Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and Andy Warhol works struggled to find buyers at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips fall sales, with total auction volume of $803.3 million, down from prior years. Despite the overall decline, high-estimated works by Kazimir Malevich and Edvard Munch sold, and collectors like Eli Broad participated, suggesting rare opportunities for buyers as the market pricing normalizes.
Sotheby’s realized $125 million on its November 11 contemporary sale, against a presale estimate of $203 million to $280 million. Gerhard Richter’s Mirror Painting (Blood Red), 1991, sold for $1.3 million; John Currin’s Old Master–style Nice ’N Easy, 1999, sold for $5.5 million; Jeff Koons’s Wishing Well, 1999, sold for $2.1 million; Ed Ruscha’s Desire, 1969, $2.4 million; Robert Rauschenberg’s Bantam, 1959, $2.6 million; and Donald Judd’s Untitled (90-14 Bernstein), 1990, $1.1 million.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales sold two paintings to help fund its purchase of a $16.2 million work by Paul Cezanne. Brett Whiteley’s Balmoral sold for $990,000 at Sotheby’s in Melbourne, while John Perceval’s Pleasure Craft sold for $198,000.
Ellen Paris reports on foreign collectors fueling the U.S. art market, citing Damien Hirst’s $126 million sale and rising multi-million dollar auctions as Christie’s reports strong six-month worldwide sales. The piece notes collectors from Russia, the Middle East, India, and China driving prices to new highs and mentions increased activity in Asia and the Middle East.
The article profiles Shaughnessy, a 66-year-old Plymouth resident and ex-semiconductor engineer who builds violins and violas in his home workshop after retiring. It notes his six years with the Southeastern Philharmonic Orchestra and his approach inspired by Italian masters Nicolo Amati, Andrea Guarneri, and Antonio Stradivari, using traditional methods and materials.
No Guarantees discusses Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale at Rockefeller Center, noting that despite earlier concerns in the market, the sale yielded strong artistic content and that Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (710) sold for $14.9 million; Louise Bourgeois sculptures were among the notable lots.
The Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln acquired works by Charles White, Alvin Loving, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Charles Alston, Lois Mailou Jones and Aaron Douglas through auctions and sales in New York. The museum plans to display these acquisitions in the exhibition New Acquisitions: African-American Masters Collection, running December 16 through March 2.
Carol Vogel reports that Phillips de Pury & Company's contemporary art auction saw about 40 percent of works unsold and those sold bringing in about $9.6 million, well below the low estimate of $23 million; Donald Judd’s Untitled (77/23-Bernstein) sold for $2.8 million/$3.2 million with fees, amid withdrawals and tepid bidding.
The NPR story profiles violin maker Sam Zygmuntowicz in Brooklyn, describing his use of CAT scans and other imaging to study historic violins and improve his own instruments. The piece references the Strad 3D Project and notes collaborations with George Bissinger of the Oberlin Acoustics Workshop.
Sadie Babits reports for NPR on ultralight violins and other instruments showcased at the Violin Society of America's gathering in Portland, Oregon, featuring Joseph Curtin's ultralight violin made partly from balsa wood and commentary from performers and makers including Weigang Li, David Rivinus, Jim Ham, and Ted White.
The New York Times article profiles Guy Rabut, a violin maker whose studio in Manhattan uses tools and techniques dating back to Stradivari. It notes Stradivari’s work around 1700–1720 and mentions a 1707 Stradivarius sold at Christie’s for over $3.5 million, while Rabut sells violins for $22,000, violas for $24,000 and cellos for $40,000.
This NPR/WUNC article by Sadie Babits discusses ultralight violins and related instruments showcased at the Violin Society of America conference in Portland, Oregon. It highlights Joseph Curtin's ultralight violin made partly from balsa wood, reactions from Weigang Li of the Shanghai Quartet, and mentions other ultralight instruments by David Rivinus, Jim Ham, and Ted White.
The Observer reports that Lars Ulrich plans to sell his Basquiat Untitled (Boxer) at Christie’s for 12 million to 16 million, amid market turbulence. The piece quotes Christie’s co-heads of postwar and contemporary art, Brett Gorvy and Amy Cappellazzo, discussing the significance and timing of the sale.
The New York Times reports on the 1717 Stradivari cello named after Amaryllis Fleming, which opened bidding on Tarisio and reached a record bid of $1.35 million but did not meet the reserve price. The cello, valued between $1.48 million and $1.97 million, ended without a sale as of the closing of bidding, though negotiations continued afterward.
The article discusses a rare 300-year-old Stradivari cello failing to meet its reserve price of 1.47 million US dollars at an online auction conducted by Tarisio. The bid reached 1.34 million US dollars, and proceeds were planned to benefit the Royal College of Music in London.
Francis Bacon’s 1964 study for self-portrait was valued at $40 million but did not sell at Christie’s. The article notes a broader shift to a buyer’s market with ~2/3 sell rate across Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips, totaling under $1 billion, well below their combined minimum estimate of $1.7 billion. It cites specific unsold works such as Roy Lichtenstein’s Half Face With Collar and the Bacon self-portrait, alongside notable results like Malevich’s work at $60 million and Munch’s Vampire at $38.1 million.
Article about violin teacher N. Diatchenko arrested for defrauding students; a genuine Amati-family violin is identified among fakes; investigators say he extracted over 1.2 million euros while exploiting his professional musician students, with six victims confirmed (four Italians, one Korean, one Dutch). Seized assets include nearly 200 violins and bank records.