To Shill, Or Not To Shill, That Is The Question!
As you know, I have been reporting for years now on the prices of trading cards and how crazy the auction prices have gotten; now, it seems that all may not be as it appeared. Last week the news broke … More…
Will The Jewels Ever Be Recovered?
Back in 2019, we reported on a jewelry theft in Dresden. A group of thieves started a fire that destroyed an electricity box near the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault – a museum founded in 1723) which, in turn, affected the … More…
Guess Everyone Wants A Van Gogh – I Know I Do!
On August 4th, Raffaele Imperiale (one of Italy’s most notorious crime bosses), was arrested in Dubai. The Italian government had been searching for him since 2016 for alleged money laundering and international drug trafficking as part of organized crime activity. … More…
Titian’s Women: Applying Modern Social Norms To The Renaissance
In 1896, Boston socialite and art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner purchased Titian’s Rape of Europa from the Earl of Darnley. Bought for $100,000 (or about $3.2 million today), it was considered the museum’s greatest painting in an American collection. For … More…
Coming Close To Losing Your Marbles
It may be a bit of a stereotype that London is a gray, rainy mass straddling the Thames. However, London was hit with some particularly heavy rain in the last week of July, to the point that parts the British … More…
Getting High With Van Gogh
According to a few recent articles, Happy Munky (who claims to be “the heart of New York Cannabis”) has teamed up with the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit to create two weed nights (August 11 and 18 – I know, we … More…
Sotheby’s: Buy At Your Own Risk, We Do Not Sell At Our Own Risk
Well this is certainly an interesting one… as I am sure many of you know, buying at auction is inherently risky – condition issues may not be disclosed, there may be gaps in provenance which obscure proper ownership, and works … More…
Gulbenkian, Case Closed!
Tales From the Dark Side: UPDATE In two previous posts, we covered the criminal activities of Angela Gulbenkian. See here and here for a refresher. Gulbenkian has been held in a Lisbon jail since December 2020 after evading UK authorities. … More…
Museums & Galleries In British Columbia Duped
Recent news reports revealed that British Columbian art dealer Steve Hoffman, based in Langley, has been supplying fake indigenous art to Canadian museums and art galleries. The works, supposedly by artist Harvey John, have been on the market for years. … More…