Smithsonian Director Rebukes Partisanship
The Smithsonian Institution’s director has taken a stand against the recent reforms and cuts pushed by the Trump administration. While founded by the federal government, the Smithsonian has operated with little governmental interference since its foundation in 1846. This is … More…
Canadian Gallery Sues Norval Morrisseau Estate
A gallery in Calgary is now suing the estate of indigenous Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau for defamation. EA Studios has filed a complaint with the Superior Trial Court in Alberta over remarks made by Morrisseau estate officials, mainly its director … More…
Fake Caravaggio Uncovered In Spain
According to experts at Spain’s Prado Museum, an art dealer intentionally misattributed an allegedly rediscovered masterpiece by Caravaggio to scam a group of buyers. In 2023, the Spanish art dealer Herennia Trillo sold a painting she claimed was a lost Caravaggio … More…
$12 Renoir?
When people send me recent stories of some amazing find at a thrift store or a garage sale, my first reaction is to be incredibly skeptical. This is the same advice I gave when writing about the alleged Van Gogh … More…
Trump’s Colorado Painting & Other Presidential Portrait Stories
A portrait of Donald Trump hanging at the Colorado State Capitol building has been removed after many people online decided the president’s depiction was amusing and unflattering. Apart from when they are first unveiled, presidential portraits don’t often receive much … More…
Cheeto Or Charizard?? No…It’s A Cheetozard!
In 2019, an unknown snack lover stumbled upon an unusual Flamin’ Hot Cheeto while enjoying their afternoon snack. Thinking that the little spicy puff resembled Charizard, the dragon-like Pokémon beloved by fans worldwide, they decided not to pop it into … More…
Christie’s London Modern British & Irish Evening Sale
On Wednesday, March 19th, Christie’s London hosted one of its evening sales dedicated to modern British and Irish art. These sales often do fairly well, but that is not always a foregone conclusion. This one, I believe, was a great … More…
Disgraced Art Advisor Lisa Schiff Sentenced To Prison
Lisa Schiff, the Manhattan art advisor who admitted to stealing money from her clients, has just been sentenced to time in prison. Schiff was a veteran of the art world. She worked in galleries and auction houses in both North … More…
FBI Gallery Raid Confirmed As A Stunt
Videos spread all over social media last week allegedly showing FBI agents seizing a painting right off the walls of a Manhattan gallery. However, it all turned out to be a stunt. Last week, I received messages from people asking … More…
Collector Refuses To Give Up Stolen Madonna
A Renaissance-era Madonna & Child painting stolen from an Italian museum fifty years ago has recently been rediscovered in Britain. But the owner will not let it go. Antonio Solario was a sixteenth-century northern Italian painter. While moderately successful in … More…
Supreme Court Rules On Nazi-Looted Pissarro
The Supreme Court has, in just a few sentences, ruled in favor of a Holocaust survivor’s descendants in their efforts to regain their stolen Pissarro painting. Over a year ago, I wrote about how a court in California ruled against … More…
Bonhams Skinner American Art
On Wednesday, March 12th, Bonham’s Skinner hosted one of their American art sales, primarily featuring paintings and sculptures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Among the lots available were works by Thomas Hart Benton and Milton Avery. However, the auction … More…
Christie’s London Impressionist & Modern Art
I thought the Art of the Surreal sale would be the big triumph at Christie’s last week. However, it seems like they ended up with a better week than anticipated, given the success of their Impressionist and Modern Art Day … More…
Christie’s London Art Of The Surreal
Every year, around the beginning of March, Christie’s hosts an Art of the Surreal sale at its London location. For as long as I’ve been covering these auctions, they have always been some of the greatest successes Christie’s experiences for … More…
AI Art: The New NFTs?
Trends come and go in the art world, and it can be somewhat difficult to predict which ones will stay around and which will fizzle out. Because of that, I’ve found it useful to have skepticism as my first initial … More…
Bonhams 19th-Century & British Impressionist Art
On Wednesday, March 26th, Bonhams’ sale room at New Bond Street, London, hosted their 19th-Century and British Impressionist art sale, featuring works by Heywood Hardy, Rudolf Ernst, Sir Alfred Munnings, and Dame Laura Knight. However, the works of the orientalist … More…