ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

California Art Studio Raises $100K in 2 Days for Fire Relief

SFGate / October 15th, 2017

The San Francisco artist-couple behind a popular "I Love You California" art print ran a 2-day fundraiser that quickly generated $100,000 for fire relief in Northern California. 3FishStudios partnered with The What newsletter and Next Draft mailing list to get word out about the special ...

Gallerist Gary Nader to Sell $100 Million of His Art to Fund Museum

Miami New Times / October 12th, 2017

Art dealer Gary Nader plans to sell about $100 million worth of works from his collection to fund the building of a new museum in downtown Miami. Several blue-chip works---by the likes of Picasso and Botero---from Nader's personal collection are set to be sold during Art Basel Miami Beach in ...

Gurlitt's Art Dealer Finally Speaks About His Notorious Client

Swiss Info / October 12th, 2017

Swiss art dealer and auctioneer Eberhard Kornfeld broke his silence about client Cornelius Gurlitt in an interview, detailing how the reclusive collector sold off artworks. Gurlitt, who died in 2014, inherited over 1,200 artworks from his art dealer father who worked with the Nazis. He kept the ...

Trump Withdraws U.S. from UNESCO

New York Times / October 12th, 2017

The Trump administration announced plans on Thursday to withdraw from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Citing "anti-Israel bias" as the primary reason for withdrawal, the U.S. seeks to be a nonmember observer of the U.N. agency that designates cultural ...

California Wine Country Fires Engulf Historic Structures, Arts Center

SF Chronicle / October 9th, 2017

Fifteen wildfires raged through Northern California beginning Sunday night, destroying homes, schools, businesses, hotels, and multiple wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties and the vicinity. Ten people were reported dead and dozens were missing as of Monday evening. While the massive and ...

Snapchat's Virtual Jeff Koons Sculpture Vandalized

Fast Company / October 9th, 2017

A sculpture of a balloon dog by Jeff Koons that exists in augmented reality has been vandalized.  Just last week, Snap Inc. announced the new AR feature which allows users to discover virtual Koons art in public places around the world. A giant AR Koons piece in New York's Central Park ...

Newly Found Copy of Declaration of Independence at Auction in Nov.

New York Times / October 8th, 2017

A trove of historical documents belonging to a descendant of early British settlers in Long Island will emerge for the first time on the auction market next month, reports the New York Times. The star lot of the consignment is a copy of the Declaration of Independence--a rare and newly ...

Jeff Koons Partners With Snapchat on Augmented Reality Art Hunt

Hyperallergic / October 3rd, 2017

Remember the summer of Pokemon Go? People were popping up everywhere to play the interactive game with their smartphones. Now art will take it's turn in augmented reality, and it's art for art's sake. Artist Jeff Koons, known the world-over for his massive balloon dog sculptures, teamed up with ...

45-Foot Female Sculpture Could Head to National Mall

New York Times / October 3rd, 2017

Organizers of an annual vigil held at DC's National Mall plan to temporarily move a 45-foot sculpture of a female nude there to face the White House as part of a November gathering of activists. The "R-Evolution" sculpture stands tall in mountain pose, a yoga posture, and was first created ...

'Mona Lisa Nude Sketch' Found in French Collection

BBC / October 1st, 2017

A charcoal portrait of a nude woman is now thought to be a study for the Mona Lisa. The work was previously attributed to Leonardo da Vinci's studio, but experts have lately determined that the Renaissance master likely created the charcoal sketch, based on its size, age, stylistic ...

'Loving Vincent' Film Animates Van Gogh's Life and Work

ArtfixDaily / September 28th, 2017

The world's first fully painted feature film is an animated adventure featuring the tragic story and beloved artworks of Vincent van Gogh---and it's experienced as if viewing his life through the lens of his art. The film opened in New York last week, and debuts in LA on Friday before additional ...

Guggenheim Pulls Artworks from China Exhibition Amid Threats

ArtfixDaily / September 26th, 2017

Threats of violence have forced the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York to withdraw three controversial works featuring animals from an upcoming exhibition. "Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World," a survey of Chinese contemporary art made between the 1989 Tiananmen Square ...

Chinese Vase Sells for 10,000 Times Estimate in Swiss Auction

swissinfo / September 24th, 2017

Two bidders competed to send a Chinese vase to a record 5 million Swiss francs in Geneva. The pre-sale estimate for the piece was 500 to 800 Swiss francs. "Including the commission, the vase will cost the Asian buyer CHF6.08 million ($6.1 million)," auctioneer Olivier Fichot told the AFP ...

Missing Rubens Portrait Discovered in Glasgow

Guardian / September 24th, 2017

A painting by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens has been found in Glasgow after it was thought to have been lost for 400 years. The portrait was considered a copy of an original depicting George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, who was believed to have been James VI and I’s lover. It ...

Jasper Johns Plans Artists' Retreat at His Connecticut Estate

Sharon, Conn. / September 19th, 2017

The town of Sharon, Conn., has approved a plan proposed by representatives of modern master Jasper Johns for an artists' retreat. Johns, 87, owns a 170-acre country home and studio space there that would be converted into the retreat after his death. At a planning and zoning committee meeting ...

Banksy Adds Artworks to Barbican Ahead of Basquiat Exhibition

Guardian / September 18th, 2017

Street artist Banksy created two new murals outside central London's Barbican Art Gallery just prior to a major show of works by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat opening there on Sept. 21. On Instagram, Banksy describes one mural as “Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the ...

British Art Dealer Convicted of Stealing Artwork from Rolling Stones Guitarist

Rolling Stone / September 13th, 2017

British art dealer Jonathan Poole has been sentenced to prison for stealing artworks from his clients. Poole's clients included the Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, along with the estates of Miles Davis and John Lennon. He plead guilty to 26 charges of fraud and theft made between ...

Sotheby's Releases Estimates for Berkshire Museum Artworks

ArtfixDaily / September 12th, 2017

The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass., appears to be going forward with its planned sale of 40 artworks from its collections despite protests from museum professional organizations and art lovers. Over $50 million is estimated to be generated from the sales, and the museum has a ...

Antonio Banderas Stars as Picasso in NatGeo's 'Genius' Series

Variety / September 11th, 2017

Actor Antonio Banderas will portray Pablo Picasso in National Geographic’s “Genius” Season 2. The first season of “Genius”, which starred Geoffrey Rush as Einstein, was recently nominated for 10 Emmys, and was watched by over 45 million viewers globally, according to Variety. Picasso ...

Hemingway Museum Curators, Cats Ride Out Hurricane in Key West

Forbes / September 11th, 2017

Surrounded by lush gardens, the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum became a fortress to 11 staff members when Hurricane Irma made a direct hit on the Florida Keys over the weekend. Curator Dave Gonzales and 10 staff members, along with 54 cat descendants of Ernest Hemingway's own cat, ...