotiations with the city commenced in December 2024 following Signa's collapse in October 2023, with Mayor Peter Tschentscher expressing skepticism. Meanwhile, in Paris, Prune Nourry's 'Visionaries' at the Petit Palais showcases overlooked women sculptors, while Wolfgang Beltracchi's attempt to regain 'Rotes Bild mit Pferden' is met with skepticism. London's auction scene remains split, with Sotheby's generating over $500 million.