ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Public High School Exhibits Multimillion Dollar Art Collection

INC / January 3rd, 2013

A 1913 graduate of a small town high school in Indiana left his alma mater with a tremendous legacy to honor his favorite teacher. From 1938 until his death in 1965, industrialist G. David Thompson showered artworks from his multimillion dollar collection to...

5 Record-Setting Collectibles at 2012 Auctions

About / January 3rd, 2013

Walk-in appraisal days were one lucrative source of fresh material at 2012 auctions. In the antiques and collectibles segment, auction record prices were set by five noteworthy objects at sales across the U.S.

Art.sy Redirects to New Site as Syria Conflict Intensifies

TechCrunch / January 3rd, 2013

New York-based Art.sy, the art market equivalent of user-driven radio website Pandora, was forced to redirect web traffic to a back-up site this week. Sharing a domain suffix with war-torn Syrian Arab Republic, the popular new website went down...

Homeless Heir to Huguette Clark Fortune Found Dead

ArtfixDaily / January 2nd, 2013

One of the possible heirs to the $300 million fortune left by Huguette Clark was discovered dead under a railroad pass in Wyoming.

American Folk Art Museum to Return Most of Esmerian Gift

ArtfixDaily / January 2nd, 2013

Last month, a motion was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for New York's American Folk Art Museum to relinquish 210 objects promised by former benefactor Ralph Esmerian.

Art Insurers Expect Record $500 Million Loss from Sandy

Claims Journal / January 1st, 2013

Two months after Superstorm Sandy struck the eastern seaboard, insurance companies for the Chelsea art district in New York are estimating that losses could exceed $500 million. The record payout includes about $300 million for...

Rarities at 2012 Auctions to go on Public Display

New York Times / January 1st, 2013

Private collectors and museum storage units yielded up several unusual pieces at auctions in 2012 that are now headed for public view.

80-year-old Restorer Who Botched Jesus Painting Takes to eBay

ArtfixDaily / December 18th, 2012

Spanish octogenarian artist Celia Gimenez made a sensation last summer when she botched a restoration of a Christ fresco in her local church.

Dallas Museum of Art Denied da Vinci Acquisition

Dallas News / December 18th, 2012

Officials from the Dallas Museum of Art have revealed that their efforts in fundraising tens of millions of dollars for a rediscovered work by Leonardo da Vinci were fruitless. The owners have...

Met Museum Allowed to Keep Cezanne Seized by Bolsheviks

Reuters / December 18th, 2012

An important Paul Cezanne painting will remain in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday. An art collector's great-grandson had claimed the work was confiscated during the Russian revolution...

Owl Painting Found in Attic Sells for Nearly $1 Million

ArtfixDaily / December 17th, 2012

When Jane Cordery cleaned her attic to make room for a plumber she was surprised to find an intricate painting of an owl hidden in the eaves.

Louvre Director Loyrette Steps Down

ArtfixDaily / December 17th, 2012

Head of the world's most-visited museum, Henri Loyrette, has announced that he will quit his post at the end of his term in April.

2012: Contemporary Art Sales Swing Up and Up

LA times / December 16th, 2012

Nearly one billion dollars was exchanged for modern and contemporary art at the fall 2012 New York auctions, a staggering amount that soared far beyond sale totals for Impressionism and other categories.

Online Art Auctioneer Paddle8 Raises Awareness for Charities

Wall Street Journal / December 13th, 2012

What began as a website hosting gallery inventory for collectors to browse and buy has turned into a fast-growing fundraising platform for charitable institutions and non-profits.

United States Postal Services Debuts “Modern Art in America” Forever® Stamp Collection

ArtfixDaily / December 13th, 2012

Iconic modern artworks by the likes of Duchamp, Davis, Demuth and Dove will become the latest Forever® stamp collection offered by the United States Postal Services.

City of Zurich Loses 5,000 Artworks

Business Insider / December 12th, 2012

On Monday, Switzerland's largest city, Zurich, announced that 5,176 works of art from its collections are missing.

Buyers Delight, Critics Waffle at 2012 Art Basel Miami Beach

Atlantic / December 12th, 2012

With $2 billion worth of art for sale from almost 260 exhibitors at last week's Art Basel Miami Beach alone, plus more than a dozen other concurrent fairs adding thousands more exhibitors, much modern and contemporary art has been admired and bought, but at least one critic finds the offered art...

AXA Equitable Donates Thomas Hart Benton's Epic 1920s Mural "America Today" to Metropolitan Museum

ArtfixDaily / December 11th, 2012

American artist Thomas Hart Benton’s epic mural America Today—a sweeping panorama of American life, celebrating the promise of modern industry and technology and the accomplishments of working people in the boom years of the 1920s—has been donated by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company to The ...

Controversial Plans to Sell Corcoran Gallery of Art Building Scrapped

Washington Post / December 10th, 2012

Home to major works by the likes of Corot, Degas, Sargent, and Homer, the Corcoran Gallery of Art will remain in its historic Beaux-Arts building in Washington D.C. after spending months under the threat of sale.

"Death Wish" Director's Winnie the Pooh to lead Sotheby's Sale

Wall Street Journal / December 10th, 2012

An original illustration of Christopher Robin dragging his beloved bear down stairs is the star lot in a Sotheby's sale in London this Wednesday.