Amsterdam’s Once-In-A-Lifetime Vermeer Show
On Friday February 10th, the largest-ever exhibition of the works of Johannes Vermeer opened at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Works by Vermeer are few and far between, with scholars often disagreeing on how many completed works of his truly exist. … More…
New York’s Mini-Bean
Anish Kapoor’s sculpture Cloud Gate, popularly known as The Bean in Chicago’s Millennium Park, was at first despised but has since become one of the Windy City’s most iconic landmarks. And now Manhattan is getting a Bean of its own. On January 31st, … More…
Sotheby’s – Bouguereau And His Circle: Then And Now
On January 26th, Sotheby’s presented a sale of works by Bouguereau and artists who were either students or followers. The offerings spanned the last 180 years, and while some of the better pieces did fine, overall, the sale did not … More…
Artificial Intelligence In The Arts: A Long Way To Go
Over a year ago, I wrote about artificial intelligence used in art authentication. This became a popular subject mainly because of an AI program’s use by researchers who concluded that the Rubens work Samson & Delilah at London’s National Gallery is most likely … More…
Sotheby’s Masters Week: The Fisch Davidson Collection
On January 18th, Sotheby’s New York kicked off its Masters Week. This consisted of a series of auctions, mainly featuring Old Masters and nineteenth-century realist art. But leading up to the Master Paintings sale on January 26th, Sotheby’s held a … More…
Sotheby’s Masters Week: Master Paintings Part 1
To close out their nearly two-week-long Masters Week, Sotheby’s New York hosted a two-part Old Masters sale on January 26th. While the first sale was far shorter than the second, it contained the greater bulk of the high-value pieces. Probably … More…
20 West 55th – Looking Good
On January 31st, we visited our new space and are pleased to report that they are moving along. During our previous visit, Lance noticed some sprinkler lines were a little low in one of the main galleries. The crew was … More…
Sotheby’s Masters Week: The Scheumann Collection
On January 26th, Sotheby’s New York continued their short, single-owner collection sales. The Fisch Davidson collection of Baroque paintings fell just slightly short of expectations, but perhaps the following sale of Dutch Masterpieces from the Theiline Scheumann collection would fare … More…
Queen Victoria’s Paintings Up For Grabs
This weekend, the London auction house Hansons will be hosting their Fine Art, Antiques and Collectors auction. It’s all a bit of a hodgepodge consisting of 442 lots of various artworks, including Indian bronzes, Chinese porcelain, collections of jewelry, silver, … More…
Spaniard’s Forgeries Finally Seized
Whenever I’ve written about forgers getting caught, it’s nearly always been about ambitious people trying to pass something off as a long-lost masterwork. Typically it’s by one of the great Old Masters or Impressionist giants that might sell for millions … More…
Christie’s NY Outsider & Vernacular Art Sale
On Wednesday, January 18th, Christie’s New York held its Outsider & Vernacular art sale, featuring works by self-taught, naïve, and folk artists. I had previously written about how fourteen lots come from the collection of actress Jane Fonda. When the sale … More…
We Are Even Closer Now!
The construction of our new gallery at 20 West 55th Street is moving along. The duct insulation has been completed, and the inspection will occur next week; after that, they will begin framing and closing the ceilings. The bathroom floor … More…
Art Institute Of Chicago’s Payroll Plunder
Recently, federal prosecutors charged the Art Institute of Chicago’s former payroll manager for allegedly stealing about $2.3 million from the museum over 13 years. 56-year-old Michael Maurello is accused of stealing this money between 2007 and 2020. He made deposits … More…
King Charles II Coronation Mug
As you wander around a flea market, would you consider buying a chipped and heavily distressed-looking mug for just £2 ($2.50)? Well, one sharp-eyed couple did that, and their meager investment paid off – big time! At a market in … More…
Sotheby’s New York – Art Of The Americas
On Wednesday, January 18th, after a weeks-long lull in auctions to accommodate the holidays, Sotheby’s New York hosted its Art of the Americas sale. The auction mainly featured nineteenth- and early twentieth-century paintings. In the end, all of the top … More…
American Art At Bonhams Los Angeles
On Tuesday February 7th, Bonhams Los Angeles hosted an American art sale called Coast to Coast. The auction featured a wide variety of affordable work from across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including pieces by William Clapp, Mary DeNeale Morgan, … More…