ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Art Dealer's Companion Named in Painting Forgery Probe

New York Daily News / April 2nd, 2012

Dozens of artworks by leading modernists from Rothko to de Kooning, Motherwell to Pollock, that were sold to New York galleries through Long Island art dealer Glafira Rosales are still under investigation by the FBI as possible forgeries. Recently added to complicated tale is Rosales' longtime companion, Jose Carlos Bergantiños Diaz, who was involved in a lawsuit over...

Spring Art Auctions Boast All-Star Line-Ups

ArtfixDaily / March 29th, 2012

A number of standout artworks by modern masters Cezanne, Munch and Warhol as well as pioneering women artists from Tamara Lempicka to Cindy Sherman are heading to the auction block in May. Leading the line-up is the high-profile sale of...

Five Years Later, Brooke Astor's Estate Settled

ArtfixDaily / March 28th, 2012

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will receive about $20 million as part of a settlement agreement made on Wed. with the estate beneficiaries of philanthropist Brooke Astor, who died in 2007 at age 105. After a 5-year struggle over the estate that resulted in...

Luxury Hotels Double as Art Destinations

Wall Street Journal / March 27th, 2012

Luxury hotels are putting the focus on art, inside their buildings and outside them, reports the Wall Street Journal’s weekend Off Duty. Rotating displays, art concierges and even sculpture gardens where you can shop are taking hold in high-end hot spots from Hong Kong to Napa Valley. Among those recommended...

Strong Sales at TEFAF Silver Jubilee

ArtfixDaily / March 27th, 2012

TEFAF Maastricht celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012 with 72,000 visitors over the course of the fair, held from March 15 to 24. Of these 44% came from outside the Netherlands with a marked increase in buyers from Russia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Major Exhibition of Thomas Hart Benton Artworks Planned

LA Times / March 22nd, 2012

An exhibition devoted to American painter Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) is being co-organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo.

Promised Gift a Windfall for Two Museums

New York Times / March 21st, 2012

Noted art collectors Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner have promised over 800 works of art to two museums. One of the lucky repositories named in the gift is...

Rubens, Richter Among Strong Sales at TEFAF

New York Times / March 20th, 2012

The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht, the Netherlands, which began last Friday and continues through Sunday, March 25, offers up some $1.3 billion worth of art from a wide array of countries and eras. Among this year’s highlights are...

A Twisted Tale Behind Huguette Clark's $10 Million Degas

ArtfixDaily / March 19th, 2012

An exquisite image by French Impressionist Edgar Degas, valued at $10 million, is at the center of yet another puzzle involving the estate of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark. The pastel and gouache painting of a ballerina, one of Degas’ favorite subjects, called “Dancer Making Points,” is...

Boisterous Bidding for C.M. Russell Watercolors

Great Falls Tribune / March 18th, 2012

A trio of original watercolors by iconic Western artist Charles Marion Russell topped $1 million at The Russell: the Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum auction on Saturday night in Great Falls, Montana. Two works, "Waiting for Her Brave's Return" and "Roping a Steer," each wrangled...

Heiress Huguette Clark's Jewels Head to Auction

ArtfixDaily / March 18th, 2012

The jewels of reclusive copper heiress Huguette Clark, who died at age 104 in May 2011, will be going up for auction at Christie’s in April. Seventeen pieces of jewelry are expected to bring somewhere between 9 to 12 million dollars. They have only recently emerged from a bank vault after ...

Spirited Sales during New York Art Week

ArtfixDaily / March 11th, 2012

New York City was inundated by the contemporary art contingent this week, with both the Armory Show and The ADAA (Art Dealers Association of America) Art Show taking place, as well as a plethora of smaller fairs and major auctions running contemporaneously. As the week comes to a close, there ...

Buzzworthy at the New York Art Shows

Huffington Post / March 8th, 2012

With 10 art shows running concurrently in New York this week, and hundreds of dealer exhibitions of modern and contemporary art on view, the stage is set for an art market gauge. Interest levels of collectors, curators and art-curious are soon measured in terms of sales. Red-dot reports have already abounded from the Armory Show...

Claire Falkenstein Sculpture Stolen Concurrent to Major Exhibition on the Artist

ArtfixDaily / March 6th, 2012

With the price for scrap metal running high, thieves recently ripped apart a public sculpture by the artist Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997). Now missing is her copper fountain, entitled Tide Pool, an outdoor centerpiece created for the Commons in San Francisco. Falkenstein Foundation president, ...

Art Heists from Montreal to Massachusetts; Athens Hit Twice

ArtfixDaily / March 6th, 2012

Antiquities have been the subject of three major art heists in the last six months. This February, in Athens, the Olympia Museum was victim of a particularly violent theft in which a guard was tied up at gunpoint and exhibition cases smashed with a sledgehammer. In all, 77 artifacts were stolen...

Louvre Upgrades Asset Management

ArtfixDaily / March 5th, 2012

An institution established in the 18th century is joining the ranks of 21st century smart buildings. IBM announced a partnership with the Louvre to preserve and protect its artwork and facilities, which cover more than 650,000 square feet, making the Parisian museum one of the largest in the ...

Getty Acquires 25 Ansel Adams Photographs

ArtfixDaily / March 5th, 2012

A California couple has gifted 25 iconic images by acclaimed 20th century photographer Ansel Adams (American, 1902–1984) to the J. Paul Getty Museum. Carol Vernon and her husband Robert Turbin donated “The Museum Set” in memory of Marjorie and Leonard Vernon, who purchased the images directly ...

Hong Kong's Art Scene Sprouts More Buds

ArtfixDaily / March 5th, 2012

Beijing and Shanghai have long had significant art scenes, and been home to a number of notable artists, such as Beijing’s high-profile Ai Weiwei (who recently sold his “Sunflower Seeds 2010” to the Tate Modern for an undisclosed amount). Yet, it is Hong Kong that has fast become...

Betting Much on Munch Auction Record

ArtfixDaily / March 4th, 2012

For those looking for action on the star lot in Sotheby’s May 2 sale of Impressionist and modern works in New York, Ladbrokes betting service has provided an alternative way to be part of the excitement.  The London-based gambling company has been taking bets on the final price for an 1895 ...

Leslie Hindman African-American Art Auction Sells Out

ArtfixDaily / March 2nd, 2012

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers' inaugural auction featuring Works by African American artists was completely sold out, making it a "white glove" sale. Aggressive phone and internet bidding brought strong prices overall for the March 1 sale in Chicago. Among the highlights were historic paintings ...