Dorothy’s Ruby-Red Slippers Click Their Way Into History
The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz have clicked their heels into history once again, selling for an amount somewhere over the rainbow. The ruby slippers that just sold were one of … More…
Met Museum Reveals New Modern & Contemporary Wing
After nearly a decade of planning, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has finally unveiled designs for its new modern and contemporary art wing. The museum has hired Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, known for her work on Mexico City’s Museo … More…
Magritte’s Sunlit Surrealism: Lessons For Art During Crisis
How did sunshine and rainbows help defeat fascism? Art can be so many things: a straight representation of reality, an escape from reality, or a reminder of issues that need our attention. And it’s that last role that captivates many … More…
Meme Award Goes To Former Italian Cultural Minister
According to an award show, the former Italian cultural minister is now the most memed person this year. Memissima is an annual award show in Italy to celebrate the best of that year’s memes. Memes have become an incredible, versatile … More…
Christie’s London Old Masters
After the week of blockbuster end-of-year sales in New York, many of the main auction houses will host their Old Masters and nineteenth-century sales. Christie’s kicked things off with their Tuesday evening sale in London, which, by Old Masters standards, … More…
Annie Leibovitz’s Royal Unveiling
Renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz has recently unveiled her latest project: a double portrait of the king and queen of Spain. For their twentieth anniversary, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia posed for photographer Annie Lebovitz in a stunning display of … More…
Caravaggio’s Young Pope Premieres In Rome
A Caravaggio portrait of a young pope, first positively attributed to the artist over six decades ago, has finally gone on public display for the first time ever. Caravaggio created the portrait of Maffeo Barberini around 1598 when the priest … More…
Sotheby’s New York “The Now” & Contemporary
On Wednesday, November 20th, Sotheby’s hosted their contemporary evening sale, including what, for the past several years, they have referred to as “The Now.” While it did not breach into the top lots, most of the talk surrounding this sale … More…
How To Safely Navigate The Art Market: Attributed To
In the old days, dealers and auction rooms would only use the phrase Attributed To for works that, in an expert’s opinion, were more than likely by the artist in question. Of course, there was still a little uncertainty, since … More…
Titanic Pocket Watch Sails To A New Auction Record
The gold pocket watch belonging to one of the main characters of the Titanic tragedy recently sold at auction for a record price. Captain Arthur Henry Rostron, a distinguished British naval officer, was born on May 14, 1869, in the … More…
Sotheby’s New York Sydell Miller Collection
The November sales at the New York auction houses kicked off on Monday at Sotheby’s with the evening sale featuring the collection of Sydell Miller. Having made a name for herself in the hair care business, Miller passed away at … More…
MoMA Going Back To Its Roots
This past Sunday, November 17th, the Museum of Modern Art in New York opened a new exhibition called Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern. The show focuses on a fascinating story: the contributions of one of the … More…
Dazzling Diamond Necklace Dances Across The Auction Block
A dazzling 300-carat diamond necklace played a key role in an eighteenth-century scandal and is rumored to have played a significant role in the fall of the French monarchy. Recently, it took center stage at a Geneva auction. With nearly … More…
Bouvier Sent To Trial Over Missing Picassos
On top of his tax troubles, Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier seems to be in even more legal trouble. This time, it concerns some missing Picassos. On November 7th, an appeals court in Paris quashed Bouvier’s attempts to dismiss the … More…
Forgery Conspiracy Unveiled In Italy
In June, I wrote about how Italian authorities confiscated a drawing being passed off as an original by Amadeo Modigliani. It is based on a real Modigliani drawing from his Caryatid series, sketches he made between 1912 and 1914 as … More…
Sotheby’s London Old Masters & 19th Century
With Christie’s hosting their Old Masters evening sale on Tuesday, Sotheby’s followed up right behind them with their Old Masters & Nineteenth-Century Paintings sale on Wednesday evening. The sale’s showstopper, of course, was a Madonna and Child painting by the … More…