The Week in Art 2025: our review of the year
Dec 19, 2025
Join Ben Sutton, Editor-in-chief at The Art Newspaper, along with Louisa Buck, contemporary art correspondent, and Kabir Jhala, art market editor, as they dissect the tumultuous landscape of 2025. They delve into the aftermath of LA wildfires and their effects on artists, review Trump's cultural policies, and highlight the Louvre's struggles. Discussions on art market trends reveal a shift toward blue-chip artists and a rise in Gulf art fairs. Plus, the trio shares their top exhibitions and works of the year, featuring talents like Kerry James Marshall and Amy Sherald.
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LA Wildfires Hit Artists Hard
- The LA wildfires in January destroyed artists' homes and studios, including Paul McCarthy's family properties.
- Community-led groups like Grief and Hope provided immediate relief before the aftermath became a slow, bureaucratic recovery.
Indigenous Fire Knowledge Re-emerges
- Institutions are rediscovering Indigenous land management and fire practices as crucial to addressing wildfires.
- Exhibitions like Fire Kinship foreground Native ecology and show how cultural knowledge can inform resilience.
Culture Policy Under Active Rework
- The Trump administration actively targeted cultural programmes and agencies, scrubbing DEI and reshaping funding.
- Staff cuts and grant rescindments have left arts agencies under-resourced and chaotic.