ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Manhattan DA Seizes More Antiquities from Billionaire Collector

New York Times / January 6th, 2018

Antiquities that prosecutors say were looted from Greece and Italy were taken from the Manhattan home and office of billionaire collector Michael H. Steinhardt on Friday. Known for his Greek artifact collection and patronage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, hedge fund manager Steinhardt ...

Giant Balloon Adrift from Art Installation Causes Chaos in London

Time Out / January 5th, 2018

A giant inflatable balloon that went up in Oxford Circus to promote the Lumiere London art festival brought a bit of unexpected publicity for the event. When high winds picked up, the art installation came loose and tossled over the busy shopping district, during rush hour, causing havoc for ...

Lawsuit Erupts Over George Inness Painting Consignment

Courthouse News Service / January 5th, 2018

An 1877 landscape painting by American artist George Inness is at the center of a dispute over its consigment to a gallery by the family's matriarch. Tennessee couple Richard and Becky Hearty filed a complaint in Cleveland. They contend that Richard J. Hearty Sr. gifted the piece to ...

La Salle University Faces Backlash Over Planned Sale of Artworks

Philly.com / January 4th, 2018

La Salle University in Philadelphia announced plans this week to sell 46 artworks from its museum collections to help fund teaching and learning initiatives, according to school officials. The art, includings works by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Georges Rouault, and Albert Gleizes, ...

The Most Popular Art News Stories on ARTFIXdaily in 2017

ArtfixDaily / December 30th, 2017

Top art news stories in 2017 included: Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi Sold for a Mind-Boggling Record Art Price of $450.3 Million The Jesus portrait will head to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, but it's still unclear whether the Saudi crown prince bought it as a gift for the museum, or if it's a loan, or if ...

ARTFIXdaily Closed from Dec. 18 to 31 - Happy Holidays!

ArtfixDaily / December 14th, 2017

ARTFIXdaily will closed from Dec. 18 to 31, with e-newsletter service resuming on January 1, 2018. Thank you to our readers and ArtGuild members for contributing to an art-filled world in 2017! Happy Holidays! IMAGE SHOWN: Set designer Es Devlin is known for the kinetic illuminated ...

ARTFIXdaily Closed through Thursday, Dec. 14

ArtfixDaily / December 11th, 2017

ARTFIXdaily will be closed through this Thursday, Dec. 14, and e-newsletter service will return to inboxes on Friday, Dec. 15. The closure will resume Dec. 18-31. Happy Holidays!

The Getty, Skirball Cultural Center Close Under Wildfire Threat

LA Times / December 6th, 2017

The Getty Center closed to protect its art collections on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as several fast-moving wildfires raged in Southern California.  Erupting after destructive fires to the north have forced mass evacuations, the Skirball Fire shut down the I-405 early Wednesday ...

New Twists in 'Salvator Mundi' Tale as the Jesus Portrait Heads to Louvre Abu Dhabi

ArtfixDaily / December 6th, 2017

UPDATE, Sunday: Initial reports last week that the world's most expensive painting sold to a little-known Saudi prince have raised more questions about its new ownership. Reports claimed the 32-year-old Prince Bader bought the painting on behalf of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, a ...

George Washington's Diamond Eagle Medal On Display With Newly-Discovered 7-Foot Watercolor in Philadelphia Exhibition

ArtfixDaily / December 6th, 2017

The Diamond Eagle — an exquisite jewel-encrusted medal owned and worn by George Washington — is now on display in Philadelphia for the first time since it was presented to Washington in the city 233 years ago, and it will be shown this winter with a rare, newly-found Revolutionary War-era ...

Lubaina Himid is First Non-White Woman, and the Oldest Person, to Win Turner Prize

Guardian / December 5th, 2017

Britain's prestigious Turner Prize, awarded in contemporary art, has named its 2017 recipient--an artist who has worked for decades. The winner is Tanzania-born and Lancashire-based Lubaina Himid, age 63, and her challenging pieces, such as crockery painted with scenes of slavery from Britain’s ...

From Abstraction Innovators to Protest Art, Art Basel Miami Beach Mixes Up Eclectic Offerings

ArtfixDaily / December 4th, 2017

From December 7 to December 10, with a VIP preview on Dec. 6, Art Basel's 16th edition in Miami Beach features 268 leading galleries within a more-spaciously redesigned floorplan at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC).  2017 is an important year for the cultural scene in ...

Trump Drastically Reduces Two National Monuments

New York Times / December 4th, 2017

We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune. — Teddy Roosevelt Teddy Roosevelt's Antiquities Act was meant to give federal protections to historical, natural ...

The Most Instagrammed Museums in the World

ArtfixDaily / November 30th, 2017

Data from Instagram has ranked the most popular museums in the world on the image sharing platform.  Chart-topping in attendance at 7.4 million annual visitors is the Mona Lisa's home --- the Louvre --- which unsurprisingly ranks highest on the World's Most ...

5 Ways the Proposed Tax Bill Affects the U.S. Art World

ArtfixDaily / November 29th, 2017

The proposed tax overhaul could have big consequences on the U.S. art market and museums. With details in flux even after the Senate votes, the tax plan is being pushed quickly in order to take effect on January 1, 2018. Experts say it heavily favors the richest 1 percent ...

The Age of Jesus Christ's Tomb Revealed

National Geographic / November 29th, 2017

Over the centuries, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre has suffered violent attacks, fires, and earthquakes. It was totally destroyed in 1009 and subsequently rebuilt, leading modern scholars to question whether it could possibly be the site identified as the burial place of Christ by a ...

Wende Museum Showcases Material Culture of the Cold War Era

ArtfixDaily / November 28th, 2017

The Wende Museum in its new location in Culver City, Calif., is a collections-based research and education institute that preserves Cold War artifacts and history, making resources available to scholars and applying historical lessons of the past to the present. From a vandalized bust of ...

ARTFIXdaily Closed for Thanksgiving Week

ArtfixDaily / November 19th, 2017

ARTFIXdaily will be closed the week of November 20 for the Thanksgiving holiday. E-newsletter service will resume on Monday, November 27. ArtGuild members may continue to post content to the ArtWire and calendar during the closure. Happy Thanksgiving!

$450.3 Million Leonardo Da Vinci Painting Shatters Auction Records

ArtfixDaily / November 15th, 2017

The $100 million estimate was apparently pretty conservative. Leonardo da Vinci's painting 'Salvator Mundi' or ‘Savior of the World’ broke all records for art at auction when it soared to $450.3 million (with fees) at Christie's on Wednesday night in New York. The mind-blowing ...

$1.6 Billion Auction Week Underway with a Leading Leonardo

New York Times / November 14th, 2017

New York's auction gigaweek has begun with several marquee lots in this anticipated annual series. Much talked about so far have been the auctions lots that were not offered, and the superstar---a Jesus Christ painting by Leonardo da Vinci---in the Wednesday evening sale at Christie's. ...