Anna Katz, newly appointed senior curator and head of painting and sculpture at SFMOMA.Courtesy SFMOMA.

SFMOMA’s New Senior Curator, Blaqiuer Estate Sale, and More: Industry Moves for August 13, 2026

by · ARTnews

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in On Balance, the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up here to receive it every Wednesday.

Happy Thursday! Here’s a round-up of who’s moving and shaking in the art trade this week.

  • Atlanta Art Fair Returns to Pullman Yards: The annual fair, running October 1–4, 2026, will feature nearly 70 galleries from across the American South and beyond, alongside an expanded program of installations and cultural partnerships.
  • Elvira Dyangani Ose Named Artistic Director of Zeitz MOCAA: The appointment marks a new chapter for the Cape Town museum following the death of founding artistic director Koyo Kouoh earlier this year.
  • Anne Reeve Appointed Senior Curator at Storm King Art Center: Reeve joins from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., where she served as curator since 2018. She begins her new role on November 1.
  • Anna Katz Named Senior Curator and Head of Painting and Sculpture at SFMOMA: Katz joins from MOCA Los Angeles, where she most recently served as senior curator. She will be the first to hold the newly endowed Doris and Donald Fisher position, which she begins August 17.

The Big Number: $450 M.

That’s the rough estimate for a cache of works from the collection of Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and Carlos Pedro Blaquier set to hit the block at Sotheby’s in November. The consignment is expected to anchor the upcoming auction season and includes paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others. Among the highlights is Van Gogh’s Châtaignier en fleurs roses et blanches (Chestnut Tree in Pink and White Blossom), from 1890, which one adviser said could bring between $150 million and $200 million. A Cézanne from the artist’s celebrated Harlequin series is also expected to exceed $120 million, while works by Degas, Pissarro, and Renoir are each projected to sell for more than $25 million.

Sotheby’s New Comms Chief, Freeman’s New Old Masters Head, and More: Industry Moves for August 5, 2026Natasha Le Bel, formerly global head of communications at Christie’s, has been named Sotheby’s chief communications officer.Daniel Cassady, 05 Aug 2026A New Nasher Jury, Zachary Fine Joins New Yorker, and More: Industry Moves for July 30, 2026Fine, the interim director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism, is a longtime contributor to Art in America.Harrison Jacobs, 30 Jul 2026

Read This.

For nearly a century, French conservators had a standing answer whenever Britain asked to borrow the Bayeux Tapestry: non. The 900-year-old, 220-foot embroidery depicting William the Conqueror’s 1066 invasion of England was simply too fragile to travel—a verdict that held firm in 1953, 1966, 1980, and as recently as last year. So how did the masterpiece end up crossing the Channel Tunnel last month, bound for a sold-out British Museum blockbuster opening September 10? In the New York Times, reporter Alex Marshall untangles how high-stakes diplomacy and genuine engineering innovations paved the way for the long-desired oui. Hopefully you’ve already secured your ticket for the exhibition—this will give you the full behind-the-scenes story.