Digital Art’s Narcissism Problem, Sotheby’s to Host Second Saudi Auction, Smithsonian Returns 3 Statues to Cambodia: Morning Links for December 23, 2026

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The Headlines

DIGITAL NARCISSISM. The Art Newspaper opines that this year’s edition of Art Basel Miami Beach exposed a problem in contemporary digital art: its entrenched culture of narcissism. Nowhere was this apparently clearer than in Zero 10, the fair’s new digital art initiative, which operated outside the usual safeguards of the art world. Curated by Eli Scheinman, formerly of Yuga Labs, the section bypassed selection committees and gallery representation, replacing critical mediation with visibility, scale, and online clout. Unlike traditional artists, many digital practitioners lack the corrective influence of committed gallerists who provide historical grounding and rigorous feedback, according to TAN. Instead, “they have followers, fans and social media metrics, perilously reactionary mechanisms for a creator to rely on as sounding boards,” per the paper’s report, which concludes that the result is art that often mirrors the attention economy rather than interrogating it. 

TERRA NOVA. Sotheby’s has announced it will hold its second auction in Saudi Arabia on January 31. While the first sale last February included a mix of art, luxury goods, and sports memorabilia, next year’s iteration—titled “Origins II”—will only feature art, as Sotheby’s tweaks its strategy to try and inject more nitro into the bidding. That’s likely because the auction had a 65.8 percent sell-through rate, with around half of the 28 jewelry lots and eight of the 17 handbag lots failing to sell. Sotheby’s is the first to admit its foray into the Middle East is a fact-finding mission, at least for now. Before the February sale, Julian Dawes, Sotheby’s head of Impressionist and modern art in New York, told ARTnews: “We’re testing the waters. This is a marathon. No matter the result, we’ll come back smarter.”

The Digest

From 2026, tourists will have to pay a €2 ($2.36) entry fee to view Rome’s Trevi Fountain. The authorities said they’re trying to stop people “eating ice cream or pizza on a monument that deserves the proper respect.” [Euronews]

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) in Washington, D.C., has voluntarily returned three statues to the Cambodian government. The move comes after an internal review determined that the works were removed from Cambodia during the country’s civil war. [The Art Newspaper]

What is “reference baiting,” and why is it getting so much traction in the art world? [Artnet News]

A first-edition set of The Lord of the Rings trilogy achieved a new auction record after selling for $250,000, making it the most expensive unsigned J.R.R. Tolkien books ever sold. [Fine Books Magazine]

The Kicker

WE THREE KINGS OF MAR-A-LAGO ARE. President Donald Trump has compared himself to a king, a one-day dictator, and even an emperor, as the New York Times writes, but this Christmas in Naples, he has also been recast as one of the three wise men. Along Via San Gregorio Armeno, a historic street in the southern Italian city known for its handcrafted Nativity scenes, artisans have long incorporated figurines of contemporary figures alongside biblical characters. Statues of footballer Diego Maradona and Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s former prime minister, have been popular for years. This season, however, Trump has emerged as the top seller. In workshops lining the street, Trump figurines, dressed in dark suits, red ties, and his distinctive yellow hair are displayed in rows. Some buyers place them among the Magi visiting the newborn Jesus. Michele Buonincontro, a veteran artisan, said Trump is seen as connected to faith, if not sanctity. Even clergy have expressed openness. A Naples cathedral official noted that Jesus was born under Emperor Augustus, adding that today’s world might similarly be shaped “under the empire of Trump.”