The Hunchback’s Ghost: On the Way to Repairing Notre Dame
On April 15, 2019, the world watched in shock as a fire tore through Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. After burning steadily for ninety minutes, the central spire snapped in half and collapsed, taking much of the nave’s lead roof … More…
Sotheby’s London – European & British Art
Zorn This week was a busy one for the more traditional market, with both main auction rooms offering up a mixed bag of European & British art. I will also add that both saleroom’s online bidding platforms experienced errors, and … More…
Corruption Crackdown Includes Art Market Concerns
The White House has just published a lengthy report discussing corruption and the sprawling impact it has on the public. It notes that corruption does not simply result in generating illicit wealth for shady actors… it corrodes public trust, subverts … More…
The Goddess of Love
Love is love is love…and the goddess of love, Aphrodite, has certainly earned her place in the record books. An ancient Roman marble statue, known as the Hamilton Aphrodite, was recently sold in London. This sculpture dates to the 1st … More…
The Gardner Museum Heist – One Step Closer?
Last week, Paul Calantropo was interviewed by the Boston Globe about his time as a jeweler. Calantropo claims that in the spring of 1990, his acquaintance Bobby Donati came to him to have something appraised. Calantopo, now aged 70, is … More…
Billionaire Michael Steinhardt Forced To Give Up Prized Possessions
Buying and selling stolen artifacts is a crime, but it seems that some people (especially the rich ones) do not care; that is until they get caught. News broke this week of 80-year-old retired hedge-fund billionaire Michael Steinhardt’s veracious appetite … More…
Eleinne Basa’s Solo Exhibit ‘LuminoCity’ Now On View!
Known for her intimate cityscapes, artist Eleinne Basa seeks to explore her environment through an investigation of light. While each piece featured in LuminoCity is set within a city (most in New York City), the subjects are not simply buildings … More…
The Papers That Led To The Theory of Relativity
A few weeks ago, while at Christie’s, I was fortunate to see a bunch of old, yellowed, and worn papers. They were lying in a glass case with a ton of scribbled mathematical formulas on them when. It turns out … More…
How Paintings Influence Movies
Stepping Through the Frame: How Paintings Influence Movies Because of their seemingly serious subject matter, movies about art and artists can serve as a quick way for a director, an actor, or a screenwriter to garner some attention and a … More…