New York billionaire Leon Blacks bid to take £29m Raphael from UK blocked by Ed Vaizey
Back in December, Sotheby’s London auctioned a drawing by Raphael entitled, “Head of a Young Apostle.” After an intense bidding war, the work sold for £29 million , roughly three times the estimate and an auction record for a work on … More…
Dali Watercolors
Last month, 5/20/2013, I posted on a series of 14 watercolors heading to auction by the prominent Spanish surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. After remaining in a private collection for over 4 decades the works were set to be sold at … More…
Dia Renews Its Beacon for the Future
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Dia:Beacon, the art exhibition space, finally feels they have created a museum they can call home. Within the past four years annual visitorship has increased by 18% and continues to grow as art lovers come to … More…
Painting of the Day (SOLD archives) – Martin Rico y Ortega’s “Along the Canal”
Along the Canal. a lovely painting by the 19th century Spanish artist Martin Rico y Ortega that we sold a few years ago. Martin was born in Spain and received his early training their, before heading to Paris in 1860. … More…
Christopher Wool, Luhring Augustine Sued for $12 M
Christopher Wool, Luhring Augustine Sued for $12 M – here is an interesting story about Brand X Editions filing suit against a gallery and their artist for trying to renege on a deal. Should be interesting to see how this one … More…
Monet Tops $165 Million Sale, Modern Art Confidence Rises
Monet Tops $165 Million Sale, Modern Art Confidence Rises – nice coverage of last night’s sale in London. They even touch on something I have been saying for some time now … there are just too many sales and not enough … More…
This Evening Sale in London of Modern & Impressionist Works
Another strong showing for the Impressionist and Modern artists (prices shown are hammer). Monet’s Le Palais Contarini captured the top slot at £17.5M ($27.4M – est. £15-£20M ). Picasso’s La Suite Vollard made £2.3M ($3.6M – est. £1.4-£1.8M). Of the 72 … More…
Artist Turns Lego Bricks Into Giant Works of Art
I am so insanely jealous of Nathan Sawaya. When I was young, I had an entire room dedicated to Lego (Yeah, it was pretty sweet). But, Nathan puts any child’s Lego collection to shame with these unbelievable works of art … More…
Swiss Website Aims to Help Museums Track Nazi-Looted Art
Being one of the 44 countries to endorse the non-binding Washington Principles, Switzerland pledges to find “just-and-fair” solutions for returning works looted by the Nazi’s during the second World War to rightful Jewish owners. The Swiss government has created a … More…
Painting of the Day (SOLD archives) – Fritz Zuber-Buhler’s “Young Girl by the Lake”
Young Girl by the Lake. While we are on Swiss art, here is a wonderful example of Fritz Zuber-Buhler’s work. This 19th century Swiss artist was born in 1822 and by the time he was 16 had traveled to Paris … More…
Swiss Art Mimics Banks by Luring Foreign Millionaires
Swiss Art Mimics Banks by Luring Foreign Millionaires – Even the Swiss are getting into the action. Recent sales of Swiss art have been extremely strong and buyers are coming from across the globe. Just another sign that more money is … More…
Kandinsky Fetches $21.2 Million, Asians Boost Sale Demand
Kandinsky Fetches $21.2 Million, Asians Boost Sale Demand – more on last night’s sale of Impressionist and Modern works. The sale did very well when one considers what was offered. Both auction rooms are having trouble finding really good works so … More…
Impressionist Evening Sale in London
Tonight kicked off the June auction action in London and prices were pretty strong. Top lot was the Kandinsky at £13.5M ($21.2M – est. £12-£16M … it last sold in 2008 for $15M). With just 44 works offered, it was … More…
Michigan AG: DIA art pieces can’t be sold to pay Detroit debt
To follow up on a post from earlier this month, Michigan attorney general, Bill Schuette, has issued a formal opinion stating that the collection in the Detroit Institute of Arts cannot be sold to satisfy city debts or obligations. In … More…