| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Thursday, April 29, 2021 |
| | | As auctioneers and artists rush into NFTs, many collectors stay away | |
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The collectors Peter and Jill Kraus in their apartment with Pope.L's Sunny Day White Power. Speculative buyers are flocking to crypto art while blue-chip collectors are holding back, fearing legal gray areas and copyright issues. Via Peter Krauss via The New York Times.
by Zachary Small
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- A handful of auctions this month testing the appetite for a type of investment known as NFTs seemed likely to prolong the nascent fad for ownership of works that exist only in the digital world. Missing from those transactions, however, were the blue-chip collectors who typically drive the art markets sales. Industry experts have observed a growing wedge between a new generation of digital speculators and an older school of art collectors who say their concerns about the quality, ownership and authenticity of NFTs have gone unresolved, even as their fears of legal challenges grow. More than a dozen collectors interviewed for this article said that NFTs raise copyright and other issues that sellers and buyers have not fully thought through. Absolutely none of my clients are buying NFTs, said Lisa Schiff, an art adviser in New York. I have people curious, but we are waiting to let the dust settle first. NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, have taken off in music, a ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Visitors wearing face coverings look at exhibits in the re-opened Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow on April 26, 2021 following the relaxing of some Covid-19 restrictions in Scotland, after the third national lockdown. Andy Buchanan / AFP
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| Marie-Josée Kravis to replace Leon Black as MoMA Chair | | Giacometti's iconic Homme Qui Chavire will highlight 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale in London | | Samsung heirs to pay billions in tax, donate Monet, Picasso works |
Kravis, a philanthropist and avid collector with her husband, financier Henry R. Kravis, has been a member of the MoMA board since 1994 and previously served as president from 2005 to 2018.
by Robin Pogrebin
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Just one month after investor Leon Black said that he would not stand for reelection as the chairman of the Museum of Modern Art, the museum Tuesday chose his replacement: Marie-Josée Kravis, 71, its president emerita. Kravis tenure will become effective July 1, when Blacks term expires. Thank you very, very much, Kravis said during Tuesdays virtual board meeting, in a recording obtained by The New York Times. I know its a huge responsibility. I will try to live up to it. Kravis also commended the director, Glenn D. Lowry, and the staff for continuing to present strong exhibitions over the past challenging year. Its fantastic that, in this very difficult time, weve been able to keep an unparalleled program, she said, adding, I welcome all of your ideas. Black, who has led the board since June 2018, announced his ... More | |
Alberto Giacometti, Homme qui chavire (conceived in 1950, cast in 1951, estimate: £12,000,000-18,000,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.
LONDON.- Alberto Giacomettis Homme qui chavire will highlight Christies 20th and 21st Century Evening Sale on 30 June and will be offered with a pre-sale estimate of £12-18 million. Conceived in 1950, and cast a year later, Homme qui chavire pictures a man in the moment before he either falls to the ground, or conversely, rises from the earth to ascend upwards. It is one of the greatest of Giacomettis now iconic elongated, attenuated figures that emerged after the end of the Second World War. Perhaps no other work in the artists oeuvre embodies the essential fragility and inherent solitude of the human experience. Homme qui chavire is one of six recorded casts, with other examples now held in museums including the Kunsthaus, Zurich, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, and Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence. The last example of this important sculpture to be offered at auction was over a decade ago, in 2009, which achieved $19 ... More | |
A Samsung flag (R) and South Korean national flag flutter at the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 28, 2021. Jung Yeon-je / AFP.
SEOUL (AFP).- The heirs to South Korea's Samsung group announced their plans to pay more than $10 billion in death duties Wednesday -- one of the world's biggest-ever inheritance tax settlements -- and donate an art trove including works by Monet and Picasso. Lee Kun-hee, the late Samsung Electronics chairman, was the country's richest man when he died last October at age 78 after being hospitalised for years, leaving an estimated 22 trillion won ($19.6 billion) in assets. South Korea has stringent inheritance tax laws and high rates, resulting in a hefty bill for the family, including Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is currently in jail for bribery, embezzlement and other offences. Lee's family "expects to pay more than 12 trillion won in taxes related to inheritance, which is more than half of the value of the late Chairman's total estate," Samsung said in a statement. "The inheritance tax payment is one of the largest ever in Korea and globally," it added, saying the Lee famil ... More |
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| Records for Joseph Delaney, Howardena Pindell, Winfred Rembert, Betye Saar & more at Swann | | 'Homeless' by Bryan Adams exhibited in the UK for the first time at Atlas Gallery | | Rare Picasso portrait of Françoise Gilot comes to market for first time in 35 years |
Bisa Butler, Nandi and Natalie (Friends) detail, quilted and appliquéd dyed cotton fabrics, 2007. Sold for $75,000, an auction debut for Butler.
NEW YORK, NY.- Swann Galleries spring offering of African American Art on Thursday, April 22 was the second highest grossing sale in the thirteen-year history of the department, with its highest number of participants to date. I am thrilled to see the continued growth in our African American art auctions with a tremendous sale. 398 registered bidders (not counting those on other platforms) competed for 8 hours to bid on 220 lots. We set 13 artist records and saw high prices all around for many artists, noted department director, Nigel Freeman. A strong showing of assemblage artists resonated with collectors with records being established for a number of artists working in the medium. Records included Howardena Pindells Oval Memory Series: (Rhinoceros) Heaven, a mixed-media piece in tempera, gouache, punched paper, nails, glitter and thread from 198081, at $100,000. The work was the first from the Oval Memory ... More | |
Bryan Adams, Chris Stanion. © Bryan Adams. Image courtesy Atlas Gallery.
LONDON.- Atlas Gallery is presenting Homeless, a selection of individual photographic portraits of vendors of The Big Issue magazine, taken in London by international musician and esteemed photographer, Bryan Adams. Photographed between 2011 and 2017, these men and women face the camera, comfortable in their own skin, and with grace and directness born of trust in the man behind the camera. There is laughter, introspection and poise, and the possibility of life restored. This is self-exposure but, above all, in the middle of an international pandemic, these portraits are a stark reminder that there are still far too many homeless people on our streets. This exhibition at Atlas Gallery, London W1, is the first time that the works are being shown in the UK. The Big Issue newspaper was founded by Lord John Bird and Gordon Roddick in 1991 as a response to the increasing number of homeless and vulnerably housed people. Lord Bird has said of ... More | |
An exceptionally rare portrait of Pablo Picassos partner and muse, Françoise Gilot joins Sothebys Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art this May in New York. Courtesy Sothebys.
NEW YORK, NY.- Appearing at auction for the first time in nearly 35 years, Pablo Picassos riveting 1953 portrait of his partner and muse, Françoise Gilot, will join Sothebys Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art on 12 May in New York. Remarkably rare within the artists exhaustive and prolific oeuvre, Femme assise en costume vert belongs to a group of portraits Picasso created in the late winter of 1952 and the early spring of 1953 that depict Gilot during the couples time living with their two children, Claude and Paloma, at the villa La Galloise in Vallauris, France. While Picasso produced an impressive body of work testifying to the joy he experienced with Gilot and their children, this mesmerizing painting reflects the tensions between the two artists in this late stage of their relationship, as well as Picassos continued stylistic versatility. Prefiguring his bold planar sheet metal sculpture from ... More |
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| Taschen publishes an immersive book scaled to Gio Ponti's kaleidoscopic universe | | Morphy's May 11-15 auction combines collectors' favorite categories, from coin-ops to petroliana | | Phillips strengthens leadership team with key global appointments |
Experience the boundless vision of one of the greatest architects, designers, and art directors of the 20th century.
NEW YORK, NY.- This numbered Art Edition (No. 11,000) is accompanied by the Planchart Coffee Table - an exclusive, square format reproduction of the famous Arlecchino design - and a set of four numbered prints of Pontis interior ocean liner studies. To study Gio Pontis prolific body of work is to appreciate the clear, unifying vision behind a complex creative universe. A synthesis of the arts, his creations expand intuitively with the Italian grandeur and studied lightness that defined his iconic style. Pontis rare capacity to move seamlessly between scales allowed him to approach the design of a teaspoon with the same conviction as he did an entire city. He was as much an architect and designer as he was a publisher, poet, and man. A treasure in its own regard, his contribution is also a distinctive landmark of Italys mid-century Renaissance and the modernist values it sought to realize. This new book is the most comprehensive ... More | |
Rare and outstanding Mobil Pegasus double-sided rotating neon sign, both sides in excellent condition, 82 x 108in, marked T-52. One of very few known to exist. Estimate 30,000-$60,000.
DENVER, PA.- Over a five-day period, May 11-15, Morphys will host a collectors marathon auction series featuring selections from several of todays most popular collecting categories: antique and vintage coin-ops/music machines; advertising, petroliana/automobilia, and railroadiana. To accommodate the vast selection more than 3,400 lots in all three lavishly illustrated hardbound catalogs have been produced for bidders to enjoy. A complimentary online version may be viewed at www.morphyauctions.com. All forms of bidding will be available for this sale, including live via the Internet through Morphy Live. Dan Morphy explained that the common thread throughout the sale is amusement in its many forms and the American way of life. From riding a newly outfitted Pullman coach during the golden era of train travel to experiencing the thrill of visiting a 1960s ... More | |
Stephen Brooks, Phillips new CEO. Image courtesy of Phillips.
NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced the appointment of Stephen Brooks as the companys next Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 September 2021. Edward Dolman will transition to the role of Executive Chairman of Phillips Group of Companies, working alongside Mr. Brooks and Phillips Global Chairwoman, Cheyenne Westphal. Mr. Brooks will be based in London. Mr. Brooks is a senior art world executive and was a key member of Christies Board and executive management team for over eleven years. Originally recruited to Christies Board as Chief Financial Officer in 2009, Stephen was promoted to Chief Operating officer in 2012 and then to Deputy Chief Executive and second in command of the global group in 2015, a position he held for five years. At Christies he was responsible for all corporate functions including finance, technology, legal, marketing, human resources, client strategy and global operations, successfully tran ... More |
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| 'Blind box' craze grips China's youth and mints toymakers a fortune | | Freeman's sale demonstrates successes in American material | | Exhibition reexamines Tara Donovan's seminal Composition (Cards) series |
This picture taken on April 13, 2021 shows music student Wang Zhaoxue showing the "blind box" toys she collected, during an interview at her home in Beijing. WANG ZHAO / AFP.
by Jing Xuan Teng / Danni Zhu
BEIJING (AFP).- Tiny unicorns and cartoon girls in clown costumes line the shelves of Wang Zhaoxue's study in Beijing -- tokens of China's mania for "blind boxes" that has made fortunes for toymakers and even caught the attention of those in power. The 18-year-old music student is one of the legions of young Chinese hooked on snaffling up the toys -- from pop art-inspired figurines to mini-archaeological treasures -- to complete whole "ranges" through endless purchases. The toys, first popularised in Japan, have fixated China in recent years, also driving a booming second-hand market and decorating the desks of white-collar workers and livestreams of box-opening influencers across the country. The blind box market was worth 7.4 billion ... More | |
A large Chinese Export black lacquered cabinet. Sold for $11,340. Impressive black-and-gold cabinet highlights enduring interest in Chinese Export goods.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Freemans announced the results of its April 27 American Furniture, Folk and Decorative Arts auction, which confirms Freemans place as a market leader for objects significant to American history. The 287-lot auction achieved an 82% sell-through rate. The auctions top lot, Washed Ashore by Ralph Cahoon (1910-1982), a playful Massachusetts beach scene, sold for $32,760. From the marble bust of George Washington to the Philadelphia Mourning items and Elm Treaty box, the results of this auction clearly show that Freemans excels in the realm of historical material, said Lynda Cain, Head of the American Furniture, Folk and Decorative Arts department. History sells, and its something we do exceptionally well. The auction kicked off with the sale of a small marble bust of General George Washington (1732-1799) (Lot 1) selling for $8,820, ... More | |
Tara Donovan, Composition (Cards), 2020 (detail). Styrene cards and glue, 39-1/4" x 59-1/4" x 4". © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery.
PALM BEACH, FLA.- Pace Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition of work by Tara Donovan which reexamines the artists seminal Composition (Cards) series at the gallerys outpost in Palm Beach. Ethereal, illusive pieces made from styrene index cards, the five sculptural paintings on view exemplify Donovans unique approach to artmaking, a generative process in which she incrementally and cumulatively shapes her work. Collectively, Donovans practice is characterized by her ongoing exploration of the aesthetic potential of her chosen media as well as her formidable capacity to challenge and play with the limits of perception. Coming on the heels of Donovans solo exhibition of recent work at Paces New York headquarters, this is the process-based artists debut show at the gallerys South Florida location and runs from April 15 May 28, 2021. Since the early 2000s, ... More |
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Clyfford Still Fused Form, Color and Texture for a Radical New Language of Abstraction
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US Burning Man festival canceled again due to pandemic
LOS ANGELES (AFP).- Burning Man, the annual countercultural festival in the southwestern United States, has been canceled for a second year running due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with plans to return in 2022. The event usually draws tens of thousands of participants to a temporary metropolis of towering art installations and dance parties in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. "Although here in the United States we may be feeling the weight lifting and the light at the end of the tunnel brightening, we are still in the pandemic, and the uncertainties that need to be resolved are impossible to resolve in the time we have," organizers said on their website Tuesday. Burning Man began in 1986, with the burning of a large wooden effigy its central tenet. It became a multi-day annual event usually held in late August and early September. Covid-19 is on the back foot in the US, with cases and deaths ... More
Fashion designer Alber Elbaz buried in Israel
HOLON (AFP).- Alber Elbaz, the renowned fashion designer credited with giving classic tailoring a more playful edge, was buried in Israel on Wednesday following his weekend death in Paris aged 59 after a battle with Covid-19. Hundreds of family members, friends and Israeli fashion industry leaders attended the traditional Jewish funeral in Holon, the city south of Tel Aviv where Elbaz was raised after immigrating as a child from Morocco. In his eulogy, Elbaz's partner Alex Koo referenced the designer's departure from Israel with little money to pursue his career in fashion. Koo, a musician, said Elbaz left Israel "just with a suitcase and full of dreams, hopes, and your raw and intuitive talent." Elbaz, born in Morocco as Albert, had restored the lustre to storied French house Lanvin during his 14 years at the helm of France's oldest couture brand, before his shock ouster in 2015. Hollywood stars ... More
UK's Royal Shakespeare Company names first female head
LONDON (AFP).- Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) on Wednesday announced Shriti Vadera as its new chair, the first female and person of colour to lead the prestigious theatre firm. Vadera, a Uganda-born former investment banker, will take the helm at the RSC in August, after more than a year of intermittent coronavirus restrictions have left many theatre and other arts organisations reeling. Based in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England -- Shakespeare's birthplace -- it was founded in the 1960s but traces its history back to the 19th century through performances in the town. As well as producing plays by the celebrated 16th century playwright, the company also presents works by Shakespeare's contemporaries and modern writers. Vadera said she had imagined Shakespeare in Uganda and India where she grew up, with the plays "giving me the courage to aspire to ... More
Crescent City Auction Gallery announces highlights included in the Spring Estates Auction
NEW ORLEANS, LA.- Original oil paintings by iconic Louisiana artists Knute Heldner and Clementine Hunter, a 129-piece sterling flatware by Gorham in the La Scala pattern, pottery pieces by local potters (including Newcomb Pottery examples), vintage couture and dazzling estate jewelry are just part of Crescent City Auction Gallerys two-day Important Spring Estates auction slated for the weekend of May 8th and 9th, starting promptly at 10 am Central both days. The auction, totaling 752 lots across the two days, will feature property from the collection of Nicholas Burke (1834-1905), formerly of 5809 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans (The Wedding Cake House), by descent to the present consignor; the estate of Dr. Sue LeBlanc in Hammond, La.; Lower Garden District and distinguished Garden District collectors; and other fine items pulled from prominent estates and collections throughout ... More
David Roberts Art Foundation is to become the Roberts Institute of Art
LONDON.- David Roberts Art Foundation embarks on a new journey, beginning this Spring, as the Roberts Institute of Art. Signalling a new direction under the joint patronage of David Roberts and Indrė erpytytė-Roberts, RIA will drive a programme of exhibitions, live performances, artist residencies and commissioning opportunities across the UK that will also benefit international artists and global digital audiences. To coincide with the ambitious new direction and name change, RIA has appointed A Practice for Everyday Life to reimagine the organisations visual identity and create a new website, which launches today. To accompany the launch RIA has commissioned Ryan Gander to create a new digital work that can be discovered by website visitors from today. In Waiting (An interval by Ryan Gander), 2021, time is of the essence; Ganders work requests time from the audience while ... More
Phillips London Photographs Auction to be led by Peter Beard's Portrait of Francis Bacon
LONDON.- Phillips announced highlights ahead of the upcoming London Photographs auction. The sale will be led by ULTIMATE featuring exclusive photographs from artists spanning 8 countries and nearly 50 years including Peter Beards unique, oversized work showcasing his long-time friend Francis Bacon, who will be the focus of a major exhibition to open at the Royal Academy in January 2022. Further highlights of ULTIMATE include cityscapes by Japanese artists Naoya Hatakeyama and Sohei Nishino and self portraits by Tania Franco Klein and auction newcomer Lucia Fainzilber. The sale will also include works from South African artists David Goldblatt, Pieter Hugo and Zanele Muholi, currently the focus of a major survey at Tate Modern. The livestreamed Photographs auction will take place at 2pm BST on Thursday 20 May at 30 Berkeley Square, London. Yuka Yamaji, Head of ... More
Rare books auction includes important source for the study of da Vinci's works
HAMBURG.- This masterwork would not exist if it hadnt been for Leonardo da Vinci. The friend and student of the acclaimed mathematician Luca Pacioli did not only give impetus to Divina porportione, but also made many drawings for this milestone of Renaissance geometry. On May 31 this important source for the study of da Vincis works will be offered in the Rare Books Auction at Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg with an estimate of 80,000. LOGICAL: Aristotle created the Logica vetus, an impressive parchment manuscript with fundamental texts on logic in France around 1250. It contains the primary texts for logical education throughout the entire medieval era. This extremely rare medieval text compilation was seminal for scholastic thining in the 13th and 14th century and will now be called up with an estimate of 60,000. SPLENDID: With the Barbeaux-Gradual from around 1280-1290 ... More
Black Cube unveils permanent, interactive, concrete art installation by Matt Barton at Denver's TAXI Campus
DENVER, CO.- The nomadic contemporary art museum, Black Cube, announces its first permanent art installation titled Community Forms by 2021 Black Cube Artist Fellow Matt Barton. Sited within Denvers Globeville neighborhood on TAXIs mixed-use community campus, Bartons sculptural intervention features abstract curvilinear forms that provide a social space for gathering and creative play while also safely channeling stormwater. The artist drew inspiration from the site, which is located adjacent to Colorados South Platte River, and skatepark design, to create an interactive sculpture that guides waterflow from the campus Freight building into bioswales (vegetated ditches that help collect and filter stormwater). Composed of formed earth, concrete, and landscaping materials, the artwork visually references a topographic natural landscape and disciplines such as Land Art ... More
New volume in Frick Diptych Series focuses on Titian's Pietro Aretino
NEW YORK, NY.- The Frick Collection announces the sixth title in its popular Diptych series. The new volume, available at Frick Madison and through the museums website, focuses on Titians extraordinary portrait of the famed Italian writer, poet, playwright, and satirist Pietro Aretino. Each book in this series focuses on a single work in the Fricks collection and includes an essay by a curator complemented by a contribution from a contemporary cultural figure. Written by Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, and acclaimed author Francine Prose, this new book takes as its subject the celebrated and notorious figure who earned the nickname the scourge of princes for his satirical writings on the rich and powerful. After moving to Venice in 1527, Aretino befriended Titian, who went on to paint three portraits of the writer and included his likeness in two ... More
Sussex auction house to sell St John's Barn Summers Place
BILLINGSHURST.- Summers Place Auctions has compared the St John's barn to the ultimate 3D Puzzle as the buyer will have the chance to assemble the barn on their own land following a detailed legend and helped by all timbers properly marked. If you enjoy painstakingly rebuilding it beam by beam then it could be yours for a six-figure sum on the 18th May. The barn has roots going back to Tudor times and such structures are rare to find. The owner, Nigel Warren-Thomas, 70, a chartered surveyor, bought them for a retirement project 20 years ago but never found the time. He has done a lot of research into the history of the barn , which was built in the 18th century but the framers who put it up are thought to have used some timber from earlier structures dating back to the Tudors. The magnificent barn was built within the original grounds of the Order of the Knights of St John ... More
Wayne Peterson, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, dies at 93
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Wayne Peterson, a prolific composer whose fraught winning of the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 stirred debate about whether experts or average listeners were the best judges of music, died on April 7 in San Francisco. He was 93. His son Grant confirmed the death, in a hospital, which he said came just seven weeks after that of Petersons companion for decades, Ruth Knier. Peterson won the Pulitzer for his composition The Face of the Night, the Heart of the Dark, but only after the 19-member Pulitzer committee rejected the advice of the three-member music jury, which initially recommended that Ralph Shapeys Concerto Fantastique receive the prize. The jury was made up of composers, who had the ability to study the scores of works under consideration, whereas the committee members, mostly journalists, had no particular expertise in music. The dust-up ... More
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PhotoGalleries
Sophie Taeuber-Arp & Hans Arp: Cooperations â Collaborations
Future Retrieval
Clarice Beckett
Kim Tschang-Yeul
Flashback On a day like today, English landscape painter David Cox was born April 29, 1783. David Cox (29 April 1783 - 7 June 1859) was an English landscape painter, one of the most important members of the Birmingham School of landscape artists and an early precursor of impressionism. He is considered one of the greatest English landscape painters, and a major figure of the Golden age of English watercolour. In this image: A Train on a Viaduct by David Cox.
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