Monthly archive
37 headlines
Source-linked reporting
slippedisc.com
The article reports that German violinist Frank-Peter Zimmermann is playing a Guarnerius del Gesù violin on loan after the Stradivarius he had used since 2002 was repossessed, with the owners offering a paid loan that Zimmermann reportedly rejected while attempting to buy the Strad at a price below their valuation.
news.artnet.com
Marianne Rosenberg, granddaughter of Paul Rosenberg, will open her own gallery on the Upper East Side. The inaugural exhibition, Inspired by History, opens March 7 in a townhouse on East 66th Street, previously home to Dickinson Gallery. The show will feature works from artists associated with Paul Rosenberg, including Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and Giacomo Manzù, spanning early periods to the 1980s.
theguardian.com
The Guardian article discusses violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann returning the 1711 Stradivarius known as the Lady Inchiquin after a loan contract expired. It notes Portigon Financial Services AG’s overvaluation of the instrument by about £1 million and comments on the high cost of Stradivari instruments in the market.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann has surrendered the 1711 Lady Inchiquin Stradivarius to Portigon Financial Services after playing it for 12 years; the instrument was on lease since 2002 from the defunct German WestLB, whose assets are now seized. Zimmermann reportedly offered to buy the instrument at independent appraisals but could not meet the US$5.1–5.7 million asking price.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses the restitution dispute over Henri Matisse Seated Woman/Woman Sitting in Armchair (1921) found in Cornelius Gurlitt’s hoard and traced to Paul Rosenberg. Rosenberg’s heirs have not provided all required documents, delaying restoration to the Rosenberg estate; the Kunstmuseum Bern and government are involved, with disputes over the will further delaying the case.
symphony.org
The article reports that Fritz Kreisler's violin is at the center of a dispute involving Frank Peter Zimmermann, who has played a Stradivarius through an arrangement with WestLB AG. The instrument, valued at about €4.5–5 million, may not be affordable under the lease terms with Portigon Financial Services AG, and Zimmermann has offered to buy it but refuses the set price.
slippedisc.com
The article reports that Frank-Peter Zimmermann surrendered his Lady Inchiquin Stradivarius to Portigon, which plans to sell it for the highest price after Zimmermann attempted to buy it for around three million euros and Portigon sought an additional million. It also notes that Zimmermann is performing with a different instrument in New York, and that Alexander Pavlovsky of the Jerusalem Quartet is seeking a new instrument after his Pressenda violin was sold by its owners.
theviolinchannel.com
The article reports that Frank Peter Zimmermann is in a last-minute dispute over the use of the 1711 ex-Fritz Kreisler 'Lady Inchiquin' Stradivarius, with contractual terms tied to the now-defunct WestLB bank and a price reportedly above US $5.1-5.7 million.
ksta.de
The article discusses Frank Peter Zimmermann returning the Stradivari known as Lady Inchiquin, an instrument from 1711 once belonging to Fritz Kreisler. The instrument is being returned to Portigon AG in Düsseldorf as part of the WestLB asset unwind. The piece also notes Zimmermann’s background, prior performances, and the broader context of other high-value instruments in Portigon’s collection, including Ex Croall (1684) and a Rocca cello (1860).
welt.de
Frank Peter Zimmermann uses a Stradivari called Lady Inchiquin; the lending contract with Portigon AG is expiring, prompting a dispute over price and terms. The instrument dates to 1711 and previously belonged to Fritz Kreisler; Zimmermann has a purchase option but price discussions have caused contention.
culturetype.com
Mark Bradford's Biting the Book sold for $3,870,680 at Phillips London, a record for the artist. The piece also discusses Theaster Gates in relation to the same London auction context. The painting is from 2013 and linked to Bradford's Through the Darkest America by Truck and Tank exhibition at White Cube in London.
news.artnet.com
Ai Weiwei is discussed with his work Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2010) included in Phillips London Contemporary Art Evening Sale; the sale total was £13.5–20.2 million estimate, final total £17.7 million ($26.9 million) with buyer’s premium. Other artists mentioned include Mark Bradford, Allen Jones, Rashid Johnson, Tauba Auerbach, Alex Israel, Andy Warhol, and the work by Ai Weiwei is Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2010).
news.artnet.com
Cy Twombly’s Untitled (New York City) (1970) is highlighted as the record-setting piece in Christie’s London sale, while other notable lots include Gerhard Richter’s Vierwaldstätter See (Lake Lucerne) (1969), Paolo Scheggi’s Intersuperficie curva bianca (1967), Tracey Emin’s Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made (1996), Theaster Gates’s For Race Riots and Salon Gatherings (2011), Oscar Murillo’s Untitled (2011), Howard Hodgkin’s In the Green Room (1984–1986), Francis Bacon’s Study for a Head (1955), and Damien Hirst’s Lullaby Winter (2002). The sale totaled £117 million ($178 million) against a presale estimate of £93–132 million with 62 lots sold.
nytimes.com
The New York Times reports that Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London held major sales to test the top end of the contemporary art market, with works by Gerhard Richter and Cy Twombly helping raise about 240.6 million pounds (roughly $367 million) and a high bidder participation from 40 countries; the sales surpassed 86 percent sold and reflected a continued bubble in prices.
paulfrasercollectibles.com
Gerhard Richter's Abstraktes Bild sold at Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Auction in London for 30.3 million pounds ($46.3 million), setting a new world record for the artist. The auction also featured Francis Bacon's Two Studies for a Self Portrait which sold for 14.7 million pounds ($22.4 million) and the sale total was 123.5 million pounds ($188.2 million).
news.artnet.com
Gerhard Richter is mentioned as the artist in question, with the artwork Abstraktes Bild (1986) highlighted among the Lot items at Sotheby’s. The auction report states the sale totaled £123,515,250 ($188.2 million) and that Richter’s market presence was a focus of the sale. The piece explicitly referenced with Richter is Abstraktes Bild (1986). The total amount reported for the sale is $188.2 million, and Richter’s result contributes to the overall total.
chicago.suntimes.com
Kim Janssen writes about a multimillion-dollar Stradivarius allegedly owned by Liberace. The article centers on a mob hit man, a corrupt prison chaplain, and their connections to plans to recover and sell the violin, with details surrounding the priest Eugene Klein’s trial.
artnews.com
Christie’s contemporary sale in London totaled £116.8 million ($177.9 million) with 57 of 62 lots sold. The top lot was Cy Twombly Untitled (New York City), 1970, sold for £19.7 million ($29.98 million). Gerhard Richter’s 1969 Vierwaldstätter See (Lake Lucerne) sold for $24 million, with a $46.3 million artist record noted.
artlyst.com
Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for $44.4 million at Sotheby’s, setting a new record for a female artist. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in New Mexico put the work up for auction, with the Crystal Bridges Museum later noted as responsible for the sale and other acquisitions.
nypost.com
The article covers Rev. Eugene Klein pleading guilty to helping mobster Frank Calabrese recover a purported Stradivarius violin hidden in a Wisconsin house. It mentions a rare 1719 Stradivarius viola called the Macdonald, potentially valued at over $45 million, and notes Calabrese’s claim that the instrument was once owned by Liberace; no violin was found.
islandpacket.com
Ed Wicks, 91, from Bluffton, repaired instruments and briefly kept the Gibson Stradivarius; the violin, which was stolen from Carnegie Hall in 1936, was later connected to violinist Joshua Bell and owner Julian Altman.
artsjournal.com
The CultureGrrl article discusses Crystal Bridges Museum’s purchases of a Georgia O’Keeffe work, Jimson Weed, and a Jasper Johns work, Flag, totaling $80.4 million at Sotheby’s auctions in November, and questions why the museum hasn’t disclosed these acquisitions. It references Sotheby’s sale details, presale estimates, and media coverage, including NYT reporting and comments from Crystal Bridges’ spokesperson, with context on the museum’s spending practices and prior deaccessioning history.
aboutmanchester.co.uk
The article reports on a 1696 Stradivarius cello on loan from J&A Beare to be played by Manchester Camerata's Principal Cello Hannah Roberts at the Royal Northern College of Music, featuring Elgar’s Cello Concerto No. 1 and other works.
news.artnet.com
Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 sold for $44 million at Sotheby’s Evening Contemporary sale, setting a record for the artist and for a work by a female artist. Crystal Bridges Museum (founded by Alice Walton) purchased the painting for the sale.
eu.hattiesburgamerican.com
The National Gallery of Art announces the initial acquisition of 6,430 works from the Corcoran Gallery of Art collection, including American and European pieces such as Frederic Church’s Niagara, Thomas Eakins’s Singing a Pathetic Song, Edward Hopper’s Ground Swell, and works by Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Georgia O’Keeffe.
bbc.co.uk
The Gauguin painting Nafea Faa Ipoipo, or When Will You Marry?, by Paul Gauguin sold for $300m, setting a new record. The work had been owned by Rudolf Staechelin and loaned to Kunstmuseum Basel; reports suggest it was sold to a museum in Qatar.
thetimes.com
The Times reports that Qatar reportedly paid almost $300 million (about £200 million) for Paul Gauguin's Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?), sold by Rudolf Staechelin. The sale, tied to Qatar Museums, is described as potentially ushering in a new era of direct sales bypassing auction houses. The piece notes Qatar’s broader pattern of spending on Western modern art and mentions Staechelin’s sale as well as Basel’s Kunstmuseum, with implications for the art market and permanent loans.
kcur.org
Paul Gauguin's oil-on-canvas painting Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) is reported to have fetched $300 million, potentially set as a new record for artwork sales. The piece, created in 1892 during Gauguin's first Tahiti visit, was sold by Rudolf Staechelin and is believed to have been purchased by Qatar Museums, according to The Telegraph and The Times reports.
privateartinvestor.com
Maurice de Vlaminck, La Voile Blanche á Bougival (White Sails at Bougival), was seized in 1940 during Nazi efforts to confiscate ‘degenerate’ art. The painting was missing for decades before recovery efforts led to an amicable resolution between the rightful owners and the current owner, aided by Art Recovery International; the work appeared in Sotheby’s February sale, exceeding its £100,000 estimate with a hammer price of £150,000.
apnews.com
The National Gallery of Art plans an initial acquisition of 6,430 works from the Corcoran Gallery of Art collection, transforming the museum’s American and European holdings. Notable pieces include Frederic Church’s Niagara (1857), Thomas Eakins’s Singing a Pathetic Song, and Edward Hopper’s Ground Swell (1939), with modern works by Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, and Georgia O’Keeffe also mentioned.
news.artnet.com
Joan Miró, Painting (Women, Moon, Birds) (1950) is pictured, as well as works by Paul Cézanne, Amedeo Modigliani, Alberto Giacometti, František Kupka, Marc Chagall and Roberto Matta; the Christie’s sale totaled £147 million ($222.8 million) with 88% sold across 80 lots, including a Surrealist section that achieved £66.7 million including buyers’ premium.
sandiegouniontribune.com
The National Gallery of Art in Washington announced an initial acquisition of 6,430 works from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, including pieces by Frederic Church, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, and Georgia O’Keeffe. The transfer follows the Corcoran’s closure in 2014, with the transfer of the art and the Corcoran’s art school to George Washington University.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses Sotheby’s London sale of Impressionist, Modern, and Surrealist works, with the Impressionist and Modern section achieving a high £170.3 million realized and the combined sale £186.4 million. It notes guarantees on 12 lots, including Monet works, and mentions the top lot a 1908 Le Grand Canal in Venice that sold for £20–30 million.
privateartinvestor.com
Thwaytes v Sotheby’s: Caravaggio’s Cardsharps? discusses Lancelot Thwaytes’s lawsuit against Sotheby’s over a painting sold as a follower of Caravaggio, which was claimed to be an original Caravaggio valued at over £10 million. The High Court ruled in Sotheby’s favour, highlighting attribution challenges in the art market. The piece also connects this work to Caravaggio’s The Musicians and the Cardsharps in the Kimbell Art Museum.
inquirer.com
Five major French paintings were acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a bequest from Helen Tyson Madeira. The works include a late Cézanne Mont Sainte-Victoire, a Manet Basket of Fruit, a Pissarro landscape and a cityscape, and a Morisot portrait of a young girl, plus two early Duchamp portraits donated by Yolande Candel.
inquirer.com
The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired five major French paintings, a late Cézanne view of Mont Sainte-Victoire, a Manet still life of fruit, a landscape and a cityscape by Pissarro, and a portrait of a young girl by Berthe Morisot, along with two early Duchamp portraits, all as a bequest from Helen Tyson Madeira. The collection additions were announced as anonymous loans noted by museum director Timothy Rub.
newyorkclassicalreview.com
David Zinman led the New York Philharmonic in a program pairing late Romantic works by Barber and Rachmaninoff with Samuel Barber and Sergei Rachmaninoff featured as the headliners; violinist Lisa Batiashvili performed Barber’s Violin Concerto with praised lyrical and expressive playing, though the finale was noted as frenetic. The article discusses the reception of the program and the performers’ interpretations.