From Frida Kahlo to the Louvre Heist – what we take with us from 2025

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As the new year unfolds, I’ve been thinking about how the echoes of 2025 still linger. After all it was a year that reshaped the art world with record-breaking sales, long-awaited openings, and stories that truly shook the world.

Today I would like to invite you to revisit the defining moments worth carrying into 2026: the museums to explore, the sales that set new benchmarks, and the events that will continue to make headlines in the coming months.

El sueño, Frida Kahlo. © BONO / Kahlo

The Year of Records

In 2025 two price records were broken and with that art history was changed once again.

The world’s second most expensive painting ever was officially sold: Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, a masterpiece by Gustav Klimt that changed hands for a staggering 236 million USD.

(For comparison, the all-time record still belongs to Salvator Mundi, painted presumably by Leonardo da Vinci and sold for over 450 million USD back in 2017.)

And history was made for women in art. Frida Kahlo’s self portrait El sueño, which depicts the artist asleep in a bed beneath a smiling skeleton wrapped in dynamite, soared to 54.7 million USD, making her the most expensive female artist in history.

Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, Gustav Klimt

The Louvre Heist

A century after an Italian man famously walked out with the Mona Lisa under his coat, history repeated itself. You’d think the Louvre would be an unbreakable fortress — yet the thief simply climbed a crane, entered through a window, and escaped with priceless heritage in broad daylight.

Traditionally, such heists prompt major changes in museums, sometimes even temporary closures or full security overhauls. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens next...

The Grand Egyptian Museum is here

Last year, one of the world’s most ambitious cultural projects finally opened its doors in Egypt. After nearly 20 years of construction and 1 billion USD in costs, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza stands as the largest archaeological museum ever devoted to a single civilization, spanning 490,000 square metres and housing around 100,000 artefacts that trace 7,000 years of Egyptian history!

I can only say – it is definitely one to put on your bucket list!

The Grand Egyptian Museum. Photo credit: museum

A Norwegian Triumph

My beloved Norway made global art headlines this year when UNESCO’s Prix Versailles “World’s Most Beautiful Museum” award – one of the highest distinctions in architecture and design – went to Kunstsilo in Kristiansand, in the south of the country. The museum was also featured by Forbes, TIME, The Guardian, The New York Times, and National Geographic among the best new museums and cultural destinations in the world.

Another destination for your bucket list!

By the way, a visit to Kristiansand is worth it not only for this architectural gem and its exceptional collection of Nordic modern art, but also for a unique underwater dining experience, just an hour’s drive away.

Kunstsilo, Kristiansand, Norway. Photo credit: www.kunstsilo.no

As I look ahead to 2026, I can’t help but feel inspired – and I hope you do too!

Art never stops transforming, and together we’ll continue exploring its stories, meanings, and hidden connections.

Here’s to another year of curiosity and beauty.

PS. Follow me on Instagram @the_art_trotter and daily art inspiration and insights

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From Frida Kahlo to the Louvre Heist – what we take with us from 2025

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