Picasso Leads $35M Sale at Art Basel, Ljubljana Biennale Names Curator, MoMA Explores Information Design

Art Basel kicked off in Basel, Switzerland, on June 16, featuring an exclusive preview with 290 galleries hailing from 43 countries. Hauser & Wirth sold Pablo Picasso's 'Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage' (1963) for a whopping $35 million. Institutions in Europe, Asia, and North America also picked up works from David Hockney and Louise Bourgeois. José Roca, a Colombian curator, was appointed for the 37th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, scheduled for 2027. He previously served as the artistic director for the 23rd Biennale of Sydney and is the first curator-at-large for Latin American art at the Hirshhorn Museum. MoMA will debut 'Full Disclosure: The Edge of Information Design' on September 27, showcasing 30 works from William Playfair's 1786 bar chart to contemporary data journalism. In Beijing, UNESCO launched 'The Brushstrokes of Time: Beautiful China through Children's Eyes' at 798CUBE Art Museum, exhibiting 120 pieces created by kids aged 6 to 15. Bianca Saunders received the 2026 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, which includes £150,000 and mentorship. Yabu Pushelberg New York presented 'Don't Stop. Stand Up!', featuring 41 new photographs by Tony Mansfield and works by Christopher Sherman, focusing on queer identity and HIV/AIDS activism.