Auction House Standoff In Poland
The 1908 painting Rzeczywistość (or Reality in English) by the Polish symbolist Jacek Malczewski has not been exhibited for nearly a century. But now, DESA Unicum in Warsaw will auction it off on December 8th, with specialists predicting it to sell for anywhere … More…
Cultural Defiance: Ukrainian Art On Display in Spain
On Tuesday, November 15th, Russia unleashed its most brutal shelling of Kyiv to date, with over a hundred missiles raining down on the Ukrainian capital and knocking out power to much of the region. However, two trucks departed the city only … More…
The Day The Music Died
‘The Day the Music Died’ are lyrics from Don Mclean’s 1971 song American Pie, his greatest hit. But this isn’t about a song; it’s about a piece of memorabilia found after the tragedy that occurred on February 3, 1959, referenced … More…
A New Old Master
It’s not every day that you find a forgotten painting by one of the Old Masters. But that is definitely the case for the Italian baroque painter Guercino. It seems like someone suddenly rediscovers one of his portraits or religious … More…
Walking In Steve Jobs’ Shoes
Would you want to walk in Steve Jobs’ shoes? Well, someone may be doing just that! A pair of Jobs’ Birkenstocks from the 1970s recently sold at auction and set an auction record for the highest price paid for a … More…
The Ruffini Affair At An End?
European authorities have long suspected the Italian art dealer Giuliano Ruffini of being at the center of one of the largest Old Masters forging networks in Europe. He and his colleagues allegedly created fake paintings and passed them off as … More…
Art Or The Environment: Do We Have To Choose?
Climate protests involving attacks on major artworks are becoming increasingly common nowadays. Environmental activists staging public demonstrations is nothing new, but targeting major works of art is something that really only caught people’s attention starting October 14th of this year. … More…
Architecture In Art – John Stobart’s South Street, New York, 1895
This one may be a bit of a stretch for Architecture in Art, perhaps it’s time to come up with a better name for this series. Nevertheless, this area is one of the most historically important places in New York … More…
Sotheby’s The Now Evening Sale
On the evening of Wednesday, November 16, Sotheby’s presented two sales, the first of which, The Now Evening Sale, included 22 works by contemporary (living) artists. It is crazy how this end of the market has taken off over the … More…
Banksy In Ukraine
The anonymous British street artist Banksy is no stranger to areas of conflict. In 2017, he visited the West Bank, where he created several works on the border walls built by Israel to call attention to the plight the people … More…
Picture Perfect: How A Postcard Solved A WWII Art Mystery
The Restitutions Commission of the Netherlands made a surprising decision recently to return an abstract masterwork stolen by the Nazis to the descendants of its Jewish owner. View of Murnau with Church by Wassily Kandinsky was created in 1910 and … More…
The Paul Allen Collection Part II At Christie’s NY
On Wednesday, November 10th, Christie’s New York continued in their sale of the Paul Allen Collection. Following the immense, billion-dollar sale the night before, the day on sale the following morning might’ve seemed a little measly. Still, it featured some … More…
Architecture in Art – Guy Carleton Wiggins’ City Hall Park
This week we’re taking a look at one of New York City’s early skyscrapers through the work of Guy Carleton Wiggins. Wiggins’ City Hall Park captures a vantage point from the south end of the park. In the foreground to … More…
The Paul Allen Collection Part I at Christie’s New York
On Wednesday, November 9th, Christie’s New York hosted what was expected to be the most valuable single collection ever sold at auction, that of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Previously, that title was held by Harry and Linda Macklowe. They sold … More…
Mondrian Hung Upside Down
I know that much of modern art, especially the more abstract variety, gets a negative reputation from some casual viewers. “I don’t get it,” “My kid could do that,” “They’re just a bunch of lines,” and whatnot. It seems inconceivable, … More…
Christie’s New York 20th Century Sale
On Thursday, November 17, Christie’s New York hosted their 20th Century evening sale, featuring works from many schools and styles, from impressionist to expressionist to surrealist to pop art. Though it was an impressive array of modern masterworks, unfortunately the … More…