Really, Another Person Leaves Works In A Parked Car?
This story left me shaking my head in disbelief. It seems that someone in Los Angeles left two paintings by Jack Armstrong, Primalsun #1 and Imagine #3 AKA Elvis Painting (supposedly worth millions of dollars – really?) in a car … More…
More Auction Action – Impressionist & Modern, Paris
On the 25th, Sotheby’s, Paris, presented a curated group of Impressionist and Modern works of art and the results were pretty good. (all final prices, unless otherwise noted, include the buyer’s premium; estimates do not) For the past month, the … More…
Yard Sale Treasure
With a bounty of treasures, galleries and auction houses presented works of art and collectibles during Asia Week New York, which took place from March 10th -20th. One of the treasures offered was a rare Yongle period blue and white … More…
American Art at Sotheby’s
Earlier this month, Sotheby’s offered up a group of American paintings ranging from Hudson River School, to Western, to Impressionist, to Modernist, to Contemporary. Taking the number one spot, and a surprise to many, was a small (20 x 16 … More…
Sotheby’s Curated Contemporary Sale
On March 12th, Sotheby’s New York presented their Curated Contemporary Sale, which featured a diverse group of artists whose work spans the last 70 years. The selection includes artists that exemplify the postwar period to cutting-edge artists of today. … More…
A Colorful Day For The The Scottish Colourists
On the 17th of March, Sotheby’s presented a group of works by the Scottish Colourists from the Harrison collection – all of the paintings were acquired by Major Ion Harrison almost 100 years ago. Some of you might be wondering, … More…
Impressionist and Modern Art – Sotheby’s, New York
On March 11, Sotheby’s New York presented their first Impressionist and Modern Art sale for 2021; it was an online-only event, and bidding was open from March 1 through the 11th — at 2pm on the 11th, lots began to … More…
Beeple Hits The Jackpot!
On March 11, Christie’s sale of Beeple’s (Mike Winkelmann) Everydays: The First 5,000 Days (2021) NFT ended at a record-shattering and mind-boggling price of $69,346,250! According to the ARTnews article, Christie’s reported that among the bidders, 55 percent were based in the U.S., … More…
Winston Churchill Made All The Difference
On the evening of March 1, Christie’s presented a small sale of Modern British art which included works by Lavery, Moore, Hepworth, and Sir Winston Churchill. Taking the top spot was Sir Winston Churchill’s Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque that … More…
Man Ray, Christie’s, And Due Diligence
This week, Christie’s (Paris) offered an extensive collection of works (188 lots) by Man Ray that were in the possession of Lucien Treillard – an assistant of Man Ray. Before the sale started, the Man Ray Trust released a statement … More…
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 Duped by Inigo Philbrick) is getting more complex. It now seems that Peter Klimt, a … More…
Christie’s White Glove Works On Paper Sale In New York
The month’s first sale took place on the 1st, and I was a little surprised by the number of lots offered – just eight. Guess that is what you might call a curated sale; actually, the works all come from … More…
Bowmore Islay and Aston Martin – A Winning Combo
The small Scottish Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-la), often referred to as the Queen of the Hebrides, is the Inner Hebrides’ southernmost island. With a friendly population of just over 3,000 people, stunning scenery, mild weather, and most notably the … More…
Freeman’s Master Paintings – One Painting Makes All The Difference!
While February has been a rather quiet one in the art market, there was a sale that took place at one of the peripheral salerooms that caught our eye. Included in the sale was an impressive painting by Carl Moll … More…
Austrian Priest With Alleged Sticky Fingers
Last May, during a routine inventory check, the custodian of a collection belonging to a Benedictine abbey in Kremsmünster, Austria, discovered that fifty objects, with a total value of approximately €300,000 ($360,780), were missing. The abbey, which dates back to … More…
Sculptor Charged With Fraud Years After Public Ridicule
Charges of fraud have been brought against Ioan Bolborea, a 65-year-old sculptor from Romania nearly ten years after his work was unveiled; and this is not the first time the work has made the news. Bolborea was commissioned to complete … More…
A Crazy Art World Conspiracy Theory
Jay Rappoport is not happy with his family’s actions and has brought a lawsuit against more than 20 individuals. In 2015, a member of the Rappoport family put an Old Master painting up at Nye & Co (a small auction … More…
Schiele Restitution
Recently, there was some good news for the heirs of Heinrich Rieger (a Jewish Viennese dentist who was killed at the Theresienstadt concentration camp located in the Czech Republic). According to an article in The Art Newspaper, [t]he German government’s … More…
A Big Payday For A Little Work
A small oil painting that had been in a collection for years, most likely from the early 1950s, possibly even longer, just had a big payday for the owners. The painting, just 12 ¼ x 9 ½ inches, was cataloged … More…
Art Expert, The Key Witness
Italian art dealer, Gabriele Seno, is appealing a suspended sentence of one year and eight months plus $4,800 in fines after being found guilty of attempting to peddle a forged work by Josef Albers for $387,000. The painting, Study for … More…
The Booming Card Market
I was hoping to find something different to write about, but I could not resist covering the two Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer Rookie Cards that just sold; both had a PSA grading of Mint Gem 10. Jordan’s 1986 Fleer Rookie … More…
Sotheby’s Master Paintings & Sculpture Just Misses
On January 28, Sotheby’s offered a small selection of paintings in their Mater Paintings & Sculpture sale. I always wonder why they have a sale of Old Master works and then throw in a few 19th-century paintings. My personal feeling … More…
Angela Is Now Awaiting Trial
Back in 2017, Angela Gulbenkian’s criminal activities in the art world surfaced … basically selling works (a Warhol and Kusama) that she did not have the authority to sell. In June of 2019, a UK court issued a warrant for … More…
Art Dealer Pardoned
We all heard that during his final days in office, Trump handed out a large number of pardons. Among the ‘lucky’ people, New York art dealer Hillel “Helly” Nahmad. You might remember that in 2013, Mr. Nahmad pled guilty to … More…