Italian Museums Offer Free Dog-Sitting
As part of a promotional campaign, Italian museums are offering a new service to make their visitors more comfortable: free dog-sitting. The pet company BauAdvisor began its service two years ago. Dog owners drop off their furry friends at the … More…
Rediscovered Turner Consigned To Christie’s
Someone recently got quite a surprise when Christie’s told them that their old watercolor is likely by the British master J.M.W. Turner. Turner created The Approach to Venice, also known as Venice from the Lagoon, around 1840, in the last … More…
California Wildfires Threaten Getty Villa
On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 7th, the grounds of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles caught fire as part of the series of wildfires sweeping through Southern California. The Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades of Los Angeles is … More…
Sargent’s Dollar Princesses
An upcoming exhibition at one of London’s manor houses will delve into the fascinating history of the American portraitist John Singer Sargent and his relationship with the American socialites known as the “dollar princesses”. Starting around the mid-nineteenth century, it … More…
Queen Elizabeth Monument In The Works
The British government is now in the initial stages of holding a competition among artists and architects to design a new monument in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II. A monument for Queen Elizabeth is certainly fitting. She was … More…
Stolen Caravaggio Reimagined
Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the greatest living Italian artists, has unveiled a new work that pays homage to Palermo’s stolen Caravaggio nativity painting. In March, I wrote a series of short articles about famous art thefts that have gone unsolved. … More…
Court Rules Against Benton Family
Recently, a five-year legal battle ended after a Missouri state court ruled against the family of artist Thomas Hart Benton. Thomas Hart Benton was one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century. Along with his contemporary Grant … More…
Sotheby’s Ups Their Buyer’s Premiums
Last week, we heard from one of our collectors that Sotheby’s is abandoning their 20% buyer’s premium and will now charge 27% on the first $1M, 22% up to $8M, and 15% in excess. Here is what the official email … More…
Painting Hides A Scandalous Secret: Sir Thomas Lawrence & The Wolff Portrait
A British art historian claims that one of the great British artists of the early nineteenth century may have hinted at a scandalous love affair in one of his portraits. It’s easy for both academics and casual gallery visitors to … More…
Sotheby’s Announces About-Face On Fees
On Thursday, December 19th, Sotheby’s sent a letter to clients informing them that, after only six months, they are reversing their decision to adopt a new, pared-down fee structure. In February 2024, Sotheby’s announced that starting in May, they would … More…
Picasso & Koons At The Alhambra
On Tuesday, December 17th, a new exhibition opened in the museum at the Alhambra in Spain. Like the Joan Mitchell/Claude Monet show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton (mired in controversy over a related Louis Vuitton ad campaign), the Alhambra exhibition … More…
Christie’s Sues Old Masters Buyer
Christie’s is suing an Italian real estate investor for failing to pay his invoice after he bid a record-setting amount for an eighteenth-century still life. This past June 12th, Christie’s hosted an Old Masters sale at the Paris location, with … More…
Dorothy’s Ruby-Red Slippers Click Their Way Into History
The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz have clicked their heels into history once again, selling for an amount somewhere over the rainbow. The ruby slippers that just sold were one of … More…
Met Museum Reveals New Modern & Contemporary Wing
After nearly a decade of planning, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has finally unveiled designs for its new modern and contemporary art wing. The museum has hired Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, known for her work on Mexico City’s Museo … More…
Magritte’s Sunlit Surrealism: Lessons For Art During Crisis
How did sunshine and rainbows help defeat fascism? Art can be so many things: a straight representation of reality, an escape from reality, or a reminder of issues that need our attention. And it’s that last role that captivates many … More…
2024’s Top 10 Art World Moments
2024 has been eventful indeed, making it very difficult to narrow down the defining moments to just a list of ten. But these are just some of the most interesting: January: Sgarbi’s Torch In a scandal that began to unfold … More…