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…
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
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
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
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…
Homeward Bound: The Elgin Marbles’ Continuing Story
I’ve written about the Elgin Marbles multiple times, most recently last August. For those unfamiliar, the Elgin Marbles are a series of sculptures and friezes kept in London’s British Museum that was originally part of the Parthenon in Athens. Lord … More…
Christie’s New York Post-War & Contemporary Sale
Day two of Christie’s Thursday through Saturday sale streak involved an enormous post-war and contemporary collection. The entire sale took nearly all day Friday, lasting from 9:30 in the morning to around 7:00 at night. Christie’s broke up the several … More…
Christie’s American Art Sale
On May 17th, Christie’s presented their American Art sale featuring 20th-century paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. There were some surprising results, both good and bad, but overall, I am sure Christie’s is more than a little disappointed with how … More…
Christie’s New York Bass Collection & 20th Century Sales
Christie’s Rockefeller Center saleroom in New York hosted back-to-back sales last Thursday, May 12th, kicking off a string of very successful auctions between Thursday and Saturday. There were actually a trio of sales that evening, but I won’t be talking … More…
Left Hanging: Dictator’s Wife Caught With A Stolen Picasso
Ferdinand Marcos was president of the Philippines between 1965 and 1986 and was known as one of the most prominent dictators of the Cold War. He kept a hold on power through electoral fraud, corruption, and violent repression, aided by … More…
New Rules At The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex in the world, made up of nineteen museums and twenty-one libraries across the United States. As one of the world’s cultural giants, the Smithsonian is often used as an example of how … More…
Presidential Rocking Chair Soars
With summer just around the corner, maybe it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the warmer weather in a new rocking chair. Perhaps a slightly used presidential rocking chair. One lucky person might be able to do that, as … More…
Christie’s New York Ammann Collection Sale
On Monday night, May 9th, Christie’s New York saleroom in Rockefeller Center hosted the auction of one of the world’s premier twentieth-century art collections, belonging to Thomas and Doris Ammann. Thomas Ammann was a Swiss art dealer who operated Thomas … More…
The Jersey Of The Century
Would you give someone the shirt off your back? Two soccer players did just that after the 1986 World Cup semifinal game in Mexico – and one of them just scored again when the ‘Jersey of the Century’ sold at … More…
Sotheby’s Modern Online Sale
Sotheby’s modern and impressionist online auction on Wednesday, May 4th, may not have had any multimillion-dollar lots, but it was nonetheless a great sale for Sotheby’s. It garnered a good bit of attention, likely because many of the featured works … More…
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…