The Peaky Blinders Heist
On Tuesday, June 28th, the European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in the Dutch city of Maastricht was thrown into chaos when a gang of four men in suit jackets and flat caps smashed a display case and made off with … More…
Another Year For The Sagrada Família
I first visited the Sagrada Família in Barcelona in January 2017. I only knew what the structure looked like from the laminated posters plastered onto the walls of classrooms where I had my Spanish lessons in high school. The series … More…
What’s Up With Peter Max’s Family?
Peter Max has always been one of those names I’ve been familiar with but hadn’t always fully comprehended its importance. My parents had a framed Peter Max poster hanging up in the house, so I saw one of his American … More…
Holy Artwork, Batman!
The original artwork for the comic book Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 just dashed across the auction block. Frank Miller wrote the four-issue series featuring Batman as the Dark Knight, published by DC comics in 1986. The comic books … More…
Scandal In Slovenia: An Entire Collection Filled With Fakes
A lot of people have been quitting their jobs lately. Throughout the pandemic, people have resigned for various reasons, from stagnating wages, to a rising cost of living, to general dissatisfaction with their work. But quitting because you failed to … More…
Selling A Koons For Ukraine
A large Jeff Koons sculpture will be coming across the auction block at the end of the month. The work, Balloon Monkey (Magenta), is owned by the Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk, who purchased the work from Larry Gagosian not long after … More…
Another Museum Accident
These past two weeks, museums all over the world seem to be at risk of having their collections damaged. Of course, there was the man who threw cake at the Mona Lisa, followed by a break-in at the Dallas Museum of … More…
Larry Forman – The Secret Notebook
The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard court battle was certainly not a secret, but a notebook that an attorney kept during part of the trial was. Millions of people tuned in to watch the real-life courtroom drama of Johnny Depp suing his … More…
Boba Fett Action Figure Achieves New Record
If you’re a Star Wars fan, you probably know who Boba Fett is… but for those who aren’t familiar, Boba Fett is a fictional character from the Star Wars movies, books, video games, and television specials. He is a bounty … More…
Alexander Grant – Scammer
On Monday, May 30th, we received the following email: Hi, I am an avid art collector and I saw your Inventory through the Askart website and would love to know if the under-listed art pieces are still available for sale, … More…
Destruction In Dallas
Security at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) called the police last Wednesday night, June 1st, in response to a man who had broken into the facility. Once the 21-year-old man had been arrested and taken away, security surveyed some … More…
A Bad Week For Basquiat
Police in New York are still on the lookout for a couple who just decided to walk out of a gallery with a Basquiat. On May 14th, a man and a woman walked into Taglialatella Galleries in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. … More…
Not Looking Good For Danieli
In December, there was quite a bit of commotion when FBI and IRS agents led a raid on the Palm Beach locations of Danieli Fine Art and Galerie Danieli. The agents covered the windows with brown paper and began removing things … More…
Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Guitar Sells At Auction
Rock and roll memorabilia is a big business, and guitars used by the biggest rock stars command big prices. According to Rolling Stone, the most expensive guitar ever auctioned was Kurt Cobain’s guitar from his 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. The … More…
Sotheby’s Belle Époque Splendor: The Discerning Eye Of A Collector
Well, Sotheby’s presented a group of paintings from one collection titled Belle Époque Splendor: The Discerning Eye Of A Collector. I think you will soon agree that “The Discerning Eye” part of the title was very misleading. From the images … More…
Experts Disagree Over Stolen Titian Portrait
Italy’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit has successfully recovered a stolen portrait by a Renaissance master. In 2004, a work by Titian entitled Portrait of a Gentleman with a Black Beret went missing. Created when the master was around 24-years-old, the … More…
Homeward Bound: The Elgin Marbles’ Continuing Story
I’ve written about the Elgin Marbles multiple times, most recently last August. For those unfamiliar, the Elgin Marbles are a series of sculptures and friezes kept in London’s British Museum that was originally part of the Parthenon in Athens. Lord … More…
Christie’s New York Post-War & Contemporary Sale
Day two of Christie’s Thursday through Saturday sale streak involved an enormous post-war and contemporary collection. The entire sale took nearly all day Friday, lasting from 9:30 in the morning to around 7:00 at night. Christie’s broke up the several … More…
Christie’s American Art Sale
On May 17th, Christie’s presented their American Art sale featuring 20th-century paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. There were some surprising results, both good and bad, but overall, I am sure Christie’s is more than a little disappointed with how … More…
Christie’s New York Bass Collection & 20th Century Sales
Christie’s Rockefeller Center saleroom in New York hosted back-to-back sales last Thursday, May 12th, kicking off a string of very successful auctions between Thursday and Saturday. There were actually a trio of sales that evening, but I won’t be talking … More…
Left Hanging: Dictator’s Wife Caught With A Stolen Picasso
Ferdinand Marcos was president of the Philippines between 1965 and 1986 and was known as one of the most prominent dictators of the Cold War. He kept a hold on power through electoral fraud, corruption, and violent repression, aided by … More…
New Rules At The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex in the world, made up of nineteen museums and twenty-one libraries across the United States. As one of the world’s cultural giants, the Smithsonian is often used as an example of how … More…
Presidential Rocking Chair Soars
With summer just around the corner, maybe it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the warmer weather in a new rocking chair. Perhaps a slightly used presidential rocking chair. One lucky person might be able to do that, as … More…
Sotheby’s New York Old Masters Two-Parter
On Wednesday and Thursday, May 25th and 26th, Sotheby’s New York location held its two-day Old Masters sale. Wednesday’s auction was the main slate, a live event with fifty-four available lots. This session featured all the high-value pieces, including many … More…