ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Art market rebound talk at Armory Week

Bloomberg / March 8th, 2010

Some exhibiting galleries at the bevy of fairs making up New York's Armory Week, which ended March 7, report the art market is back to "crazy," although collectors were keen to get quality at the right price. Sales at the Art Show included small watercolors depicting flowers and pregnant ...

Bonhams eyes Asia for expansion opportunities

Wall Street Journal / March 8th, 2010

Following last week's announcement that Bonhams will open an outpost in Tokyo, Robert Brooks, the London-based chairman of the international auction house, now plans to relaunch a branch in Australia. Bonhams already has a presence in Hong Kong, where rivals Christie's and Sotheby's have also set ...

Cost-cutting pushes up profits for Sotheby's

BusinessWeek / March 8th, 2010

Sotheby’s reported a fourth-quarter profit of $73.6 million, its second best quarter ever, reportedly due to a downsizing of staff (1/5 lost jobs), salary cuts, and the elimination of money-losing price guarantees. Chief Executive Officer William Ruprecht has now had his full salary restored to ...

Optimism, sales at New York's Armory Week

Luxist / March 7th, 2010

The modern and contemporary art fairs last week were upbeat. Luxist lists four reasons: Big names brought in buyers, solo booths let collectors focus on one artist, big-ticket sales were back, and traditional art provided a counter-point to the cutting-edge. Recent record-smashing auction ...

New York art fairs this weekend

New York Times / March 4th, 2010

The ADAA's Art Show, the Armory Show, and all the peripheral fairs are in full swing. Milton Avery's Wild Moon and Sea (1961) is one stand-out from Knoedler & Company at the Art Show. Click to view more highlights in a photo gallery compiled by the New York ...

The best of the best lures collectors to Maastricht

Financial Times / March 2nd, 2010

From a newly discovered “Winter Landscape with Skaters” (1611) by Adam van Breen – one of the earliest winter landscapes by any Dutch painter - offered by exhibitor John Mitchell, to a stunning Cycladic marble head from 2500-2400BC from dealer Rupert Wace, word is getting out about the treasures ...

Art dealer Ernst Beyeler passes away at 88

Mediabistro / March 2nd, 2010

Swiss art dealer turned collector Ernst Beyeler died last Thursday at his home in Basel. His career began at an antiquarian book and print shop, but really launched with some saavy purchases (ie., Klees, Giacomettis) from steel magnate David Thompson.  In 1997, Beyeler and his wife put ...

For buying modern masters and emerging talents, Armory Week is on

Bloomberg / March 2nd, 2010

New York's big week of 12 modern and contemporary art fairs and various events is buzzing with talk of pop artist Jeff Koons' curatorial picks from the collection of Greek tycoon Dakis Joannou. On view at the New Museum are 100 works in "Skin Fruit," including, of course, a Koons. At the Art ...

TEFAF aggregates the world's best art for sale

Hello Magazine / February 25th, 2010

Over 30,000 works of art, from antiquities to modern paintings, much of it desirable for pedigree, rarity, and beauty, will descend upon the Dutch town of Maastricht from March 12 to 21. With 263 top-tier exhibitors bringing the best of their blue-chip art, plus special sections for design, works ...

Sign of the Times: A pared down Whitney Biennial

Reuters / February 24th, 2010

New York's Whitney Museum staged a smaller version of its influential annual show featuring up-and-coming American artists. Just 55 artists were showcased this year, a reduction due, in part, to the wobbly U.S. economy. The curators didn't give the show a theme, but commented that "creepy" and ...

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion plans on fire

San Francisco Gate / February 23rd, 2010

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom orchestrated a deal for SFMOMA to take over property housing an aging, architecturally-challenged fire station. The museum would raze the building for a planned expansion, in part, to showcase the renowned collection of modern and contemporary art on long-term ...

London's Tate Britain shows a darker, deeper side of Henry Moore

Reuters / February 22nd, 2010

Sculptor Henry Moore is portrayed as a radical who explored a dark world of sex, war and death in a show that challenges his modern image as the creator of gentle figures that adorn windswept plazas around the world. Ranked among Britain's most famous 20th century artists, Moore was a ...

L.A. is on display at the European art fair ARCOmadrid

LA Times Arts / February 18th, 2010

The organizers usually focus on an entire country's art, but this year they chose Los Angeles. During its 29-year history, Spain's ARCOmadrid has grown to become not only Europe's largest art fair but also a magnet for the contemporary art world's elite. Every winter, top gallerists, ...

Banksy lampoons art market with more than his art

Bloomberg / February 15th, 2010

Banksy, the British street artist whose paintings have fetched as much as $1.9 million at auction, keeps his identity secret to avoid prosecution for graffiti. He introduced his debut film at the Berlin Film Festival via video message in a hooded sweater, his voice disguised. “Exit Through ...

ArtDubai aims to sell the best in a dubious situation

Daily Star / February 15th, 2010

Enthusiasm and criticism rule as the countdown begins for the fourth edition of the Emirati entrepot’s yearly art fair. Scheduled for March 17-20, ArtDubai is luring in international exhibitors with price-reduced booths. Among the value-adds for visitors to the show, an unveiling ...

It was a stunning work of art – so why is the Wall hanging in a Las Vegas loo?

Guardian / February 14th, 2010

The greatest artwork of the 20th century was 100 miles long and nearly 12ft high. A multitude of hands took 13 years to make it. They had to work fast to evade the ­border police, for they were working inside the perimeter of East Berlin. Until recently, no concerted attempt was made to ...

Bob Dylan canvases unveiled in London

Citizen - AFP / February 10th, 2010

On view Feb. 13 to April 10, "Bob Dylan on Canvas" at the Halcyon Gallery in London's upmarket Mayfair district includes pieces with price tags ranging from 95,000 to 450,000 pounds (150,000-700,000 dollars, 110,000-510,000 euros). Says the musician-artist, "I just draw what's interesting to ...

Part of Crichton's art trove going under gavel

Independent (UK) / February 7th, 2010

Best-selling science fiction writer Michael Crichton, creator of TV's ER drama and film-adapted books such as Jurassic Park, also left the legacy of a first-class art collection. Two years after his death in 2008, four of his privately-held paintings, worth an estimated £20m, are to be put up for ...

Billionaire Abramovich buoys contemporary art market

Bloomberg / January 19th, 2010

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought 35 contemporary artworks for his luxury yacht, “Eclipse,” according to the Millennium gallery in southwest England. While his recent purchases have tallied 200,000 pounds ($326,000), Abramovich is known to have spent much more for Francis Bacon’s 1976 ...

Warhol's Night: Images of money stoke art market

New York Times / November 12th, 2009

A seminal Warhol — one of the artist’s first silk-screen paintings — came on the block at Sotheby’s auction of contemporary art on Wednesday night. Bidding opened at $6 million for “200 One Dollar Bills,” which soared to $43.7 million (including fees). Also, the artist's 1962 sketch of a roll of ...