The Best of 2025
THE Best in
Art & Design
Celebrating artists and designers whose work pushes creative boundaries and shapes visual culture through innovation and mastery.
2025 Edition
The Best Art & Design of the Year — 2025 Edition
The most influential artists and designers shaping visual culture in 2025.
| Creator |
|---|
| Ibrahim Mahama Ghana Red Clay Studio installation, #1 ArtReview Power 100, creating art infrastructure in Tamale |
| Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani Qatar Qatar Museums expansion, Global South cultural authority |
| Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi United Arab Emirates Sharjah Art Foundation programs, Aichi Triennale 2025 curation |
| Wael Shawky Egypt Historical narrative reframing through film and performance installations |
| Kerry James Marshall United States The Histories exhibition at Royal Academy, slave trade paintings |
| Amy Sherald United States Trans Forming Liberty (2024), American Sublime touring exhibition |
| Rashid Johnson United States A Poem for Deep Thinkers at Guggenheim Museum |
| Lorna Simpson United States Source Notes at Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| Christine Sun Kim United States First major solo survey at Whitney Museum, Deaf community advocacy |
| David Lynch United States Posthumous retrospective attention, surreal multimedia paintings |
| Anne Imhof Germany DOOM performance at Castello di Rivoli, Fun ist ein Stahlbad swimming pool |
| Arpita Singh India Hayward Gallery London exhibition, surreal Bengali mythology paintings |
| K Allado-McDowell United States AI creative technologies installation at Swiss Institute |
| Bagus Pandega Indonesia Kinetic natural-technological responsive ecosystems |
| Mickalene Thomas United States Rhinestone-bedazzled paintings at Hayward Gallery London |
| Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) United States Largest art fair spectacle, digital art innovation |
| Derek Fordjour United States Multimedia portraits layering newspaper and cardboard textures |
| Danny Fox United Kingdom BIG LOVE BABY exhibition, expressive figurative paintings |
| Salman Toor Pakistan/United States Queer South Asian narrative paintings |
| Luis West United States American West photography series, masculinity performances |
| Tavares Strachan Bahamas Columbus Museum installation, Monuments exhibition participation |
| Kara Walker United States Monuments exhibition co-curator, Confederate memorials engagement |
| Adam Pendleton United States Hirshhorn Museum solo exhibition |
| Guillermo Kuitca Argentina Kuitca 86 retrospective at MALBA Buenos Aires |
| Jay Payton United States A Gentle Kiss to the Fontanelle exhibition, biological reproduction paintings |
| Guanyu Xu China/United States Resident Aliens photography project at Yancey Richardson |
| Vincent Valdez United States Just a Dream... at MASS MoCA, US history realist canvases |
| Ruth Asawa United States SFMOMA retrospective, wire sculpture advocacy |
| Korakrit Arunanondchai Thailand Taipei Biennial new commission, Taiwan geopolitical narratives |
| Omar Mismar Palestine Taipei Biennial commissioned work, displacement themes |
| Ho Tzu Nyen Singapore Biennale curation, Southeast Asian narratives |
| Chiharu Shiota Japan Thailand Biennale installation, thread-based spatial works |
| Sky Hopinka United States He Who Wears Faces on His Ears video installation |
| Archie Moore Australia Venice Golden Lion winner, kith and kin family tree installation |
| Tanya Lukin Linklater Canada Inuit sculpture Venice Biennale debut |
| Brilant Milazimi Kosovo Strong Teeth Venice Biennale 2026 selection, surreal paintings |
| Emily Jacir Palestine Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir cultural production in Bethlehem |
| Forensic Architecture United Kingdom Cartography of Genocide Gaza investigation |
| Sammy Baloji Democratic Republic of Congo Lubumbashi Biennial founder, photographic colonial critique |
| El Hadji Sy Senegal Selebe Yoon gallery paintings, Dakar art scene |
| Theaster Gates United States Urban regeneration projects, social practice installations |
| Julie Mehretu Ethiopia/United States Large-scale abstract paintings, geopolitical mapping |
| Mark Bradford United States Mixed-media abstract paintings, social commentary |
| Yinka Shonibare Nigeria/United Kingdom Post-colonial cultural identity installations |
| Isaac Julien United Kingdom Multi-screen film installations, diasporic narratives |
| Steve McQueen United Kingdom Film and installation work, Black British history |
| Carrie Mae Weems United States Photography addressing racism and gender |
| John Akomfrah United Kingdom Multi-channel video installations, migration themes |
| Nan Goldin United States Photography activism, Sackler family protests |
| Ai Weiwei China First memoir publication, political installations |
| Philippe Starck France Product and architectural design innovations |
| Tom Dixon United Kingdom Contemporary lighting and furniture collections |
| Naoto Fukasawa Japan Minimalist product design, industrial aesthetics |
| Marc Newson Australia Lockheed Lounge contemporary design, luxury products |
| Yves Béhar Switzerland/United States Fuseproject socially conscious design, sustainable innovation |
| Ross Lovegrove United Kingdom Organic forms inspired by nature, cutting-edge materials |
| Karim Rashid Egypt/Canada Industrial design, colorful furniture and luxury goods |
| Hella Jongerius Netherlands Craft-technology fusion, artisanal-industrial balance |
| Patricia Urquiola Spain Furniture and interior design, Milan innovations |
| Neri Oxman Israel/United States Material ecology, bio-design innovations |
| Jessica Walsh United States &Walsh studio bold branding, experimental typography |
| Paula Scher United States Pentagram partner, typographic maps and Citibank branding |
| Erik Spiekermann Germany FF Meta typeface, typography advocacy and education |
| Stefan Sagmeister Austria The Happy Show exhibition, emotional design experiences |
| David Carson United States Experimental typography, rule-breaking design |
| Debbie Millman United States Design Matters podcast, Pepsi branding leadership |
| April Greiman United States Digital design pioneer, postmodernist innovation |
| Louise Fili United States Elegant typography, vintage-inspired food branding |
| Massimo Vignelli Italy/United States NYC Subway map legacy, modernist design principles |
| Aries Moross United Kingdom Colorful typographic illustrations, MTV and Cadbury work |
| Timothy Goodman United States Vibrant typography-illustration fusion, NYC-based work |
| Jon Contino United States Hand-drawn lettering, vintage-modern branding aesthetics |
| Allan Peters United States Logo design mastery, Nike and Amazon reimagining |
| Emily Oberman United States Pentagram partner, motion graphics and branding |
| Felix Pfäffli Switzerland Studio Feixen geometric shapes, Swiss-contemporary fusion |
| Leandro Assis (Lebassis) Brazil Vibrant lettering for RuPaul, Netflix, Nike campaigns |
| Tré Seals United States Vocal Type foundry, diversity in typography |
| Sarah Carlton United Kingdom KINSHIP studio, magazine design and print branding |
| Marie Boulanger France Faubourg Display typeface, Art Deco-modern fusion |
| Ingrid Picanyol Spain Barcelona cultural design, lateral thinking aesthetics |
| Lynne Yun United States Monotype typography, hand lettering and calligraphy |
| Carl Gustav Magnusson Sweden/United States Knoll furniture design, BMW industrial design |
| Richard Hutten Netherlands Conceptual playful design, Dutch innovation |
| Cecilie Manz Denmark Scandinavian furniture design, minimalist aesthetics |
| Jasper Morrison United Kingdom Super Normal design philosophy, everyday objects |
| Konstantin Grcic Germany Industrial furniture design, Chair One innovation |
| Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec France Collaborative furniture design, modular systems |
| Benjamin Hubert United Kingdom LAYER studio, sustainable material experimentation |
| Formafantasma (Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin) Italy Research-driven design, material culture investigations |
| Nendo (Oki Sato) Japan Prolific minimalist design, 400+ projects annually |
| Jaime Hayon Spain Whimsical furniture, fantasy-reality fusion |
| Studio Job (Job Smeets & Nynke Tynagel) Netherlands Baroque-pop design, decorative maximalism |
| Front Design Sweden Innovative furniture, technology-craft integration |
| Joris Laarman Netherlands 3D-printed furniture, computational design |
| Tokujin Yoshioka Japan Poetic installations, material transparency exploration |
| Zaha Hadid Architects United Kingdom Parametric design legacy, fluid architecture |
| Bjarke Ingels (BIG) Denmark Pragmatic utopian architecture, sustainable innovation |
| Studio Swine United Kingdom Material research, experimental installations |
| Industrial Facility (Sam Hecht & Kim Colin) United Kingdom Intelligent simplicity, user-centered design |
Selection Standards
Excellence Criteria
Our industry-specific criteria ensure that only the most deserving receive THE Best distinction in Art & Design.
01
Creative vision
02
Technical mastery
03
Cultural impact
04
Innovation
05