Meet the New Wave of World-Conquering Artists

Plus: The People Still Rule in America, Not Kings

View in browser | Update preferences SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS LINDSEY UNDERWOOD, SENIOR EDITOR Even as market prices have dropped across the art world, a new generation of artists has found a way to thrive in the industry. The hottest artists of the moment may not be household names—yet—but they have collectors clamoring for their work. Nate Freeman took a look at the emerging artists of the last five years and painstakingly narrowed them down to 33 names to watch. Take notice! Elsewhere, Freeman talks to Kate Capshaw about capturing the essence of Steven Spielberg in a painting for the National Portrait Gallery; key tradwife influencers tell Erin Vanderhoof about conservative tensions in the movement; Vanity Fair hosted its second annual kickoff event with Art Basel in Paris ahead of the art fair; and Olivia Empson reports on the generation of young men who don't want to leave the home. More tomorrow… Who Art Thou? BY NATE FREEMAN Over the last few years, a specific class of superlative artists has emerged—even during the recent moment of art market contraction, the work coming from this crew commanded astounding prices. Important galleries have closed, but lots of other shops—from the global mega-galleries to the up-and-coming almost-blue-chips—are finding ways to not just survive but thrive. And a lot of that has to do with this new wave of world-conquering artists. Even as secondary market prices dropped, top collectors demand fresh material by distinctive voices—and they're fighting to just get on the waiting list to buy their works. Vanity Fair presents a guide to the talent your adviser needs to know. READ MORE Hot Topics STYLE Surprise! Even Tradwives Like to Talk About Sex BY ERIN VANDERHOOF The Venn diagram of sexual-content creators and morally upright Christian conservatives is looking more like a circle as they begin to share space on each other's platforms. READ MORE ART Vanity Fair and Art Basel Kick Off the Fair in Paris BY NATE FREEMAN Hundreds of the most important and influential art world figures stopped by the ballroom of the Four Seasons George V on Monday night. READ MORE POLITICS Trad Sons Are the New Homesteading Influencers BY OLIVIA EMPSON These young men are entirely unafraid of the label "mama's boy." READ MORE From the Magazine Marriage of Minds BY NATE FREEMAN When it came time to commission a portrait of filmmaker Steven Spielberg for the National Portrait Gallery, Kate Capshaw was an obvious choice. Capshaw set out to capture Spielberg the person rather than Spielberg the phenomenon. Instead of leaning into the iconic image of Spielberg as a swashbuckling New Hollywood icon or a box-office-slaying hero, she opted for her signature black background and used as the source material an image of a softly smiling Steven at their breakfast nook: Steven the partner with whom she's raised multiple kids, made a life. "I was given the task of painting a portrait of this man who I couldn't love more, but it was going into an institution that would own it forever," she says. "I've been given this story to write. I'd better damn well write it great." READ MORE In Other News Larry Gagosian Answers the Proust Questionnaire The world's grandest art dealer on summering in Capri, wading in warm St. Barts waters, his custom-made pool cue, and sitting for David Hockney. Notes From the Resistance An estimated seven million people turned out to the No Kings protest to oppose President Donald Trump and his policies. MORE FROM VANITY FAIR POLITICS BUSINESS HOLLYWOOD STYLE ROYALS CELEBRITY This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2025. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.