Ingres: A Painter’s Own Worst Enemy
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was one of France’s great nineteenth-century master painters. He is often regarded as a Neoclassicist, but his work often transcended categories and labels. He was a bastion of artistic conservatism, often opposing the passion and sensuality of the … More…
A Totally Bananas Lawsuit
Not long ago, I wrote about Maurizio Cattelan’s absurdist conceptual work Comedian, consisting of a banana duct taped to a wall. Upon seeing a licensed version of the work displayed at the Leeum Museum in South Korea, one visitor decided … More…
Garbage In, Garbage Out: Miami Beach Sues Artist Over Shoddy Work
As much as many of us may want to, punishing an artist over bad art can be very difficult. But Sarah Morris is now discovering that it is possible to do just that. The city of Miami Beach, Florida, is … More…
Sotheby’s Buys The Breuer
945 Madison Avenue, commonly called the Breuer Building, may not be the tallest in Manhattan, but it’s certainly one of the most distinct. Built between 1964 and 1966 based on brutalist designs by Marcel Breuer, the Breuer Building was built … More…
British Museum’s Petroleum Partnership At An End
The British Museum is a behemoth so extensive and unwieldy that it is often the last to conform to changes made long ago by comparable museums. They are noticeably behind the curve regarding issues like repatriation and NFTs. However, they … More…
Nazi-Looted Painting Returned From Japan
Despite being far off from European battlefields, there is more Nazi loot in Japan than you might expect. Last year, I wrote about how the descendants of a Jewish family whose art collection was looted by the Nazis during the … More…
Michigan Gallerist Stole $1.6M From Clients
Have you ever been caught in a lie? Have you ever tried to get out of trouble by lying again to make the initial lie make sense? Perpetually evading responsibility can be exhausting and, in the case of one Michigan … More…
The Last Emperor’s Watch
The last Emperor of China was Aisin Gioro Puyi, also known as Henry Pu Yi. He was born on February 7, 1906, and became the Xuantong Emperor at the age of two in 1908. Talk about starting your career early! … More…
Artcurial Altercation
A London-based art dealer has gotten into a bit of a spat with the French auction house Artcurial. Patrick Matthiesen owns the Matthiesen Gallery, just around the block from St. James’s Square in London, specializing primarily in Old Master paintings. … More…
A Queenly Tribute: The New Monument To Elizabeth II
At the time of her death on September 8, 2022, most people on earth had not known another Queen of England apart from Elizabeth II. With the Second Elizabethan era concluded, no doubt the United Kingdom will soon be littered … More…
Butkin Collection At Sotheby’s 19th-Century Sale
On May 24th, Sotheby’s offered up a lower-end group of 19th-century paintings, and while it had mixed results, some of the works did rather well. As we have seen over the past few years, the main salerooms have been trying … More…
Supreme Court Rules Against Warhol Foundation
Last April, I wrote about an upcoming Supreme Court case concerning Andy Warhol’s Prince portraits. Well, the justices have reached their ruling. In a 7-2 decision, the court has decided against the Andy Warhol Foundation, finding that their licensing of … More…
The Mo Ostin Collection at Sotheby’s New York
Christie’s and Sotheby’s sometimes mirror each other. That fact was more apparent during Sotheby’s sales on Tuesday, May 16, which came shortly after a pair of very successful Christie’s sales the previous Thursday. On Tuesday, Sotheby’s started with the collection … More…
“Degenerate” Reunion
“Degenerate” was a term used by the Nazis to describe most modern art. The Nazis were vocally opposed to many modernist styles and schools since their streetfighting days in the 1920s. They preferred strict realism that elevated German ideals and … More…
Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale
Following the success of the Newhouse collection, Christie’s New York continued on Thursday evening with their 20th Century evening sale. This consisted of fifty-four lots from various collections, including that of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Christie’s sold most of the … More…
Sotheby’s New York Master Paintings
Sometimes a single painting can make or break a sale. For example, last year’s most valuable painting sold at auction was Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, part of the Thomas & Doris Ammann collection at Christie’s New York on … More…