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Apollo Belvedere Back On Display
A marble statue of the god Apollo with his hand outstretched

Apollo Belvedere Back On Display

After five years of restoration, the famous Apollo Belvedere statue has been returned to public display at the Vatican Museums.  The Apollo Belvedere has been part of the Vatican Museums’ collection since 1511 by Pope Julius II and has since … More…

Christie’s London Impressionist & Modern Works On Paper
An abstract drawing of a man's face with a moustache.

Christie’s London Impressionist & Modern Works On Paper

On Tuesday, October 9th, Christie’s London hosted their Impressionist and Modern Art sale, focusing exclusively on works on paper. While these sales are not rare at the major auction houses, this particular auction seemed to be of great interest to … More…

Teakwood Carving Gouges Estimate
carved teakwood tracery, made by Lockwood de Forest and the Ahmedabad Wood Carving Company, India

Teakwood Carving Gouges Estimate

During the September 24th auction at Stair Galleries titled Design From 1860 to 1910, over 370 items were put up for sale. However, one item stole the show: an incredibly intricate teakwood carving by Lockwood de Forest, created in collaboration … More…

Auction Rooms: Will They All Do The Right Thing?
Photograph of Antoine Blanchard

Auction Rooms: Will They All Do The Right Thing?

Over the years, I have written several articles about the need for more care in certain auction rooms regarding the authenticity of the paintings they sell. All of them use similar language in their terms and conditions; below are examples … More…

The Met Museum’s Newest Wing
A large museum gallery of African and Oceanic artifacts lit through a glass ceiling.

The Met Museum’s Newest Wing

With the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s European Paintings collection getting a recent rehang, it’s time for another section of the museum to reveal its new look. The Michael D. Rockefeller Wing of the Metropolitan Museum is dedicated to the art … More…

Sculptures Mistaken For Trash
An image of a public trash bin

Sculptures Mistaken For Trash

A Dutch museum employee threw away an art installation after thinking it was trash. The French artist Alexandre Lavet exhibited a piece called All the good times we spent together at the LAM Museum, a food art museum in Lisse, … More…

Van Gogh Experts Identify Fakes
A 19th-century painting of the inside of a restaurant with yellow flowers in bottles decorating the tables.

Van Gogh Experts Identify Fakes

Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum is breaking its normal policy by commenting on the authenticity of three alleged Van Gogh paintings currently held in private collections. For many years, the Van Gogh Museum has refrained from determining which paintings are true … More…

Bonhams London Old Masters
A copy of the Mona Lisa by Da Vinci

Bonhams London Old Masters

On Tuesday, October 1st, Bonhams’ London location at New Bond Street hosted one of the first Old Master sales following a summer slouch in August. While the Old Master market has been progressively weakening in recent years, Tuesday’s sale showed … More…

Heirs Demand Paintings Back From Mauritshuis
Saul & David by Rembrandt (detail)

Heirs Demand Paintings Back From Mauritshuis

The heirs of an art historian who donated paintings to the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague are asking for their paintings back, claiming that the museum violated the agreement made upon accepting the collection. Abraham Bredius was a Dutch art … More…

Christie’s Hong Kong 20th/21st Century Sale
A painting of small boats moored on a river.

Christie’s Hong Kong 20th/21st Century Sale

On Thursday, September 26th, Christie’s hosted one of its 20th/21st Century evening sales from their brand new location in Hong Kong. Christie’s has been operating in Hong Kong since 1986, but last week marked the first round of sales at … More…

Bonhams London 19th Century
A portrait of a bearded man

Bonhams London 19th Century

On Wednesday, September 25th, Bonhams hosted their sale of nineteenth-century paintings at their New Bond Street location. With ninety-seven available lots, the auction did relatively well, except for the highest-valued work disappointingly going unsold. Close to two-thirds of the lots … More…

Monet Makeover: Churchill-Owned Painting Restored
An Impressionist painting of Charing Cross Bridge crossing the River Thames in London.

Monet Makeover: Churchill-Owned Painting Restored

In June, I wrote about how the Courtauld Gallery will open an exhibition dedicated to Claude Monet’s London paintings. The exhibition will open this Friday, September 27th, but not before gallery and National Trust specialists make some last-minute changes. This … More…

Alexandra Klimas Wins Best In Show
A portrait of a black-and-white cow in profile against a black background.

Alexandra Klimas Wins Best In Show

In recent years, Alexandra Klimas has become known for her hyperrealistic portraits of barnyard animals, mainly cows. We excitedly share that Alexandra recently won Best in Show at the All Animals Art Awards organized by the Camelback Gallery for her … More…

Performance Artist Smashes Ai Weiwei Sculpture
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei in a blue shirt against a beige background

Performance Artist Smashes Ai Weiwei Sculpture

On the opening night of a new Ai Weiwei exhibition in Bologna, a visitor pushed over a sculpture, completely destroying it. The incident occurred at the Palazzo Fava last Friday, September 20th, during the opening of Ai’s exhibition, his first-ever … More…

Ruth’s Called Shot
Babe Ruth's New York Yankees jersey, grey with blue lettering that sys New York

Ruth’s Called Shot

Babe Ruth’s legendary called shot from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series has captivated baseball fans for nearly a century. But recently, the jersey Ruth wore during that iconic moment made its own headlines, expected to fetch a staggering … More…

Phillips David Hockney Sale
A series of black-and-white prints of dachshunds

Phillips David Hockney Sale

After a quiet August, the auction house scene in London is starting to pick back up again, with Phillips hosting several modern and contemporary sales this week. While their Evening Edition was good to watch, their David Hockney sale on … More…