With Frieze London and Paris+ par Art Basel—held in close succession over the past two weeks—in mind, three current trends and rediscoveries within the art market have become clearly apparent.

In the exhibition “A Collector’s Choice,” we bring together the outstanding holdings of the Curth Collection with new works by the acclaimed artists Sali Muller and Justin Bower—presented within the unique atmosphere of the collection’s private rooms.

Justin Bower states that his primary aim as an artist is to “make images that resonate today and which could only be made in this era.” His art is undeniably contemporary, yet it is also grounded in the ancient notion of the sacred. One way to understand this connection is to step back a thousand years and consider how the depiction of holy presences in religious art can be seen as a foundation for Bower’s exploration of the contemporary body within the context of today’s omnipresent technology.

Sali Muller ist eine zeitgenössische Konzeptkünstlerin, die durch Ihre multimedialen Werke bekannt geworden ist. Sie nutzt Kombinationen verschiederner Materialien wie Spiegel, Glas, Metall und Neonlichter, um komplexe Konzepte wie Identität, Selbstbild und Beziehungen zwischen Individuum und Gesellschaft zu erforschen. Ihre Werke wurden in renommierten Galerien und Museen in Europa, den USA und Asien ausgestellt.

This weekend marked the 31st anniversary of Francis Bacon’s death—reason enough for us to take a closer look at this exceptional artist and his influence on contemporary art. Francis Bacon (1909–1992) is regarded as one of the most significant figurative painters, whose works hold a major place in the art history of the 20th century.

Discover the works of Polish painter and sculptor Igor Dobrowolski (*1987, Jelenia Góra). Known for his monumental silver and metal reliefs, the artist now focuses in his new works on sculpture in three-dimensional space, expanding and complementing his artistic practice.

Historically, private collections have been less diverse with regard to the gender of artists and, across all regions and demographic groups, tended to be dominated by works by male artists (an average of 60%). As noted in earlier reports by Art Basel and UBS, this does not necessarily mean that collectors were biased in their selections; rather, they report that, when choosing which works to acquire, they were not influenced by either the background or the gender of the artists exhibited.

John Millei (b. 1958, Los Angeles) is an Associate Professor within the arts faculties of Pasadena, Claremont Graduate University, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. He is one of the recognised representatives of Californian abstraction that emerged in the 1980s and has participated in numerous museum exhibitions alongside leading artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Hans Hofmann, and Ernst Wilhelm Nay.