19th Century European At Sotheby’s
December 11, Sotheby’s offered up a small sale of 19th-century European paintings. As we have seen in the past, sometimes the difference between success and failure comes down to a few fresh-to-the-market works. Taking the lead here was Norwegian artist … More…
Diplomatic Immunity And Cases Of Smuggling
In a recent article posted on The Art Newspaper’s website, the topic of diplomatic immunity in the art world was discussed and there seem to be a number of cases in which consuls and diplomats abuse their power. Recent cases … More…
A $1 Billion Smash And Grab
Here is a really sad story. This week jewels, estimated to be worth in excess of $1B, were stolen from the Green Vault museum in Dresden, Germany. What makes this even sadder is that the museum was not insured. It … More…
Inigo Philbrick – More Art World Greed
Inigo Philbrick is a London and Miami based art dealer who, according to his website, offers blue-chip works by Donald Judd, Cy Twombly, and Richard Prince, is at the center of a tangled web in the art world’s “greed corner.” … More…
Contemporary Day Sales Heat Up NYC
While the weather may have been brutally cold last week in New York, I spent last Thursday and Friday warm and cozy at my desk watching some remarkable results of the Contemporary Day sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Both auction … More…
Smooth Sailing at Sotheby’s – Post-War & Contemporary Evening
With the auction mega-week coming to a close, it was Sotheby’s who had last licks at the Post-War and Contemporary arena… at this point the running total for the week, including day sales, was $932.9M so we’re definitely clearing that … More…
Come In, Radio. We’re Gonna Need More Guarantees!
As always, November is a busy month covering the flurry of sales in New York… last week wrapped up with the major Post-War & Contemporary sales and there were genuine jitters coming off a not-so-stellar showing in the Impressionist & … More…
Heisman Trophy Just Makes It Into The End Zone
Heritage Auctions scored a touchdown with the sale of Texas Longhorns’ running back Ricky Williams’s 1998 Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA football, a player that exhibits integrity, excellence, great ability, … More…
The Middle of the Road is No Place For an Evening Sale – Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern
Following up Christie’s modest showing on Monday, Sotheby’s had the floor and they were in a good position to be the more favorable sale given the offerings and estimates but as you’ll soon see, things didn’t go so smoothly… and … More…
Comments on the Art Market – Volume 228
Volume 228 of our Comments on the Art Market was released today. In this issue we cover our current exhibitions, news about Mark Lague and Todd Casey, Stocks, The Dark Side, Really, and the all important Art Market (Lance and … More…