Welcome to this week’s weekly wrap-up, your Art Gorgeous hit list!
Retail as Art: Gentle Monster & Acne Studios Lead the Charge ✨
From Seoul to Paris, fashion retail is blurring into full-on art. Gentle Monster has opened Haus Nowhere, a 13-storey spectacle where futuristic interiors frame its eyewear alongside sister brands Tamburins, Atiissu, Nuflaat, and the Nudake Teahouse. Meanwhile, Acne Studios has unveiled a visionary new HQ on Rue des Petites Écuries, preserving 1930s laboratory details while inserting bold statements such as Max Lamb’s monumental pink vinyl sofa and a raw concrete showroom under a vaulted glass ceiling. Together, they set the bar for shopping as cultural experience.
🐇 Labubu Levels Up
From POP MART shelves to Parisian luxury, Labubu’s upgrade is insane. Moynat’s new collab with creator Kasing Lung transforms its signature totes, hobos, and charms into canvases for the Labubu, Zimomo & King Mon crew. Hand-stitched craftsmanship meets chaotic-cute energy, proof that this monster’s world domination continues!
🎨 Next-Gen Print Star: Andrés Valencia
At just 13, Andrés Valencia is already rewriting the art market playbook. Teaming with legendary printer Mourlot Editions (Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Miró…casual), he’s released three traditional lithographs: Woman, Samurai, Commander. Prices start at $250 unsigned or $1,250 signed, available now on @mourloteditions.
🌆 Obama Center’s Monumental Art Plans
Chicago is about to get a serious cultural upgrade. The Obama Presidential Center has announced its next wave of major public art commissions opening 2026, with a dream roster: Nick Cave, Nekisha Durrett, Jenny Holzer, Jules Julien, Idris Khan, Aliza Nisenbaum, Jack Pierson, Alison Saar, Kiki Smith, and Marie Watt.
💻 Christie’s Pulls the Plug on Stand-Alone Digital Art
Scoop on the latest market shake-up: Christie’s is closing its dedicated digital art department. The house will keep selling NFTs and digital works, but folded into 20th & 21st Century Art sales. After fuelling the 2021 NFT boom with Beeple’s $69M blockbuster, this pivot signals a maturing (or cooling) of the crypto-art craze.
