May Headlines: What Happened at Auction, Art Fairs, and Women Rising

Black women artists dominated Christie’s roaring evening sale in New York. Of the 11 record prices set, many were from a new generation of rising women stars including Nina Chanel Abney ($990,000), Jordan Casteel ($687,500), and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye ($1.95 million).

Nina Chanel Abney’s “Untitled (XXXXXX)” (2015) sold on Wednesday, May 11, at Christie’s for $990,000, breaking the artist’s previous record of $285,243, set by “Paradise Found” (2009) in 2019 at Sotheby’s London. According to Artsy data, Abney has rapidly become one of the most inquired-about women artists over the past five years: In 2016, she was in 119th place; thus far in 2021, she’s in 8th.⁠

Sotheby’s to Hold an All-Female Sale

Running from May 20 – 27th: the 26-lot sale is expected to generate £1 million and will include artists as Rachel Whiteread and Dorothea Tanning.

Textile Artists at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York

“Knotted Ties” is the New York edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair will take place at Christie’s and it’s all dedicated to textile-based works by women artists as Igi Lola Ayedun, Joana Choumali, and Lidia Lisbôa, among others.

Frieze Los Angeles is Canceled

Meanwhile…Frieze Los Angeles has canceled its 2021 edition, and is moving its 2022 edition from Paramount Studios to 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, located between the Hammer Museum and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Art Basel Hong Kong Will Stay On

Happening from May 19 – 23, Art Basel Hong Kong will host 104 booths and 66 exhibitors, half of which are actually “satellite booths” staffed by locals and viable online.