Af Klint Painting Could Break Record as Jewish Museum in Argentina Defies Closure

A Hilma af Klint abstract painting comes to auction on November 19 at Stockholm's Bukowskis with an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000 — a price that could break the auction record for the Swedish artist, The Art Newspaper reported. It is the first time in more than three decades that an abstract work by her hand reaches the block.

The painting, Ser III No, entered a private collection in 1995 after the Hilma af Klint Foundation deaccessioned it. Only two abstract paintings by the artist have sold at auction in more than thirty years, according to Louise Wrede, head of Bukowskis' art department. The market data is thin: Vid ankdammen fetched $54,000 at Christie's in March, and The Power of the Spleen made $165,825 at Stockholm's Auktionsverk in 2019. Neither figure comes close to the new estimate — which is precisely why the sale is a test, not a certainty.

One structural constraint shapes everything: the artist's foundation remains tightly controlled by her nephew and heir, Erik af Klint. Scarce supply cuts both ways. It inflates rarity, but it also means there is almost no precedent against which to price an abstract work. What does this change for the market? If the estimate holds, it resets the benchmark for every future af Klint sale.

Can a rural Jewish museum survive a government standoff?

Some 225 miles north of Buenos Aires, in Entre Ríos Province, the Villa Domínguez Jewish Museum says it will keep its doors open despite water damage to walls, documents and historical objects, and despite an escalating clash with the local government.

"We are resolving the situation with an agreement in which the building belongs to the municipality, while the Jewish community is in charge of safeguarding the objects. The museum is still operating," community head Marina Garber told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The troubles became public after Osvaldo Quiroga, the local historian who ran the museum for nearly four decades, resigned in January 2025. Some accounts blame government neglect of the site; others say officials resented Quiroga's media profile. Neither explanation is confirmed.

The stakes are unusual: Villa Domínguez counts nine remaining Jews. The museum documents the history of Argentine Jewish ranchers, farmers and the cowboys known as gauchos. Pablo Soskin, representative in Entre Ríos for the Jewish political umbrella organization DAIA, told JTA the local government has "expressed its commitment to making the museum and the Jewish circuit part of the province's tourist attractions for locals and foreigners." A promise, yes — but so far it is a statement, not a signed safeguard against the water damage already done.

What else happened?

• Abu Dhabi builds again. Aldar, the real-estate developer and official partner of Frieze Abu Dhabi, announced a new "creative neighborhood" called Noma (Artforum).
• Zayed National Museum will open its first temporary exhibition, "Tracks Through Time: The Camel in Society, Trade and Art," in December, timed to the museum's first anniversary (The National).
• Paris reunion. Works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring come together in "Warhol, Basquiat and Haring. Une amitié artistique" at the Opera Gallery in Paris (Ocula).
• Terracotta Army revised. New research shows China's Terracotta Army was also built by women and children, not just men (Archaeology News).
• Lyon changeover. Hélia Paukner takes over as director of the Lyon Biennale and the Museum of Contemporary Art, succeeding Isabelle Bertolotti (Le Monde).
• Looted Torah fragments. Restitution groups are urging Norway to block the sale of fragments of a Torah looted during the Holocaust at a Norwegian auction (Haaretz).
• British Museum windfall. The museum received an anonymous $40 million donation toward its redevelopment project (The Art Newspaper).
• Iranian documentary examines art and archiving under political censorship (Hyperallergic).

Trump's arch faces its final review

On November 5, the National Capital Planning Commission holds a final review of President Donald Trump's proposed Triumphal Arch, ABC News reported. The Department of the Interior has submitted updated traffic and lighting plans — plus one detail that will define the monument's night silhouette: a golden-winged statue resembling the Statue of Liberty atop the arch, holding an "eternal flame" designed to be prominent after dark.

Commission approval would move the arch from proposal to project. November's calendar, in Stockholm and Washington both, now carries dates that can be checked against promises.