Contemporary Front page
> TELEPHONE US 212.355.5710
Menu
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…

The Goal of Subversion
An older gentleman in a sportscoat and a drink inspecting a piece of functional glass sculpture on a pedestal.

The Goal of Subversion

Last Friday, September 13th, Rehs Contemporary Galleries opened their exhibition, The Art of Subversion. While the show has a coherent aesthetic, it may not be easy to nail down the goal of curating such an exhibition. Simply viewing the work … More…

Frankenthaler Foundation Lawsuit Dismissed
The artist Helen Frankenthaler receiving the National Medal of Arts, standing with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

Frankenthaler Foundation Lawsuit Dismissed

A New York judge has dismissed the lawsuit against the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation brought by its former president.  I have previously covered the Frankenthaler Foundation lawsuit, explaining its origins and detailing its progress. To recap, Frederick Iseman, the artist’s nephew … More…

Jail Time For Morrisseau Forger
A painting in the style of Norval Morrisseau

Jail Time For Morrisseau Forger

A Canadian court has sentenced one of the ringleaders of the forgery ring that produced countless fakes and forgeries in the style of the Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau. When I first started writing about the discovery of the Norval Morrisseau … More…

The Queen, or Mrs. Doubtfire?
Queen Elizabeth II in a teal dress and hat

The Queen, or Mrs. Doubtfire?

The public is criticizing a statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II for looking too much like Mrs. Doubtfire. Antrim Castle Gardens in Northern Ireland unveiled a new statue of the Queen, joining a preexisting bronze of her husband and … More…

New HQ For Bonhams
The façade of Steinway Hall, with neoclassical columns and sculptures surrounding the front door.

New HQ For Bonhams

Bonhams’ New York headquarters will move away from 580 Madison Avenue, setting up shop two blocks away at the Steinway Tower on West 57th Street. Last year, Sotheby’s made news when they bought the Breuer Building from the Whitney Museum, … More…

Artemisia Acquisition Spurs Debate In Texas
A 17th century painting by Artemisia Gentileschi of Mary Magdalene appearing contemplative

Artemisia Acquisition Spurs Debate In Texas

The Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, has just acquired a painting by the seventeenth-century Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi. But the museum may make some waves with a bold claim.  Even though the Kimball Museum’s collection is relatively small compared … More…

Chinese Artist Gao Zhen Arrested For ‘Defaming Heroes’
A stainless steel bust of Vladimir Lenin with a small figure of Mao Zedong balancing on top.

Chinese Artist Gao Zhen Arrested For ‘Defaming Heroes’

One of China’s most prominent artists, Gao Zhen, has been arrested for criticizing the country’s respected historical figures. Gao is well-known in China for his work with his brother, Gao Qiang. The Gao Brothers have been active as artists since … More…

Making A Collage From Canaletto
An 18th century Canaletto cityscape of Venice

Making A Collage From Canaletto

A British manor house will soon host a program allowing visitors to disassemble and rearrange cityscapes by one of Venice’s most renowned painters: Canaletto. Tatton Park is an estate in Cheshire overseen by the National Trust. It includes a manor … More…

Vasari Ceiling Reassembled in Venice
An allegorical female figure in classical Greco-Roman robes holding a nest containing a mother bird feeding her children. She is lit by a halo and surrounded by cherubs holding laurel wreaths.

Vasari Ceiling Reassembled in Venice

After decades of work, the painted ceiling of a Venetian palace created by painter and biographer Giorgio Vasari has been completely reconstructed and restored. The Palazzo Corner Spinelli is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice. It is incredibly … More…

Demotion In Dresden: Friedrich Landscape Loses Attribution
A landscape painting with a barren tree on the left-hand side.

Demotion In Dresden: Friedrich Landscape Loses Attribution

Caspar David Friedrich, a celebrated figure of Romantic painting in Germany, is currently under the spotlight. A painting featured in an exhibition dedicated to his work has unexpectedly lost its attribution to the artist. Like his British contemporary J.M.W. Turner, … More…