The Artransfer Briefing

With a recent intervention covering nearly 54,000 m² on the Las Vegas Sphere, Felipe Pantone reaches a new scale and confirms a trajectory focused on large-scale international in situ projects.

The artist continues a visual research that pushes technical and perceptual limits, while maintaining a deliberately restrained production of original works. This positioning reinforces the readability of his market, balancing rarity with increased international visibility.

A close reading of his market shows that available supply remains structurally limited. During exhibitions, the number of works offered rarely exceeds twenty, maintaining a constant tension between supply and demand.

This rarity is also linked to the measured rhythm of his solo exhibitions. Felipe Pantone favors projects spaced over time, often tied to specific contexts or technical research, rather than regular commercial presence.

On the secondary market, auction appearances remain rare (two mid-size originals in 2024, four in 2025), and collectors seldom part with their works, including in private transactions. This low turnover creates occasional opportunity windows where each available piece is perceived as a moment to act.

For more than a decade, Vhils’ trajectory has followed a rare dynamic: that of an artist emerging from the public space whose institutional recognition has been built with consistency, gradually shaping what is now a genuine museum-level trajectory. Over the years, his work has been presented in several major institutions, confirming the strength of his position within the recent history of contemporary art. Artransfer therefore looks back at the past ten years, examining how each institutional exhibition marked a key milestone.

HOCA Foundation, Hong Kong, 2016
Private foundation dedicated to international contemporary art, at the time recognized for its role as a curatorial platform in Asia and for the ambition of the works produced.
Analysis: On this occasion, numerous new techniques were explored, pushing further the boundaries of the artist’s practice.

CAFA Museum, Beijing, 2017
Flagship museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, a major academic institution in China and a national museum reference.
Analysis: Solo exhibitions dedicated to a foreign artist remain rare in China, demonstrating his ability to sustain an international career.

Contemporary Art Center, Macau, 2017
Public institution recognized as a reference for the contemporary scene in Southeast Asia.

Le Centquatre, Paris, 2018
Cultural institution of the City of Paris, known for its international and experimental programming.
Analysis: An ambitious exhibition presenting large-scale works and monumental installations.

Caixa Cultural, Brasília, 2019
Network of cultural institutions run by Caixa Bank, a major actor in museum dissemination in Brazil.
Analysis: Demonstrated his ability to emerge on institutional scenes across multiple continents.

Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, 2020
Historic contemporary art museum in the United States, known for its pioneering exhibitions.
Analysis: A first in the U.S., this exhibition marked a significant turning point in the artist’s global recognition.

MAAT, Lisbon, 2022
Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, a leading institution of the contemporary Portuguese scene.
Analysis: Vhils presented a monumental video labyrinth, demonstrating his capacity for renewal and for engaging with demanding institutional projects.

MIMA, Brussels, 2024
Museum dedicated to contemporary and urban cultures, recognized for its role in institutional legitimization.
Analysis: Through this exhibition at the heart of Europe, Vhils once again demonstrated the richness of his practice through multiple techniques and research directions.

MUCA, Munich, 2025
Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art, a leading European institution for urban art.
Analysis: The artist’s first exhibition on the demanding German market.

MUDE – Design Museum, Lisbon, 2026
National design museum, a heritage institution confirming the inscription of his work within a historical perspective.
Analysis: Recognition of his approach to limited editions, reflecting a commitment to making works accessible to a wider audience without compromising production quality.

These institutional milestones add to numerous international solo exhibitions and major public projects, consolidating a critical recognition that has steadily grown.
His practice, both experimental and deeply humanistic, explains the solidity of this recognition, built over time rather than through effect.

The Artransfer perspective:
In light of this trajectory, it seems natural to imagine that one day Vhils could represent Portugal at the Venice Biennale. The decision of course lies with institutional bodies, yet his career path and international reach make this perspective particularly credible.

Despite a prolific output, Shepard Fairey’s emblematic works remain particularly sought after. His approach to appropriating propaganda visual codes is now widely studied and taught.

The 2008 portrait of Barack Obama, now held in a major institutional collection, remains a central milestone of his historical importance.

Market reading: Although his extensive production sometimes blurs market readability, the artist’s key works still concentrate most demand. With more than 11,000 works recorded at public auction, the corpus is vast and complex, notably due to the large number of prints and editions.

Focusing on original works offers a clearer picture. In 2024, hammer prices for representative pieces frequently ranged between €20,000 and €30,000 (including fees). In November 2025, a major work approached €50,000, confirming strong demand for the most significant pieces.

Despite an extensive production, JonOne’s market remains strong, often outperforming artists of his generation. This challenges critics who argue that the volume of works and exhibitions might dilute his positioning, instead confirming recognition based on pictorial consistency and the strength of gesture.

Saying JonOne produces a lot is no revelation. Yet, far from weakening his position, this intensity reflects a historical logic seen in many painters, where production is inseparable from research and the affirmation of a language.

On the market, this translates into notable stability (€15,000 to €25,000 for mid-size works). High-quality pieces remain highly desirable and often trade above peers.

However, 2025 saw a high proportion of unsold works at auction, likely due to reserve prices not being met: around 40% over 2025 (50% in Q42025). Is the market signaling saturation, or are sellers too ambitious? To be continued.

Since the passing of Erwin Olaf in 2022, the strength of the ecosystem he had anticipated has been confirmed: an active foundation, a studio that remains operational, and strong institutional visibility.

For nearly a decade, fully aware of the need to prepare the future of his work, Erwin Olaf organized during his lifetime the conditions for its continuity. The creation of a dedicated foundation and the ongoing operation of his studio now form the two pillars of a rigorous management of his body of work, ensuring in particular the controlled circulation of prints produced under his supervision.

This structuring effort, carried out progressively and discreetly, is now reflected in the scale of institutional tributes. The artist notably marked the recent history of public collections with the acquisition of a group of around 400 works by the Rijksmuseum, confirming his status as a major figure in contemporary photography.

Recognition continued with a major retrospective presented this year at the Stedelijk Museum, which recorded exceptional attendance, a sign of sustained critical and public interest.

Beyond the artistic legacy, the posthumous structuring of Erwin Olaf’s work illustrates a model of continuity: sales of artworks directly support the foundation’s operations and programs, ensuring the preservation and dissemination of his oeuvre.

For the market, this organization reinforces long-term clarity and stability, while from a historical perspective Olaf stands as a figure who has durably shaped photography in the Netherlands, across Europe, and internationally, both through his aesthetic and the societal themes he championed.

Works from the 1980s remain the most sought after of Futura’s production, yet the artist’s influence today extends far beyond the market, driven by his pioneering role in abstraction and major collaborations.

On the market, the hierarchy is clear: works created in the 1980s form the most coveted core of his oeuvre. Produced at a pivotal moment when the artist redefined the pictorial possibilities emerging from graffiti, they are now held by a limited circle of collectors and rarely come to market, contributing to their near-mythical status.

A close analysis of median auction prices over more than thirty years and more than 300 original works sold reveals a particularly legible trajectory. In the early 1990s, the market remained at a very early stage, corresponding to a valuation baseline that would later increase significantly.

The growth cycle accelerated over the decades, reaching an exceptional and short-lived peak around 2020, with median price levels rising to more than twenty times those of the early 1990s, within a broader reappraisal of graffiti pioneers.

Since then, the market has eased, for the artist and even more broadly, entering a phase of consolidation. By 2025, median prices remain at levels roughly ten times higher than those observed at the beginning of his career, reflecting a stabilization consistent with trends seen since the late 2010s.

This long-term reading highlights a recognition cycle now entering a period of maturity, which still leaves room for further work by market actors, characterized by historical growth followed by stabilization despite the undeniable art market downturn, typical of artists whose position is firmly established.

At the same time, his trajectory is distinguished by a constant presence in contemporary visual culture. Collaborations with international brands such as Louis Vuitton and Nike do not stem from compromise but rather testify to a transversal recognition, where his artistic vocabulary extends far beyond the art market alone.

These projects have helped broaden the audience for his work, confirming his influence with a global public and placing his practice within a dialogue between art, design, and popular culture.

For the market as well as for history, this dual reading, combining the rarity and strong private demand for historical works with a broader cultural diffusion, allows Futura’s impact to be understood on a wider scale, where his importance is measured as much by aesthetic influence as by cultural reach.

Revealed over the past three years and marked by a solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, Rakajoo reaches a new milestone with the publication of a graphic novel by Casterman, the result of three years of work.

Since his rapid emergence on the French scene, Rakajoo has established himself through a body of work that combines visual intensity with personal narrative. His exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in 2022 was a structuring moment, confirming the institutional attention given to his practice.

The release in March 2026 of his graphic novel with Casterman, the result of three years of meticulous work, marks a natural extension of his practice. Beyond the editorial object, the creative process is substantial, each page involves a level of work comparable to a series of artworks, where drawing, composition, and narrative rhythm operate across several layers of reading.

Beyond the technical dimension, this project reflects the artist’s intention to build a broader narrative, combining personal trajectory, visual metaphors, and reflections on identity, confirming the coherence of a universe that extends beyond the strict framework of exhibition.

Impact: For an artist, the publication of a graphic novel often represents a turning point. It validates an ability to structure an imaginary over the long term and to reach a broader audience.

In Rakajoo’s case, this project reinforces the reading of an expanding practice, where painting, drawing, and storytelling form a single language, consolidating his place among the singular voices of the recent French scene. An artist to watch.

After decades marked by inheritance disputes, Vasarely’s market is experiencing renewed interest, supported by the structuring work of the foundation in Aix-en-Provence.

Long hindered by legal complexities, the artist’s visibility and market readability have significantly improved thanks to the foundation’s work in research, authentication and dissemination.

This dynamic is reflected in the market, where interest is growing steadily. While historical works remain sought after, quality editions also show strong demand, indicating a broader audience and renewed confidence.

The Vasarely case illustrates the direct effect institutional stabilization can have on perception: corpus clarification, critical revival and market reactivation.

With the launch of its regular reports and analyses, Artransfer now allows community members to choose precisely which artists they want to follow and receive in-depth insights on.

In a more targeted information approach, the platform introduces a personalized monitoring system enabling users to select priority artists. Reports and updates are then sent automatically based on interests or collections.

Members can also suggest artists not yet covered, progressively enriching the scope of analyses.

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