A Masterpiece Right Under Your Nose
Christopher Wright, a British art historian, just got some news that may lead him to reconsider how good he is at his job. The portrait that he thought was just a copy of an Anthony van Dyck painting that he … More…
Spain’s Next Great Archaeologist: A Badger
Last year’s winter was unusual for those living in Spain. In early January 2021, the winter storm Filomena raced across the Mediterranean before hitting the Iberian Peninsula, resulting in the heaviest snowfall that the region has experienced in fifty years. … More…
Artist’s In-Sights: Rendezvous In Honolulu
By: Todd M. Casey I recently had the honor of painting a commission for Rehs Contemporary. Commissions are always fun because I work directly with clients to help work out their ideas. Once the painting is completed, it is varnished … More…
The Pillar of Shame Taken Down
Another one about statue-removal, though this one isn’t exactly good news. The Pillar of Shame is the name given to a haunting 26-foot-tall column of screaming faces, made primarily of copper and bronze. It is meant to commemorate the lives … More…
The Colston Four Walk Free
Though Black Lives Matter as a movement was born in the United States in 2013, it became internationalized in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. This became apparent to many when activists in the British city of Bristol toppled … More…
No Burgers by the Baths!
McDonald’s has about 600 locations in Italy. In a country known worldwide for its famous and well-developed culinary traditions, it may be surprising that there’s a demand for American-style fast food, even if it’s just for the novelty. But McDonald’s … More…
Top 5 Art Crime Posts Of 2021
Take a look back at 2021’s most interesting art crime articles: The Serial Swindler – The Inigo Philbrick art scandal (here are a couple of our earlier posts on the matter: Inigo Philbrick – More Art World Greed, Kenny Schachter … More…
Imperial Yangcai Revolving Vase Sets New Record
This past year, we covered many items that set auction records when they sold. They included David Drake’s American pottery, an ancient Roman marble statue, a double eagle gold coin, Billy the Kid’s revolver, and of course, the U.S. Constitution. … More…
Caveat Emptor – Let The Buyer Beware!
The number of auction sales that include art has skyrocketed through the pandemic. In the good old days, most people who wanted to auction a work of art consigned it to a saleroom in a major city – New York, … More…
NFTs: Newest Scammers’ Tool?
Well, I’ve given in to the pressure, and I’m writing about NFTs. I wasn’t planning on doing so, but then I saw an article in the Washington Post called “Will NFTs transform the art world?” So now I feel obligated … More…
The Singing Lesson – Arthur John Elsley
The Singing Lesson, a long-lost work by Arthur John Elsley, one of the most important British Victorian genre artists, recently surfaced. Elsley was born in London on November 20, 1860, to John and Emily Elsley. John was an amateur artist … More…
Desktop Globe Stuns Seller
A very lucky lady will have a very happy holiday and most likely go on a bit of a spending spree, all thanks to a rare desktop globe she purchased for a mere £150. The seller watched the online auction … More…
Christie’s, London: British and European Art
On December 16th, Christie’s, London, presented their wide range of British and European Art. Like the Sotheby’s sale, the estimates spanned a wide range: £1.5-2K to £200-300K; about 95% of the sale was expected to sell for under £100K. Taking … More…
Galerie Danieli Raid
Just this past Wednesday, FBI and IRS agents led a raid on Palm Beach’s Galerie Danieli. Federal agents taped off the entrance to the two Danieli storefronts on Worth Avenue and, throughout the morning, carried cardboard boxes into awaiting trucks. … More…
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…
The Crypto-Constitution-Catastrophe
The Crypto-Constitution-Catastrophe… does anyone know how any of this works? Crypto-mania is still going strong and the jealousy-inducing headlines keep coming… but as evidence that many of us still have no idea how it all works, I present the following … More…