Banksy Sale – Impressive Results
While a majority of the art world is closed for business, and many fairs and auctions have been postponed or canceled, there is still some activity which is very encouraging (unless otherwise noted, all prices include the buyer’s premium – … More…
Swiss Museum Reverses Course On Restitution For Nazi Era Acquisition
The heirs of prominent museum director and art critic, Curt Glaser, were finally awarded a settlement from the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland, for more than 200 prints and drawings estimated to be worth more than $2 million. The museum will … More…
Leveraging Your Art Collection
Abby Schultz’s article on Penta gives a quick overview of the sort of leveraging that has been going on in the art world and whose been loaning the billions of dollars. It is not only the banks and specialty firms, … More…
Some Helping Hands Are Worth Their Weight In Gold
Need a pair of extra hands around the house these days? Earlier this month, a single item sale featured the hands of a remarkable man…not his real hands, of course, but a set of four gold casts of Nelson Mandela … More…
Museums Seek Federal Bailout Amid Prolonged Closure
As our government still tries to get a grip on the health crisis our country (and the world) is facing, cultural institutions are pleading with Congress to include them in the impending bailout package expected to be passed. Today, the … More…
Thieves Target Notre-Dame Amid Lockdown
Ok, first things first – I hope you and your families are all safe, but please STAY HOME! And if you have to go out for any reason, remember social distancing! Do your part, in these difficult times, by doing … More…
Fordjour vs. Blumenthal
A lawsuit between artist Derek Fordjour and Robert Blumenthal Gallery is making its way through the courts. According to an article in Artnews, the gallery originally paid the artist $20K for 20 works and only received 13. Now they want … More…
More Art Thefts – Why?
It was recently reported that thieves broke into the Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford, England, and stole paintings by Van Dyck, Annibale Caracci, and Salvator Rosa. An article in the Daily Mail state that the theft included …the irreplaceable … More…
Knowing Righter from Wrong….
Philip Bennet Righter, of Los Angeles, is facing up to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of art fraud. The US Attorney’s Office of Central District of California has been investigating Righter since 2016. It … More…
A $360,000 Gaming System – Really?
In the late 1980s, Nintendo and Sony formed a partnership to create the Nintendo PlayStation. The idea was to incorporate a CD-ROM into the popular Super Nintendo entertainment/gaming system, but the partnership dissolved and the prototypes of the gaming system … More…