2025 was a rough year any way you slice it: an unstable economy, ravaging climate disasters, the return of President Trump to the Oval Office—and all the chaos that entails—and a viciously divided political climate sporadically punctuated by previously unthinkable violence.
Narrow the focus to the art world and none of those pressures disappear. In fact, perhaps more than ever, the art world seemed intertwined with all of them. The Los Angeles fires were most destructive in neighborhoods where both collectors and artists live; the Trump administration made one of its signature policy planks bringing US museums and arts institutions to heel; advancements in AI technologies swept through creative industries first; and even the particular flavor of market volatility brought on by widespread tariffs seemed tailor-made to upend a globalized art market.
All in all, an exhausting year. But—if you’ll permit me—a bit of hope? For every gallery that shut down or closed a location, another seemed to open. And, as art dealers reminded me all year, when the world gets dark, artists rise to the challenge, leading the way forward. With 2026 slated for a Venice Biennale curated by Koyo Kouoh, as something like a final gift before her passing, perhaps there is a light at the end of this tunnel. —Harrison Jacobs
