ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World
News Feed Search
Greece Debt Restructuring Blamed for Sotheby's Shares Fall After Banner Year
Bloomberg / March 1st, 2012
Sotheby's shares fell 9 percent based on lower auction revenues and fears about the European sovereign debt crisis. The auction house recently reported its second best year ever in 2011 with a profit of $171.4 million. Consolidated sales reached $5.8 billion, including a 65 percent increase in private sales.
Occupy Wall Street Takes Aim at Whitney Biennial
ArtfixDaily / February 29th, 2012
Hard on the heels of a faux Whitney Biennial website being set up to mock the museum for its corporate ties, an Occupy Wall Street (OWS) group has written a letter calling for the Biennial’s cessation in 2014.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Debuts Free Online Catalog of American Art
ArtfixDaily / February 29th, 2012
For the first time in a generation, a publication has been dedicated to documenting the Boston Museum of Fine Art’s world-renowned holdings of American paintings, along with those that represent the broader spectrum of the Americas. The free digital publication features...
Art Thief Gets Sentenced for Hotel Lobby Heists
Newsday / February 28th, 2012
A sometime sommelier and Manhattan restaurant staffer who had a penchant for pricey artwork was sentenced to 1 to 3 years of prison time for theft in New York on Tuesday. Mark Lugo, 31, has already served 138 days behind bars for stealing...
Part of Hitler's Art Cache Uncovered in Czech Monastery
ArtfixDaily / February 27th, 2012
Seven paintings, formerly owned by infamous dictator Adolph Hitler, have been located at a monastery in the Czech Republic. The paintings were apparently stashed in Bohemia towards the end of World War II, at the Vyssi Brod monastery. Just recently, historian and writer...
Gagosian To Roll Out Another Picasso Blockbuster
ArtfixDaily / February 25th, 2012
At times controversial but perennially uber-successful art gallery owner Larry Gagosian continues to show his clout with high sales. The world's biggest fine art dealer and its best-selling artist are a winning combination, evidenced by Gagosian's series of three popular Picasso shows that drew ...
Mystery over Modern Masters Authenticity Boils On
New York Times / February 22nd, 2012
Court documents have begun to expose a little bit of the intrigue behind an art world scandal. The authenticity of a cache of works attributed to giants of Abstract Expressionism, from Jackson Pollock to Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko to Willem de Kooning, is under investigation by the F.B.I. Details are emerging piecemeal in lawsuits. When Knoedler & Co. closed abruptly in December..
Monumental Work by Sargent Johnson to Stay in California, Just Further South
ArtfixDaily / February 22nd, 2012
UC Berkeley’s loss is a gain for the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, in regards to a spectacular 22-foot long carved wood relief created by African-American artist Sargent Johnson. Part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 30s, Johnson was the first California ...
Munch's 'The Scream' Might Muster $80 Million at Auction
ArtfixDaily / February 21st, 2012
One of four versions of Edvard Munch’s iconic “The Scream” will lead Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern sale on May 2 in New York. This widely-recognized masterpiece, painted in 1895, is the last version to be privately held, and has been in the possession of Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen ...
Palm Springs Blooms with Art Shows, Museum Exhibits, Sunnylands Opening
ArtfixDaily / February 20th, 2012
The California desert is alive with art this winter. A new art fair hit the ground running during the 11-day Palm Springs Modernism Week (through Feb. 26). The Palm Springs Art Museum has mounted a notable exhibition of ethereal landscapes by Lockwood de Forest on view through April 8 and the ...
Getty Museum Appoints New Director Who Will "Think Big"
ArtfixDaily / February 19th, 2012
As of September 1, the Getty Museum will have a new director, a position that has been empty since the departure of Michael Brand over two years ago. The incoming director will be...
Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show Returns with 'Something for Everyone'
Palm Beach Post / February 16th, 2012
With nearly 180 international dealers exhibiting thousands of artworks and objects at the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show, held over President's Day weekend, the largest vetted antiques show in the U.S. is underway. Among this year's highlights is...
Bacon Fires Up Christie's Auction; Richters Reap $30 Million at Sotheby's
ArtfixDaily / February 15th, 2012
There was more bank-breaking action at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s London auction houses over the last few days. Christie’s evening auction of Post-War and Contemporary art managed to rake in $126.5 million, with a Francis Bacon going for over $33.4 million...
Hirst 'Spot' Painting, Art Owned by Tech Titan Peter Norton at Christie's Inaugural 'Open Sale'
ArtfixDaily / February 8th, 2012
American software entrepreneur and pioneering art collector Peter Norton is planning to auction off additional works from his prized contemporary art collection. The Silicon Valley technology guru already sold off a significant portion of his collection at Christie’s last November, raking in ...
VIP Art Fair Attracts Curious Eyeballs
Forbes / February 14th, 2012
The recent second attempt at the virtual VIP Art Fair resulted in another slow launch as a next generation art marketplace. While this edition, VIP 2.0, did not have the myriad technical issues of the first try in January 2011, actual sales were reportedly disappointing even with 150,000 site visits.
Painter Will Barnet Receives National Medal of Arts
ArtfixDaily / February 13th, 2012
President Obama on Monday awarded the 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal on two organizations and 15 individuals---from artist Will Barnet to Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino. Among those honored with the National Medal of Arts...
Richter Rising
ArtfixDaily / February 12th, 2012
German artist Gerhard Richter’s star was ascendant throughout 2011 and it looks to stay that way through 2012. In November of 2011 his “Abstraktes Bild” went for over $20 million at auction, making it a record sale for the artist. According to Skates, the now 80-year-old artist is currently...
Elizabeth Taylor Estate Auctions Wrap with $183.5 Million Total
ArtfixDaily / February 9th, 2012
Star power drove prices for items from actress Elizabeth Taylor's estate to five, ten or even 50 times their pre-sale estimates at a series of Christie's sales. Bidders worldwide clamored for 1,817 lots of fine art, jewelry, fashion, decorative arts and memorabilia from the late Taylor's personal ...
Christie's Sale Tumbles Records; Mixed Results at Sotheby's
ArtfixDaily / February 8th, 2012
Records were smashed at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale, along with The Art of the Surreal auction, in London on February 7. Though not all of the 88 lots sold, new top prices were made for modern masters and Surrealists, for a total take of £134,999,400 ($213,299,052). A ...
Aphrodite and the Gods of Love Exhibition Tours the U.S.
ArtfixDaily / February 7th, 2012
Aphrodite may be the best known of all the classical Greco-Roman goddesses, recognized for her beauty, and as symbol of love and lust. Her allure has been spoken of for centuries; the Aphrodite of Knidos sculpted by Praxiteles in the 4th century B.C. was the first life-size female nude, both ...