Contemporary Front page
Another Year For The Sagrada Família
The northeast of the Sagrada Família basilica in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí

Another Year For The Sagrada Família

I first visited the Sagrada Família in Barcelona in January 2017. I only knew what the structure looked like from the laminated posters plastered onto the walls of classrooms where I had my Spanish lessons in high school. The series … More…

What’s Up With Peter Max’s Family?
peter max

What’s Up With Peter Max’s Family?

Peter Max has always been one of those names I’ve been familiar with but hadn’t always fully comprehended its importance. My parents had a framed Peter Max poster hanging up in the house, so I saw one of his American … More…

Holy Artwork, Batman!
Batman on a blue background with a lightning bolt

Holy Artwork, Batman!

The original artwork for the comic book Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 just dashed across the auction block. Frank Miller wrote the four-issue series featuring Batman as the Dark Knight, published by DC comics in 1986. The comic books … More…

Scandal In Slovenia: An Entire Collection Filled With Fakes
The National Museum of Slovenia

Scandal In Slovenia: An Entire Collection Filled With Fakes

A lot of people have been quitting their jobs lately. Throughout the pandemic, people have resigned for various reasons, from stagnating wages, to a rising cost of living, to general dissatisfaction with their work. But quitting because you failed to … More…

Selling A Koons For Ukraine
An outline of Ukraine colored with the colors of Ukraine's flag

Selling A Koons For Ukraine

A large Jeff Koons sculpture will be coming across the auction block at the end of the month. The work, Balloon Monkey (Magenta), is owned by the Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk, who purchased the work from Larry Gagosian not long after … More…

Another Museum Accident
An exterior shot of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Queen Sofía National Museum Art Center), simply just called the Reina Sofía

Another Museum Accident

These past two weeks, museums all over the world seem to be at risk of having their collections damaged. Of course, there was the man who threw cake at the Mona Lisa, followed by a break-in at the Dallas Museum of … More…

Larry Forman – The Secret Notebook
compostion notebook

Larry Forman – The Secret Notebook

The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard court battle was certainly not a secret, but a notebook that an attorney kept during part of the trial was. Millions of people tuned in to watch the real-life courtroom drama of Johnny Depp suing his … More…

Boba Fett Action Figure Achieves New Record
Boba Fett grey action figure from Star Wars

Boba Fett Action Figure Achieves New Record

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you probably know who Boba Fett is… but for those who aren’t familiar, Boba Fett is a fictional character from the Star Wars movies, books, video games, and television specials. He is a bounty … More…

Alexander Grant – Scammer
fraudulent check made out to the gallery

Alexander Grant – Scammer

On Monday, May 30th, we received the following email: Hi, I am an avid art collector and I saw your Inventory through the Askart website and would love to know if the under-listed art pieces are still available for sale, … More…

Destruction In Dallas
An exterior photo of the Dallas Museum of Art

Destruction In Dallas

Security at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) called the police last Wednesday night, June 1st, in response to a man who had broken into the facility. Once the 21-year-old man had been arrested and taken away, security surveyed some … More…

A Bad Week For Basquiat
A Bad Week For Basquiat

A Bad Week For Basquiat

Police in New York are still on the lookout for a couple who just decided to walk out of a gallery with a Basquiat. On May 14th, a man and a woman walked into Taglialatella Galleries in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. … More…

Sotheby’s New York Old Masters Two-Parter
A winter village scene by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, sold at Sotheby's

Sotheby’s New York Old Masters Two-Parter

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 25th and 26th, Sotheby’s New York location held its two-day Old Masters sale. Wednesday’s auction was the main slate, a live event with fifty-four available lots. This session featured all the high-value pieces, including many … More…

Not Looking Good For Danieli
A fake painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat on sale for $12 million at the Galerie Danieli in Palm Beach, Florida owned by Daniel Elie Bouaziz

Not Looking Good For Danieli

In December, there was quite a bit of commotion when FBI and IRS agents led a raid on the Palm Beach locations of Danieli Fine Art and Galerie Danieli. The agents covered the windows with brown paper and began removing things … More…

Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Guitar Sells At Auction
1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar in

Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Guitar Sells At Auction

Rock and roll memorabilia is a big business, and guitars used by the biggest rock stars command big prices. According to Rolling Stone, the most expensive guitar ever auctioned was Kurt Cobain’s guitar from his 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. The … More…

Sotheby’s Belle Époque Splendor: The Discerning Eye Of A Collector
portrait of a woman on a sofa

Sotheby’s Belle Époque Splendor: The Discerning Eye Of A Collector

Well, Sotheby’s presented a group of paintings from one collection titled Belle Époque Splendor: The Discerning Eye Of A Collector. I think you will soon agree that “The Discerning Eye” part of the title was very misleading. From the images … More…

Experts Disagree Over Stolen Titian Portrait
Portrait of a Gentleman with a Black Beret, by the Renaissance master Titian, recently recovered by Italian authorities

Experts Disagree Over Stolen Titian Portrait

Italy’s Cultural Heritage Protection Unit has successfully recovered a stolen portrait by a Renaissance master. In 2004, a work by Titian entitled Portrait of a Gentleman with a Black Beret went missing. Created when the master was around 24-years-old, the … More…