Authenticity Doubts Still Linger Over The Most Expensive Painting Ever Sold At Auction
There are still many who doubt the authenticity of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi. Matthew Landrus, a research fellow at Oxford University’s Wolfson College, believes it was painted by Bernardino Luini, one of da Vinci’s studio assistants. Now we have conflicting … More…
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Looks For New President
Don Bacigalupi is stepping down as president of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. While the museum searches for his replacement, John W. McCarter, Jr. will assume the role. Lucas’s museum, a $1 billion project, is scheduled to open in … More…
Don’t Mess With The IRS
New York art dealer Mary Boone was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for filing false tax returns. According to The NY Times article, “…Ms. Boone had reported false business losses, used business funds to pay for more than … More…
Rare 19th Century Landscape By Van Gogh Relative, Hague School Founder Bakhuyzen Enchants Collector
Natasha Gural’s coverage, on Forbes.com, of our discovery of a rare winter skating scene by the 19th-century Dutch artist Hendrik van de Sande Bakhuyzen (1795 – 1860). Included is a brief biography of the artist that discusses the Bakhyzen and Van … More…
The 19th Century at Sotheby’s – A Winning Hand
Sotheby’s bet big on their recent 19th-century sale and they came up with a winning hand. While viewing the sale, I was a little concerned since they more than doubled the amount of work offered in recent sales, broke it … More…
The Pre-Raphaelites Come To America
Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts & Crafts Movement, featuring approximately 145 works drawn from the collection of the City of Birmingham, UK, will be on view at the Vero Beach Museum of Art from February 9 through May … More…
The Old Masters Take Center Stage At Sotheby’s
On Wednesday the 30th, Sotheby’s held a day and evening sale offering a selection of Old Master paintings, drawings, and sculptures. In an interesting PR twist, Sotheby’s brought in former pop-star and contemporary art collector Victoria Beckham, who is said … More…
Bargain-Basement Bacon
One and J Gallery (South Korea) is alleging that Christie’s has done, what can best be described as, a “bargain-basement sale” of a Francis Bacon. According to the court documents, One and J consigned an unnamed Francis Bacon painting to … More…
Bataclan Banksy Bagged
A mural, attributed to Banksy, was stolen in a swift overnight heist from the exterior of the Bataclan theater in Paris. According to reports, the work, which was painted on an outside door in 2018, depicts a veiled figure. The … More…
How To Safely Navigate The Art Market: The Catalogue Raisonné
Since I touched on expertise last month, I thought it would be appropriate to follow-up with an article about Catalogue Raisonnés (C.R.). I have used this term many times in my career, and occasionally, someone stops me asking what exactly … More…
Getty Museum Acquires an Important 19th-Century Painting by Giovanni Segantini
The J. Paul Getty Museum announced this week that they have acquired a major work by the 19th-century Italian artist Giovanni Segantini. The painting was originally commissioned by Toby Rosenthal on behalf of Jacob Stern (1851-1927) – the San Francisco … More…
‘Wow Factor’ Lures Immediate Buyer Of 19th Century French Painting That’s Been Unseen For 118 Years
Daniel Ridgway Knight’s painting On the Terrace, Rolleboise recently surfaced, after about 118 years in hiding, and quickly found a new home. Over the past 12 to 18 months, we have seen more and more interest in great academic works … More…
Comments on the Art Market – Volume 217
Happy New Year! We just released Volume 217 of our Comments on the Art Market (the beginning of our 19th year). Included are links to a couple of articles the gallery was featured in, a schedule of upcoming fairs (with … More…
20th Century Painting Ruled 2018 Art Market, More ‘Rare, Superb Quality Works’ Could Emerge in 2019
Below is a link to Natasha Gural’s summary, on Forbes.com, of the top works sold at public auction during 2018. Will we see more impressive results in 2019? The auction room machines need to be fed, so if they continue … More…
Hey Dutch Restitution Committee – Are You Serious?
Anne Webber, from the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, and Wesley Fisher, of the Jewish Claims Conference, are calling out the Dutch Restitution Committee (DRC) for establishing a “hierarchy” for dealing with art that was looted by the Nazis. … More…
Comments on the Art Market – Volume 218
We are pleased to present Volume 218 of our Comments on the Art Market. In this issue, we cover our upcoming shows in Palm Beach and Naples, In the News, Stocks, Tales from the Dark Side, Really, How To Safely … More…