Art, New Taxes, And Market Opacity
art_market_transparency

Art, New Taxes, And Market Opacity

Art, New Taxes, And Market Opacity: Scott Reyburn touches on a number of interesting topics in his New York Times article.  First, there is a growing belief that art is a great alternative asset.  While most historically important art will … More…

The Damien Hirst Market
a shark in a tank by Damien Hirst

The Damien Hirst Market

Over the past few years, I have written about the decrease in value many works by Damien Hirst have experienced. His market peaked around 2008 and now prices continue to drop.  Hirst’s works were once the darling of the Contemporary evening sales. Today, many … More…

A Mess-toration!
before and after images of the sculpture

A Mess-toration!

A Mess-toration! It appears that another amateur artist has decided to try their hand at restoration.  María Luisa Menéndez, a shopkeeper in Rañadorio, Spain, felt that the figures in a 15th-century wood sculpture were in need of some tender loving care.  … More…

Gotta Love Creative Accounting … Except When You Get Caught.
Gotta Love Creative Accounting … Except When You Get Caught.

Gotta Love Creative Accounting … Except When You Get Caught.

It was revealed today that art dealer Mary Boone pled guilty to falsifying her 2011 tax return to the tune of $1.6M!  In 2011, Boone reported a business loss of over $52K when, in fact, there was a $3.7M profit.  … More…

When Will Jho Low Go Away?
When Will Jho Low Go Away?

When Will Jho Low Go Away?

Jho Low’s antics have been hitting the airwaves and art world since 2014. Now, Malaysia has charged him with money laundering and is asking Interpol to help locate the “criminal”. You might wonder why we are covering this one?  Well, … More…

19th Century European – Christie’s London
Lance - 1 - Ernst

19th Century European – Christie’s London

Let’s wrap up those July sales over in London… the last of the bunch was Christie’s 19th Century European and Orientalist Art on July 12th, and the results weren’t great… I could have told you that before I even looked … More…

More Victorian Art – Sotheby’s, London
john_w_waterhouse

More Victorian Art – Sotheby’s, London

Now that our show hattrick (oh wait, we do have one more next week) is over and we’re back in the gallery, it’s time to get back to some auction reviews… following Christie’s Victorian sale in early July, Sotheby’s took … More…

Watch Your Step – Danger At The Museum
Watch Your Step – Danger At The Museum

Watch Your Step – Danger At The Museum

We all know that artists want the viewer to connect with their work, but this work (and a viewer) went a bit too far.  Anish Kapoor created an 8-foot hole titled Descent Into Limbo at the Serralves Foundation in Porto, Portugal.  … More…

Chowaiki – The Fun Never Ends
salvador-dalí-clown-mou-en-quatre-visages

Chowaiki – The Fun Never Ends

Earlier this year, Ezra Chowaiki pleaded guilty to defrauding collectors and dealers to the tune of $16 million between 2015 and 2017.  Chowaiki now faces up to 20 years in prison. On August 15th, The Art Collection Inc. filed a … More…