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 time they reappeared … 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…