ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Art Institute of Chicago Receives Its Largest Cash Gift Ever

Chicago Tribune / January 27th, 2016

Massachusetts collector Dorothy Braude Edinburg, who died in Jan. 2015, has donated $35 million in her will to the Art Insitute of Chicago. The gift is earmarked for new art purchases and the final amount of money is yet to be determined. A supporter of the museum for 25 years, Edinburg ...

Art Loss Register Challenged in Complaint From Art Recovery Group

The Art Newspaper / January 27th, 2016

For 25 years, Art Loss Register (ALR) has provided a due diligence service for clients looking to unravel the provenance of artworks, and a database of stolen and missing artworks. Former ALR staffer Chris Marinello left in 2012 to found Art Recovery Group (ARG) which launched in ...

Sotheby's Loses $12 Million on Taubman Sale, But Wins Top Auction Price For Americana Week

ArtfixDaily / January 25th, 2016

Sotheby’s secured an overall total of $18.9 million for its Americana Week auctions ending Sunday. The news came after Friday's announcement that the auction house had an estimated $12 million loss in the fourth quarter of 2015 as a result of the A. Alfred Taubman sale, featuring ...

David H. Koch Exits Board of NY's Natural History Museum

ArtfixDaily / January 21st, 2016

Conservative billionaire, philanthropist and oil mogul David H. Koch stepped down from the board of New York's American Natural History Museum in December. He has given millions of dollars to the museum, and the famed dinosaur wing was named after him. His position on the board has ...

Art-Filled Trailer Goes Missing in Los Angeles

LA Times / January 20th, 2016

Artworks by Matisse, Chagall, Miro, Haring and Neiman, along with other valuable items, are missing after a 24-foot long trailer was stolen from a Chatsworth industrial park in Los Angeles. Police are investigating the Nov. 20 disappearance of the 2005 Haulmark trailer parked near ...

Sotheby's Buys Art Agency, Partners

WSJ / January 11th, 2016

Sotheby's announced on Monday that it would buy a boutique art advisory firm called Art Agency, Partners for a total up to $85 million. The deal is for $50 million with an additional $35 million pledged for undisclosed performance targets. New York-based Art Agency, ...

2015 in Review: Art Market Trends

ArtNewspaper / December 31st, 2015

The Art Newspaper breaks down six of the biggest art trends of 2015. Hot topics: 1. Prices for top-tier works keep soaring and experts ask if a top-heavy market bloated with auction guarantees seems ripe for correction? Topping the auctions: $170.4m paid by the Chinese billionaire Liu ...

Best Art Books of 2015

Huffington Post / December 31st, 2015

Five top art books of 2015: 1. Piet Mondrian: The Studios 2. Agnes Martin 3. Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo in Detroit 4. Artists Living With Art 5. Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks View the full list compiled by Huffington Post here.

British Museum Becomes World's Largest Google Street View of an Interior Space

National Geographic / December 29th, 2015

The British Museum recently unveiled the results of its partnership with the Google Cultural Institute (GCI): the world’s largest Google Street View of an interior space, covering nine floors and 85 permanent galleries of the museum.   Its public database of more than 3.5 million objects ...

2015 in Review: Museums

Observer / December 29th, 2015

The Observer takes a look at museum trends and news in 2015 with its list here, and we've added links and additional stories below. - Openings and Closings: Cheers abounded for the Whitney move to New York City's Meat-Packing district, with inaugural exhibitions "American is Hard to See" ...

Park Avenue Armory Shuts Out Art and Antiques Show

Page Six / December 28th, 2015

New York's Park Avenue Armory seems to be moving forward with plans to become more of a performing arts center. Page Six has reported that the distinguished Upper East Side venue has already told the New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show that dates are not available for their 2016 edition ...

2015 in Review: Art Crime

The Creators Project / December 26th, 2015

Sensational stories of art crimes were plenteous in 2015. The Creators Project has put together a list of some of the biggest headlines, ranging from ISIS destroying the ancient buildings and artifacts of Palmyra to the brazen Ukranian ultranationalists who seek an exorbitant "finder's fee" for ...

Happy Holidays from ARTFIXdaily

ArtfixDaily / December 20th, 2015

ARTFIXdaily's e-newsletter service will be suspended from Dec. 21-25 during our holiday week closure. The e-newsletter will resume on Dec. 28. Happy Holidays! SHOWN: On view through January 6, 2016, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the beloved annual tradition with a brightly lit, ...

AD Reveals Overlooked Artists, Styles to Collect Now

AD / December 15th, 2015

Architectural Digest writer Christopher Mason has created a casual survey of styles, periods and artists that the art market has not been "nice" to lately. The current frenzy for modern and contemporary art, from post-war to Pop art and mid-century design, has left a lot of room for new ...

Sotheby's Employee Buyouts Come to $40 Million

New York Times / December 16th, 2015

In a filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Sotheby's reported that 80 employees, or 5% of its workforce worldwide, would take a buyout offer expected to cost the auction house about $40 million.

Marc Porter Exits Christie's for Sotheby's

NYT / December 7th, 2015

A dealmaker at Christie's for 25 years, Marc Porter has resigned and will head over to rival auction house Sotheby's. He will presumably start after his non-compete runs out in about one year. Porter, 55, served as Chairman of Christie's Americas, and from 2012-2015 led international private ...

Senators Scrutinize Tax Status of Private Museums

New York Times / November 30th, 2015

The Senate Finance Committee is reviewing the tax-exempt status of several private museums, questioning whether they provide the public with benefits that allow for the equivalent of a government subsidy, The New York Times reports. Leading the inquiry is Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, the ...

Holiday Gift Guide and December Preview

ARTFIXdaily / November 23rd, 2015

Browse selections for your holiday gift list and preview December’s art events from ARTFIXdaily’s ArtGuild network of leading galleries, auction houses and museums. Find a selection of fine art, jewelry and antiques; art books and collectibles; experiences and exhibitions. And preview ...

Paddle8 Aims to Corner Middle Market of Art Auctions

Forbes / November 23rd, 2015

Fresh from raising $34 million Series C funding, of $44 million total from a host of high-profile investors, online auctioneer Paddle8 talks strategy with Forbes. Chairty auctions and contemporary art lots with an average selling price of $4,800 have taken the young company to $25 million in ...

Now There's an App for Virtual Reality Museum Tours

TechCrunch / November 17th, 2015

Museums and galleries can now be walked through from any place in the world with a new virtual reality app --- the WoofbertVR app has just launched on Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus. “What museums are excited about — among other things — is access,” said co-founder ...