Vic Pics: Christie’s London – Works On Paper Rule
The auction action never stops. This week saw a trio of sales across the pond in London… Two at Christie’s and another at Sotheby’s. Both took their shot at the Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist art market and Christie’s also … More…
Sometimes, Looking For A Second Opinion Just Does Not Help
In 2012, Sotheby’s sold an Old Master painting of Saint Jerome, cataloged as “the circle of Parmigianino,” for $842,500. By 2016, pigment analysis performed by Orion Analytical (a materials analysis firm founded by James Martin in 2000) had shown the … More…
Christie’s Old Masters – London
On July 5th Christie’s presented their group of Old Master works of art … and from the results, it appears they were not as successful as their main competitor. Taking the top slot here was Carracci’s Portrait of Carlo Alberto Rati … More…
Sotheby’s Old Masters, London
On July 4th, while we were celebrating our Independence, a group of dealers and collectors were enjoying a fairly successful evening at Sotheby’s Old Master sale in London. Taking the top position was Rubens’ Portrait of a Venetian Nobleman at … More…
Guy Wildenstein – Breathing A Sigh Of Relief.
For years, the French tax authorities have been after the Wildenstein family for tax fraud. In January 2017, the court found evidence that Wildenstein tried to hide hundreds of millions of euros worth of art, real estate, racehorses, etc. However, … More…
Sotheby’s Contemporary In London. So Close, Yet So Far.
This week, Sotheby’s London presented their Contemporary works of art and it began with an evening sale that went pretty well. Taking top honors was Lucian Freud’s’ Portrait on a White Cover which carried a £17-20M estimate and hammered for £19.7M or £22.5M ($29.8M) … More…
The Berkshire Decimation Continues
The Berkshire Museum just announced that it will be selling 9 more works (seven paintings, one sculpture, one Chinese vase, and one Chinese screen) … hoping that it will reach its goal of $55M. That will bring their total to … More…
Christie’s Impressionist & Modern — Another Day, A Lot More Money.
In addition to Sotheby’s sale last week, Christie’s also took it’s shot at the Impressionist and Modern market over in London… the results were a stark contrast from the evening prior… while both sales had similar pre-sale estimates, Sotheby’s realized … More…
Impressionist & Modern – Sotheby’s London
Earlier this week over in London, Sotheby’s offered up a selection of Impressionist and Modern works in a compact evening sale consisting of just 36 lots… let’s just get it out of the way now as it is going to … More…
Anish Kapoor Sues The NRA. By The Way, Who Are “They”?
Anish Kapoor is suing the National Rifle Association (NRA) for copyright infringement after the promotional video, The Violence of Lies, was released with images of his Chicago sculpture, Cloud Gate (2004). According to the suit, filed in Illinois, Kapoor demanded … More…
Letting Your Kids Run Free Near Some Art, Might Just Cost You A Lot!
In case you missed this one, a 5-year-old boy damaged a glass sculpture that was on display at an Overland Park community center. A surveillance video shows the young ‘art lover’ hugging the work of art before it fell to … More…
No A/C? It’s Gonna Cost You!
In early May, the Frieze Art Fair took place on Randall’s Island in New York. In case you do not remember, that weekend was a scorcher … temperatures rose above 90 degrees. Since it was still early in the season, … More…
Family Bickering – All About Greed And Control!
Just when we thought this book was closed, another chapter emerges. Last month, Hubert Neumann tried to stop the sale of a Basquiat that his daughter, Belinda Neumann-Donnelly, was trying to sell at Sotheby’s. (You Cannot Sell The Basquiat … … More…
It’s A Looted Painting? Then I Want My Money Back!
When the provenance of a painting is missing from the mid-1900s (c.1930-1945) it is important for the buyer (and seller) to do their due diligence — making sure there is no connection to Nazi-looted art. During World War II, the … More…
Pulling Back The Curtains, But Not All The Way
The Berkshire Museum is trying to gain the public trust and put the whole deaccessioning matter behind them. Recently they stated that as they move forward it will be done “transparently, cooperatively, and thoughtfully.” While that is all well and good, … More…
Comments on the Art Market – Volume 211
We just released Volume 211 of our Comments on the Art Market. In this issue, we cover our four upcoming shows (Aspen, Newport, Nantucket, and Baltimore), The Dark Side, Stocks, some Really good stories, and The Art Market – the recent … More…