Sotheby’s and Christie’s - Are They in Conflict of Intrests with the Natural Art Market? - part 1
January 28, 2008
Warning: the below article is a ‘rant and rave’-article, which you will not usually find on this site. I do however consider it a worthwhile read for all art investors to help better understand the art market, including art auctions. Besides which, it’s not a bad read to boot! By Gerard Van Weyenbergh “Are Sotheby’s and Christie’s or all major auctions houses still the reference to establish the value of your art works? It is not my intention to have them sue me for my thoughts in this letter. Nonetheless there are so many events these last months that I want to bring in daylight some... Read more »
Constructionist Artist Varvara Stepanova
January 23, 2008
By Astrid Lee The great Russian artist Varvara Fedorovna Stepanova (1894-1958) delved into to a wide range of artistic trends from Social realism to Symbolism. However, Stepanova is mostly known for exploring and furthering Constructivism. New Abstract Art in Russia began around 1909 – some say, actual Constructivism started in 1919 when first mentioned by Rodchenko. The term ‘Constructivism’ was actually used by the Russian artists themselves. In some ways, Constructivism was influenced by Cubism, Italian/Russian Futurism and traditional peasant art. Constructivist artwork is... Read more »
Salvador Dali Art - Surrealism At Its Best And Weirdest
January 14, 2008
By Alan LeStourgeon Whether you are a fan of the eccentric Salvador Dali or not, most everyone agrees his work is brilliant in its scope and intense imagination. Salvador Dali started his life as a reincarnation of his brother also named Salvador. At the age of 5 Dali was taken to his brother’s grave and began to believe this strange tale as told by his parents. Thus influenced the thinking of the enigmatic and unique existence of the greatest surrealist painter the world had ever seen. At the age of 10 Salvador Dali began to paint and at age 12 he received his first formal training by attending... Read more »
Art Patron William Bowmore, who gifted $17+ million to museums, died.
January 10, 2008
William Bowmore was a life-long art patron and one of Australia’s most generous philanthropists. He died at age 98 on January 9. Bowmore’s fine art gifts to the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) and other Australian museums such as the Newcastle Region Art Gallery have been valued to be in excess of $17 million. Following his heart and lifelong passion for art, Bowman started collecting Australian art. In the late ’60s, he began traveling to London. There he made the connections at auction houses and beyond enabling him to purchase international paintings from old masters,... Read more »
Quality Art Materials Benefits Art Professionals
January 5, 2008
By Astrid Lee As an artist myself, I have found that whenever I choose quality artwork, somehow the artwork gains a new dimension of worth. I find that I am mentioning little quality factors to buying candidates that just help things along. Of course, potential buyers have to first find the work and love it. Then, they need to be coached to actually purchase it. It can be scare decision for some buyers, as there is sometimes not much to go by other than their own personal taste. Their taste is of course of overriding importance, but they are not always sure of that. So, when I can bring in... Read more »
The Guggenheim Museum - Solomon R. Guggenheim’s Great Gift to New York City
January 2, 2008
By Andrew Regan New York is more than America’s largest city: it has been and continues to be the inspiration behind much of the country’s most enduring pieces of art and literature. From Langston Hughes to Jonathan Safran Foer, and Jackson Pollock to Mark Rothko, New York City has been the thriving hub of many an American cultural movement since the beginning of the 1900s. This fact is made even more evident by the city’s wide array of museums and art galleries, the most prominent of which are The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim... Read more »
The ‘Other’ Museums of Paris
December 29, 2007
By Gaizka Pujana These are perhaps the best known and most widely visited of the Paris museums. But Paris is also the home of many other fine museums that often get overlooked by the casual visitor — museums well worth seeing and well worth adding to any visitor’s itinerary Among those that should not be missed are the following: Musee Picasso. (Metro: St. Paul) A chronological collection of more than 3000 works of Pablo Picasso together with the artist’s own collection of Cezanne, Degas, Rousseau, Seurat, Mattisse, and various personal archives. Musee Marmottan-Monet. (Metro:... Read more »
How To Select An Art Piece In An Art Auction
December 28, 2007
By Ricky Lim Nowadays, there are many art auction houses available online such as sotheby and ebay. However, before attempting to bid for a fine art auction, there are some points you need to take note especially if you are a beginner to art auctions. If you are new to fine art auctions, you might first decide what it is you like to collect. Is it abstract art, oil-based painting, impression art etc? You also might want to read up on the art category that you prefer to buy. Take for example, you are into abstract art. It would help you in your art auctions if you knew more about abstract art history,... Read more »
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair 2007
December 18, 2007
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair capped off an extraordinary year with its third Miami edition, held December 5-9, which drew substantial crowds and impressive sales. PULSE Miami confirmed the Fair’s role as a leader in the highly competitive art market. It is a pioneering art fair. From Chicago: Carl Hammer Gallery’s Chris Ware - Branford the Bee, The Best Bee in the World, 2003. Pen and Ink Drawing w Blue Pencil Overmarking on Bristol Board With a record attendance of over 16,000 visitors, strong sales from the first day, a new venue that allowed expanded cultural programming and... Read more »
Donating Your Artwork — Makes Sense or No Cents?
December 17, 2007
This article explores the topic of donating work for fundraisers or charity groups. At first glance, you may wonder how giving away your work for free can make you money! Well, it may make more sense “and cents” than you might think! And it doesn’t apply just to artists…. any artist, artisan or crafter, any one with a product, could benefit from this. We polled some artists, artisans and crafters who do donate to fundraisers to get some “real world” experience on this subject. There are 3 major reasons why to donate your artwork: 1 — Advertising — to generally... Read more »
