As the 2024 season draws to a close, it's time to reflect on an eventful year. In this year, the art world was marked by key moments that shaped the global landscape and charted new directions. In this article, Artsper offers you a snapshot of the art market's pulse, highlighting five key events that stand out.

This year-end recap serves as a window into the dynamic world of art, where innovation meets tradition to shape extraordinary experiences. Join us in exploring this captivating landscape.

1. Venice Biennale 2024

The 2024 Venice Biennale has been a landmark event, celebrating its 60th edition with the theme "Foreigners Everywhere," curated by Adriano Pedrosa. This theme is deeply reflective, inviting visitors to confront the notion of foreignness both as an omnipresent societal reality and a deeply personal experience. The exhibition was centered on artists who identify as foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, diasporic, émigrés, exiled, or refugees, with a particular emphasis on those who have moved between the Global South and North. Migration and decolonization are essential themes, offering a space for reflection on these pressing global issues​.

Hãhãwpuá Pavilion, 2024, © Biennale

The 2024 Venice Biennale explored diverse themes and practices, sometimes tackling the sense of violent displacement, sometimes a sense of journey. For example MAHKU, a group of indigenous Huni Kuin artists from Acre in Brazil, presented a mural describing an ancestral journey across the Bering Strait, from Asia to the Americas, on the back of an alligator. On the other hand in the Polish pavilion, video recordings of Ukrainians, mimicking the sounds of Russian weaponry, ask the public to perform their own repeat-after-me karaoke response. Many national pavilions have participated: notable artists include Guerreiro Do Divino Amor for Switzerland, Roberto Huarcaya for Peru, and Glicéria Tupinambá for Brazil. Brazil's pavilion was also renamed the "Hãhãwpuá Pavilion," emphasizing the indigenous identity of the nation.

2. The Banana Auction

Maurizio Cattelan's infamous Comedian—the banana duct-taped to a wall—has been in the spotlight again, fetching a staggering $6.2 million at a recent Sotheby's auction.This is not the first time Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian has captured global attention. It first made waves in 2019 during Art Basel in Miami, when the French gallery Perrotin sold the piece for $120,000. The winning bid at the Sotheby’s auction was placed by the vice president of Sotheby’s Asia, on behalf of Justin Sun, a Chinese collector and founder of the cryptocurrency platform Tron. Just nine days later, Sun famously ate the banana during a conference, incorporating it into the artistic experience. The specific artwork sold for $6.2 million is the second in an edition of three copies, along with two artist’s proofs—one of which is now housed in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, gifted by an anonymous collector.

Auction of Cattelan’s Comedian, © Artnet

This sale exemplifies the intersection of humor, art, and high-value speculation. Despite its seemingly absurd concept, Cattelan’s work critiques the art world’s valuation process, drawing attention to the importance of the artist's name, the cultural moment, and the role of hype in determining worth. The artwork’s internet fame and viral status further cemented its place as both a commentary on global commerce and a symbol of modern absurdity.

3. The Banksy comeback

In the summer of 2024, Banksy captivated London's streets with a series of new animal-themed murals. The works, unveiled over several days, showcased silhouetted animals like goats, monkeys, elephants, and more. These pieces were strategically placed across various locations, including Richmond, Chelsea, and Brick Lane, igniting speculation about their deeper meaning.

New graffiti by Banksy in Fulham, London, Britain © Reuters

While Banksy remained silent on the purpose behind these artworks, observers have suggested that they might comment on environmental issues, such as the shrinking natural habitats of wild animals, or the theme of surveillance, with some murals featuring security cameras. The absence of direct engagement or explanation from the artist only deepened the intrigue, fueling public discussion about the messages behind the imagery.

4. Salone del Mobile 2024

While primarily focused on design, this event also witnessed a growing interest in integrating art into furniture installations, reflecting the evolution of the market where art and design are increasingly interconnected. Several exhibitions showcased this integration, where art was not just an accessory but a main player. For example, the "Flower Up" installation at the Gattinoni Hub featured a collaboration between the brand and artist Emiliano Ponzi, offering a unique kaleidoscopic experience that blended art with design, emphasizing positive and inclusive values​.

Emilio Ponzi, Flower Up, 2024 © Vogue Italia

Other examples were the immersive art installation, "Lines of Flight," at Palazzo Clerici, by the design collective Numen/For Use, and David Lynch's Thinking Rooms, a pair of sensory spaces that will engage visitors in an experience blending design and art.

This is part of a broader initiative to position Salone del Mobile as a cultural platform that fosters connections between designers, artists, and innovators. Additionally, the Fuorisalone program hosted numerous art-infused events throughout Milan, exploring sustainable innovation, nature, and the circular economy, all critical themes for the future of both art and design.

5. Yoshimoto Nara at Bilbao

For the first time in Spain and at a major European museum, a comprehensive solo exhibition of Yoshitomo Nara’s work was on view at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Simply titled Yoshitomo Nara, the retrospective delves into the captivating universe of the artist through a rich collection of works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and installations created over four decades (1984–2024). It is the first major European retrospective of the Japanese artist, spanning over four decades.

Yoshitomo Nara, After the Acid Rain (night version), 2020

The exhibition delves into themes of solitude, rebellion, and introspection, shaped by the artist's childhood, musical influences, and reflections on societal changes. Organized thematically rather than chronologically, the display includes key works such as From the Bomb Shelter (2017), inspired by post-war narratives, and more recent pieces like Midnight Tears (2023), showcasing his shift to fragmented, emotive brushwork. After Bilbao, the exhibition is set to tour other prominent venues, including the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden and the Hayward Gallery in London.