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$316 Million Sotheby's Auction Belies Deep Recession
Reuters / November 10th, 2011
The contemporary art market roared past recession woes, floundering worldwide economies, and a contingent of noisy Occupy Wall Street protesters outside Sotheby's on Wednesday to deliver an above-estimate $315.8 million sale.
Robust Sales in Postwar and Contemporary Art Week; Sotheby's Sells $61.7 Million Clyfford Still, Christie's Led by $43 Million Lichtenstein
ArtfixDaily / November 9th, 2011
The series of postwar and contemporary art auctions in New York have boasted very strong results and numerous record prices so far this week. Two days of sales at Phillips de Pury totalled $78 million, Christie's evening sale with part of the Peter Norton collection topped $247 million, and ...
Christo Gets Go-Ahead to Swathe the Arkansas River in Silver
New York Times / November 9th, 2011
Noted environmental artist Christo has gained the US government’s approval for his controversial 42-mile wrapping project on the Arkansas River. “Over the River,” required an extensive environmental impact report...
Two Dozen Sculptures from Cleveland Museum of Art at Auction
Cleveland Plain Dealer / November 8th, 2011
The Cleveland Museum of Art is offering a carefully-considered selection of 24 sculptures from its collections at a Christie's sale in New York on Nov. 22. Mostly 19th-century reproductions of Renaissance-era pieces, the sculptures were deemed by curators as non-essential to the museum's ...
Chinese Citizens Rally in Aid of Ai Weiwei to Cover $2.4 Million Tax Bill; His Work On View in New York, Miami, Taipei
ArtfixDaily / November 4th, 2011
The Chinese government claims influential artist and activist Ai Weiwei owes $2.4 million in back taxes. Thousands of individual Chinese have since sent money to his Internet account to help pay the bill within the ten-day deadline...
Slow Growth for Artnet Online Auctions, Says Skates
Skate's / November 3rd, 2011
Financial results released by artnet for nine months ending September 30, 2011, were "disappointing," according to Skate's Market Notes. The firm has taken losses on its 3-year-old online art auctions and more so on its magazine publication business.
Artists Sue California Galleries Over Resale Royalties
Los Angeles Times / November 2nd, 2011
The foundation of the late abstract painter Sam Francis is the lead plaintiff in class-action lawsuits filed Tuesday against nine galleries in California, alleging that they did not pay owed artist's royalties on resold artworks.
$40.4 Million Klimt, Museum's Monet Boost Sotheby's Auction
ArtfixDaily / November 2nd, 2011
A Gustav Klimt landscape painting that was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owner brought $40.4 million at Sotheby’s near-$200 million Impressionist and modern art sale in New York on Wednesday evening.
Record Price for Max Ernst in Spotty Christie's Sale
Reuters / November 1st, 2011
Top lots languished in Christie's auction of Impressionist and modern art on Tuesday evening in New York even while several works notably soared above estimates. Max Ernst's "The Stolen Mirror" quadrupled its low estimate to bring...
New York Gallery Sued Over Nazi-looted Modigliani Painting
ArtfixDaily / November 1st, 2011
A New York City art gallery refuses to return a portrait by Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) that a French man claims was his grandfather's until Nazis confiscated it during World War II.
The Story Behind Leonardo's Lost Painting
CNN / October 31st, 2011
Perhaps 15 paintings by Leonardo da Vinci survive today, including the iconic ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper.’ A newly-authenticated work by the Renaissance master – known as 'Salvator Mundi ' or ‘Saviour of the World’ – has caused a sensation in the art world. It depicts the head ...
Art Forgers Receive Light Sentence in German Court
Bloomberg / October 29th, 2011
Wolfgang Beltracchi, 60, received six years in prison for his role in a massive art forgery ring in Germany that netted him in excess of 10 million euros ($14 million) for 14 fake artworks. Falsely attributed to...
WSJ. Magazine Names Ai Weiwei as Art "Innovator of the Year"
ArtfixDaily / October 26th, 2011
Chinese activist and artist Ai Weiwei has seen his star rise higher this month. He led ArtReview’s annual ranking of the 100 most influential people in the art world and has now been named "Innovator of the Year" in art by WSJ. Magazine.
Preview of Wal-Mart Heiress's Crystal Bridges Museum
Bloomberg / October 25th, 2011
The press preview for the new Crystal Bridges museum, in Bentonville, Arkansas, revealed some 450 works from the American art collection recently assembled by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton, including newly announced acquisitions.
Bucks County Artists Dazzle in Michener Exhibition
The Morning Call / October 23rd, 2011
"The Painterly Voice: Buck's County's Fertile Ground," now on view at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Penn., is a major exhibition with more than 200 paintings from over 35 sources, including private collectors and institutions.
Hirst, Ruscha Among Seven-Figure Sales at FIAC
Bloomberg / October 20th, 2011
An international crowd has descended upon Paris for FIAC, the annual event featuring first rate offerings of cutting-edge contemporary art and 20th-century masters. Billionaire buyers such as Christie's owner Francois Pinault and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault were...
Interviews with Sotheby's Locked-out Art Handlers
Metro Focus / October 20th, 2011
The 43 art handlers locked-out of Sotheby's over a labor dispute since August 1 have been more than picketing the New York headquarters of the auction house. Several spoke up about...
Christie's, Sotheby's Sued by Artists over Royalties
Los Angeles Times / October 19th, 2011
A pair of class action lawsuits were filed on Tuesday against Christie's and Sotheby's alleging that the auction houses violated the California Resale Royalty Act. Painter Chuck Close is among the plaintiffs.
Hedge Funders Use Art Collections to Secure Loans
Bloomberg / October 18th, 2011
With borrowing costs at record lows and prices for top-tier artworks soaring at auction, private banks are increasingly doling out loans to ultra-rich clients who use their art collections as collateral. Picassos and Pollock...
£26.7m Guardi Painting Barred from Export
Guardian / October 17th, 2011
The U.K.'s arts minister has placed a temporary export ban on a monumental 18th-century painting by Francesco Guardi to allow time for a buyer to come up with enough money to keep the work in Britain. Formerly in the collection of the Guinness family, of brewing fame, the painting has been ...