Monthly archive
23 headlines
Source-linked reporting
nbcnews.com
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts returned the 1911 Leger painting Smoke Over Rooftops to the heirs of Jewish art collector Alphonse Kann, after determining it was stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The work, valued at about $2.8 million at the time, had been in the museum since 1961 and was bequeathed by Putnam Dana McMillan.
startribune.com
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has returned Fernand Leger's 1911 painting Smoke Over Rooftops to the French heirs of Alphonse Kann, a Jewish art collector who died in 1948; the $2.8 million work was determined to be Nazi-looted during World War II after an extended investigation. Kaywin Feldman, director of the Institute, described returning the painting as the right thing to do.
reuters.com
Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch, a Renaissance panel, is being restored and returned to public view after a decade. The work, created around 1506 by Raphael and later repaired by Ridolfo di Ghirlandaio after its 1547 destruction, has undergone extensive scientific analysis and conservation at Florence's Opificio Delle Pietre Dure.
auctionpublicity.com
Canaletto works painted for Thomas Brand (The Hoo, Herefordshire) are being offered at Christie’s London in December 2008. The two Venice views, part of a quartet commissioned around 1738 through Consul Smith, are expected to realise over £7 million together.
nytimes.com
Picasso in Lust and Ambition discusses Picasso’s late-1930s portraits of his muse Marie-Thérèse Walter, including works like Nude on a Black Armchair and Le Rêve, shown at Acquavella Galleries; it notes the dynamic between love and art and references the famous painting Le Rêve and its 139 million price tag.
thetimes.com
The Onassis Foundation purchased an El Greco painting previously owned by Ferdinand Marcos to return it to Greece. The Crowning of the Virgin will be loaned to the national gallery of Greece. The painting was bought from an unidentified American dealer; the price was not disclosed.
lenta.ru
The article reports that a Stradivarius violin owned by German violinist and conductor Roderick von Bennigsen from Hanover was stolen from his ancestral castle. The instrument, valued at about three million euros, and additional items were taken. The theft was discovered after the fact, with police noting other items stolen from the castle and mentioning an annual classical music festival at Bennigsen's family castle.
indianartnews.visionsarts.com
Georgina Adam, Melanie Gerlis and Lindsay Pollock discuss the auction market at Frieze, noting strong sales for big-name works (e.g., Subodh Gupta, Hauser & Wirth) and long queues at Frieze Art Fair, with buyers more measured amid economic uncertainty.
bild.de
David Garrett, a star violinist, was detained at the airport while traveling from New York because he had his J.B. Guadagnini violin, valued at about 850,000 euros. The officer initially would not let him through, citing customs rules for non-EU travelers, but Garrett eventually was allowed to proceed after presenting proof of purchase and insurance.
nypost.com
WYNNS’S $TROKE OF LUCK is a New York Post article about Steve Wynn accidentally tearing Picasso’s Le Reve, the subsequent insurance and sale events, and the painting’s restoration and valuation changes.
artsjournal.com
The CultureGrrl page discusses the Museum of Arts and Design’s deaccessioned items being sold through Bonhams in New York, including a Wharton Esherick cherrywood table (est. $20/30,000), a Wendell Castle Plaintain coffee table (est. $8/12,000), wood vessels by Ed Moulthrop, Bob Stocksdale, Mark Lindquist, and Ron Kent, a Louise Bourgeois porcelain sculpture titled Fallen Women (produced by Sevres; could bring up to $5,000), and contemporary sculptures by Bretislav Novak, Rene Rubicek, Jaroslav Svoboda, and Dana Zamecnikova.
artnews.com
The page discusses Sotheby’s midseason Impressionist and Modern art sale drawing buyers from Europe, the U.S., and other regions, realizing $6.4 million with 81 percent of 326 lots sold and top prices including Zoran Music’s Nous ne sommes pas les derniers (1973) at $314,500 and Rudolf Bauer’s Sinfonie 23 (1919) at $254,400.
latimes.com
The article discusses Picasso’s Le Reve, which sold for $48.8 million in 1997 and sustained a hole in 2006, and its return to public view in a Picasso survey at Acquavella Galleries in New York. It notes the involvement of Steve Wynn, the damages in Las Vegas, and the ongoing market implications of repairs to Le Reve.
artforum.com
Lichtenstein Foundation acquires photographer Harry Shunk’s archive, including over 100,000 items and more than 60,000 of Shunk’s printed photographs, from an August public estate auction. The archive covers works by Yves Klein, Arman, Jean Tinguely, Niki de Saint Phalle, Christo, Magritte, Man Ray, Alexander Calder, and Roy Lichtenstein, with plans to organize and eventually make it available to scholars.
reuters.com
Jean-Michel Basquiat painting Untitled (Boxer) owned by Lars Ulrich is to be auctioned by Christie's in London and then in New York, with potential bids up to $12 million; Ulrich is a noted art collector who has previously sold Basquiat works.
thetimes.com
The Times reports that the Rubens painting The Apotheosis of James I was saved for the nation after a last-minute donation, with Tate Britain raising £6 million aided by public contributions. The work, a preparatory oil sketch for Rubens’ ceiling canvases in the Banqueting House, Whitehall, had been at risk of sale abroad; its value was cited as £11.5 million, with a £6 million asking price.
nytimes.com
Lars Ulrich, drummer of Metallica, consigned Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled (Boxer), a 1982 painting, for sale by Christie’s in New York the following month; the work is to be auctioned on November 12, with Ulrich having purchased it in 1999 after seeing it in a Vienna show.
nhmf.org.uk
The National Heritage Memorial Fund reports that the first preparatory sketch by Sir Peter Paul Rubens for the Banqueting House ceiling was saved for the nation. The artwork, The Apotheosis of James I and other studies, was secured after last-minute pledges from Tate, The Art Fund, and the National Heritage Memorial Fund, with Tate Members and trustees contributing to reach £5.7 million. The work will be displayed at Tate Britain; it is the first Rubens work to enter Tate’s collection.
reuters.com
Charles Saatchi opens a major new gallery in central London, hosting a show titled The Revolution Continues: New Art from China featuring Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang and Zeng Fanzhi. Sun Yuan and Peng Yu contribute the installation Old Persons Home; the event highlights Saatchi's return to the art scene after three years out of the limelight.
artinvestment.ru
Kazimir Malevich's painting Suprematist composition, dated 1916, is highlighted as part of Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Works sale in New York on November 3. The work, one of five by the artist, is valued around $60 million and had previously been in the collection of the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum via heirs. The article notes its historic exhibitions and accounts for its journey through Germany and storage before eventually passing to museums.
restitutiecommissie.nl
The binding opinion concerns The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah by Jan Steen, report RC 3.93, an Advisory Committee decision on restitution of a culturally valuable item lost during 1940-1945, involving ownership by the The Hague Municipal Council and Mrs M. von Saher-Langenbein with representation by R.W. Polak, and the Restitutions Committee.
elpais.com
El Ministerio de Cultura paga 361.000 euros por Retrato familiar de la Duquesa de Osuna como Dama de la Orden de Damas Nobles de la Reina María Luisa, de Agustín Esteve, adquirido para el Museo Romántico de Madrid. Christie's informó que el lote fue invendido, pero el Estado ejerció su derecho de tanteo; la venta total de la subasta fue de 5.575.450 euros.
internationalentertainmentnews.blogspot.com
The article reports a concert in Moscow featuring past winners of the Moscow International Violin Paganini Competition, including Ivan Pochekin, Nadir Khashimov, Eugen Tichindeleanu, Lena Semenova, Kwun Hyuk Joo, Daniil Austrich, Rodion Petrov, Olga Volkova, Antal Szalai and Alena Baeva. The event, held at the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory, coincides with Niccolo Paganini's 226th birthday and features a Paganini piece program conducted by Gintaras Rinkevicius, with the Moscow National Academic Symphony Orchestra. A violin once owned by Paganini, named Ex-Paganini created by Carlo Benzoni, was acquired by Maxim Viktorov at Sotheby’s on November 1, 2005.