ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Ohio Couple Returns Nazi-Looted Baroque Painting to Poland

Washington Post / September 29th, 2015

A Baroque painting that has mostly resided in Ohio since World War II is returning to Poland. Krzysztof Lubieniecki's c. 1728 “Portrait of a Young Man” was taken from Poland's National Museum in Warsaw by the Nazis in 1944 and stashed away in an Austrian castle.  On ...

Norwegian Museum Puts Provenance on Display After Matisse Restitution

NYTimes / September 29th, 2015

Visitors to the exhibition, “In Search of Matisse,” which runs until Dec. 13 at the Henie Onstad art museum near Oslo, will not be seeing one of the museum's prized Matisses. The 1937 painting “Blue Dress in a Yellow Armchair" was returned last year to the heirs of French art dealer Paul ...

France Drops $89M Bid to Keep One Rembrandt Portrait from Rothschild Collection

Bloomberg / September 28th, 2015

Just days after the Netherlands announced it had the financing ready to repatriate two full-length portraits by Rembrandt van Rijn, France countered with a bid for just one of the pair. France's Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin said the Bank of France would offer 80 million euros ...

Murals of Hans Hofmann Headline Art Basel Season at Florida's Frost Museum

Frost Art Museum / September 28th, 2015

First-Ever Exhibition Celebrating Mid-Century Modern Master’s  Mural Projects  . . . Only Florida Showing & First Southeastern U.S. Stop Opening reception free & open to the public on Saturday, October 10 (4 – 7 p.m.) On view Through January 3 A riot of color roars in ...

Constable's Personal Version of The Lock Hits the Auction Block

Telegraph / September 27th, 2015

John Constable was at the height of his career when he showed a series of ethereal landscapes, including "The Hay Wain," at the Royal Academy in 1824. 'The Lock' sold immediately and when Constable returned to his studio, he recreated the painting to keep for himself. That second version ...

German Art Historian Tapped to Head the British Museum

Guardian / September 27th, 2015

A German art historian has been named to lead the British Museum, which ranks as the UK's most popular tourist attraction. Vast collections spanning human history and cultures from the Parthenon marbles to Navajo silver will be overseen by Hartwig Fischer, 53, the first ...

Award-Winning Architect Zaha Hadid Cuts Short Live BBC Interview

Guardian / September 24th, 2015

A live BBC radio interview on Thursday ended abruptly when Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid walked out on presenter Sarah Montague over a series of questions. With the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal awarded to her just this week, Hadid angrily ...

Lawsuits Over Authentication Are Silencing Artists' Foundations

Fortune / September 24th, 2015

While the European Fine Art Foundation estimated a robust $57.3 billion in global art sales last year, the number of fake artworks on the market  and hanging in museums could also be on the rise, reports Fortune. One reason is that art experts and authenticators are less ...

Old is New Again in New York Pop-Up Exhibition

T, The New York Times Style Magazine / September 23rd, 2015

Four renowned European antiques dealers are betting that American collectors are ready for fresh objects of desire. With eye-catching displays, they are looking to cultivate an interest in historical objects and centuries-old art with a new generation of American collectors ...

Nazi Gold Train Finders Claim 'Priceless' Amber Room Could Be Inside

Daily Mail / September 23rd, 2015

Two treasure hunters who say research led them to the site in Poland where a Nazi train supposedly laden with unknown documents and valuables is buried in a tunnel have a new claim. The pair says the long-lost Amber Room stolen from the Russian czars could be on board the ...

Footage from 1915 Shows Monet, Degas, Rodin and Renoir Just as You Pictured Them

OpenCulture / September 23rd, 2015

A motion picture camera in 1915 captured France's most famous artists in short vignettes that expose their everyday lives. Clips posted together recently by Open Culture show the artists both at work and promenading around Paris in their twilight years. Degas is shown in his 80s ...

Egypt Approves Radar Search for Queen Nefertiti's Tomb

DailyMail / September 23rd, 2015

A non-invasive radar scan of an area adjacent to King Tutankhamun's 3,300-year-old tomb in the Valley of the Kings was given preliminary approval by the Egyptian Cultural Ministry. New research by Dr. Nicholas Reeves of the University of Arizona claims that Nefertiti, who is thought to be ...

Rediscovered Rembrandt?: Bidders Pursue $800 Painting to $870,000

Art History News / September 23rd, 2015

A reader of Bendor Grosvenor's Art History News spotted a painting at Nye & Co.Auctioneers in New Jersey that on Tuesday soared beyond its estimate of $500-$800 to fetch $870,000. Internet buzz ensued around the opinion that the work was by Dutch master Rembrandt, specifically ...

Dutch Government and Rijksmuseum Near Closing Deal For Rothschild Rembrandts

Reuters / September 21st, 2015

Two Rembrandt portraits in the collections of France's Rothschild family are under final negotiations to be purchased by the Dutch government and the national Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The 160 million euro ($185 million) price tag is reported to be nearly financed for the ...

Broad Museum Debuts Amid Teacher Protests

NPR / September 20th, 2015

A band of about 100 teachers from the Los Angeles Unified School District protesting outside the Broad museum did not stop eager visitors from getting a first look at the collections inside. Ongoing plans for charter schools have some teachers unions up in arms, reports the LA Times. ...

Indian Artist F.N. Souza's 'Birth' Brings Record $4 Million at Auction

Christie's / September 20th, 2015

Considered to be one of his finest works, 'Birth' by famed Indian artist Francis Newton Souza sold for a record $4.08 million (with buyer's premium) at Christie's New York on Sept. 17. The price set the record both for the artist and for any Indian painting. The sale total came to $8.7 million ...

Brian Sewell, UK's Controverisal Art Critic, Remembered

Guardian / September 20th, 2015

Known for his disdain of modern art, critic Brian Sewell died at age 84 on Saturday. Writing for the London Evening Post since 1984, Sewell was well-known for his uncompromising snubs of the UK's top current artists, calling David Hockney “a vulgar prankster” and Tracey ...

Flawless 'Blue Moon' Diamond Could Fetch Record $55 Million

Forbes / September 17th, 2015

Weighing 12.03 carats, a blue diamond termed internally flawless by the GIA -- discovered in South Africa over a year ago -- could sell for a record $55 million at Sotheby's this fall. Dubbed the Blue Moon diamond, the buzzworthy stone will tour Hong ...

Crystal Bridges Acquires Oprah's Gift of Faith Ringgold Quilt to Maya Angelou

Huffpo / September 16th, 2015

A quilt by Faith Ringgold, the first quilt by the African-American artist ever to hit the auction market, brought $461,000 at Swann Galleries in New York on Sept. 15. The quilt led an auction totalling $1.3 million for 50 artworks from famed writer and activist Maya Angelou's estate. ...

U.S. Regulations on Ivory Sales May Change For Antique Trade

Eyewitness News / September 16th, 2015

For over a year, the antiques industry has been subject to tighter U.S. federal regulations on ivory sales. Congress will revisit this fall the 2014 regulations meant to protect an endangered species by curbing the ivory trade. Maine Antique Digest reported: ...