The art industry is experiencing significant personnel changes and institutional expansions this week, with major appointments at museums and galleries alongside new venue openings. Among the most notable developments is the Wadsworth Atheneum naming Allison Blais as its new president and CEO, while the Onassis Foundation doubles its New York presence with a new Tribeca location.
Allison Blais, a longtime leader at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York, will take over as president and CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum in January 2026, succeeding Jeffrey N. Brown. Her appointment marks a significant transition for the historic Hartford institution as it continues to evolve under new leadership.
The Onassis Foundation's art-and-technology hub, ONX, is expanding its footprint with a new Tribeca space set to open in January 2026. The venue will effectively double the organization's size in New York and debut with the multimedia exhibition "TECHNE: Homecoming." This expansion reflects the growing intersection between traditional art spaces and technology-focused programming.
Several major galleries are making strategic personnel additions and artist representation changes. Withers has expanded its US Art and Advisory team by bringing on Frank Lord as senior counsel in New York, adding his expertise as both a veteran lawyer and art historian. Meanwhile, Anthony Meier and von Bartha will jointly represent the estate of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, the late Supergraphics pioneer, with her first solo show with Meier opening in January.
Freeman's auction house has appointed Matthew Stavro as senior specialist for prints and multiples, bringing him over from Bonhams along with more than a decade of experience and market expertise in modern and contemporary editions. Morgan Presents has named Madeline Cornell as sales director, with the former Winston Wächter director bringing deep expertise in contemporary and secondary market placements.
New artist representations are reshaping gallery rosters across the country. Jessica Silverman now represents Lava Thomas, known for monumental graphite portraits that explore history and cultural memory through large-scale commemorative works. Kendall Koppe has taken on Michael Bühler-Rose, an artist based between New York and Mysore, who will debut at the gallery's Glasgow space in 2026. David Kordansky Gallery has added Canadian artist Tristan Unrau, whose debut presentation with the gallery will take place at Art Basel Miami Beach.
A new prize initiative is launching with institutional support from Crystal Bridges Museum. The Spector Craft Prize will debut with Crystal Bridges sponsoring the inaugural edition, though the host institution will change annually. Each host institution will acquire a piece by the award recipient, while a concurrent emerging artist award will provide $10,000 grants to five artists.
In auction news, a significant sale occurred at Christie's Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva, where art collector Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon's blue diamond pendant, known as the Mellon Blue, sold for $25 million. The 9.51-carat fancy vivid blue, internally flawless pear-shaped diamond sold at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues on Tuesday. However, this result represents a 22 percent decrease from what the pendant sold for 11 years ago, and when adjusted for inflation, represents nearly a 60 percent drop in value.
Meanwhile, in cultural commentary, art critic Travis Diehl has identified artist-turned-social researcher Joshua Citarella as a potential "Joe Rogan of the left" in the art world. Citarella has cultivated a devoted following through his YouTube interview series "Doomscroll," his digital magazine "Do Not Research," which explores the intersection of politics and technology, and a Discord server. Diehl suggests that Citarella's carefully crafted public persona may itself be his primary artistic work—a performance of an artist pretending to be an influencer, or perhaps the reverse.
