Monthly archive
14 headlines
Source-linked reporting
theartnewspaper.com
The article discusses private Spanish collectors at Arco 2009 and notes that museums are not purchasing due to budgets. It mentions Anthony Caro's Table Piece Y40, 1985 bought by a private Spanish buyer, and describes sales and interest from collectors including Anupam Poddar, Alain Servais, and Thomas J. Morrison, as well as works by Francis Bacon and Eugenio Merino at various galleries.
artnews.com
The article covers Christie's sale of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé Collection in Paris, noting a total auction result of 484,426,456 euros and records for Brancusi, de Chirico, Duchamp, Klee, Mondrian, and Matisse; it highlights Eileen Gray’s Dragons armchair selling for 20.19 million euros and a controversy involving Cai Mingchao’s bids on looted Chinese antiquities.
artnews.com
Saint Laurent collection sold at Christie’s Paris in a multi-session sale, raising over €373.9 million ($483.8 million) with records for works by Matisse, Brancusi, Mondrian, de Chirico, Duchamp, Klee and Ensor. The sale, held at the Grand Palais in partnership with Pierre Bergé & Associés, supported AIDS research with proceeds, and featured a first session that alone brought in €206 million ($263.6 million).
artnews.com
Auctioneers Adapt to ‘New Market’ at Contemporary Sales discusses contemporary-art auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips de Pury & Company in London, reporting total sales of £42.8 million ($57.9 million) against estimates, and noting declines from prior years. It cites comparisons to 2004–2005 and New York results, and highlights a low buy-in rate of about 20% and notable unsold works such as Francis Bacon’s Man in Blue VI and Mark Rothko’s Green, Blue, Green on Blue.
artforum.com
Lisa Liebmann and Brooks Adams discuss the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé sale. The article, dated March 3, 2009, 6:13 pm, covers the public viewing, marquee aspects, and the record proceeds of nearly five hundred million dollars for a single-collection auction.
artinvestment.ru
Jeff Koons plans a large sculpture titled Steam for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) with a projected cost of 25 million dollars. The piece is described as a crane carrying a full-size locomotive, with dimensions over 21 meters in length and 49 meters in height, featuring smoke, sound, and rotating wheels. The project was announced in February 2007, and LACMA has spent 1.75 million of a 2 million budget from Wallis Annenberg on preliminary research.
nytimes.com
The article discusses BMW Art Cars by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, and Robert Rauschenberg going on display at Grand Central Terminal in New York. It notes the BMW Art Car collection began in 1975 with Hervé Poulain and Alexander Calder, and mentions other artists and cars in the series, including Olafur Eliasson’s H2R first shown in 2007. The display runs from March 25 to April 6, 2009, and the collection has been shown at the Louvre and Guggenheim.”,
artnews.com
The Armory Fair and surrounding events saw sales remain steady with notable results: Louise Bourgeois at Cheim & Read sold for $1 million, Anish Kapoor sculptures sold at Lisson, and Sigmar Polke works at Galerie Michael Schultz for $340,000. Phillips de Pury earned $1.6 million with 52% of lots sold, Sotheby’s $3.3 million with 62% sold, and Christie’s $3 million with 75% sold; overall activity remained healthier than expected despite lower totals than 2007 and 2008.
reuters.com
David Hockney is expected to fetch a record at Christie’s New York sale in May for Beverly Hills Housewife, estimated at $7-10 million. The 1966/67 diptych depicts Betty Freeman and is part of a broader sale that includes works from Freeman’s collection by Roy Lichtenstein, Alexander Calder, and Andy Warhol.
nytimes.com
The New York Times reports that a federal judge in Manhattan was troubled by the secrecy of a settlement over two Picasso paintings purportedly sold under Nazi duress. The MoMA and the Guggenheim would continue to own the works, with a confidential payment to the heirs of Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and his wife, to resolve the case.
inquirer.com
The article discusses Lawrence B. Salander, owner of Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, accused of stealing 88 million dollars from art owners, a bank and investors, including John McEnroe. It notes a 100-count indictment and Salander’s arrest, with charges of grand larceny, securities fraud and forgery.
artnews.com
George A. Weiss filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Christie’s in the Southern District of New York over a $40 million auction guarantee for Francis Bacon’s Study for Self Portrait, 1964, which Christie’s allegedly withdrew. The suit notes the painting failed to sell at Christie’s November 12 Postwar and contemporary art auction and seeks the $40 million guarantee plus damages.
theartnewspaper.com
The Art Newspaper reports that Victor Pinchuk’s Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev will host a retrospective of over 100 works by Damien Hirst, titled Requiem, opening on 25 April and including recent acquisitions and pieces such as White Roses and Butterflies, 2008.
Christie’s
Christie’s announced a May sale of works selected from Desmond FitzGerald, 29th Knight of Glin, spanning Irish paintings, furniture and works of art. Highlights included landscapes by William Turner de Lond and rare Irish furniture documented through the collector’s scholarship.