15 Landmark Museum Acquisitions in 2025
A rare Jacob Lawrence painting, the Louvre’s first video artwork, a trove of Indigenous art, and a Frank Lloyd Wright house are on this year’s list.
A rare Jacob Lawrence painting, the Louvre’s first video artwork, a trove of Indigenous art, and a Frank Lloyd Wright house are on this year’s list.
Jacob Lawrence, "Night (And then they go to sleep)" (1943) from the series Harlem (image courtesy High Museum of Art)
Tell me what you collect, and I’ll tell you who you are. Art acquisitions can say a lot about a person, but what can they say about an institution, where such decisions are often influenced by trustees and big-money donors? A great deal, it turns out.
For instance, the Louvre did not own a single video artwork until this year, when Mohamed Bourouissa's piece documenting the Tuileries Garden made its way into the collection. Acquisitions also illustrate networks of power and exchange in the art world. One of Tate Modern’s big gets, a stunning Joan Mitchell triptych, came from none other than Miami-based developer and museum founder Jorge Pérez and his wife Darlene.
We rounded up 15 museum acquisitions from 2025, including a moving tribute to trans and nonbinary life, sprawling collections of Indigenous and Latin American art, and even a Frank Lloyd Wright home.
High Museum of Art — A Newly Discovered Jacob Lawrence Painting
Last exhibited publicly when it was created in 1943, this recently discovered watercolor is number 12 of 30 from Jacob Lawrence's Harlem series, portraying vignettes and moments from the New York City neighborhood. Lawrence is best known for The Migration Series (1940–41), an iconic 60-panel work that explores the migration of millions of Black Americans from the South, often considered his chef d’oeuvre. In "Night (And then they go to sleep)," the painter explores a more intimate yet no less poignant scene, depicting a Harlem family snuggled under a block-patterned quilt rendered in lush hues. The dreamy composition is slated to go on display at the High Museum’s American Art galleries in 2026 as part of the institution’s centennial programming.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Art Bridges Foundation — A Trove of Indigenous Art
Dyani White Hawk's "Tapun Sa Win" (2017) is one of the works acquired by the Art Bridges Foundation in 2025 (image courtesy Art Bridges)
Following an acquisition made in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, Indigenous art now comprises one-third of the collection of the Art Bridges Foundation, an organization that lends works to museums across the country at no cost. Crystal Bridges and Art Bridges acquired nine and 81 artworks, respectively, from the John and Susan Horseman Collection, a move intended to increase visibility of contemporary Indigenous artists. Among the works now held by Art Bridges are Dyani White Hawk’s multimedia “Tapun Sa Win” (2017) and George Morrison’s painting “Traversal” (1958). In 2026, Crystal Bridges will display three of its new acquisitions, including TC Cannon’s “It’s A Good Day to Die” (1970).
Tate Modern — A Revered Triptych by Joan Mitchell
Joan Mitchell, "Iva" (1973) (© Estate of Joan Mitchell, courtesy Tate)
One of the most significant donations to London’s Tate Modern to date brings an enormous Joan Mitchell triptych down from the bedroom wall of collectors Jorge and Darlene Pérez to join the museum’s Rothko room. “Iva” (1973), named after Mitchell’s beloved German Shepherd, aptly encapsulates the artist’s monumental practice in Abstract Expressionism, though its palette and color-blocking are moodier than her more explosive works.
Musée du Louvre — First-Ever Video Art Acquisition
Mohamed Bourouissa, film still from Les 4 Temps (2025)(© Mohamed Bourouissa; courtesy Musée du Louvre)
The Musée du Louvre has purchased French-Algerian photographer Mohamed Bourouissa’s Les 4 Temps (2025), a year-long project in which the artist observed and filmed the Jardin des Tuileries just beyond the museum palace. Compiled from 52 weekly videos closely examining the garden’s ecosystem, visitors, and care team, as well as day-to-day events and seasonal changes, Les 4 Temps is the first video artwork acquired by the Louvre, and is currently screening at the museum through January 19.
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art — A Bronze Sculpture by Young Joon Kwak
Young Joon Kwak, "To Refuse Looking Away from our Trans-Temporal Bodies (Charlie)" (2025) (images courtesy Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art)
In poetic gestures that bear the trace of human experience, Young Joon Kwak creates alternative representations of queer and trans embodiment. This bronze, included in their solo exhibition at the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York City this year, belongs to a series of evocative cast portraits of the artist's friends and collaborators. The sculpture's convex side depicts studio assistant Charlie's chest after top surgery, while the concave surface shows his chest pre-surgery, wearing a compression garment known as a binder.
Kwak told Hyperallergic that the museum’s acquisition of the work is “a way of saying we’re here, we’ve always been here, and we’re not going anywhere.”
“It means so much to me and to Charlie that other trans people can see another transitioning body as a counter-monument to all the other idealized bronze bodies, and know they’re not alone — now and long into the future,” Kwak said.
Brooklyn Museum — An Impractical Instrument by Richard Artschwager
Richard Artschwager, “Piano” (1965) (image courtesy Brooklyn Museum)
The Brooklyn Museum has expanded its collection by 600 works this year. Among them is Barbara Bertozzi Castelli’s gift of a quintessential work by Richard Artschwager, whose thought-provoking practice bridged furniture design, painting, and sculpture without conforming to art-world trends. “Piano” (1965), crafted from wood laminated with Formica, toys with both dimensionality and decoration as it stands upright, outfitted with flat and functionless keys and pedals. The utilitarian finish becomes seductive, stimulating a fruitless urge to touch what’s inherently inoperable.
Toledo Museum — The Oldest Known Kiddush Cup
The Toledo Museum of Art purchased "Cup of Joy," the oldest known Kiddush cup, in a Sotheby's sale (courtesy Sotheby's)
In an October Sotheby’s auction, the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio purchased the oldest known Kiddush cup, a wine vessel used in Jewish tradition, for a reported $4 million in October. Dubbed the “Cup of Joy,” it is believed to have been produced in the 11th or 12th century around the Khorasan region in modern-day Central Asia, making it the oldest known Medieval Jewish artifact. Before Sotheby’s announced the sale, the silver cup had never been exhibited to the public. The acquisition coincides with a major renovation of the museum’s galleries, “expanding the narrative to highlight a wider range of artists,” according to the institution.
The Getty Museum — A Hilma af Klint Watercolor Landscape
Hilma af Klint, “A Sunlit Grove of Birch and Pine Trees” (c. 1903) (image courtesy Getty Museum)
The J. Paul Getty Museum has added a watercolor and gouache forest scene by Hilma af Klint to its collection of 19th- and 20th-century landscapes this year. The Hilma af Klint Foundation retains ownership of nearly all of the late artist’s spiritually imbued artworks. As such, the acquisition of af Klint’s skillful and naturalistic “A Sunlit Grove of Birch and Pine Trees” (c. 1903) comes as a rare occurrence amid an ongoing argument about who controls the visibility, accessibility, and commercialization of her body of work.
New York Historical — Bill Cunningham’s Archive
A page from one of Bill Cunningham's scrapbooks (photo by and courtesy New York Historical)
Through a gift from trustee Sally Klingenstein Martell, the New York Historical announced its acquisition of legendary street and fashion photographer Bill Cunningham’s archive from his estate this past summer. Equipped with his bicycle, a blue jacket, and his camera, the late fashion journalist was revered for spotting budding trends on the runways, at high-profile galas, and throughout the streets of New York City before they blossomed on the market. Cunningham’s archive, which comprises 50 years of photographs, notes, and sketches from his milliner days, as well as fashion show details scrawled from his time in Paris, among other items, reunites with several of his personal belongings at the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library.
MALBA — Hundreds of Works by Latin American Art Artists
Belkis Ayón, "La cena" (1993) (image via MALBA)
A total of 1,233 works by 117 artists from Latin America and the Caribbean, including Belkis Ayón, Lygia Clark, Ana Mendieta, and Julio Le Parc, found a permanent home at the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) with founder Eduardo F. Costantini's acquisition of the Daros Collection’s trove of art from the region. The purchase brings Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez, and Doris Salcedo into MALBA’s holdings for the first time. Notably, it also elevates Colombia and Cuba to two of the most represented countries in the museum’s collection, alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Scores of Dada and Surrealist Works
Man Ray's "Le violon d’Ingres" (1924) is among a large selection of Dada and Surrealist pieces gifted to the Met by trustee John Pritzker (photo Ian Reeves © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Man Ray’s image "Le violon d'Ingres” (1924), featuring the bare back of model Kiki de Montparnasse marked by violin f-holes, will soon belong to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The piece is part of a promised gift of 188 Dada and Surrealist works by 37 artists from Met Trustee John Pritzker. They come from Pritzker’s Bluff Collection, which includes paintings and photographs by artists such as Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and Jean Arp. The gift also encompasses financial support for the Bluff Collaborative for Research on Dada and Surrealist Art, which is intended to serve as an interdisciplinary incubator for discussions on art and society.
Mississippi Museum of Art — A Home Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
The Mississippi Museum of Art acquired a home known as "Fountainhead" by Frank Lloyd Wright. (photo G. Douglas Adams, courtesy Mississippi Museum of Art)
With approval from the Jackson city council, the Mississippi Museum of Art purchased a single-family home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, which had been listed for sale for a reported $2.5 million. Located in the city’s Fondren neighborhood, the home, called “Fountainhead,” was designed in 1948 for local oil businessman J. Willis Hughes. The Mississippi Museum of Art will open the property to the public via tours that can be booked in advance. The institution said the purchase would aid in its efforts to embed itself in the Jackson community.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art — 17th-Century Painter Virginia Vezzi’s Self-Portrait
The Los Angeles County Museum purchased “Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria” (c. 1624–26) by overlooked artist Virginia Vezzi. (image public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
In April, the Los Angeles County Museum raised over $2.5 million for collection acquisitions during an annual two-day fundraiser. Among the six artworks purchased this year was “Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria” (c. 1624–26) by the often overlooked painter Virginia Vezzi. Also known as Virginia da Vezzo, the artist’s career was largely eclipsed by that of her husband, Simon Vouet, who became the painter to the French King Louis XIII in the 1620s. Until recently, Vezzi’s artistic accomplishments in Paris and Rome — including her acceptance to the prestigious Accademia di San Luca and time spent teaching at the Louvre — were neglected by historians.
Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris — Glimpses Into Henri Matisse’s Relationship With His Daughter
"Marguerite endormie" (1920) is among the works by Matisse gifted to the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris. (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The wife of Henri Matisse’s grandson, Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, gifted 61 artworks by the painter to the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris. The significant selection captures Matisse’s affections for his eldest daughter, Marguerite, who appears across decades of his work. The Parisian museum announced the acquisition following its exhibition Matisse et Marguerite, an exhibition of 110 works, including Matisse’s drawings and portraits, that portray vignettes of his daughter’s life, some of which had never before been on public view.
Pérez Art Museum Miami — Guan-Hong Lu’s Apocalyptic Absurdity
Guan-Hong Lu, “Apocalypse Now: From Cradle to Grave” (2024) (image courtesy Nunu Fine Art)
In an effort to expand the reach of its international and contemporary art collection, the Pérez Art Museum Miami acquired a painting from emerging Taiwanese artist Guan-Hong Lu. In “Apocalypse Now: From Cradle to Grave” (2024), Lu stages a searing, absurdist composition juxtaposing a faceless journalist reporting from outside of a burning banquet hall as a party continues, an armed individual whose identity is redacted, and two men at work despite the chaos unfolding.
“Guan-Hong Lu touches on subjects that are universal but from the perspective of someone born in Taiwan — weaving his own personal history with images that can be interpreted and recognized by viewers around the world,” said Maritza Lacayo, associate curator at the museum, in a statement about the acquisition.