Georgina Adam and Gareth Harris profile Basquiat, whose career spanned eight years and who died in 1988, noting the Beyeler retrospective and strong market interest with works shown at Art Basel. It discusses major collectors, lenders, and key sales records, including a $14.6 million Untitled (1981) at Sotheby’s New York in 2007 and a $13.5 million Untitled, Boxer (1982) in 2008, with works priced at $12 million at Shafrazi and Bruno Bischofberger during the Basel fair.
The page features Philip Smith, a master maker of stringed instruments and bows, posting a travel diary about bow making and his experiences in France. It includes references to his role as a bow maker and luthier, and mentions interactions with James Chauvelin and other luthiers.
John Irish and Jean-Francois Rosnoblet report that France asked Interpol to help track five paintings stolen from the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris, listing works by Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Modigliani and Leger and noting they may have left the country; Interpol has alerted its member countries and added the works to its stolen art database.
Paris museum burglar grabs 120-million-dollar art haul. The article discusses a theft at Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris, with works by Matisse and Picasso mentioned, and estimates of the value ranging from 90–100 million euros to 500 million euros (617 million dollars) as discussed by officials and experts.
The Rothko painting that was part of the Dallas Museum of Art bequest sold for $31.4 million at Sotheby's and is the subject of a U.S. District Court lawsuit filed by Marguerite Hoffman. Hoffman alleges that David Martinez, whom she sold the work to, agreed to keep the sale secret and then had Sotheby’s sell it at auction; Martinez declined to comment and Sotheby’s rejected the claims.
Pablo Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, 1932 from the Collection of Mrs. Sidney F. Brody sold for 106.5 million dollars with premium at Christie’s, setting a new record for the artist and for any painting sold at auction. The sale price surpassed the previous record of 104.2 million dollars paid for Picasso’s Garçon à la pipe, 1905, at Sotheby’s in 2004.
The article reports that a multimillion-value Stradivari violin was recovered after being stolen from a musician in Vienna. Police quickly solved the case, arresting suspects identified as a Georgian gang suspected of mail-order thefts; one suspect allegedly asked, in German, whether he was now a famous thief.
The article reports that the Richard Prince painting Nurse in Hollywood No. 4 (2004) was sold at Phillips de Pury for 6.5 million dollars, with an estimated range of 5-7 million. It notes that the work was the most desirable lot from the Minor collection and mentions other notable works and collectors present at the sale.
Blake Gopnik reports on Eva and Franco Mattes and their work Stolen Pieces, a piece made from fragments stolen from major modern works. The article discusses the thefts from artists including Jeff Koons, Claes Oldenburg, Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Kandinsky, Rauschenberg, Alberto Burri, César, and Edward Kienholz, and notes the statute of limitations allowing the unveiling of the piece.
The article reports that Warhol, Rothko, and a Pollock topped Sotheby’s sale of contemporary art, which totaled $190 million and exceeded the high estimate. Andy Warhol’s Self Portrait sold for $32.6 million and a Rothko canvas also surpassed expectations; the Jasper Johns piece fetched $29.6 million at Christie’s earlier that week.
Jasper Johns’s seminal Flag painting from 1960-66, owned by Michael Crichton, sold at Christie’s for $28.6 million, a record for Johns at auction. The buyer was Richard Rossello, with other notable attendees including Michael Ovitz, Marc Jacobs, David Ganek and Peter Brant, among Americans dominating the bidding.
Jasper Johns’s seminal Flag painting from 1960–1966, formerly owned by Michael Crichton, sold at Christie’s post-war and contemporary art auction for $28.6 million, a new artist record at auction. The buyer was Richard Rossello, a dealer based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The work, in encaustic, drew bids from several bidders and was estimated at $10–$15 million.
The Sz.de Panorama reports that a Stradivari violin worth nearly 2.5 million euros was stolen from a musician’s Vienna apartment, along with a Vuillaume violin and two bows. The thiefs opened a safe with a blowtorch; Interpol has issued an arrest warrant. The article notes the renowned status and rarity of Stradivari instruments and mentions the Vuillaume instrument and the two bows.
Franz Schubert wrote his String Quintet in C Major in 1828. Vetta Chamber Music performed the quintet at West Point Grey United Church, featuring violinists Joan Blackman and Jennie Press, violist Yariv Aloni, and cellist Olivia Blander, with cellist Eugene Osadchy as guest and artistic advisor. The concert also included a Passacaglia for Violin and Viola arranged from a Handel harpsichord suite by Johan Halvorsen.
The article reports Jelena Jordan, a musician, detailing the theft of her viola from Šibenik theatre ahead of Porin Classic 2010, and mentions that the instrument was made in Italy in 1949 for Stefan Passaggio, later owned by professor Stranić and then sold to Vasilije Jordan for two large paintings and an unknown amount of cash. It notes the violin’s non-market value and the plea for its return, along with background on Jelena Jordan and her artist parents Dragica Cvek Jordan and Vasilij Jordan.
Carol Vogel reports on Sotheby’s spring auction night, noting a sober performance after a prior record at Christie’s. The top lot at Sotheby’s was a Matisse bouquet painting that sold for $28.6 million, with the sale totaling $195.6 million from 57 works.
Picasso’s Nude Green Leaves and Bust (1932) sold for $106.5 million at Christie’s Rockefeller Center, surpassing the previous auction record. The sale was part of 28 lots from the Brody collection, with top lots including Alberto Giacometti’s Le Chat which sold for $18.5 million. The price included a buyer’s premium, and several under-bidders participated before a telephone bidder secured the final amount.
Emily Fisher Landau pledged 367 artworks from her collection to the Whitney Museum of American Art, an donation valued between $50 million and $75 million, including works by Jasper Johns, William Eggleston, Ed Ruscha and Andy Warhol.
The painting Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (Nude, Green Leaves and Bust) by Pablo Picasso sold for $106.5 million at Christie’s, setting a world auction record for a work of art. The sale occurred after a bidding period of about 8 minutes and 6 seconds with six bidders, and Nicholas Hall of Christie’s made the winning bid by telephone. The work, created in March 1932, depicts Picasso’s mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter and comes from the collection of Frances Lasker Brody.
Pablo Picasso’s 1932 portrait Nude, Green Leaves and Bust sold at Christie’s New York for $106.5 million, the highest price ever at auction. The buyer was anonymous, paying $95 million plus fees. The painting came from the estate of Frances Brody, LA arts patron, who died last year; the Brody estate consigned it with about 80 other works. Previous records cited include Giacometti and other Picasso works sold by Sotheby’s, with notable prior sales in 2004 and 2006.
The painting Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso sold for $106.5 million (£70.3 million) at Christie’s in New York, setting a new world record for an artwork sold at auction. The work depicts Marie-Thérèse Walter as Daphne and measures more than 1.5 by 1.2 meters.
Henri Matisse is the subject of two nude paintings with different auction estimates. Nu au Coussin Bleu (1924) is estimated at $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 and will be sold at Christie’s, while Nu au Fauteuil, Jambes Croisées (1920) is estimated at $2,500,000 to $3,500,000 to be auctioned at Sotheby’s. The article discusses provenance as a key factor in the price differential and notes prior high bids for Matisse nudes and related works.
Kim Kashkashian is welcomed to Providence for two performances with the Providence String Quartet of the Brahms Viola Quintet in F Major, at the John Hope Settlement House and the RISD Museum. The article notes her extensive performance and teaching history and mentions a recent NPR interview.
The page reports a Restitutiecommissie recommendation concerning Stern, report number RC 1.96, NK collection advice type. It concerns the restitution application by the Estate of Dr. Max Stern for Allegory of Earth and Water by Jan Brueghel I, NK 2303, currently on loan to Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch. The case timeline includes submission of the restitution application on 30 May 2007, fact-finding and investigatory reports, and final adoption of the investigatory report on 3 May 2010.