Art Antiques – July-August 2026
Summary
Jackson Pollock's Number 7A, 1948 sold for USD 181 million at auction, a record-breaking price reported on page 64 of the July/August 2026 issue of Art & Antiques, alongside features on Christine Rogel's Santa Fe sojourn (page 42), Michael Govan on Chinese fashion through the centuries (page 48), David Masello on James McNeill Whistler's unique way of seeing at Tate Britain (page 54), and the Cleveland Museum of Art's acquisition of a rare Juste-Aurele Meissonnier gold snuff box (page 12).
A Sojourn in Santa Fe (page 42) by Christine Rogel celebrates summer in the city where centuries of art tradition converge — famous museums, vibrant markets, historic architecture and memorable performances. Dressing Over Time (page 48) by Michael Govan, director of LACMA, presents an exhibition of exquisite garments worn by two Chinese women across multiple eras. Sights Unseen (page 54) by David Masello examines how Whistler discovered his artistic material from a distinctive way of looking at the world, featured in a new Tate Britain exhibition. The PROFILE section (page 18) features Friends of Florence, the non-profit founded 25 years ago by Contessa Simonetta Brandolini d'Adda and Renee Gardner, which has identified, funded and completed hundreds of restoration projects for Florentine treasures. DISCOVERED (page 24) introduces artist Dee Shapiro. EXHIBITIONS (pages 30 and 36) covers the Jewish Museum's reassessment of Jewish women artists in the Wiener Werkstatte and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Musical Bodies exhibition. OBJECT OF DESIRE (page 10) presents a 21st-century chateau in France's Pays de la Loire region — 109 acres, 30 bedrooms, within 100 miles of Paris and 20 miles of Le Mans, once host to King George V and Prince Charles. ACQUIRING HABITS (page 12) details the Meissonnier snuff box now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Regular features include ART TALK (page 9) by editor David Masello reflecting on validation through the Iris Cantor legacy — Cantor and her husband Bernie owned the world's largest private Rodin collection of some 300 pieces, with 32 donated to the North Carolina Museum of Art. IN PERSPECTIVE (pages 14 and 60) covers high-profile auctions and exhibitions from around the United States. Robert Duncan: Landscapes to Freedom exhibition opens 2 July 2026 at Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, RI. Advertising partners include Throckmorton Fine Art's POINTS WEST exhibition of Ancient American art and Selkirk Auctioneers offering pre-Columbian works including an Olmec Seated Ruler on Bench with Glyphs in green jadeite.
Editor's Take
The July/August issue is the strongest Art & Antiques of 2026 so far. The strongest feature is David Masello's Sights Unseen on Whistler — it genuinely reorients how you see the artist's London nocturnes, and Masello's writing is the sharpest in the issue. Michael Govan's essay on Chinese fashion is the second standout, bringing a museum director's authority to what could have been a routine exhibition preview. The weakest element is the IN PERSPECTIVE section, which has ballooned to two separate spreads (pages 14 and 60) without clear editorial differentiation — it feels like leftover ad space rather than curated content. The OBJECT OF DESIRE chateau feature is effectively a real-estate listing in magazine format. This is for the traditional fine-and-decorative-arts collector who values scholarship over trend coverage.
Strengths
• David Masello's Whistler essay reorients the artist's London work with fresh critical insight
• Michael Govan's Chinese fashion piece brings authoritative museum-director perspective
• Strong pre-Columbian and decorative-arts coverage in acquisitions section
Weaknesses
• IN PERSPECTIVE section sprawls across 2 unedited spreads without thematic distinction
• OBJECT OF DESIRE chateau feature reads as paid real-estate promotion
Verdict: Recommended — Two genuinely strong critical essays make this worth the cover price; skip the real-estate section.
