ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Florida Pastor Convicted of Trying to Sell Fake Hirst Paintings

ArtfixDaily / April 8th, 2014

A pastor in Florida who did some art dealing on the side was convicted in New York of attempting to off-load five counterfeit works by British artist Damien Hirst.

Chicken Cup Smashes Auction Record for Chinese Porcelain

ArtfixDaily / April 8th, 2014

Considered the holy grail of Chinese art, a rare Ming-dynasty porcelain cup adorned with chickens brought $36 million on Tuesday in Hong Kong.

Major Museums Present 'Art Everywhere,' Largest Outdoor Art Show Ever

ArtfixDaily / April 8th, 2014

Billed as “the largest outdoor art show ever conceived,” a summer exhibition will span from Hollywood billboards to New York's Times Square. Five museums...

Gurlitt Strikes Deal on Nazi-Looted Art Restitution

ArtfixDaily / April 7th, 2014

Germany announced on Monday that Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi-era art dealer, has agreed to a plan for the possible restitution of stolen artworks.

Investor Loeb Takes Aim at Sotheby's Board

New York Times / April 6th, 2014

Billionaire activist investor Daniel Loeb sent a letter to Sotheby's shareholders on Friday calling for the ousting of the auction house's board members.

Zhang Xiaogang's Painting of Little Red Guard Brings Record $12.1 Million

ArtfixDaily / April 6th, 2014

Auction records were smashed for Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang and seven other Asian artists at Sotheby’s HK$670 million ($86 million) Hong Kong evening sale over the weekend.

Joslyn Art Museum Discovers Original Rembrandt in Storage

ArtfixDaily / April 6th, 2014

A painting long-ago relegated to storage has been newly authenticated as a work by Rembrandt. In the collection of the Josyln Art Museum in Omaha, Neb., for 72 years...

Artsy Wrangles $18.5 Million in Series B Funding

Wall Street Journal / April 3rd, 2014

The New York City start-up Artsy.net aims to be the Pandora of the art world, connecting collectors with the art they seek and suggesting new artists based on their preferences. High-profile backers have...

Rothko Expert Ensnared by Knoedler Gallery Art Scandal

NY Times / April 2nd, 2014

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in US District Court in Manhattan names a respected art historian and curator in the stupendous art scam centered around fakes sold by Knoedler Gallery in New York. Las Vegas casino mogul...

Stolen French Masterworks Found in Autoworker's Kitchen

ArtfixDaily / April 2nd, 2014

Two paintings by French masters Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard have been recovered in Italy after they were reported stolen from a London residence in 1970. Italy's Culture Ministry unveiled...

Banker's Collection of Native American Art Donated to SF Museums

ArtfixDaily / April 1st, 2014

Bay Area financier Thomas W. Weisel is known for his tech investments. His name has been linked to sports controversies and triumphs. Weisel, a trustee at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is also an avid collector...

Poland Gets Looted Guardi Painting Back from Germany

ArtfixDaily / March 31st, 2014

A painting by 18th-century Venetian artist Francesco Guardi that was stolen by the Nazis for Adolf Hitler's 'Fuehrer Museum' was returned by Germany to Poland on Monday.

Antique Doll Fetches Record $300K

ArtfixDaily / March 31st, 2014

A much sought-after doll brought a world record price of $300,000 at auction over the weekend. Annapolis-based doll specialist Theriault's sold the Albert Marque bebe to...

Historians Say 'Holy Grail' Discovery in Spain is No Joke

NY Daily News / March 31st, 2014

Two historians say they have found the famed Holy Grail, the vessel that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper, at a museum in Spain.

Art Worth Millions Sold by Metropolitan Museum in 2013

New York Post / March 30th, 2014

The Metropolitan Museum of Art deaccessioned 3,290 objects at auction sales last year to generate a total of $5.4 million, the highest revenue in eight years.

Protesters Take Over Guggenheim, Again

Gothamist / March 30th, 2014

A group of prosteters showered visitors to New York's Guggenheim Museum with a confetti of literature denouncing labor practices at the museum's satellite site being built in Abu Dhabi. The museum soon after closed...

Major Oil by Monet Part of Newly-Found Gurlitt Art Trove

ArtfixDaily / March 30th, 2014

An oil painting by Claude Monet of London's Waterloo Bridge is among 180 artworks recently uncovered in Austria as part of the Nazi-looted art investigation centered around Cornelius Gurlitt.

German Recluse to Return Nazi-looted Artwork

ArtfixDaily / March 27th, 2014

The man who hoarded some 1,400 artworks in his Munich apartment and in an Austrian home for decades has agreed to return pieces looted by the Nazis to the owners or owners' heirs, say his lawyers. Octogenarian Cornelius Gurlitt will return a Matisse to...

Revel in L.C. Tiffany's Spring Flowers at Morse Museum

ArtfixDaily / March 26th, 2014

In Winter Park, Florida, a gem of a museum offers an ideal spring getaway. The Morse Museum of American Art boasts the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany...

Delaware Art Museum to Sell Artworks to Alleviate Debt

ArtfixDaily / March 26th, 2014

The Delaware Art Museum announced on Wednesday the impending sale of four artworks from its collection to offset a $19.8 million bond debt. Known for premier holdings of American art and Pre-Raphaelite paintings...