Peter Max & Stan Lee – Stories Of Abuse
We hear, read, and write a great deal about the dark side of the art world; however, this story might bring tears to one’s eyes. Peter Max is a name that will be very familiar to many of you. Max … More…
How To Safely Navigate The Art Market – Condition
While we would all like to only own works that are in perfect condition, often this is just not possible. Works created years, decades, or centuries ago may have been bought and sold numerous times, and each … More…
Appeal For Looted Works Denied By US Supreme Court
A case we have been covering since 2014 has finally ended with the US Supreme Court denying any further appeals. During World War II, the Nazi’s seized two life-size portraits of Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach the Elder from … More…
Hot and Fresh – Sotheby’s NY Contemporary Evening
The last of the major NY sales was Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening sale… luckily, I was able to get my hands on some last-minute passes, so I had the privilege of seeing the action in person! Comparatively speaking, Sotheby’s was … More…
Sotheby’s 19th-Century Sale — Where’s The Meat?
The last sale we are covering is the 19th-century sale at Sotheby’s. Like many of the recent sales of this period, the less interesting, over-estimated, and condition issue works had a tough time. Then there were a few that had some … More…
When Is A Leonardo Not A Leonardo?
Authenticity questions still surround Salvator Mundi … a work sold as an authentic Leonardo da Vinci for $450M at Christie’s in 2017. Since being purchased by Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, nobody has seen the painting. News … More…
Pulling A Chrome Rabbit Out Of A Hat – Christie’s
Pulling A Chrome Rabbit Out Of A Hat: The feature event of an already glitzy week in the art world was Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Evening sale, with an expected $413-605M up for grabs! The 58-lot selection was littered with … More…
Record-Setting 1890 Monet Steals the Show – Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Evening
On Tuesday was Sotheby’s shot at the Impressionist & Modern market… and a bit of the 19th Century market as well – I’ll get to that momentarily. There were just 55 works up for grabs with a combined estimate of … More…
Major Auctions Underway in NYC – Christie’s Impressionist & Modern Evening Sale
Last night, Christie’s offered up a selection of Impressionist and Modern works at their bi-annual evening sale in New York. As always, the evening sale featured an assortment of top-level works; many of which achieved huge prices! Taking the top … More…
Vermeer’s Cupid Reappears
It is amazing what modern technology can uncover. Now it is up to the conservators to bring it back for all of us to enjoy — just as the artist intended. What would be interesting to learn is who covered … More…
Christie’s, New York – 19th Century
As we have seen with many of the 19th-century sales, the results come down to the condition, quality and estimate ranges. When they are all aligned things go well, when they are not then trouble arises. I decided to watch this … More…
Sotheby’s London – The Orientalists
On April 30th, Sotheby’s presented their selection of 19th century Orientalist paintings and, at times, the desert heat took its toll. Taking the top two slots were paintings by Jean-Leon Gérôme: Rider and His Steed in the Desert hammered at … More…
For the North – Bonhams 19th Century European
All those years of procrastinating on homework assignments and book reports are finally paying off! This last week of the month has seen a flurry of auctions, and since the newsletter is due out any minute, we’re cramming to cover … More…
The Orientalists At Christie’s – Thank Goodness For Bauernfeind!
On April 29th, Christie’s London presented a small selection of 19th-century Orientalist paintings and the overall results were rather disappointing. The top lot of the sale was Gustav Bauernfeind’s Forecourt of the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus (1890) which carried an Estimate on … More…
How To Safely Navigate The Art Market: The Artist’s Quintessential Image/Style
When considering the purchase of a specific artist’s work, it is advisable to learn what they are famous for – their quintessential, or what some people call their signature image/style. Were they known for their still life, landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, … More…
Comments on the Art Market – Volume 221
We are pleased to announce the release of Comments on the Art Market – Volume 221. In this issue we cover our upcoming Julie Bell exhibition – LUSH, In the News (articles about the gallery), Stocks, Tales from the Dark … More…