Walking In Steve Jobs’ Shoes
Would you want to walk in Steve Jobs’ shoes? Well, someone may be doing just that! A pair of Jobs’ Birkenstocks from the 1970s recently sold at auction and set an auction record for the highest price paid for a … More…
The Ruffini Affair At An End?
European authorities have long suspected the Italian art dealer Giuliano Ruffini of being at the center of one of the largest Old Masters forging networks in Europe. He and his colleagues allegedly created fake paintings and passed them off as … More…
Art Or The Environment: Do We Have To Choose?
Climate protests involving attacks on major artworks are becoming increasingly common nowadays. Environmental activists staging public demonstrations is nothing new, but targeting major works of art is something that really only caught people’s attention starting October 14th of this year. … More…
Architecture In Art – John Stobart’s South Street, New York, 1895
This one may be a bit of a stretch for Architecture in Art, perhaps it’s time to come up with a better name for this series. Nevertheless, this area is one of the most historically important places in New York … More…
Sotheby’s The Now Evening Sale
On the evening of Wednesday, November 16, Sotheby’s presented two sales, the first of which, The Now Evening Sale, included 22 works by contemporary (living) artists. It is crazy how this end of the market has taken off over the … More…
Banksy In Ukraine
The anonymous British street artist Banksy is no stranger to areas of conflict. In 2017, he visited the West Bank, where he created several works on the border walls built by Israel to call attention to the plight the people … More…
Picture Perfect: How A Postcard Solved A WWII Art Mystery
The Restitutions Commission of the Netherlands made a surprising decision recently to return an abstract masterwork stolen by the Nazis to the descendants of its Jewish owner. View of Murnau with Church by Wassily Kandinsky was created in 1910 and … More…
The Paul Allen Collection Part II At Christie’s NY
On Wednesday, November 10th, Christie’s New York continued in their sale of the Paul Allen Collection. Following the immense, billion-dollar sale the night before, the day on sale the following morning might’ve seemed a little measly. Still, it featured some … More…
Architecture in Art – Guy Carleton Wiggins’ City Hall Park
This week we’re taking a look at one of New York City’s early skyscrapers through the work of Guy Carleton Wiggins. Wiggins’ City Hall Park captures a vantage point from the south end of the park. In the foreground to … More…
The Paul Allen Collection Part I at Christie’s New York
On Wednesday, November 9th, Christie’s New York hosted what was expected to be the most valuable single collection ever sold at auction, that of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Previously, that title was held by Harry and Linda Macklowe. They sold … More…
Mondrian Hung Upside Down
I know that much of modern art, especially the more abstract variety, gets a negative reputation from some casual viewers. “I don’t get it,” “My kid could do that,” “They’re just a bunch of lines,” and whatnot. It seems inconceivable, … More…
The Getty Collection Volume 2 At Christie’s New York
On Friday, October 21st, Christie’s New York continued its series of sales featuring the collection of Ann and Gordon Getty. While the first evening sale on Thursday mainly focused on what Christie’s referred to as “important pictures”, the day sale … More…
Architecture in Art – Mark Laguë’s Chrysler Building
A few weeks ago, we took a look at Grand Central Station through the work of Johann Berthelsen. As I mention in that post, the station attracted a ton of real estate development in the area… it eventually became known … More…
The Getty Collection Volume 1 At Christie’s New York
Between Thursday, October 20th, and Tuesday, October 25th, Christie’s location at New York’s Rockefeller Center auctioned off over 1,300 items as part of the collection of Ann and Gordon Getty. On previous trips to Christie’s, their exhibition galleries look like… … More…
Sotheby’s “Get Rid Of The Stuff” Sale
On October 16th, we decided to take a trip to Manhattan to view Sotheby’s 19th-Century Works of Art sale. Looking at the online photos, it appeared the works would be disappointing, but I needed to be sure. Well, it did … More…
Architecture in Art: Johann Berthelsen’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 5th Avenue
This week’s Architecture in Art features St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of midtown – this view is from the corner of 49th street & 5th Ave. It sits directly across from Rockefeller Center, and is said to be one … More…
Levi’s – Old School And Cool
Are you in the market for a new pair of jeans? Well, I have just the pair for you if your style is old school and cool. A pair of Levi Strauss jeans were found in an abandoned mine shaft … More…
Christie’s London Modern British & Irish Sale
On Wednesday, October 19th, Christie’s London hosted their Modern British and Irish evening sale. It was a relatively short affair, with only twenty-nine available lots in about an hour. The house specialists were more or less in the right area … More…
Theft or Misunderstanding?: How One Man Got His Edward Hopper Collection
Although his most famous work, Nighthawks, sits in the Art Institute of Chicago, Edward Hopper was a distinctly New York artist. He spent much of his life on the Hudson, having been born and raised in Nyack, before living most … More…
Architecture in Art: Mark Daly’s Flags Along the Avenue at 52nd Street
This one might not be so obvious at first, but Mark Daly’s Flags Along the Avenue at 52nd Street prominently depicts the iconic flags outside Cartier on Fifth Avenue. While it is now known as The Cartier Building, which serves … More…
Debate or Destruction: A New Show About Problematic Artists
Jimmy Carr is a British comedian who has become incredibly well-known outside the UK over the past few years. Many people know him from his comedy specials, but I think much of his work nowadays involves hosting television shows. He’s … More…
Sotheby’s London Contemporary Evening Sale
On Friday, October 14th, Sotheby’s London held their much-anticipated Contemporary Evening sale, anticipated because it featured the first of several works from the collection of former CBS President William Paley, which I discussed earlier last month. Three Studies for Portrait of Henrietta … More…
Architecture in Art – Johann Berthelsen’s 42nd Street Looking East Past Grand Central Station
This week’s Architecture in Art features a National Landmark and one of the most visited spaces in the world – Grand Central Station. It also happened to be a favorite of Johann Berthelsen, as he repeatedly painted the structure throughout … More…
Christie’s New York 20th Century Sale
On Thursday, November 17, Christie’s New York hosted their 20th Century evening sale, featuring works from many schools and styles, from impressionist to expressionist to surrealist to pop art. Though it was an impressive array of modern masterworks, unfortunately the … More…