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The Morning Signal

November 14, 2026

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THE LEAD

Aguttes to Offer Michael Jackson Portrait by Brett-Livingstone Strong on November 26

via Aguttes

Aguttes will auction Michael Jackson's portrait "The Book" by Australian artist Brett-Livingstone Strong on November 26, 2026, in Paris. Painted in December 1989, it is believed to be the only painted portrait for which Jackson personally posed. The work was unveiled in Beverly Hills on January 26, 1990, and reportedly sold for $2.1 million at that time, attracting international media attention as the most expensive portrait of a living celebrity. The painting depicts Jackson seated in a three-quarter pose, dressed in red, with his hands resting on a closed notebook—the book of the title—which held his ideas, drawings, and song lyrics. The artist included a self-portrait in the background, showing himself working before the model. The work is part of Aguttes' Pop Culture & Memorabilia sale, with public viewing on November 24 and 25, 2026.

Strong's 1989 portrait is memorabilia priced as art, and Paris — not Los Angeles — is where Aguttes finds out whether Jackson's image still carries a premium.

Auction Result

The Signal

“Christie's $287.4M Hong Kong evening proves the top end is back in Asia; Bonhams' five Brancusi bronzes on Nov. 18 will confirm it.”

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The pattern this week

Ninety stories over seven days, and the weight sits with exhibitions — 35 openings against 11 auctions, with New York (20) and London (19) taking half the file. The €408.3M auction total rests on Hong Kong and a few single-owner sales; Paris is present but thin until Aguttes' design week.

The Market

€408.3M across 11 auctions this week

This week · 90 stories · 35 exhibitions opening · busiest city: New York

$287.4 million Christie's Hong Kong 20th Century Evening Sale Totals $287.4M, Exceeding Estimate by 14% Christie's · earlier this week

$25 million Bonhams to Offer $25M Collection of Five Brancusi Bronzes in Single-Owner Sale Bonhams · earlier this week

New Museum Receives Major Gift from Estate of Richard Hambleton New Museum · earlier this week

Aguttes to Offer Charlotte Perriand, Puiforcat, Ron Arad in 20th-Century Design Auction Aguttes · earlier this week

Featured

Gagosian Artist Katharina Grosse Designs Connaught Christmas Tree in London

On November 13, 2026, Gagosian announced that Katharina Grosse will design the eleventh annual Connaught Christmas Tree at The Connaught hotel in London, on view from November 19, 2026 to January 2…

Why it matters
Grosse's 31-foot tree is a commissioning play rather than an exhibition — Gagosian placing a gallery artist in a Mayfair hotel lobby where the audience is guests and passersby, not collectors.

via Gagosian · Exhibition

Thaddaeus Ropac Announces Irving Penn Portrait Exhibition in Paris

On November 7, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac announced an exhibition of Irving Penn's portraits in Paris, titled "L'Essence du portrait." The show explores Penn's ability to dismantle public image, featuring…

Why it matters
Penn's market is print-by-print and edition-sensitive; a Paris gallery show with Picasso and Saint Laurent sitters is the kind of provenance scaffolding that steadies prices before the next round of estate consignments.

via Thaddaeus Ropac · Exhibition

The Wire

1.

Tate Publishing to Publish Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant: Inside Bloomsbury for Tate Britain Exhibition — Tate

2.

Derrick Adams and Isolde Brielmaier to Discuss 'Another View' Book at Theory Meatpacking — Gagosian

3.

Nationalmuseum Unveils Portrait of Honour of Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, Who Died at 99 — Nationalmuseum

Earlier this week

1.

Lisson Gallery Artists Ikemura, Abramović in 'Feminist Futures Forever' at Belvedere 21 — Lisson Gallery

2.

Canaan J Brown and Emily Alice Mitchell Named First Recipients of John Akomfrah Research Fellowship — Lisson Gallery

The Week Ahead

Opened Nov 14

Ryan Gander's 'Maybe' Opens at Towner Eastbourne, First UK Solo Show in Nearly 20 Years Lisson Gallery

Opened Nov 14

Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler's 'River of Fundament' Screens in New York on November 14, 2026 Sadie Coles HQ

Today

James Turrell's Restored Skyspace 'Light Reign' Reopens at Henry Art Gallery Almine Rech

Today

Turner Contemporary to Present Nicole Eisenman's 'Perpetual Motion Machine' in Margate Sadie Coles HQ

Today

Matthew Barney's 'River of Fundament' to Screen at New York Masonic Hall in November Gladstone Gallery

Today

Lisson Gallery: Cory Arcangel's 'Family Office' Opens at Stavanger Art Museum Lisson Gallery

Full calendar →

On the Rise

Trending Institutions ▲ Southbank Centre (9) · ▲ Guggenheim (6) · → Thaddaeus Ropac (6) · ▲ Getty (5) · ▲ Sadie Coles HQ (5) · ▲ Tate (5) · ▲ Aguttes (4)

Alex Katz — Alex Katz is a prominent American figurative artist recognized for his large-scale paintings characterized by bold simplicity, flat planes of color, and a minimalist… Profile →

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