Pinault procures Polke paintings
theartnewspaper.com
Polke paintings were bought by Francois Pinault for his Venice museum, with plans to open in 2009; Gordon VeneKlasen of Michael Werner commented on the deal and the room designed for the works.
Monthly archive
May 2007 Market Intelligence
28 headlines
Source-linked reporting
Headlines
28 headlinesKate Moss Photographs Total £183,000 at Christie’s
Christie’s
Four photographs of Kate Moss sold for a combined £183,000 at Christie’s London. Chuck Close’s six-print set led at £84,000, followed by an Albert Watson image at £54,000 and Irving Penn’s Kate Moss (Hand on Neck) at £38,400.
Skradziono skrzypce Stradivariusa in Vienna worth millions
wiadomosci.onet.pl
The article reports the theft of a Stradivari violin in Vienna, valued at at least 2 million euros (potentially up to 2.5 million euros). The instrument was kept in a safe accessed with a thermal cutting torch; additional violins worth about 120,000 euros and three valuable bows were also stolen. The burglary occurred at a musician's home, whose identity was not disclosed.
Monet Masterpiece Leads £14–19 Million Private Collection at Christie’s
Christie’s
Christie’s announced a ten-work American collection for its June Impressionist and Modern Art sales in London, estimated at £14–19 million. Claude Monet’s Les arceaux de roses, Giverny led at £9–12 million, joined by works from Pissarro, Signac, Renoir and Chagall.
Burglars steal Stradivari violin in Austria
english.pravda.ru
News item reports a Stradivari violin worth up to EUR2.5 million (US$3.36 million) plus a Vuillaume violin and three bows were stolen from a Vienna musician; police described the perpetrators as professionals. The victim was a 49-year-old musician involved in a recital in Germany when the break-in occurred, and Antonio Giacomo Stradivari is noted as the renowned master builder of violins.
Warhol’s 71.7 million crash crowns Christie’s contemporary auction
artnews.com
Warhol’s $71.7M Crash crowns Christie’s Contemporary Auction. The article discusses Christie’s postwar and contemporary sale, totaling $384.6 million with day sales bringing the combined total to $477.7 million, and notes Warhol’s Green Car Crash and Had Lemon Marilyn performances, with Warhol’s works leading the market alongside pieces by Mark Rothko and others.
In Vienna, Stradivarius violin stolen from private residence
lenta.ru
A Stradivarius violin valued at two and a half million euros was stolen from a safe in a private Vienna home, along with a Vilmos violin valued at 120,000 euros and two bows totaling 12,000 euros. The owner, a 49-year-old violinist, reported the theft after returning from a concert in Germany; the thief used an acetylene torch and the suspect remains at large as Interpol issues a wanted notice.
V Rakousku byly ukradeny vzácné stradivárky za 70 milionů korun
denik.cz
The article reports the theft of valuable Stradivarius violins from a Vienna apartment. The ensemble included a Stradivarius valued at about 2.5 million euros (roughly 70.7 million Kč), plus another Vuillaume violin and three historical bows. International police via Interpol issued a search for the instruments.
Ukraden Stradivari vrijedan 2 milijuna eura
24sata.hr
The article reports that a Stradivari violin, valued between 2 and 2.5 million euros, was stolen from a musician in Vienna. It also mentions another violin by French maker Jean Baptiste Vuillaume valued around 120,000 euros, plus jewelry and electronic equipment.
Young artists shine at Phillips’s record-breaking sale
artnews.com
The article reports Phillips, de Pury & Company’s main evening sale on May 17, where 74 lots totaled $33.3 million, setting a Phillips record and achieving 14 new records. Notable works include Anselm Reyle’s 2005 painting on foil, John Chamberlain’s 1962 sculpture, Andy Warhol’s Colored Campbell’s Soup Can, Gerhard Richter’s Three Grays One Upon the Other, Donald Judd’s Untitled (Swiss Box Progression), John Baldessari’s Hands/Horses (To Agree), and Baldessari’s Street Scene and Reclining Person (with shoes) from the Overlap series; the sale highlighted strong results for young or mid-career artists.
Похищена скрипка Страдивари стоимостью 2,5 млн евро
utro.ru
Article reports that thieves stole a Stradivarius violin valued at €2.5 million from a home safe; another violin in the same incident was valued at €120,000. The instrument is attributed to Antonio Stradivari. The piece also mentions a historically notable Stradivarius violin found in a trash bin in Los Angeles in 2004 valued at $3.5 million and other anecdotes about Stradivari instruments.
Roban en Viena un violín Stradivarius valorado en 2,5 millones de euros
elmundo.es
A violin labeled as a Stradivarius, valued at about 2.5 million euros, was stolen in Vienna from a Austrian musician's residence. A Vuillaume violin valued at about 120,000 euros, plus jewelry and electronics, also disappeared; the violins were kept in a safe that was forced, and the thieves are described as professionals.
Ukradena Stradivarijeva violina vrijedna 2 milijuna eura
ezadar.net.hr
The article reports that a Stradivari violin worth between two and 2.5 million euros was stolen from a musician in Vienna. Also stolen were a Vuillaume violin worth about 120,000 euros, jewelry, and electronic equipment.
Record for Aboriginal artwork sets world record at over A$1 million
nzherald.co.nz
Emily Kame Kngwarreye's Earth's Creation sold for A$1.056 million, setting a new world record for an Aboriginal artwork; the painting relates to Australia's indigenous creation myth and Kngwarreye began painting at 80, producing more than 4000 works before her death. The previous record was A$778,000 for Rover Thomas' All That Big Rain Coming From The Top Side in 2001.
Rothko and Bacon set records at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale in May 2007
theartwolf.com
Mark Rothko’s White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) sold for $72,800,000 and Francis Bacon’s Study from Innocent X, 1962 sold for $52,680,000 at Sotheby’s New York spring evening sale, totaling $254,874,000 for the Contemporary Art sale in May 2007.
Christie’s London Contemporary Evening Sale Estimated at £54–74 Million
Christie’s
Christie’s announced what it called Europe’s most valuable Post-War and Contemporary Art evening sale, carrying a £54–74 million estimate. Lucian Freud’s Bruce Bernard led a major School of London group, while works by Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol were each estimated up to £7 million.
Rothko painting brings record auction price
slate.com
Rothko’s White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) sold for 72.8 million dollars at Sotheby’s, setting a new record for a contemporary artwork at auction. The piece had a clear provenance linked to David Rockefeller and MoMA connections, and Rockefeller pledged to donate the proceeds to charity.
Frantisek Kupka painting sets Czech auction record
english.radio.cz
Frantisek Kupka's Abstract Composition sold for 13.4 million Czech crowns (about $642,500) in Prague, setting a Czech auction record for a work by a Czech painter; the bidder was anonymous and the work was titled Abstraktni kompozice (Abstract Composition).
Court rules Liz Taylor can keep van Gogh painting
reuters.com
Reuters reports that actress Elizabeth Taylor can retain the 1889 van Gogh work View of the Asylum and Chapel at Saint-Remy after a U.S. appeals court ruled the Orkin family waited too long to pursue ownership. Taylor purchased the painting at Sotheby’s in London in 1963 for 92,000 pounds.
Ont. man loses fight with Liz Taylor for van Gogh painting
cbc.ca
The article concerns an Ontario man and his cousins who sued actress Elizabeth Taylor for the return of Vincent van Gogh's Vue de l'Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy, claiming it was confiscated by the Nazis. A U.S. federal Appeals Court ruled they had no right to sue due to the statute of limitations and related issues.
Andrea Amati in Genova a mostra dei capolavori della liuteria cremonese
bitculturali.it
The page reports on the exhibition Andrea Amati a Genova, dedicated to Cremonese violin making, held at Palazzo Tursi in Genova from 18 May to 10 June 2007. It mentions the violino Amati Carlo IX from the Cremonese civic collection and Paganini’s Cannone by Guarneri del Gesù, highlighting the Amati family’s influence on violin making and a related seminar at Palazzo Ducale on 28 May 2007 with speakers including Carlo Chiesa, Bruce Carlson, Fausto Cacciatori, Marco Fioravanti, Alberto Giordano, and Pio Montanari.
Liz Taylor allowed to keep Van Gogh painting
today.com
Elizabeth Taylor can keep the 1889 Van Gogh painting Vue de l Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy, after a U.S. appeals court ruled the Orkin family waited too long to seek return. Taylor purchased the work at Sotheby’s in 1963 for 92,000 pounds and keeps it at her Los Angeles-area home.
Austria returns Edvard Munch painting to Mahler's granddaughter
playbill.com
A painting by Edvard Munch, Sommernacht am Strand (Summer Night on the Beach), was returned by the Austrian government to Marina Fistoulari-Mahler, granddaughter of Gustav Mahler, after a 60-year legal battle. The work had been held by the Belvedere museum in Vienna since Alma Mahler-Werfel loaned it there in 1937; its history involves Anschluss-era dispossession and later restitution discussions.
Red Light in Russia for Teen Fiddler
npr.org
NPR reports on Jing Wang, an eighteen-year-old violinist, who was detained at a Russian airport for not declaring his expensive Stradivarius; after proving the violin was genuine, officials issued him a bodyguard. Jing plays the Round of the Goblins by Antonio Bazzini.
Whiteley painting sells for record price
abc.net.au
Brett Whiteley’s Opera House painting sold in Sydney for a record $2.8 million, including a buyer's premium of $400,000. Sotheby’s had indicated the work could fetch more than $3 million, and the hammer price was $2.8 million; the money raised from the auction goes to state-based scholarships for Australian artists. The Old Time by John Brack sold for $3.36 million, with a previous record of $3.1 million.
Musicians sought for orchestra
blueridgenow.com
The article reports that the Greenville Symphony Orchestra is holding auditions for per service string positions in each string section and for substitute/extra musicians in all sections. Auditions are scheduled in Greenville on June 6 for sub/extra musicians (wind, brass, percussion) and on June 7 for section violin, viola, cello, bass positions and sub/extra musicians (strings). Interested applicants should send a letter of interest with a one-page résumé to obtain the list of excerpts, application form, and additional information; inquiries must be postmarked, faxed, or emailed by Friday.
Elizabeth Taylor wins court battle over Vincent van Gogh painting
fineartnews.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Taylor wins an US appeals court case regarding a Vincent van Gogh painting. The Orkin family claimed Nazi seizure, but the court ruled they waited too long to pursue return after learning of the painting’s whereabouts.
Contemporary Art soars at Sotheby’s Hong Kong sales
artnews.com
Xu Beihong’s Put Down Your Whip won $9.28 million, a Chinese painting and artist record. Liu Ye’s Sinking Ship sold for $907,000, setting an auction record for the artist. Zhang Xiaogang’s Tiananmen No. 1 sold for $1.99 million to an Asian private collector.