Vanity License Plate Sets Record
Did you hear about the guy who just spent Dh55 million ($15 million to you and me) on a license plate in Dubai? I mean, talk about a vanity license plate! The license plate was offered during a charity auction … More…
The Laziest Fakes: Goya & Velázquez Forgeries Seized In Spain
In Spain, the Historic Heritage division of Valencia’s regional police seized five paintings said to be forgeries being passed off as originals by the Spanish masters Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Goya. The suspects involved attempted to sell the works … More…
The Orlando Basquiats: A Year In The Making
Last year, the FBI raided the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA), confiscating 25 alleged forgeries of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Since then, the OMA’s board of trustees has fired its chairwoman Cynthia Brumback and the museum director Aaron de Groft, … More…
The FBI’s New Art App
In popular culture, many in the United States and beyond think of federal law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as shadowy organizations watching everything we do. In the eyes of many, they often catch criminals before … More…
Roy Lichtenstein: Pioneer Or Plagiarist?
Roy Lichtenstein became one of the most prominent names in American pop art in the 1960s, entering the broader cultural consciousness through his paintings resembling comic strips from pulp magazines and noir serials. Today works like Whaam! and Masterpiece are some of the most … More…
Stolen Antiquities Seized From The Met
Over the past month, my news feed has been bombarded with stories coming out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Specifically, these stories are mainly about how investigators have found more and more antiquities in their collections … More…
Possible Vermeer In Philadelphia?
Since 1933, a copy of a painting by Johannes Vermeer known as Lady with a Guitar has sat in storage at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, never having been put on display. For nearly a century, experts believed the work … More…
Reynolds Rescued
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how one of the most famous works by the British portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds was in danger of leaving Britain after the government’s export bar expired. The National Portrait Gallery in London failed to raise … More…
Christie’s Paris Chagall Et La Musique
On Tuesday, April 11th, Christie’s Paris held an online sale entitled Chagall et la Musique, or Chagall and Music. The works came directly from Marc Chagall’s estate, all of which feature musical instruments or were inspired by pieces of music. … More…