Bonhams – 19th Century European, Victorian & British Impressionist
There was another warm-up sale in London – this one at Bonhams. As you can tell by the title, it covered a wide range of styles and periods… a good indication that the salerooms are having trouble prying loose enough … More…
Not Exactly a Pot of Gold – Irish Art (Sotheby’s London)
There wasn’t much auction action in the month of September, but Sotheby’s did host a rather eclectic Irish Art sale over in London a few weeks back. Let’s see what changed hands… Works in the sale ran the gamut, ranging … More…
University scammed out of $19,000 in fake acquisitions
Former Emory University employee Travis Myers and a non-Emory-affiliated friend, Maicah Hendrix, have been arrested and charged with theft and forgery. According to the school newspaper, The Emory Wheel, officials at the Michael C. Carlos Museum contacted local police when … More…
Salvator Mundi – A Provenance Update
For those of you who are thirsting for more about da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, here is some new information on the painting’s provenance — how and when it traveled from Europe to the United States. It is sad to think … More…
Art, New Taxes, And Market Opacity
Art, New Taxes, And Market Opacity: Scott Reyburn touches on a number of interesting topics in his New York Times article. First, there is a growing belief that art is a great alternative asset. While most historically important art will … More…
The Damien Hirst Market
Over the past few years, I have written about the decrease in value many works by Damien Hirst have experienced. His market peaked around 2008 and now prices continue to drop. Hirst’s works were once the darling of the Contemporary evening sales. Today, many … More…
A Mess-toration!
A Mess-toration! It appears that another amateur artist has decided to try their hand at restoration. María Luisa Menéndez, a shopkeeper in Rañadorio, Spain, felt that the figures in a 15th-century wood sculpture were in need of some tender loving care. … More…
Gotta Love Creative Accounting … Except When You Get Caught.
It was revealed today that art dealer Mary Boone pled guilty to falsifying her 2011 tax return to the tune of $1.6M! In 2011, Boone reported a business loss of over $52K when, in fact, there was a $3.7M profit. … More…
When Will Jho Low Go Away?
Jho Low’s antics have been hitting the airwaves and art world since 2014. Now, Malaysia has charged him with money laundering and is asking Interpol to help locate the “criminal”. You might wonder why we are covering this one? Well, … More…
19th Century European – Christie’s London
Let’s wrap up those July sales over in London… the last of the bunch was Christie’s 19th Century European and Orientalist Art on July 12th, and the results weren’t great… I could have told you that before I even looked … More…
More Victorian Art – Sotheby’s, London
Now that our show hattrick (oh wait, we do have one more next week) is over and we’re back in the gallery, it’s time to get back to some auction reviews… following Christie’s Victorian sale in early July, Sotheby’s took … More…
Watch Your Step – Danger At The Museum
We all know that artists want the viewer to connect with their work, but this work (and a viewer) went a bit too far. Anish Kapoor created an 8-foot hole titled Descent Into Limbo at the Serralves Foundation in Porto, Portugal. … More…
Chowaiki – The Fun Never Ends
Earlier this year, Ezra Chowaiki pleaded guilty to defrauding collectors and dealers to the tune of $16 million between 2015 and 2017. Chowaiki now faces up to 20 years in prison. On August 15th, The Art Collection Inc. filed a … More…
The Saga Continues – The Berkshire Museum
The Saga Continues – The Berkshire Museum: And just when we thought the Berkshire saga was over, we learn that one lawsuit is still trying. Last October, James and Kristin Hatt along with Elizabeth Weinberg sued the Berkshire Museum in … More…
Adam & Eve – Still In Limbo
In 2007, Marei von Saher filed a suit claiming she is the rightful heir to a pair of life-size portraits of Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach the Elder. According to von Saher, the works were forcibly purchased by the … More…
The Demolition … Man
Ai Weiwie has been documenting the demolition of his Bejing studio over the past 4 days on Instagram. His first post, exceeding 21,000 views, captures the first moments of the deconstruction, which Weiwei claims he had not been given any … More…