Monthly archive
18 headlines
Source-linked reporting
sgvtribune.com
Tatiana Khan, a West Hollywood art dealer, agreed to plead guilty to making false statements to the FBI and witness tampering in connection with a $2 million sale of a fake Pablo Picasso pastel. The plea includes restitution to the purchaser identified only by the initials V.S. and surrender of a Willem de Kooning painting to the government for auction to reimburse the victim and cover prosecution costs.
latimes.com
Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, an Italian collector of American postwar art, died at 87 in Milan. He and his wife Giovanna sold 80 works by Mark Rothko, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and others to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, providing foundational support to MOCA. Paul Schimmel, MOCA’s chief curator, commented on Panza’s significant impact on artists, institutions, and Los Angeles’ international standing in the arts.
20min.ch
The instrument required import papers; after a two-hour interrogation Kopatchinskaja could have left with a 400,000 Swiss franc bond, which she did not pay, leaving the violin in the custody of customs. The 1741 violin is said to be worth 4.5 million euros.
luxartasia.com
The article discusses a surge in interest in classical Chinese art and 20th-century masters, noting Wu Bin’s Eighteen Arhats at $24.8 million as 2009's top Chinese painting price, and compares it with the record for Ming-dynasty Qiu Ying in 2008. It cites Rupert Hoogewerf of the Hurun Report and references a broader shift back to classical ink paintings among Chinese collectors.
kultura.wp.pl
Article reports the theft of Antonio Stradivari violin from an apartment in Kostlergasse, Vienna, with an estimated value of 2.5 million euros. Police say Interpol was informed and that the thieves used a blowtorch to open a powerful safe. The theft also included other violins and three bows valued at 120 thousand euros.
Christie’s
Christie’s valued Shitao’s eight-leaf Landscapes Inspired by Du Fu’s Poetic Sensibilities at HK$120 million, calling it the most valuable Chinese painting yet presented at auction in Hong Kong. The work led more than 400 paintings and calligraphy lots valued above HK$350 million.
artnews.com
The article discusses Phillips de Pury & Company winning the right to auction 96 works from Halsey Minor to repay loans totaling more than $25 million from Merrill Lynch Private Finance (now Bank of America). The sale in New York on May 13 includes works by John Baldessari, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, and Marc Newson, among others. Proceeds are intended to pay back the loan obligations.
newswire.com
Elvgren, Vargas, Petty, Armstrong, Bolles, and Moran are highlighted as key artists in Heritage Auction Galleries’ Beverly Hills Illustration Art sale, part of the Charles Martignette Estate offerings. The auction is scheduled for May 7, 2010, with pieces such as Gil Elvgren's Bear Facts (A Modest Look; Bearback Rider) estimated at $50,000 to $75,000.
lenta.ru
The story reports that a violin dating from 1697, made by Rogerier, belonging to a violinist from the Mariinsky Theatre, was stolen in Austria. The instrument is valued at about $300,000, and the suspect took advantage of the hotel lobby while the musician shopped in Veitsendorf; no one has been named as the victim, and the violin was not insured.
sputnikglobe.com
The article reports that a violin valued at $400,000 was stolen in Austria from a violinist in the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theater orchestra. The instrument, made by Rogeri in 1697, was left unattended in a hotel hall in Vösendorf near Vienna, and the thief took advantage of the situation as the room had no CCTV and the instrument was uninsured.
fineartpublicity.com
The High Museum of Art received a gift of 47 works, mainly prints and posters from Irene and Howard Stein, including works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Degas, Gauguin, Daumier and Signac, and sculptures by Xavery, Desjardins, Cordier and Dalou. The gift is connected with a forthcoming exhibition titled Toulouse-Lautrec and Friends: The Stein Collection opening January 2011.
newmusicusa.org
Jennifer Higdon was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto. Hilary Hahn performed the premiere with the Indianapolis Symphony conducted by Mario Venzago, and the prize citation described the work as a deeply engaging piece with lyricism and virtuosity.
npr.org
Jennifer Higdon, a Philadelphia-based composer, won the Pulitzer Prize for music for her Violin Concerto. The piece was written for Hilary Hahn and premiered with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mario Venzano; the work was commissioned by four orchestras including Baltimore, Toronto, Indianapolis, and Curtis Institute. Pulitzer officials praised the concerto for its lyricism and virtuosity.
fineartpublicity.com
Phillips de Pury & Company will hold BRIC auctions at Saatchi Gallery in London on 23 and 24 April, featuring works from Brazil, Russia, India and China across Contemporary Art, Photography, Design and Editions. The sale will comprise about 450 lots and will be hosted at the Saatchi Gallery with free public admission.
today.com
Frida Kahlo's painting Survivor, depicting a pre-Hispanic idol, is going on sale at Christie's Latin American art sale on May 26 after reemerging publicly for the first time in 72 years; Christie's Virgilio Garza discusses the work, its ex-voto framing, and Kahlo's late-relationship context with Diego Rivera. Christie’s estimates for Survivor are between $100,000 and $150,000.
tarisio.com
The ex-Milanollo Francesco Rugeri, circa 1680, is a small-pattern Rugeri violin once attributed to the Amatis. It was the concert instrument of Maria Milanollo (1832–1848), with her sister Teresa (1827–1904) also a noted musician. Maria Milanollo is said to have played this Rugeri, while Teresa played a 1728 Stradivari; both sisters toured Europe and were supported by prominent musicians including Domenico Dragonetti.
heraldtribune.com
The article discusses the ToneRite device, which is claimed to accelerate the breaking-in of new instruments. It describes how the device operates by emitting subsonic noise to mimic music-making, and cites quotes from ToneRite’s founders and users such as Ryan Frankel and John Sherba of the Kronos Quartet.
eu.starnewsonline.com
The article discusses the ToneRite device, which claims to accelerate the breaking-in of new string instruments by emitting subsonic noise. It includes quotes from ToneRite's founder Augi Lye and violinist John Sherba of the Kronos Quartet, noting that some musicians find subtle improvements in newer instruments.