Christie’s Modern British And Irish Evening Sale
This Tuesday, Christie’s London hosted a short, hour-long auction for their Modern British and Irish evening sale. It was a very strong day for Christie’s, with nearly all the lots either hitting or exceeding their estimates. Of the thirty-one lots … More…
Deflategate 2.2
Tom Brady has found a new way to deflate a football – this time, the controversy doesn’t have Brady allegedly ordering the physical deflation of footballs used in games, like in 2014 against the Indianapolis Colts. In this case, Brady … More…
Discovering More At Notre Dame
In December, I wrote about the state of Notre Dame Cathedral’s restoration following its devastating 2019 fire. And now, this week, workers have made a fascinating discovery at the site. While workers were testing the ground’s stability to prepare to rebuild the … More…
A Passion For Collecting Antique Toys
The excitement a new toy brings to a child’s face can be magical. International model and art gallery owner Monique Knowlton grew to love antique toys after seeing some incorporated into art installations, and collecting toys became a passion for … More…
Florentine Reunion: The New Donatello Exhibition
Two of Florence’s major cultural institutions will be joining forces to put on an exhibition dedicated to one of the city’s greatest artistic icons. Between March 19th and July 30th, the Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo Bargello will assemble around one … More…
Mickey Mantle Hits Another Home Run
Two recent sales demonstrate how baseball icon Mickey Mantle (1931- 1995) has remained an all-star. Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire career and is considered one of the greatest players, especially the greatest switch hitter, in baseball … More…
British and European Painting Sale Hits The Mark
On March 9th, Bonhams, London, presented their British and European Painting sale — a selection of more affordable 19th and 20th-century paintings – you know, works carrying estimates like £800-1.2K, £2-3K, and £10-15K. It was a bit of a mixed … More…
Getting a Literal Bird’s-Eye View
If a badger can get credit as an archaeologist, a cockatoo can undoubtedly be a judge in an art contest, right? Well, one art competition in Australia certainly thinks so. The Archibald Prize is awarded by the Art Museum of … More…
Ukraine’s Latest Loss
A video circulating on social media shows a museum on fire due to the current conflict in Ukraine. According to locals, within the first days of the invasion, Russian troops set fire to the Ivankiv Museum, about 50 miles north … More…
Par For The Course: Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Sale
Wednesday’s Modern & Contemporary evening sale at Sotheby’s London showroom saw fifty-four works from some of the most recognizable names in the visual arts come up to the auction block. But while an auction like this typically has the wealthy … More…
New Record Price For Pokémon Illustrator Card
Is inflation that bad, or has the world gone mad?? A new record auction price was achieved in the world of Pokémon this week when a 1998 Pokémon Illustrator card went under the hammer. In November of 2019, you may … More…
Christie’s Evening Sales – 20th/21st Century & The Art Of The Surreal
On March 1st, Christie’s offered a set of three auctions between Shanghai and London, which lasted some 5 hours. (Prices shown are with the buyer’s premium) The first auction took place in Shanghai and featured 20 lots, with the top … More…
A Deal Too Good To Be True
News broke about a German collector who thought he was getting the deal of a lifetime in early February. It appears that Gallery T293, based in Rome and offering works by several in-demand artists, had been hacked. Cybercriminals accessed their … More…
Saving A City One Painting At A Time
Save Venice is a US-based nonprofit that works to preserve and educate about Venetian cultural patrimony. The organization raises money to fund the restoration of paintings, sculptures, and public monuments in Venice that have deteriorated over the centuries. In one of … More…
CryptoPunk NFT Sale – A No Go
Over the past few weeks, there has been much publicity surrounding the single lot CryptoPunk sale at Sotheby’s. In a tweet, they stated: “CryptoPunks get the Sotheby’s treatment. Our next #SothebysMetaverse sale ‘Punk It! 104 CryptoPunks. 1 Lot.’ will be … More…
This Month’s Great British Break-Up
British Petroleum (BP) has sponsored an annual portrait competition awarded by London’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) for the past thirty years. But after December 2022, that partnership will come to an end. While the Turner Prize is often considered the … More…