2026 in art

Significant events relating to the year 2026 in art are listed below.

Events

• February 5 - Michelangelo's preparatory sketch of a foot for The Libyan Sibyl is sold at Christie’s for $27.2 million including fees. ^[1]

Deaths

January

• January 5 - Molly Parkin, 93, Welsh painter, novelist and journalist (born 1932) ^[2]
• January 8 - Hiroshi Nakamura, 93, Japanese surrealist painter (born 1932) ^[3]
• January 9 - Beatriz González, 93, Colombian painter, sculptor and art historian (born 1932) ^[4]
• January 11 - Philip Leider, 96, American founding editor in chief of ArtForum Magazine (born 1929) ^[5]

References

1. "Tiny Michelangelo sketch of a foot sells for more than $27 million, an auction record". CNN. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
2. Artist and fashion writer Molly Parkin dies
3. 画家・中村宏さん死去 砂川闘争描いた「ルポルタージュ絵画」：朝日新聞 (in Japanese)
4. Murió la maestra Beatriz González, ícono del arte colombiano (in Spanish)
5. Greenberger, Alex (20 January 2026). "Philip Leider, Artforum Founding Editor Who Shaped a Changing Art World, Dies at 96". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 22 January 2026.