May 29, 2010
Filed under: Art Sales — Alan @ 5:03 am
Over the past year the art world has often been considered saved by Asian buyers. As the international art community once again is gearing up to commence in Hong Kong for another round of large scale sales, the major publicity is settling in around the world of Andy Warhol.
Up for sale at the Christie’s sale of contemporary Asian art on May 29 will be the ‘Mao’ Andy Warhol series along with a silkscreen ink print titled Myths. Both the series and piece of art will be on display at the 2010 Hong Kong International Art Fair which will span from May 27th to May 30th.
Of particular note is Myths which is slated to sell for US $12m and is thought to be the most expensive piece of art available at the Art Fair this year.
One preliminary fact that represents the international interest that is already building in the Asian art world is the fact that online bids are already being accepted for pieces at the sales along with sales that will soon take place from Bonham’s at the International Art Fair.
Regional managing director of Christie’s Asia, Jonathon Stone, stated that the auction market is slowly starting to recovery globally due to the high demand coming out of Asia, which is expected to continue to fuel growth throughout 2010.
In fact, in 2009 Asian art was the largest type of art category that was sold via Christie’s auctions and represents roughly 15% of all art sales outside of the leading categories of modern art and Impressionist.
May 21, 2010
Filed under: Art crime — Alan @ 9:09 pm
French police said that five paintings valued at £430 including pieces by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso were stolen from a museum yesterday.
A spokesman for the police stated that the works were reported missing from the Paris Museum of Modern Art and also included paintings by George Braque, Fernand Leger, and Amedeo Modigliani.
It was 7am when it was discovered that a window had been shattered and the padlock of a grille was smashed. A review of the CCTV footage showed a person had entered through the window.
Investigators and police had closed off the museum, which is located across the River Seine directly opposite of the Eiffel Tower.
Le Monde reported that since the paintings are very well known it will be hard for the thief to sell them on the open market. They also stated that in the past thefts of paintings were sold to private collectors.
A member of the museum staff stated that all questions regarding the theft could only be answered by the office of Bertrand Delanoe, the Paris mayor.
An investigation of the theft is underway by the France elite police unit, the Brigade de Repression du Banditisme.
In December of 2009 an Edgar Degas painting was stolen in Marseille during the night while on exhibition.
May 13, 2010
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 2:50 pm
Hundreds of school children are going to be allowed access to privileged areas of the top art galleries in London as part of a Louis Vuitton sponsored, one million pound project.
Children between the ages of 13 to 25 will be allowed to participate in behind the scenes tours and arts workshops at galleries such as the Whitechapel Gallery, Tate Britain, the South London Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the Hayward Gallery.
The participants will be selected from youth groups and schools located close to the galleries, including some of the more dilapidated areas of London.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has offered his official endorsement of the project, stating that it captures the Conservative policies that companies ought to offer something back to society.
Johnson spoke at the launch of the project stating that 31 years after Baroness Thatcher first took power Britain and since she first muted the idea that there cannot be creation of wealth without appropriate social missions, there are signs the business is listening.
Referring to the fashion handbag manufacturer, he stated that Louis Vuitton has been reaching forwards towards London’s youth, and has redefined the term ‘handbag economics.’
Director of the Whitechapel Gallery, Iwona Blazwick, stated that the students who participate will get to see the behind the scene art world operations such as arts administration and how pictures are properly hung.
The Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project is now under way with a summer academy that takes a more in-depth look at the art world for 30 people starting in August.
Watch this video to hear more about this his unique arts project.
May 7, 2010
Filed under: Art News — Alan @ 2:28 am
Dexter Dalwood, the artist behind the painting of Dr. David Kelly’s death, which echoed throughout the Scottish history via an astronaut on board of the Soviet space station in 2003 was acclaimed as original, unique, melancholic, and at sometimes even lyrical.
However, even though Dalwoods’ Bristol Banksy exhibition was extremely popular those who love him including the Turner Prize judge Andrew Nairne will be disappointed since the street artist did not make the final shortlist of the 2010 Turner prize.
His most notable painting is The Death of David Kelly which some people compare to The Death of Marat by Charlotte Corday and is thought to have a great historical value to it.
However, comparing these two paintings is a mistake given that Dalwoods’ is drastically different. In it is a tree that has a moon behind it sitting atop a mound which is thought to be a vision of Kelly’s death instead of a direct depiction of the manner in which he created suicide back in 2003.
Other glorified works by Dalwood include the Brighton Bomb and the Greenham Common dispute that are construed scenes from media pictures meant to exemplify his belief that history is just a piece of fiction that has been written and thus can be taken from a subjective point of view which should not be considered to be of any less value than any other images from a specific event or time.
