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
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 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?
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
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
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’
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
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
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
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…
Smelly: Upcoming Exhibition Highlights Scent In Art
In my deep dive into the connections between counterculture and Pre-Raphaelite painting, I partially focused on the use of natural motifs in both movements, namely flowers. With such an emphasis on floral elements, one British museum is staging an exhibition … More…
Lisbon’s “Revolutionary” Graffiti Project
The city of Lisbon is commissioning graffiti artists to create new work around the city to commemorate the anniversary of Portugal’s transition to democracy. Lisbon’s municipal council is seeking to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, which initiated … More…
Reunited Rembrandt Portraits
The Nivaagaard Collection, a short drive north of Copenhagen, has previously reunited paintings that were formerly displayed together. And they are doing it again, this time with a pair of Rembrandt portraits. In March 2023, I wrote about the Nivaagaard … More…
Star Wars Starfighter Flys Past Estimate
The Y-wing Starfighter model from Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (1977) stole the spotlight at a recent auction. This 1:24-scale miniature, a significant piece of film history, attracted considerable attention from collectors and fans. The model’s creation began with … More…
Shady Shakeup From Slovak Culture Minister
Over the past month, the Slovak art world has been rocked by disputes between its cultural sector and political leadership. On August 7th, the cultural minister Martina Šimkovičová dismissed the director of the Slovak National Gallery, Alexandra Kusá. Many see … More…
Monterey Car Week 2024
The Monterey Car Week 2024 brought together car collectors and enthusiasts to celebrate the art of the automobile. Renowned auction houses such as RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company, Broad Arrow Auctions, Mecum Auctions, and Bonhams promised a week filled with … More…