#ArtnetNews: In early May, a group of researchers scouring the western Swedish province of Bohuslän spotted irregular markings on a moss-covered rock face. They seemed man-made and so the team carefully removed the vegetation and uncovered scores of rock carvings, around 40 in total, depicting ships, animals, and people. The rock carvings, or petroglyphs, date back around 2,700 years and are the latest find in Bohuslän, an area known for its rock art, most notably the Bronze Age images at Tanum, a UNESCO site. The team believe it is Bohuslän’s greatest discovery this century. The designs were made through a laborious process of smacking stones against the granite rock that exposed an underlayer of white. This color, in addition to their size, made them highly visible from both the mainland and passing ships. Tap the link in our bio to read more about this discovery, and to see more images. __ Photo courtesy of The Foundation for Documentation of Rock Carvings in Bohuslän.

“Tar Beach” (1988) is the first quilt of five in Ringgold’s “Women on a Bridge” series of story quilts. Aside from the folkloric visual, we are guided through the work by lines of text, which fill the top and bottom of the quilt, speaking in Lightfoot’s voice. A few years after completing the quilt, in 1991, Ringgold would publish a children’s book directly inspired by it. Over the decades, “Tar Beach” has become an urban childhood classic and the most famous of Ringgold’s 17 books for young readers, beloved for its universal themes of family, wonder, imagination, and awakening. Nevertheless, “Tar Beach” doesn’t shy away from the racial, political, and economic themes that define Ringgold’s oeuvre as a whole—and which kept her from a wider art-world embrace for many years. For Ringgold, the Tar Beach story quilt encapsulates the essence of emancipation and self-expression she has pursued across her works. To mark the Juneteenth holiday, we’ve taken a closer look at “Tar Beach.” Tap the link in our bio to discover three facts that reveal the artwork’s more radical implications. __ Pictured: Faith Ringgold, “Women on a Bridge #1 of 5: Tar Beach” (1988). © Faith Ringgold/ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2023.

#ArtnetNews: Although Art Basel is reputed for mega-rich collectors flying in on private jets, the fair caters to buyers across the wealth spectrum. High-quality works vary in price from the staggering seven figures to just a few thousand dollars—there is much to discover at lower altitudes. Here are some of the eye-catching works on view, from entry-level to blue-chip. 🖼 Jean-Michel Basquiat, “The Ruffians” (1982), Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York—over $20 million. 🖼 Firelei Báez, “the vast ocean of all possibilities (19°36’16.9″N 72°13’07.0″W / 41°30’32.3″N 81°36’41.7″W)” (2022), James Cohan Gallery—$1.2 million. 🖼 Detail of Igshaan Adams’s “Byron” (2023), Blank Projects, Cape Town—$100,000 🖼 Petrit Halilaj, “Here To Remind You (Coracias benghalensis)” (2023), Kurimanzutto, Mexico City and New York—€15,000–€45,000 🖼 Dimitris Yeros, “Louise Bourgeois” (2008), edition 1/15, Karsten Greve, St. Moritz, Cologne, Paris—€6,500 Tap the link in our bio to read more about each of these artworks and artists.

🤫🍌 David Shrigley’s (@davidshrigley) works find meaning in snippets of text and overheard conversation; “Please Shut Up” (pictured here) is a perfect example of his playful oeuvre. This work is available through #ArtnetAuctions’s 21st Century Prints sale, which features a variety of prints and multiples by leading artists of the 21st century. There are only four days left in the sale, and these works won’t hang around for long—tap the link in our bio to place your bids before June 21!

#TheArtAnglePodcast: If you follow the mainstream art world, you will know that for the last decade, one of the biggest stories has been a boom in new kinds of figurative painting. A visit to the recent spate of art fairs in New York revealed that this boom is far from slowing down, but nothing stays unchanged forever, and trend-watchers have been scanning the landscape to see what new developments might emerge. Artnet News’s European editor Kate Brown (@kate__brown) has an essay out where she brings together some recent examples to speculate about a possible new wrinkle in the story of contemporary art right now. What’s cool in art right now? The answer might be that what’s cool is painting your cool friends. And the word that Kate uses to describe what she’s seeing is hypersentimentalism. In a recent conversation, national art critic Ben Davis (@benstoppable) joined Kate to hear about where she sees this new trend at play, and even more importantly, what other bigger developments in culture might be causing the drift toward this particular direction. 🎙️ Tap the link in our bio to listen to the full episode.

#ArtnetAuctions: Our Post-War and Contemporary sale is officially live! Featuring works by Helen Frankenthaler, Alex Katz, Anish Kapoor, Salvo, Sam Francis, and more, the sale showcases a variety of media and techniques, from Daisy Dodd-Noble’s figurative painting (pictured here) to sculptures by François-Xavier Lalanne, Tony Cragg, and H.R. Giger. Tap the link in our bio to explore all the available works, and be sure to place your bids before June 29. __ Pictured: Daisy Dodd-Noble, “Trees” (2020), oil on linen, 30 x 40 in.

#ArtnetNews: With the first few days of Art Basel 2023 officially in the books, our Global News Editor Naomi Rea (@naomikrea) is wondering: what’s the big-picture takeaway so far? The world is in an uncertain moment, geopolitically and financially. Inflation is up, and that means people who had been parking excess wealth in art and using it as collateral to borrow more are facing a new reality. What happens now that, as advisor Todd Levin recently put it, “the money spigot has been turned off”? Rea explores all of these questions (and more) in her day one recap of the fair—tap the link in our bio to read more. __ Pictured: Hauser and Wirth’s booth, courtesy Art Basel (@artbasel). #ArtBasel #ArtBasel2023

#ArtnetNews: Art Basel (@artbasel) is in full swing, and our team is on the ground. Yesterday evening, Europe Editor Kate Brown (@kate__brown) stopped by the Unlimited sector, which showcases the fair’s large-scale works and installations, to take in some of the most talked-about artist projects of the last year. Tap the link in our bio to read more about the sector’s best works. __ Pictured: Jean-Marie Appriou’s 2,370 kilogram aluminum sculpture “Horizons” (2023). Courtesy Clearing, Massimo deCarlo, Jan Kaps, Perrotin, and Eva Presenhuber. Photo: Tangui Beurdeley; Ursula Reuter Christiansen, presented by von Bartha. Photo: courtesy of Art Basel; Firelei Báez's work at Art Basel Unlimited, presented by James Cohan Gallery. Photo: courtesy of Art Basel; Guillaume Bijl’s “Matratzentraum” (2003-23). Presented by Nagel Draxler and Meredith Rosen. Photo: Kate Brown; Rirkrit Tiravanija, “untitled (curry for the soul of the forgotten)” (2014-2016). © Rirkrit Tiravanija. Courtesy of the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin. Photo: Sebastiano Pellion di Persano.

#ArtnetNews: There are plenty of artists who deserve your attention at the flagship edition of Art Basel (@artbasel) this year. But with 284 galleries showing—and multitudes of exhibitions unfolding at satellite events, museums, and institutions across the city— it can be hard to filter through the noise. Worry not; we’ve got you. Tap the link in our bio to read all about the five artists who should be on your radar: Diamond Stingily (b.1990), Sin Wai Kin (b. 1991), P.Staff (b.1986), Holly Herndon (b.1980) and Mathew Dryhurst (b.1984). __ Pictured: Sin Wai Kin, “Change” (film still) (2023). Courtesy the artist and Soft Opening, London.

#ArtnetAuctions: Robert Mapplethorpe’s images of flowers feel intimate, delicate, and tactile. “Hyacinth” (pictured here) is a #photogravure, a 19th-century method of producing photographic prints resulting in very fine grain and a smooth tonal range. Utilizing a historic printing method, Mapplethorpe revisits the traditional genre of still lives through a contemporary, evocative lens. “Hyacinth” (1987) is available in our Contemporary Art sale, live now through June 14. The sale features a diverse range of photographs, unique works, prints, and multiples by artists including Zanele Muholi, Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, and more. Tap the link in our bio to explore all the available artworks, and be sure to place your bids before the sale closes on Wednesday!

📝 Josephine Halvorson, "Last Words" (2022), via Sikkema Jenkins & Co. (@sikkemajenkins). Tap the link in our bio to explore more of Halvorson's work on #ArtnetGalleries.

#ArtnetNews: Sotheby’s New York (@sothebys) set two world records for gemstones today, one for a 55.22 carat Mozambique ruby known as the “Estrela de Fura 55.22” and one for a 10.57 carat fancy purplish-pink diamond referred to as “the Eternal Pink.” They fetched identical prices of $34.8 million. It’s the first time in auction history that two stones have fetched prices north of $30 million in a single sale, the house points out, and the ruby set a record for any colored gemstone at auction. At about $3.3 million per carat, the pink diamond is a new price per carat for the color grade. Both lots were guaranteed to sell and backed by irrevocable bids. Tap the link in our bio to read more. __ Pictured: The Eternal Pink, courtesy Sotheby’s.