tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69319328424741683912023-11-16T06:06:09.780-08:00ART AT ALL PRICESThe love of Fine Art is a religion or it is nothing. It is probably why there are so many bogus high priests and fake vicars to glorify a lot of false Gods. But how much cost their idols ?Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-83637042667634528052009-09-30T06:31:00.000-07:002009-09-30T14:08:14.809-07:00THE MOST EXPENSIVE PAINTINGS FOR THE YEAR 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HI3MH0uiGSFbfk6eZp5aDbnWR6RzJZbDNikn6GJ4yWEAaOlgfJsKifvo4KN9D3gml7pp9K4QS4EYCIdpuGp2KyG5aqyuFduy041lclEnWk4-3vQbjm7EjPTxQAQD6L7sh1ZhcwbWaNuQ/s1600-h/no15.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 277px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387256604453389586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HI3MH0uiGSFbfk6eZp5aDbnWR6RzJZbDNikn6GJ4yWEAaOlgfJsKifvo4KN9D3gml7pp9K4QS4EYCIdpuGp2KyG5aqyuFduy041lclEnWk4-3vQbjm7EjPTxQAQD6L7sh1ZhcwbWaNuQ/s320/no15.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">According to ArtPrice, the 50 most expensive sales in public auctions in 2008 were : </span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#990000;">1 </span>BACON Francis <span style="color:#000099;">$ 77,000,000</span>: «Triptych» (1976) 14 May (Sotheby’s New York)<br /><span style="color:#990000;">2</span> MONET Claude £ 36,500,000: Le bassin aux nymphéas (1919) 24 June (Christie’s London)<br /><span style="color:#990000;">3</span> MALEVICH Kasimir Sevrinovitch $ 53,500,000: Suprematisch Composition (1919) 03 Nov. (Sotheby’s Ndew York)<br />4 BACON Francis £ 23,500,000: «Untitled» (1974/77) 06 Feb. (Christie’s London)<br />5 ROTHKO Mark $ 45,000,000: «No.15» (1952) 13 May (Christie’s New York)<br />6 MONET Claude $ 37,000,000: Le Pont du chemin de fer à Argenteuil (1873) 06 May (Christie’s New York)<br />7 BACON Francis £ 17,800,000: «Study of Nude with Figure in a Mirror» (1969) 27 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsm5jUU1E8EUBbNYCXDPYy1WbjQLNfSeyRDz63ui1pf2fr479wePwFGYlObjsCvjHfR4ey5ep3AEFnhHTvHc-a_2bGFSIvHzPa_fYUqkGRFdscllSjVaN3yNTgSpKk_wGDHoR5qUcpEzn/s1600-h/FERNAN~1.JPG"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 202px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 308px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387261243294232946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsm5jUU1E8EUBbNYCXDPYy1WbjQLNfSeyRDz63ui1pf2fr479wePwFGYlObjsCvjHfR4ey5ep3AEFnhHTvHc-a_2bGFSIvHzPa_fYUqkGRFdscllSjVaN3yNTgSpKk_wGDHoR5qUcpEzn/s320/FERNAN~1.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">8 LÉGER Fernand $ 35,000,000: «La Femme en Bleu» (1912/13) 07 May (Sotheby’s New York)<br />9 MUNCH Edvard $ 34,000,000: Vampire (1894) 03 Nov. (Sotheby’s New York)<br />10 DEGAS Edgar $ 33,000,000: Danseuse au repos (c.1879) 03 Nov. (Sotheby’s New York)<br />11 BACON Francis £ 15,400,000: Studies for Self-Portrait (1975) 30 June (Christie’s London) </span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">12 FREUD Lucian $ 30,000,000: Benefits Supervisor Sleeping (1995) 13 May (Christie’s New York)<br />13 WARHOL Andy $ 29,000,000: Double Marlon (1966) 13 May (Christie’s New York)<br />14 MUNCH Edvard $ 27,500,000: Girls on a Bridge (1902) 07 May (Sotheby’s New York) </span></strong></div><strong><span style="font-size:100%;"><div></div><div><br />15 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gino_Severini">SEVERINI Gino </a>£ 13,420,000: «Danseuse» (1915) 25 June (Sotheby’s London)<br />16 BACON Francis $ 25,000,000: «Three Studies for Self-Portrait» (1976) 13 May (Christie’s New York)<br />17 GIACOMETTI Alberto $ 24,500,000: Grande femme debout II (1959/60) 06 May (Christie’s New York)<br />18 BACON Francis £ 12,270,000: «Head of George Dyer» 01 July (Sotheby’s London)<br />19 DEGAS Edgar £ 12,000,000: Danseuses à la barre (c.1880) 24 June (Christie’s London)<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAPpa2qZZ7ql_X6iuv9axsoXAP9Jso8_QivCvnNXrwinwF0ObjAcyEsDl1tGc5bkWIo7PxH7b4sc3dWN7Y9Fm7Hv8q8s3VIK-PUyMpCJbQkwHiVYyE2FSx_4F7upGphyphenhyphenCG0oQuCdBkLQf/s1600-h/koons.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 243px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 244px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387262609497058562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAPpa2qZZ7ql_X6iuv9axsoXAP9Jso8_QivCvnNXrwinwF0ObjAcyEsDl1tGc5bkWIo7PxH7b4sc3dWN7Y9Fm7Hv8q8s3VIK-PUyMpCJbQkwHiVYyE2FSx_4F7upGphyphenhyphenCG0oQuCdBkLQf/s320/koons.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;">20 KOONS Jeff £ 11,500,000: Balloon Flower (Magenta) (1995/2000) 30 June (Christie’s London)<br />21 WATTEAU Jean Antoine £ 11,000,000: La surprise: A Couple embracing while a figure dressed as Mezzetin Tune 08 July (Christie’s London)<br />22 <a href="http://www.artnet.fr/Artists/LotDetailPage.aspx?lot_id=5903EAE33D139B366C020E4277941544">MARC Franz </a>£ 11,000,000: Weidende Pferde III (1910) 05 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br />23 KLEIN Yves $ 21,000,000: MG 9 (c.1962) 14 May (Sotheby’s New York)<br />24 FREUD Lucian £ 10,500,000: Naked Portrait with Reflection (1980) 30 June (Christie’s London)<br />25 WARHOL Andy £ 10,200,000: Self-portraits (1986) 27 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br />26 MATISSE Henri $ 20,000,000: Portrait au manteau bleu (1935) 06 May (Christie’s New York)<br />27 KLEIN Yves $ 19,000,000: Archisponge (RE 11) (1960) 11 Nov. (Sotheby’s New York)<br />28 GRIS Juan $ 18,500,000: Livre, pipe et verres (1915) 06 Nov. (Christie’s New York)<br />29 FONTANA Lucio £ 9,200,000: «Concetto Spaziale, la fine di Dio» 27 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br />30 PICASSO Pablo $ 17,100,000: La grue (c.1951/52) 07 May (Sotheby’s New York) </span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />31 RODIN Auguste $ 16,900,000: Eve, grand modèle-version sans rocher (1881) 06 May (Christie’s New York)<br />32 GIACOMETTI Alberto £ 8,420,000: Trois hommes qui marchent I (1948) 25 June (Sotheby’s London)<br />33 JAWLENSKY von Alexej £ 8,400,000: Schokko (c.1910) 05 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br />34 HIRST Damien £ 9,200,000: The Golden Calf (2008) 15 Sept. (Sotheby’s London)<br />35 PICASSO Pablo $ 16,000,000: Deux personnages (Marie-Thérèse et sa soeur lisant) (1934) 06 Nov. (Christie’s New York)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwS1QbXDtF0S8KpBy0N1gE3yQf0Fha04ajOY1duBrfy217yVmeIadneRfzJvX3sNM3_Dx2dfD59Z49E5bBT5LbeaoN_JiO6be7eR2iKTRzSh76U_ipXEo89YWNzT9rywFjIWpjbpTDHeW/s1600-h/WYOMING.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 165px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387265389750675010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwS1QbXDtF0S8KpBy0N1gE3yQf0Fha04ajOY1duBrfy217yVmeIadneRfzJvX3sNM3_Dx2dfD59Z49E5bBT5LbeaoN_JiO6be7eR2iKTRzSh76U_ipXEo89YWNzT9rywFjIWpjbpTDHeW/s320/WYOMING.jpg" /></a>36 <a href="http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5073606">MORAN Thomas </a>$ 15,800,000: Green River of Wyoming (1878) 21 May (Christie’s New York)<br />37 KLEIN Yves $ 15,500,000: IKB 1 (1960) 14 May (Sotheby’s New York) 38 PICASSO Pablo $ 15,500,000: Le baiser (1969) 07 May (Sotheby’s New York)<br />39 HIRST Damien £ 8,500,000: The Kingdom (2008) 15 Sept. (Sotheby’s London)<br />40 MIRO Joan $ 15,200,000: La caresse des étoiles (1938) 06 May (Christie’s New York)<br />41 KANDINSKY Wassily $ 15,000,000: Studie zu Improvisation 3 (1909) 06 Nov. (Christie’s New York)<br />42 RICHTER Gerhard £ 7,100,000: Kerze (1983) 27 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br />43 FONTANA Lucio £ 8,000,000: Concetto Spaziale, la fin di dio (1963) 19 Oct. (Christie’s London)<br />44 PICASSO Pablo £ 7,020,000: Tête de femme (1939) 25 June (Sotheby’s London)<br />45 RICHTER Gerhard $ 13,500,000: Abstraktes Bild (1990) 14 May (Sotheby’s New York)<br />46 MURAKAMI Takashi $ 13,500,000 : My Lonesome Cowboy (1998) 14 May (Sotheby’s New York)<br />47 MONET Claude £ 6,820,000: La plage à Trouville (1870) 25 June (Sotheby’s London)<br />48 RICHTER Gerhard $ 13,200,000: Abstraktes Bild (710) (1989) 12 Nov. (Christie’s New York)<br />49 PICASSO Pablo £ 6,600,000: Tête de femme (1938) 05 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)<br />50 RENOIR Auguste £ 6,600,000: La loge ou L’avant-scène (1874) 05 Feb. (Sotheby’s London)</span></strong></div></div></div>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-16287723059501719802009-09-30T05:33:00.000-07:002009-09-30T06:28:31.144-07:00THE ART MARKET LEADERS 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VSr85WBtdVaomUqwgiEQTV_ANb4aLWJ2G6T3wMfFi5TOMHXjVqJ3JlK0s1QiWe1N2lBM7DaE7FjE8B0yBKLy5BYjDm1JQ3s3m0CsLzv3_uDSj2jBjOSLwIOPGbZSaKeTGXyRFSOyz9ay/s1600-h/casagemas.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 193px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387246583840725442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VSr85WBtdVaomUqwgiEQTV_ANb4aLWJ2G6T3wMfFi5TOMHXjVqJ3JlK0s1QiWe1N2lBM7DaE7FjE8B0yBKLy5BYjDm1JQ3s3m0CsLzv3_uDSj2jBjOSLwIOPGbZSaKeTGXyRFSOyz9ay/s320/casagemas.jpg" /></a> <div><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">According to </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">Artprice, the Top 10 ranking art market heavyweights in 2008 were :<br />1 – Pablo PICASSO (1881-1973) with a total of sales of $262m for 1,764 Sold Lots at public auctions or an average value per sale of 148,000 dollars<br />2 – Francis BACON (1909-1992) with a total of sales of $256m for 100 Sold Lots or an average value per sale of $ 2.56 million<br />3 – Andy WARHOL (1928-1987) with a total of sales of $236m for 1,164 Sold Lots or an average value of $ 202,000</span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">4 – Damien HIRST (1965) with a total of sales of $230m for 445 Sold Lots or an average value of $ 516,000<br />5 – Claude MONET (1840-1926) with global sales of $174m for 25 Sold Lots or an average value of <span style="color:#990000;">$ 6.96 million</span><br />6 – Alberto GIACOMETTI (1901-1966) with global sales of $132m for 111 Sold Lots or an average value of $1.18 million<br />7 – Gerhard RICHTER (1932) with global sales of $122m for 166 Sold Lots with an average value of $ 734,000<br />8 – Edgar DEGAS (1834-1917) with global sales of $111m for 81 Sold Lots with an average value of $ 1.3 million<br />9 – Lucio FONTANA (1899-1968) with global sales of $95m for 227 Sold Lots with an average value of $ 418,000<br />10 – Yves KLEIN (1928-1962) wtih global sales of $91m for 59 Sold Lots with an average value of $ 1.54 million</span></strong></div>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-22678301321997760222009-02-04T20:23:00.001-08:002009-02-07T12:36:40.112-08:00RENE MAGRITTE : SOUVENIR DE VOYAGE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGC1BDvhLzQ5yXdwirtHOPzXNxZBm9GFWIiRNnHlpoQ5njfZ4hhARoOtW0iyz0WqLWTWZn26oG6TKeKnA17MeFZ6vQ8Due5Td4D8AHhGSanO_mvHW4A0jFlvLiCRmDEGPuMTAdvhFLCyz/s1600-h/MAGRITTE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGC1BDvhLzQ5yXdwirtHOPzXNxZBm9GFWIiRNnHlpoQ5njfZ4hhARoOtW0iyz0WqLWTWZn26oG6TKeKnA17MeFZ6vQ8Due5Td4D8AHhGSanO_mvHW4A0jFlvLiCRmDEGPuMTAdvhFLCyz/s320/MAGRITTE.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299164357486042946" border="0" /></a><b style="font-weight: bold;">René François Magritte</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) painted this Souvenir de Voyage (actually the Leaning Tower in Pisa, Italy). It is an oil on canvas measuring 40 by 30cm and painted in 1958. Harry Torczyner, a</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">native of Antwerp and a lawer in Belgium before fleeing the Nazis and coming to the United States, commissioned it from the artist and it was later </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> acquired from the above in 1962 by the Bodely Gallery in New York.<br /><br />Magritte was a </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Belgians" title="List of Belgians">Belgian</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealist" title="Surrealist" class="mw-redirect">surrealist</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> artist and became well-known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images.<br /><br />In 1912, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the river Sambre. Magritte was present when her body was retrieved from the water. The image of his mother floating, her dress obscuring her face, influenced a series of paintings of people with cloth obscuring their faces, including </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Les Amants</i><span style="font-weight: bold;">, but Magritte obviously disliked this explanation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> In 1926, Magritte produced his first surreal painting, </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Lost Jockey</i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (</span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Le jockey perdu</i><span style="font-weight: bold;">), and held his first exhibition in Brussels in 1927. Critics heaped abuse on the exhibition. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Depressed</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> by the failure, he moved to </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Paris</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> where he became friends with </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Breton" title="André Breton">André Breton</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, and became involved in the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism" title="Surrealism">surrealist</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> group.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Magritte died of pancreatic cancer on August 15, 1967 and was interred in Schaarbeek Cemetery, Brussels.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This picture reached at auction on the 3rd of February 2009 the sum of <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >746,850 GBP</span> ($1,07 million) vs. an estimate of 400,000—600,000 GBP (price with Buyer's Premium). </span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-74267387053508173372009-02-04T19:40:00.000-08:002009-05-30T07:53:31.799-07:00OSKAR KOKOSCHKA : ISTANBUL I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-Fs8m46_TJ-UejpHCC-CEb_9Qe7CQN2DaSIe3BZTmx7MM1kfUhDz5QJZGjBN5JIHbc9qY_QRPrEEiGc_uM1N-DrW-er-PurcJu5fR-DRb1Np67XJD4vH8Rp7Th79q2ja1OXtd5gIy2MN/s1600-h/istanbul.jpeg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299162566296660242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-Fs8m46_TJ-UejpHCC-CEb_9Qe7CQN2DaSIe3BZTmx7MM1kfUhDz5QJZGjBN5JIHbc9qY_QRPrEEiGc_uM1N-DrW-er-PurcJu5fR-DRb1Np67XJD4vH8Rp7Th79q2ja1OXtd5gIy2MN/s320/istanbul.jpeg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">This painting by Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) was made in 1929 and it is an oil on canvas representing the port of Istanbul (Turkey). It measures </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" id="SearchResults_rptLotResults__ctl0_lS">31.6 x 43.6 in. / 80.3 x 110.8 cm and was acquired from the artist in 1930 </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">by the Galerie Paul Cassirer, Berlin, then transferred to N. V. Amsterdamsche Kunsthandel Paul Cassirer & Co., Amsterdam in April 1931.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oskar Federer , director general of the Vitkovice iron and mining company, </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">from Ostrava (Czechoslovakia) acquired it from the above through Neue Galerie, Vienna, in 1933. In 1939, he managed to leave the Nazi-held Czechoslovakia when his wife and children already were safely in Canada. However, he could smuggle out only four of his favourite paintings, leaving behind a precious collection of works by European masters.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Istanbul I was Seized by the Nazis in 1939</span> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">as "entartete kunst" (degenerate art) and sold to the Galerie Vytvarného Umenì, Ostrava, in November 1943. </span></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Federer grandson, Andrew, a Toronto-based banker who works for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, failed to regain the paintings that remained in the Czech Republic in the 1990s because legislation at that time allowed only restitution of property confiscated after the 1948 Communist takeover. A new law, passed in 2000, allowed for art stolen by the Nazis to be claimed by the original owners or their heirs.</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">It was restituted to the heirs of Oskar Federer in 2007.<br /><br /></span><b style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oskar Kokoschka</b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian artist, poet and playwright, best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes and his passionate affair with Alma Schindler, widow of composer Gustav Mahler and ex-wife of Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus. </span></span><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Kokoschka became a British citizen in 1946 and only in 1978 would regain Austrian citizenship. He travelled briefly to the United States in 1947 before settling in Switzerland, where he lived the rest of his life.</p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Kokoschka had much in common with his contemporary </span><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="Max Beckmann" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Beckmann">Max Beckmann</a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">. Both maintained their independence from </span><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="German Expressionism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Expressionism">German Expressionism</a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">, yet they are now regarded as its supreme masters, who delved deeply into the art of past masters to develop unique individual styles.</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Estimated by Sotheby's between 1,200,000—1,800,000 GBP, it </span><b style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">sold </b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">with Buyer's Premium for <span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255);font-size:130%;" >1,49 million GBP</span> ($2,15 million) on 3rd of February 2009.</span><br /></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-42124618580999325912009-02-04T18:12:00.001-08:002009-02-04T20:18:31.016-08:00PABLO PICASSO : TETE D'HOMME BARBU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTodd0rlaCuO_CWP8rvr4Yn9l_x_e1yqltvgxD55uR8L9qo4GPBgJZxYEGT-HlUTOIBNuLfr2_gyX32aU9q-udWm0vLxL6rP_XkDte5OcZN46Ctdx5kEK3yZUc2L851JtO2WSvOVo41i6Q/s1600-h/barbu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTodd0rlaCuO_CWP8rvr4Yn9l_x_e1yqltvgxD55uR8L9qo4GPBgJZxYEGT-HlUTOIBNuLfr2_gyX32aU9q-udWm0vLxL6rP_XkDte5OcZN46Ctdx5kEK3yZUc2L851JtO2WSvOVo41i6Q/s320/barbu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299130596466685282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">This <span style="font-style: italic;">Tête d'homme barbu</span> signed 'Picasso' (upper left), dated '5.6.65.II' (on the reverse) is an oil on canvas measuring 18 1/8 x 15 in. (46 x 38.1 cm).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It was last sold in June 2007 by Christie's for <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">423,200 GBP</span> in London (839,206 dollars at the time) but it reached yesterday 3rd of February </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >612,450 GBP</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (884,000 dollars at current exchange price)in an auction sale by Sotheby's. American and European investors can clinch very good deal given the current situation of the British Pound vs. the dollar and the Euro.<br /><br />Sotheby's had conservatively estimated the picture between 350,000 and 450,000 GBP. Picasso (1881-1973) painted several bearded men. One of the few men that Picasso regularly saw in his final years was his chauffeur Maurice Bresnu, who joined the Picasso household with his wife in early 1965. He served Picasso to the end of the artist's life and assisted his widow Jacqueline thereafter.<br /><br /></span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Tête d'homme barbu</i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> belongs to a series of paintings of busts and heads executed in Mougins in late May and June 1965, several of which share the same Bresnu-like characteristics of the beard and tight black curls. Picasso's overriding preoccupation in this series seems to be the simplification of form, and his ability to portray both features and the individual with a few choice brushstrokes is superbly conveyed. Or maybe it is just that his talent was weaning out, his patience for hard work slowing down or his appetite for quick money unrelenting. </span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-72862763709797867832009-02-04T16:32:00.000-08:002009-02-04T20:19:07.397-08:00ERNST L. KIRCHNER : BERLIN STREET SCENE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRE1PK9JYYeEgbR752ksteG9arP0lqz2uFZwfdNBAeNntUEEK4PUDi5rBDNBne33jOUueKdnZHfO0eNfTrFgcVZ7jeLM01_EsRGu8vglUgXZMPYc0OMZsgtSJ-fJVjeJ6DRXIy5vFi3uPM/s1600-h/kirchner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRE1PK9JYYeEgbR752ksteG9arP0lqz2uFZwfdNBAeNntUEEK4PUDi5rBDNBne33jOUueKdnZHfO0eNfTrFgcVZ7jeLM01_EsRGu8vglUgXZMPYc0OMZsgtSJ-fJVjeJ6DRXIy5vFi3uPM/s320/kirchner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299106369058028258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">This painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) that Sotheby’s was selling on the 3rd of February 2009 — “Street Scene,” from 1913 — was last publicly seen at Sotheby’s London 11 years ago as part of a group of Fauve and German Expressionist works that were sold by Charles Tabachnick, a Toronto collector.<br /><br />It is an oil on canvas measuring </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">70 by 51cm. (27 1/2 by 20in) and i</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">t fetched <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">$3.3 million</span>, a record price at the time. That buyer, whom Sotheby’s refused to identify, was selling the Berlin scene today in London and the auctioneer sold it off for <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >5.41 million GBP </span> ($ 7.81 million) vs. an estimate ranging between 5 and 7 million GBP. A little disappointment for both the seller and the vendor.<br /><br />Kirchner’s Berlin street scenes are among his most celebrated images. The artist, from Dresden, first visited Berlin in 1910 and moved there in 1911. From 1913 to 1915 he produced 11 street scenes. Except for one that Kirchner began in 1911 and repainted in 1922 and that Christie’s sold in London in 2006 for $3.8 million, this is the only remaining street scene in private hands. The rest are in museums around the world. <span style="font-weight: bold;">In New York in November 2006, Christie’s sold another Berlin street scene from 1913-14 for a record $38 million. The buyer, who had the help of an anonymous friend, was </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/ronald_s_lauder/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Ronald S. Lauder.">Ronald S. Lauder</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, heir of the cosmetic conglomerate and founder of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Neue Galerie</span> in Manhattan. The painting, of an urban crowd with a prostitute in a bright red dress, has been on and off the walls of the Neue Galerie ever since.<br /></span></span><br /><b>Ernst L. Kirchner</b> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> was a </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">German</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">expressionist</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">painter</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and </span><span class="mw-redirect" style="font-weight: bold;">printmaker</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and one of the founders of the artists group </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Die Brücke</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Expressionism</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in 20th century art. He volunteered for army service in the </span><span class="mw-redirect" style="font-weight: bold;">First World War</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, but soon suffered a breakdown and was discharged. In 1933, his work was branded as "</span><a href="http://schikelgruber.net/degenerated.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">degenerate</span></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">" by the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nazis</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and in 1937 over 600 of his works were sold or destroyed. In 1938 he committed suicide.</span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-74078873364398612922009-02-04T16:19:00.001-08:002009-02-04T20:19:24.217-08:00EDOUARD DEGAS : LA PETITE DANSEUSE DE 14 ANS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG9x1rg7MhxJxjnFuiTlQi-Qmq2xBAlkIPQu5rEvbGjZZitTcHqgGzz2pq2bkB8zlirThM8LWj7-yFLya-DCh8UZDZCftmb630DtxM-QEyCfRzJP5AFu6Y8yp-RR1Yyh7MA2bhgK1Zoyp/s1600-h/degas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG9x1rg7MhxJxjnFuiTlQi-Qmq2xBAlkIPQu5rEvbGjZZitTcHqgGzz2pq2bkB8zlirThM8LWj7-yFLya-DCh8UZDZCftmb630DtxM-QEyCfRzJP5AFu6Y8yp-RR1Yyh7MA2bhgK1Zoyp/s320/degas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299101487907487778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The important & iconic sculpture </span><em style="font-weight: bold;">Petite danseuse de quatorze ans</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">by impressionist artist</span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://eartfair.com/blog/edgar-degas-biography-of-the-french-artist-renowned-for-his-figure-painting-2/">Edgar Degas</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> was offered for sale in Sotheby’s Art Evening Auction of Impressionist and Modern Art in London on the 3rd of February 2009. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">La Petite danseuse</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> is one of the most ambitious and iconic of Degas’s works and a groundbreaking sculpture from the Impressionist period. The bronze cast to be offered at Sotheby’s is one of only a handful of casts remaining in private hands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Created in wax circa 1879-81, Petite danseuse was the only sculpture to have been exhibited during the artist’s lifetime. Using a wire armature for the body and hemp for the arms and hands, Degas worked in modelling wax, dressing the figure in real silk, tulle and gauze. The wig came from Madame Cusset, supplier of ‘hair for puppets and dolls’. The wax sculpture was found in Degas’s studio following his death in 1917 and cast in bronze in from 1922.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">His model was Marie van Goethem, the daughter of a Belgian tailor and laundress, who was a ballet student at the Opéra and among the dancers of the Opéra who were of particular interest to Degas at this time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Estimated at 9-12 millions GBP, the Danseuse reached </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >13,25 millions</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> including buyer's premium. Since 2001 the Degas price index rise 67%. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Morale of the sale : the Danseuse is kidding the current crisis.</span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-55018371066519956232009-01-12T19:51:00.000-08:002009-01-19T20:42:31.237-08:00ILYA KABAKOV : BEETLE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-2QjhuG8RJ1IiW9HumAQtTeBimSKthzsH6KzzdU9TGZK10zLcWbIbbGxnFlMqpZilVGSw9UyQCTotkuIy7u2xFjcUtjNrrJXl28D0CfDtAAlALq0lWSxkfOk52G7MVyf9y_3sC2Nr9g1/s1600-h/beetle.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-2QjhuG8RJ1IiW9HumAQtTeBimSKthzsH6KzzdU9TGZK10zLcWbIbbGxnFlMqpZilVGSw9UyQCTotkuIy7u2xFjcUtjNrrJXl28D0CfDtAAlALq0lWSxkfOk52G7MVyf9y_3sC2Nr9g1/s320/beetle.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290621263054770146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">This picture entitle <span style="font-style: italic;">Beetle</span> is an enamel paint on wooden panel measuring 226.5 x 148.5 cm. (89 1/4 x 58 1/2 in) signed, titled and dated ‘I.Kabakov Beetle 1982 [in Cyrillic]’ on the stretcher.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.ilya-emilia-kabakov.com/">Kabakov</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> is a painter born in 1933 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine who is now an American conceptual artist of Russian-</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">origin. He worked for thirty years in Moscow, from the 1950s until the late 1980s. He now lives and works on Long Island. He was named by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">JewishArtNews</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> as one of the "ten greatest living artists" in 2000.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kabakov joined the Union of Soviet Artists in 1959, and became a full-member in 1965. This was a prestigious position in the USSR and it brought with it substantial material benefits. In general, Kabakov illustrated children's books for 3–6 months each year and then spent the remainder of his time on his own projects.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rather than depict the Soviet Union as a failed Socialist project defeated by Western economics, Kabakov describes it as one utopian project among many, capitalism included. Kabakov remained in Russia until 1987. His first trip to the West was to Graz, Austria when the Kunstverein (Art council) gave him an artistic residency. Between 1988 and 1992 Kabakov claimed no permanent home yet stayed in the West, working and living only briefly in various countries. In comparison to many Soviet émigré artists, Kabakov was immediately successful and has remained so ever since. Between 1988 and 1989 he had exhibitions in New York, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Bern</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, Venice, and Paris.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">His </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Beetle </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">was sold in February 2008 for </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$5.84 million</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">in London by auction house Phillips de Pury for an estimate of 1.2-1.8 million GBP. Kabakov is now the most expensive Russian artist. At a recent retrospective of his work in Moscow, Kabakov appeared wearing a shabby jacket and an old wool hat, looking like not a new Russian but an old one. Kabakov, now 75, seens to feel uncomfortable in the New Russia.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He recently referred to the crowd of nouveaux riches Russian attending his retrospective as </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">rozovii gnoi</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, or pink pus.....</span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-66681314563167660792008-12-29T21:18:00.000-08:002008-12-31T11:16:41.005-08:00AND THE 2008 WINNERS ARE..... BACON, MONET, MUNCH, KOONS AND GUSTON<span style="font-weight: bold;">In the midst of a market that remained on a crazy price trend for a long time before to cool off towards the end of the year, five paintings fetched very high prices in 2008. Good thing for the houses that auctioned them off, four of them were overvalued while only one was on the money.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The absolute winner is Francis Bacon's </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Triptych</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> executed in 1976 </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAKEIt75AtFyYoW0-Oh685du6g9VamMvrjenFk220EYIlkT_8EriTwf-XMb4v3jiOiZnQESLqXU0Y_-d0GfVwHimJqgrUHdr0m7vsW5awsOZPjCuIKlMHivssLqCe7eyIbeFIwOFyXCDg/s1600-h/bacon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAKEIt75AtFyYoW0-Oh685du6g9VamMvrjenFk220EYIlkT_8EriTwf-XMb4v3jiOiZnQESLqXU0Y_-d0GfVwHimJqgrUHdr0m7vsW5awsOZPjCuIKlMHivssLqCe7eyIbeFIwOFyXCDg/s320/bacon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285449700047096098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">that was acquired in May by Russian trophy-hunter Roman Abramovich for upward of </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$ 86,2 million</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, making it the fourth most expensive painting to sell at auction, behind two Picassos and a Gustav Klimt. Abramovich, 42, qualified for the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Times_Rich_List_2008" title="Sunday Times Rich List 2008">Sunday Times Rich List 2008</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, with an estimated fortune of £11.7 billion ($16 billion)(1).<br /><br />Forbes magazine ranked him as the fifteenth richest person in the world. He was considered to be the second richest person currently living within the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in 2008. In my opinion, this price was grossly overvalued but if the auctioneers can find a foolish Russian nouveau-riche to increase their bottom-line, I do not see any reason to spoil their joy. This picture will never sell again at this price.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />The second overvalued winner of the year is Claude Monet's rather gloomy </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Le bassin aux Nymphéas</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> executed in 1919 </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0VXVzs2fC0igxLaCaclpKHuQcSUMUkuERp2WARMvuk4xjZs9ERRvuGO-QIcyYqGI-Kv0Ya1SE97X0u7YX9ANZ2OUMfVmzxb6fOGBv7AfNJfQbmN2DMwgs-DsyQI4CO51LTlgqc2ku8Sj/s1600-h/monet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0VXVzs2fC0igxLaCaclpKHuQcSUMUkuERp2WARMvuk4xjZs9ERRvuGO-QIcyYqGI-Kv0Ya1SE97X0u7YX9ANZ2OUMfVmzxb6fOGBv7AfNJfQbmN2DMwgs-DsyQI4CO51LTlgqc2ku8Sj/s320/monet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285452957962189058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">that fetched the price of </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$ 40.9 million</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in June. This oil on canvas measuring 39 1/2 by 79 1/8 inches was acquired</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">by London based art advisor Tania Buckrell Pos of Arts & Management International who beat telephone competition for the dark abstraction, and the final sale price shattered the artist’s record. This painting had been owned by the</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">the California industrialist philanthropist Norton Simon who in other times terrorized the people</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">of <a href="http://priceofart.blogspot.com/2007/07/titus.html">Christie's</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The third winner of 2008 is Edward Munch's beautiful and awe inspiring</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Vampire Love & Pain</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">executed in 1894</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCGvyYGxWybybTVhkdCghzrGZxHyPS7xj42T1AR3w9NuDeAsYmAQmYOD8vINx6BzUAz3nnMfsXw0E92DP8CCWvuGGNkVLm2InP2d5jShvfdL3MSeSfJQ9L_nOEnmPNPQLssC9jDEk8T19/s1600-h/Munch_Vampire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCGvyYGxWybybTVhkdCghzrGZxHyPS7xj42T1AR3w9NuDeAsYmAQmYOD8vINx6BzUAz3nnMfsXw0E92DP8CCWvuGGNkVLm2InP2d5jShvfdL3MSeSfJQ9L_nOEnmPNPQLssC9jDEk8T19/s320/Munch_Vampire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285457006722798434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> depicting a woman with long, flaming red tresses biting the neck of a submissive male. The picture made a record price of </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >$38,162,500</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in November in a market that had become definitely depressive. The wealth of oil-rich Norway has flung Munch’s star higher in the past few seasons, though this contest, with at least four suitors chasing the prize, eclipsed the previous mark of $30,841,00, set by "</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://priceofart.blogspot.com/2008/08/munch-girls-on-bridge.html">Girls on a Bridge</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">" (1902) at Sotheby’s New York in May.</span><br /><br /><b style="font-weight: bold;">Edvard Munch</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ( 1863 – 1944) was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">print maker</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, and an important forerunner of expressionistic art. A macabre quality pervaded his early work. Munch came to Paris in 1889 and based his expressive style on Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Gauguin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The fourth winner of 2008 is the inevitable <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREe9TXNXrLDSGg5gNDb8maq4CcMRnU0MZvqIqMZtgzf2YUWag5EBfNqMpB6skoE_xGw-VAZVFu4vpXrlSNcXpdfbtGO58jBzSbb4jQldzlvJDN_J46qMhkZ-4z1gjh_y9X_FRbmd8wM57/s1600-h/koons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREe9TXNXrLDSGg5gNDb8maq4CcMRnU0MZvqIqMZtgzf2YUWag5EBfNqMpB6skoE_xGw-VAZVFu4vpXrlSNcXpdfbtGO58jBzSbb4jQldzlvJDN_J46qMhkZ-4z1gjh_y9X_FRbmd8wM57/s320/koons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285463680070163682" border="0" /></a>Englishman Jeff Koons whose </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Balloon Flower</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Magenta) (1995–2000) -</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">a nine-ton, high-chromium stainless steel monument from 1995/2000- that fetched the inflated and overvalued sum of </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >£12,921,250</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($18 million)(1) in June and filled the pocket of the Dallas-based collector <a href="http://www.rachofskyhouse.org/">Howard Rachofsky</a></span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://priceofart.blogspot.com/2008/11/jeff-koons-caterpillar-chains.html">Jeff Koons</a> was born in York (Pennsylvania in 1955) and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Maryland Institute of College Art. Koons has long been known as a good self-promoter who relies on shiny, kitschy images to gain public attention.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The chateau de Versailles (France) near Paris recently held a Koons exhibit that costed 1.9 million Euros, 800,000 of which went solely to the </span><a href="http://www.jeffkoons.com/site/mainbarart_spl_1.html"><i style="font-weight: bold;" class="spip">Split Rocker</i></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> which is in the gardens and is a reference to Le Nôtre.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Last winner of the year, the nice </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Beggar’s Joys</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (1954–55) by Canadian-born Philip Guston (1913-1980) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvmk879y9gMnNNooJTygNUGYs67uAfal8-1xRZjuHdnW-0QkZSSu1jfBm4Pqbmc58bKtOSjFWcl4APBt8VGJX0H26PFz83XN1LelmIGlItzH5qz0dP5cesZTlhm029Km-y1Do8tydP8Ae/s1600-h/Guston.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvmk879y9gMnNNooJTygNUGYs67uAfal8-1xRZjuHdnW-0QkZSSu1jfBm4Pqbmc58bKtOSjFWcl4APBt8VGJX0H26PFz83XN1LelmIGlItzH5qz0dP5cesZTlhm029Km-y1Do8tydP8Ae/s320/Guston.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285466009717805138" border="0" /></a>who </span><b style="font-weight: bold;"> </b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> was a notable painter and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">printmaker</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in the New York School, which included many of the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Abstract Expressionists</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, such as Jackson Pollock</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Willem De Kooning</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">This picture fetched only </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$10,162,500</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> versus an estimate of $14–18 million</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It is probable that Sotheby's overlooked the fact that Guston is unknown in Europe, at least in comparison to the pantheon of ex-colleagues such as de Kooning, Pollock, and Rothko. The work set a record for the under-appreciated American artist nevertheless. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In my opinion, this picture altough extremely nice and attractive was also grossly overvalued but it seems that Guston is a rising star as -in May 2005- his very similar "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Street</span>" from 1956 made $7,296,000.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The work sold in the salesroom to San Francisco art adviser Mary Zlot, who is known to counsel Bay Area billionaires Charles Schwab and George Roberts.</span><br /><br />(1) At 29th of December 2008 rate of exchangeAchtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-36686694638516564702008-12-29T16:58:00.000-08:002008-12-29T19:45:34.502-08:00ALISON E. TAYLOR : 29 PALMS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyKc-gYCOxsZHpcZYXV_G9TS4JVPVidJgnlPT6vSqzGbsIRDVsO1LQ2r-YMOoi6VnQA8ODXj3W_McYjwueGL9GGBfWPskqRp2SlmGeyw2-lxO-UhBKWYB-MUog18YwRzsobDmBEYdyufp/s1600-h/alison.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyKc-gYCOxsZHpcZYXV_G9TS4JVPVidJgnlPT6vSqzGbsIRDVsO1LQ2r-YMOoi6VnQA8ODXj3W_McYjwueGL9GGBfWPskqRp2SlmGeyw2-lxO-UhBKWYB-MUog18YwRzsobDmBEYdyufp/s320/alison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285384806495656082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alison Elisabeth Taylor is a very original American painter who has a MFA (master of Fine Arts) from Columbia University but who is self-taught in the art of wood inlay called marquetry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">She was born in 1973 in Selma, Alabama and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She lives in New York city. Marquetry has a mixed history that is well-suited to her task. A princely luxury in medieval and renaissance times, it is, by now, more likely to be found in lower middle class homes of the kind inhabited by Ms. Taylor’s protagonists. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To make her works Alison E. Taylor makes first the drawings, then covers them with vellum, and maps out the puzzle-piece shapes she will cut from veneers. Some of her works contain more than 60 different types of wood. There is constantly an air of irony and social critic in her works that definitely draw the attention of the onlooker. Then there is the "finish" of the marquetry and the general impression is of a very elegant and electric atmosphere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This work is a wood veneer, shellac 47 X 77 inches executed in 2007. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Last Spring, for her second solo show at </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.jamescohan.com/artists/alison-elizabeth-taylor/">James Cohan Gallery</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in New York, she made her own freestanding room, paneled inside with marquetry looking like a homesteader's cabin. Some of her works sell for up to </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$150,000</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-9627261879397865582008-12-26T18:41:00.000-08:002008-12-26T19:23:50.603-08:00EMIL NOLDE : MARSCHLANDSCHAFT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcGpgLM4NaQ9xcLjWpcHtWqoMSrrj79D3gP6AHAliECDchjT4VpB4_bWr5IlQtHCVUSPEbbAr_mJKV2SSamok604Kdef3QlZ1_NysPC-YI1acbVgOjIcV-fDIE87BIUdxUulF37SPVF4E/s1600-h/nolde.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcGpgLM4NaQ9xcLjWpcHtWqoMSrrj79D3gP6AHAliECDchjT4VpB4_bWr5IlQtHCVUSPEbbAr_mJKV2SSamok604Kdef3QlZ1_NysPC-YI1acbVgOjIcV-fDIE87BIUdxUulF37SPVF4E/s320/nolde.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284294810727884466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">German painter Emil Hansen, aka Emil Nolde, was born near the German-Danish border in 1867. He adopted the name of his birth town as his artist name at a later date. Nolde completed an apprenticeship as a furniture designer and wood carver in Flensburg between 1884 and 1888 and then worked for various furniture factories in Munich, Karlsruhe and Berlin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nolde finally moved to Munich after deciding to become a painter, but the academy under Franz von Stuck dismissed him. He joined Adolf Hölzel in Dachau in 1899 to become his pupil and went to Paris in 1900 to increase his knowledge at the Académie Julien. Nolde studied the Neo-Impressionists Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch and James Ensor</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">He was briefly part of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Secession">Berliner secession</a> movement.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;" id="ctrlArtistBio_lblBio">In 1933, Nolde was the only major German expressionist to join the Nazi Party. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Exhibited at the first exposition of Great German Art in 1937, he was however defamed during WW2 by the Nazis who eventually decided his art was "<a href="http://schikelgruber.net/degenerated.html">degenerated</a>" and banned from exhibiting since 1941. Nolde spent the years 1939 to 1945 in Seebüll painting his 'unpainted paintings', more than 1000 small watercolours, which he took on in his oil paintings after 1945. He died in 1956.<br /><br />In his last years, primarily watercolours with flower and landscape motifs from the neighbourhood of his house in Seebüll, where Nolde died on 13 April 1956, came into existence.This picture, an oil on canvas, recently went on post-auction sale for <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >70,000 EUR / 99,400 $.</span><br /><br /><br />In 2007, the portrait of some woman called Nadja<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cAf_XulzG_6vXO8h5aUGTDcg7lqQjyT2Cx6YyO0KyFm-eJ4ZeGB7L1f-7MV-9NhgVFJe53I01ZFk_JRk0fJ4FpkIxgz0eHz1dZb6LvaxK-AEoNKetHKYp1XMQqvzzko0XRz7Gmchw9tJ/s1600-h/nadja.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cAf_XulzG_6vXO8h5aUGTDcg7lqQjyT2Cx6YyO0KyFm-eJ4ZeGB7L1f-7MV-9NhgVFJe53I01ZFk_JRk0fJ4FpkIxgz0eHz1dZb6LvaxK-AEoNKetHKYp1XMQqvzzko0XRz7Gmchw9tJ/s320/nadja.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284304360240902530" border="0" /></a> executed in 1919 was sold for <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >$2.87 million (€2.15 million) </span>at an auction held by Ketterer Kunst in Munich. The canvas, which most optimistic estimate had been just €1.8 million went to a well-known private collector residing in Germany.<br /><br />Owned by Dr. Ernst Rathenau from 1920s, Nadja mysteriously disappeared between October 1977 and September 1979. An anonymous art collector found the canvas in the attic in one of the Berlin houses in late 2006 after the suicide of his daughter. She had been probably involved in Nadja’s disappearance. </span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-30650712921208376162008-12-23T15:11:00.000-08:002008-12-23T15:27:10.675-08:00IRMA STERN : MALAY GIRL WITH HIBISCUS<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eVJe2_JrT5HXURKbvnIGqqYqTzbtoZpJCDhv_HLMM1sNcO0b3gX-sPg4kDCEdzdHz7JS_nIzJtygoTojDgPsm751c68KSDjJxEC2Y7Xktd8uLGHeS-8SnI3Jx6vPC7kQKakvH2IUamdH/s1600-h/stern.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eVJe2_JrT5HXURKbvnIGqqYqTzbtoZpJCDhv_HLMM1sNcO0b3gX-sPg4kDCEdzdHz7JS_nIzJtygoTojDgPsm751c68KSDjJxEC2Y7Xktd8uLGHeS-8SnI3Jx6vPC7kQKakvH2IUamdH/s320/stern.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283127196720237730" border="0" /></a><b style="font-weight: bold;">Irma Stern</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (1894 - 1966</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">) was a major South African artist who achieved national and international recognition in her lifetime.<br /><br />She was born in the Transvaal, of German-Jewish parents. Her father was interned in a concentration camp by the British during the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">South African War</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> because of his pro-Boer leanings. Irma and her younger brother, Rudi, were thus taken to Cape Town by their mother. After the war, the family returned to Germany and constant travel. This travel would influence Irma's work. </span><p style="font-weight: bold;">In 1913 Stern studied art in Germany at the <span class="new">Weimar Academy</span>, in 1914 at the <span class="new">Levin-Funcke Studio</span> and notably from 1917 with Max Pechstein, a founder of the <span class="mw-redirect">Novembergruppe</span>. Stern was associated with the German Expressionist painters of this period. She held her first exhibition in Berlin in 1919, the first of nearly one hundred solo exhibitions she was to hold in her lifetime. However, her first South African exhibition in Cape Town in 1922 she provoked controversy because of her modern art style. She returned to Germany, but decided to live in Cape Town in 1926. She became an established artist by the 1940s. </p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stern's contribution to South African art was considerable and as a consequence a major retrospective exhibition of her work was put together in 1968. In 1971 the Irma Stern Museum was opened in her home, The Firs in Rosebank, as part of the University of Cape Town's collection.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />This <span style="font-style: italic;">Malay Girl with Hibiscus</span> an oil on canvas measuring 24 x 24in. (61 x 61cm.) executed in 1944 fetched </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >£301,250</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($460,009) last week at Christie's London.</span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-57952998638901336132008-12-22T16:14:00.000-08:002008-12-28T21:47:40.928-08:00IS CONTEMPORARY ART PORNOGRAPHIC ?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0zyzz4F_9pESgBUHUREynKzSuzONqdJjN0hyP18rFrOasSVG1wDIf9BLpmF_Mup4Usfh9knroriFARSjRRCIDBzSl_OqNJrbIDtiOwnUkTlGRdN3BGidQwZFrV4dOZXUiB9LkQ8BGowU/s1600-h/butt2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0zyzz4F_9pESgBUHUREynKzSuzONqdJjN0hyP18rFrOasSVG1wDIf9BLpmF_Mup4Usfh9knroriFARSjRRCIDBzSl_OqNJrbIDtiOwnUkTlGRdN3BGidQwZFrV4dOZXUiB9LkQ8BGowU/s320/butt2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285084331307505090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">No, contemporary art is not pornographic per se, it is only very willingly and complacently provocative in a manner than even the Cubists and the Surrealists were not.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And any artist or art amateur knows that the best way to be provocative and to draw attention -especially if you are talented, innovative and original- is to make your works border on pornography. He who can the most can the least.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">And if pornography is the picture which is being 'too close' whilst erotica is the picture which is 'leaving room for the imagination', then Jeff <a href="http://priceofart.blogspot.com/2008/11/jeff-koons-caterpillar-chains.html">Koons</a>' painting on the right is pornographic.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Red Butt" of the series Made in Heaven</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> by Jeff Koons shows him in close action with his then wife </span><b style="font-weight: bold;">Anna Ilona Staller</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> also known as </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicciolina">La Cicciolina</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">. (the most intimate details were censored by me). Hungarian-born Italian porn-star, Staller married Koons in 1991 and left him two years later. A son was born of their short union in 1992 and in 2008 Staller filed suit against Koons for failing to pay child support.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">When you think that he is one of the richest painters in the world, it leaves you thinking....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anyway, this artistico-pornographic picture - that will probably never hang in a museum -and was certainly not shown at any Koons retrospective- is a 90x60 in. silkscreen made in 1991 and is # one of an edition of one plus one artist's proof which no longer exists. In 2003, Christie's sold one of them for </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$369,000</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> after a bidding war involving 9 bidders. In May 2005, the same auction house sold it again for </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$520,000</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> . I do not know if <a href="http://www.bergpublishers.com/?tabid=4786">Contemporary art</a> is pornographic but I am sure it can be and that it sells very well.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Of course like some critic you can always justify pornography in the Art by writing something like : "Instead of a porno show, the effect is like that of Japanese erotic prints, where the degree of stylization is so exaggerated that the sexual acrobatics as such are quickly submerged in an all-engulfing artifice." (Robert Rosenblum in </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Jeff Koons Handbook</i><span style="font-weight: bold;">, Rizzoli, London, 1992, p.25). But you will fool nobody for yourself, not even the fools who bought it for what it is : a pornographic picture made by a very talented artist.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicciolina#cite_note-0" title=""><span></span></a></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-58934642762011316222008-12-20T21:25:00.000-08:002008-12-21T08:43:06.329-08:00EMILE GALLE : CAMEO GLASS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEaNKN_Of3m5_sFKJ2k-Ae0d4l4h1ckExF6FA3Z_1F1_xWj97_wuP2DLne80O8jgjCWw-JQNADtpWJiP26ZpiaptE59nETtxO0d8tveBRJp8j0aeabjliVsdRznYiuqZfhVt10l5sEoCu/s1600-h/Gall%C3%A9.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEaNKN_Of3m5_sFKJ2k-Ae0d4l4h1ckExF6FA3Z_1F1_xWj97_wuP2DLne80O8jgjCWw-JQNADtpWJiP26ZpiaptE59nETtxO0d8tveBRJp8j0aeabjliVsdRznYiuqZfhVt10l5sEoCu/s320/Gall%C3%A9.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282110457693910354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Paintings, italian sport cars, watches, sculptures, the world of Fine Art is a vast world and one of my favorite category with Italian sport cars is the glass works, particularly the ones by French Emile Gallé factory. </span><br /><br /><p><b>Émile Gallé</b> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">1846</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> – </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">1904</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">) was a </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">French</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> artist who worked in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">glass</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, and is considered to be one of the major forces in the French </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Art Nouveau</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> movement.</span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Gallé was the son of a faience and furniture manufacturer and studied philosophy, botany, and drawing in his youth. He later learned glassmaking at Meisenthal (Lorraine, France) and came to work at his father's factory in Nancy after 1870. His early work was executed using clear glass decorated with enamel, but he soon turned to an original style featuring heavy, opaque <span class="new">glass carved</span> or etched with plant motifs. His career took off after his work received praise at the <span class="mw-redirect">Paris Exhibition of 1878</span>.</p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gallé revitalized the glass industry by establishing a workshop to mass produce his, and other artists', designs. The factory would employ 300 workers and artisans at its height, including the notable glassmaker </span><span class="new" style="font-weight: bold;">Eugène Rosseau</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, and remained in operation until 1936.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gallé was also a great and noble figure who was treasurer of the Nancy branch of the </span><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="new">Ligue Française pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme</span></i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and in 1898 one of the first to become actively involved in the defence of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alfred Dreyfus</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. He also publicly condemned the </span><span class="mw-redirect" style="font-weight: bold;">Armenian genocide</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, defended the </span><span class="mw-redirect" style="font-weight: bold;">Romanian Jews</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and spoke up in defence of the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Irish Catholics</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> against Britain, supporting </span><span class="mw-redirect" style="font-weight: bold;">William O’Brien</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, one of the leaders of the Irish revolt. Gallé died of leukemia in 1904.<br /><br />This wonderful work, property of a Houston collector, is </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">10 1/4 in. (26 cm) high</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">and is a signed </span><em style="font-weight: bold;">gallé</em><span style="font-weight: bold;">, additionally engraved with the Biblical verses </span><em style="font-weight: bold;">Matthew 5:4</em><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and </span><em style="font-weight: bold;">Isaiah 44:5</em><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in Latin, wheel-carved marqueterie-sur-verre cameo glass and gilt-bronze.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Estimated between $30,000 and 50,000 , it fetched at Sotheby's New York in December 2008 the respectable height of <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >$46,875 </span>(buyer premium included)</span>.Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-58959197376173820912008-12-20T14:28:00.000-08:002008-12-20T20:38:30.487-08:00COLLECTORS SNUBBED PRESTIGIOUS ITALIAN CARS SALE IN GSTAAD<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ynD3qwt1wQXvAphL3DzMSL2U8NuMYjAWmps_GJBEabdqHALBD-uR1W_O7jwOKO3XcZPJFCra88aVizkUTHY020qHYcVDpHvak4e2KLmAS33fN34IjZvXEOKeVR2U_Fo1nJpL5HoOyEoS/s1600-h/213maserati.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ynD3qwt1wQXvAphL3DzMSL2U8NuMYjAWmps_GJBEabdqHALBD-uR1W_O7jwOKO3XcZPJFCra88aVizkUTHY020qHYcVDpHvak4e2KLmAS33fN34IjZvXEOKeVR2U_Fo1nJpL5HoOyEoS/s320/213maserati.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282027100167994034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If collectors are currently pouting Contemporary art, they literally snubbed this week end my favorite works of art, i.e. Ferraris, Lancias and other "miraviglie" sport cars from the 50s-90s by the best designers and makers of Italy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The London auction house Bonhams that carved for itself a prestigious niche in the segment of collectible cars market was offering this week end in Gstaad, Switzerland, a nice bunch of some of the most beautiful Ferraris, Maseratis and Lancias one can dream of.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Unfortunately the bidding was not very agressive </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0v8kmIh_W1uZTIVoyhrPkort0b_kPAoMKLnDY9MtfqTBVxGB6gQU7J9wQ9Z76vPGK4W6Qw0kePy2m1fBBUJ3XXDe1jzbxkuw1e5LqKDuJPKQ9fhywFOaHatSolYui33kcDhW4-GAtSLtH/s1600-h/221ferrari.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0v8kmIh_W1uZTIVoyhrPkort0b_kPAoMKLnDY9MtfqTBVxGB6gQU7J9wQ9Z76vPGK4W6Qw0kePy2m1fBBUJ3XXDe1jzbxkuw1e5LqKDuJPKQ9fhywFOaHatSolYui33kcDhW4-GAtSLtH/s320/221ferrari.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282017988575527522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">to say the least. Of the 34 prestigious sport cars offered only 13 passed the reserve price and sold, making a score of 62% of left over cars. More worrying the cars that sold were almost all low priced : 9 sold for less than 200,000 CHF ($181,000) while only a beautiful 1965 black Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder (picture at left) went for more than </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >CHF 600,000 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">($524,000) and a splendid 1961 Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spyder full of history and completely redone (picture on top) fetched </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >CHF 346,050 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">($313,000).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But this was a minor disappointment : the "clou de la vente</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, supposedly a fantastic 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Spider V12 whose bodywork was styled and crafted by Carrozzeria Rocco Motto of Torino did not make its reserve. This unique piece of art used to belong to the enthusiastic Florentine amateur racing driver Piero Scotti. He took delivery of the car – unusually painted metallic grey - in the early Spring of 1951 and on April 28 that year he drove it in the XVIII Mille Miglia accompanied by Amos Ruspaggiari. The car’s start-time race number was ‘434’, and Scotti achieved astonishing success with it – returning to the starting point at Brescia after 1,000 miles’ hectic racing on the public roads of Italy to finish third overall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The car ran in the 1987 Mille Miglia Retro,</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuqN0zR4Bd-F4GKeEKpNPQ7TTf-0ibbnZ8NmEnQqSyAile1gKspTtfeS4K4OAAfMb2tWjWB2fH4FCXLbDcXVIRGZfzO94YM2R3GBxIAZRyJiKMBPzTxgud9n_JHhrg-ERuc1RVJXjTmBk/s1600-h/206ferrari.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuqN0zR4Bd-F4GKeEKpNPQ7TTf-0ibbnZ8NmEnQqSyAile1gKspTtfeS4K4OAAfMb2tWjWB2fH4FCXLbDcXVIRGZfzO94YM2R3GBxIAZRyJiKMBPzTxgud9n_JHhrg-ERuc1RVJXjTmBk/s320/206ferrari.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282022470064367730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and in 1991 reappeared with it in the Rallye des 10,000 Virages. Appearances followed in the 1992 Tour de France Automobile and 1997 Monaco Historic Grand Prix meeting. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWDPP3NyNltvcawrOY8pxo7Njd-DDAF7I63f5j1FaQBzRKElEV5cCnhpEB-wkjmq0lQcV7wIOnonPR61-5tSpifWPpVYc-4RJ_Yikds2ukfbbTDz0_4MVzW32zU_y1MYjxvu-ARu4Jv5-/s1600-h/scotti.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWDPP3NyNltvcawrOY8pxo7Njd-DDAF7I63f5j1FaQBzRKElEV5cCnhpEB-wkjmq0lQcV7wIOnonPR61-5tSpifWPpVYc-4RJ_Yikds2ukfbbTDz0_4MVzW32zU_y1MYjxvu-ARu4Jv5-/s320/scotti.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282097072423394514" border="0" /></a>The car was displayed during the Lyons Salon de l’Auto of 1999 and it was also exhibited at the Concours d’Elégance d' Automobiles Classiques Louis Vuitton at Bagatelle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The estimate for this </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">capo lavoro</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> was between CHF 2.8 and 3.8 million ($2.5-3.5 million) but it did not reach the reserve and was left unsold on the stage. Onlookers and fans could not believed their eyes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Another big disappointment was caused by the fate</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eL5ZaMyz6Jod0zj3VI5WNv6zYZMybLg_WlnIQ8EstJAg8LBvkwwfbGaYH5HD4-0GMtZgEjP25sVQuDpxk-YRoB50589vZhloClwjKE9ywMSDoeUBNoMKTBPg4wLKTd43SRaJ75YDBQ7o/s1600-h/204aurelia.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eL5ZaMyz6Jod0zj3VI5WNv6zYZMybLg_WlnIQ8EstJAg8LBvkwwfbGaYH5HD4-0GMtZgEjP25sVQuDpxk-YRoB50589vZhloClwjKE9ywMSDoeUBNoMKTBPg4wLKTd43SRaJ75YDBQ7o/s320/204aurelia.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282024984004334338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> of one of the most elegant sport car of all times, the pretty Lancia Aurelia Spyder : this 1955 B24 model designed by Pinin Farina, the first car ever to employ a V6 engine, was launched at the 1950 Turin Motor Show. Only 240 B24 Spiders were manufactured during 1954/55, and today the model is one of the most sought-after of post-war Lancias. But this beautiful black exemple was left unsold on stage in spite of a moderate estimate of CHF 430 /530,000 ($390,000).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider summed up 1950s Dolce Vita Italy perhaps better than any other motor car. Over the past seven years the equivalent of approximately €138,300 has been spent on this example and unfortunately the result which is simply stunning left indifferent the bidders. I wish I had enough money to bid on it. It is definitely the car I would have love to buy this weekend and to bring back to Texas for Christmas.</span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-71077788166645868992008-12-18T16:12:00.000-08:002008-12-18T18:47:31.975-08:00WHERE ARE THE GREAT ART FAIRS ?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoe6jpnKQjNVd3kfvaickdvflcSw5gvPmGN1xc0wICa9CbMRmhpEMi8xJ8QIyJ45w-1zSD2Mx_Vd-7j6Zn7_F1gYuB8jWddmE2Igmi30WHAkNZAjoeokYCqa0h3ubTASnu1j49T9mJ2Jg/s1600-h/koh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoe6jpnKQjNVd3kfvaickdvflcSw5gvPmGN1xc0wICa9CbMRmhpEMi8xJ8QIyJ45w-1zSD2Mx_Vd-7j6Zn7_F1gYuB8jWddmE2Igmi30WHAkNZAjoeokYCqa0h3ubTASnu1j49T9mJ2Jg/s320/koh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281296511418901234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you know where took place the most ridiculous bidding war of all times between three </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">rich </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">men ?<br /><br />It was at Basel Art Fair in 2006 between Charles Saatchi, publicist and collector, Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH and Steve Cohen, manager of the hedge fund <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAC_Capital_Partners">SAC Capital Partners</a>.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />The object of their lust ? Pieces of bronze-casted HUMAN EXCREMENT covered in 24-carat gold and contained in glass boxes supposed to be the symbols of an anti consumerist statement.<br /><br />Eventually Steve Cohen snapped the coveted shit from the lust of the two others wealthy fools with a bid at </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_sign" title="Pound sign">£</a>68,000</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br />The golden shit was the work of sculptor </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/terence_koh.htm">Terence Koh</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (here with K.Lagerfeld) who was born in 1977 in Beijing, was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, and lives in New York City. Also known as Asianpunkboy, Koh received his Bachelor degree from the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, Vancouver and his work often borders on </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.asianpunkboy.com/holes/index.php">pornography</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Basel art fair is one of the four biggest 205 art fairs in the world where dealers come together for several days to offer their best works as the prize of each individual booth is never under <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">$40,000</span>.<br /><br />The big Four are to art what Cannes Festival is to movies industry : a place where you must be seen or you are a non-entity. The big #1 is the TEFAF (European Fine Art foundation fair) : held in March it is known as the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.tefaf.com/">Maastrich Fair</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Netherlands) under the patronage of French insurance Cy AXA. Founded in 1985, it exhibits art works for a global value estimated at </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$1 billion</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">It is 28,000 m2 (300,000 sq ft) which is roughly the size of four soccer fields</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">In 2008, <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >610</span> dealers applied to show and only 220 from 15 countries</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">were accepted. No important art dealer wants to miss Maastricht where sales in 2007 had a value of some </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >€</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >790 million</span>.<br /><br />For Ben Janssens, Chairman of TEFAF’s Executive Committee, “there is no evidence that the jittery financial markets have discouraged art buyers and in fact the reverse seems to be true. Visitors said to me that they see no point in investing in stocks at the moment and prefer to put their money into art and antiques.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The second is </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.artbasel.com/go/id/ss/lang/eng/">Art Basel (Switzerland</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">) called "Olympics of the Art World" which draws during 6 days in June collectors and dealers to the Rhine city : this year 60,000 people attended the Fair and in 2009 circa 300 of the world's leading art galleries for Modern and contemporary art will display 20th- and 21st-century art works. Sponsored by Swiss Bank UBS, Art Basel is the mother of all fairs : in 2008, 900 galleries applied and only 290 were selected, over $2million were spent in advertising and dealers fees for the smallest stand started at </span>€<span style="font-weight: bold;">17,000.<br /><br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjpE-h2k7bA6XyaBylyav8OKwJtg5z81bYykdcT6sWg0MAAYZJ4Rscf8niQhWjO55f8zCbDVrHyyboGyNsLU4r9IFUy8VwV_lxCjU_FSUWygAvOLQyJfvliOv97nSxbLy5MgaXiysQB6j/s1600-h/BaselMiamiDrawing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjpE-h2k7bA6XyaBylyav8OKwJtg5z81bYykdcT6sWg0MAAYZJ4Rscf8niQhWjO55f8zCbDVrHyyboGyNsLU4r9IFUy8VwV_lxCjU_FSUWygAvOLQyJfvliOv97nSxbLy5MgaXiysQB6j/s320/BaselMiamiDrawing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281308918673585810" border="0" /></a><p></p></center><br />A third Fair is Art Basel's spin-off, <a href="http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com/go/id/ss/lang/eng/">Art Basel Miami </a>that begain in 2005 and is now the biggest fair in the world for Contemporary Art. It recently took place in December (3-6) : Art Basel Miami is the most important art show in the United States and has achieved world status for his blend of art, money and fashion. Critics call it the "All singing, all dancing art fair." This year, 250 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa exhibited 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The 80-sq-meter booth costs $110,000. According to art dealers, the 2008 edition was not so bad. Or at least not as bad as expected. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Basel Miami is capable to attract more than 2,000 <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">VHNWI</span> (very high net worth individuals).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The last of the big four is the most recent edition,</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.friezeartfair.com/"> London Frieze</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in Regent’s Park, held in October since 2004 which features more than 150 galleries from around the world. In order to increase the number of exhibitors and make the exhibit's fees more affordable, Frieze launched in 2008 a new section dedicated to solo artist presentations which is open to galleries who have been in existence for less than 6 years and present a regular programme of exhibitions.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">In 2006, 470 galleries applied for 152 spots. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Maastrich, the two basel-fairs and Frieze are branded the "must-see" fairs and they attract consignments that might have gone to Christie's or Sotheby's evening sales. It is more or less a virtuous circles in so far as each of them attracts the same collection of dealers, artists, curators and art advisors and journalists. It is a bit of a circus but no more than Cannes Festival and probably more interesting and educating although Art Basel Miami began this year to resemble to a huge gypsy circus with movies and rock stars, even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Manson">Marilyn Manson</a> had a stand to exhibit his <a href="http://www.marilynmansonimages.com/mansonpaintings.htm">works</a> that were IMHO very good.<br /><br />Below the big four, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXf3N_kBXGRK0QdfHdPvwCDjTz1y6sfZLf3x6egrOL0MhkSHGlClCcth3yQimFKXHcVpduYxYAMKzYikYqAB38C6HuOwA0Ii0sxeyBOU5h7P9KNJfo2C1b1TWLtpTTZd1lH5jtJKuZwJR/s1600-h/abstract-art-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXf3N_kBXGRK0QdfHdPvwCDjTz1y6sfZLf3x6egrOL0MhkSHGlClCcth3yQimFKXHcVpduYxYAMKzYikYqAB38C6HuOwA0Ii0sxeyBOU5h7P9KNJfo2C1b1TWLtpTTZd1lH5jtJKuZwJR/s320/abstract-art-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281326683637885586" border="0" /></a>one has 20 "nice-to-see" fairs which gives opportunities to mainstream dealers to show their assets. The big four costs the stars dealers up to $100,000 each and any dealer who wants to attend them all will have to cough up half a million dollar or more. Booths at Maastricht are not given away : the total cost of exhibit -including shipping, hotel, food and so on- for a 80- sq.meter booth reaches </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >€</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >80,000 ($120,000)</span>.<br /><br />Will the fair system prevent the auction houses to bury the art dealers as something of the past between the axe and the spinning wheel ? It is hard to tell but the affluence of applications to each of the big four obviously show that the competition is not yet a thing of the past and that dealers are still capable and agressive players on the art market, especially contemporary. And averybody knows that the art market is more and more made of contemporary works as the Old Masters and the Moderr Art works tend to dry up and make themselves rarer and rarer.<br /><br /><br /></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-87439706082190471212008-12-18T10:35:00.001-08:002008-12-18T11:50:25.944-08:00SALVATOR DE CARLIS : BUST OF JOHANN JOACHIM WINCKELMANN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPNQ6GKlOuXMeEHF9_ynerVg4tzkinNg8xKpb2xjTmX3fmdkyBWF88SnQIDeREF_-9T4xoJb835t3g9URLng3lKm-ri3iOIw_5xKkMlaMNIoILt9uH7sKI1u3EEIuQPspIG92YyJjzdn-/s1600-h/BUST.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPNQ6GKlOuXMeEHF9_ynerVg4tzkinNg8xKpb2xjTmX3fmdkyBWF88SnQIDeREF_-9T4xoJb835t3g9URLng3lKm-ri3iOIw_5xKkMlaMNIoILt9uH7sKI1u3EEIuQPspIG92YyJjzdn-/s320/BUST.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281200968757071474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sculpture is one of the Fine Arts which is sometimes disregarded by investors and collectors. But there are plenty of wonders in the realm of sculpture and very nice opportunities for an aspiring collector. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">One is not obliged to look for a Degas, a Modigliani or a Rodin but at high level there are works of relatively unknown artists that can bring beauty and value to a collection. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The noble face of German art historian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Joachim_Winckelmann"> </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Joachim_Winckelmann">Johann Joachim Winckelmann</a> (68 cms) is magnificently represented by this bust made by Salvator de Carlis <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhNBhLzhOK4J6EvYF833njEfoxCEocjzCeZ4shWxgrBaoTltU9wOMSfAuaPAS8th29-x1kGRSc74GBQz3GWyjrC79h3YFhqLjDBIRzErR4-xAa1IedDnDmDy3Fk0wiYiOtjYI38wKkU2W/s1600-h/Winckelmann.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhNBhLzhOK4J6EvYF833njEfoxCEocjzCeZ4shWxgrBaoTltU9wOMSfAuaPAS8th29-x1kGRSc74GBQz3GWyjrC79h3YFhqLjDBIRzErR4-xAa1IedDnDmDy3Fk0wiYiOtjYI38wKkU2W/s320/Winckelmann.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281216565545483138" border="0" /></a>in the XIXth century. It fetched the surprising sum of </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">€</span> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >75,150 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">in Amsterdam this week whereas it has been estimated around </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">€</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">9,000</span> by Sotheby's auctioneers.</span><b style="font-weight: bold;"> <br /><br />Johann J. Winckelmann</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ( 1717 - 1768), a German </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">art historian</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">archaeologist,</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> was a pioneer Hellenist who first articulated the difference between Greek, Greco-Roman and Roman art. The prophet and founding hero of modern archaeology, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Winckelmann was one of the founders of scientific archaeology.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This bust is then an homage to the works of this man who died tragically and rather stupidly :</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> in 1768 Winckelmann was persuaded by his friend the sculptor Bartolomeo Cavaceppi</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">to to travel to Munich and Vienna, where he was received with honor by </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Empress Maria Theresa. On his way back, he was murdered at Trieste in a hotel bed by a fellow traveller, a man named Francesco Arcangeli, for medals that Maria Theresa had given him. Arcangeli had thought that he was only "un uomo di poco conto" ("a man of little account").<br /><br />So little that his bust -two centuries later- reached almost 80,000 Euro.<br /></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-57005281351599243312008-12-17T17:27:00.000-08:002008-12-18T22:19:38.649-08:00JUDAICA: AS GOOD AS THE BEST CONTEMPORARY & PROBABLY SAFER<span style="font-weight: bold;">If you have a serious look at an auction sale of Judaica artefacts or memorabilia you can have a very good surprise because those items are in high demand by the Jewish community on one hand and by learned collectors on the other. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Judaica represents a wide and diverse area of collecting comprising three main categories: Hebrew manuscripts and books, ritual objects, and fine arts, including paintings and graphics.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Investing in good Judaica is rarely a risky business and you have the certitude that with time your investment will increase in value even moderately.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sotheby's New York held this week an important Judaica sale of more than 160 lots of which some fetched incredible high prices, setting them on a par with the most expensive purchases of recent Contemporary art.<br /><br />Although some might consider better <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFDMJhP2ON-L6iSfyiUIu520jref85U00OzqoWCWVXH8sErzvlH35wbLcOWIAOzVHp917OD9Lo0wToOptjPciUCX25oy0nSqNht9kcAC7sedJpwQJba8BL2zMX2o9XWk4EO-2m2L6vgN6/s1600-h/judaica1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFDMJhP2ON-L6iSfyiUIu520jref85U00OzqoWCWVXH8sErzvlH35wbLcOWIAOzVHp917OD9Lo0wToOptjPciUCX25oy0nSqNht9kcAC7sedJpwQJba8BL2zMX2o9XWk4EO-2m2L6vgN6/s320/judaica1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281381884642082882" border="0" /></a>to be a Jew than a Roman Catholic to buy a Judaica I strongly disagree. A Hebrew Bible is as good a collectible as a Roman Catholic Codex and a manuscript of Psalms is as valuable as the Collection of Rabelais writings. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />For instance this beautiful </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">18th century </span><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sefer Tehillim </span> (Psalms) illuminated and decorated manuscript fetched the astronomical price of <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >$92,500</span> for an</strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">estimate of only 30,000/40,000. It has 113 leaves (4 7/8 x 3½ in.; 124 x 89 mm) including 103 leaves on vellum</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Each</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">title within full-page contains painted scene and there are 31 additional miniatures decorated in gouache, page frames and many initial words in liquid gold while the sectional titles are illuminated with floral decoration painted in yellow and red, occasional marginal drawings in gouache. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The work is a gift presented by a devoted son to his father-in-law, the </span><em style="font-weight: bold;">Shtadlan </em><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michel Segal and his wife Hannaleh in Hanover in 1734. The gift of the manuscript coincided with the Festival of Purim (1) and was sent in the tradition of </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">mishloah manot</i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and is dated: Friday, Purim [14 Adar II, 5]494 (=19 March 1734).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Another striking example is the fate of this 4-volume <span style="font-style: italic;"> Biblica Rabbinica </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHb1EZ4Vd3nPE_V4eCsu9-54WVg-po1D6crhsXClnRnaZEYZe3owpc6PihD2pN_vBLj8sCxEe4gUd6TQaKR_90OsvaumEqNPpoOLRI29L3Y_UqNtt33fiSNgcMS4kwmDuBkmnd9J2P3Rg/s1600-h/judeica2.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHb1EZ4Vd3nPE_V4eCsu9-54WVg-po1D6crhsXClnRnaZEYZe3owpc6PihD2pN_vBLj8sCxEe4gUd6TQaKR_90OsvaumEqNPpoOLRI29L3Y_UqNtt33fiSNgcMS4kwmDuBkmnd9J2P3Rg/s320/judeica2.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280943500464258946" border="0" /></a>that belonged to Rabbi Moses Judah Belgrado (inscriptions of his father's death in 1667 and his wife's death on the final folio of volume 1).<br /><br />In 1516 Daniel Bomberg, a wealthy Christian, was granted the privilege of publishing Hebrew books in Venice. Among the first works he printed was the </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mikra'ot Gedolot</i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Rabbinic Bible) a folio edition of the entire Bible with the leading commentaries. Pope Leo X gave his imprimatur for this book and Felix Pratensis, a monk who had been born a Jew, was the editor. Bomberg published the edition because of growing interest in the Hebrew language and the Bible among learned Christians. This very well preserved Bible fetched the incredible price of <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" >$134,500</span> this week at a auction sale at Sotheby's NYC for an estimate of only 50/70,000. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But the cherry on the cake </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxiUjLfvaHpQQ_8X4ael2A6VheKOB41gOjfslStTUzNEEfSHS7AkkKVR0VnOA3UxQkLh7tHHGai-x8SZbzweo_V_mnZ5tJX_oIulqDI8NAPpaFc7xMkSRKdcGbGiEX4kR0u_FjSS8UT3W/s1600-h/judeica3.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxiUjLfvaHpQQ_8X4ael2A6VheKOB41gOjfslStTUzNEEfSHS7AkkKVR0VnOA3UxQkLh7tHHGai-x8SZbzweo_V_mnZ5tJX_oIulqDI8NAPpaFc7xMkSRKdcGbGiEX4kR0u_FjSS8UT3W/s320/judeica3.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280945481163129554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> was represented by the sale of this magnificent pair of early english parcel-gilt silver large baroque Torah Finials, made by William Spackman arounf 1719, of multi baluster form embossed and chased with bands of lobes alternating with stemmed bell flowers, pierced with arches framed by chased flowerheads against matted ground. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Early English torah finials are exceptionally rare. Of the few surviving however, eleven pairs are recorded with the mark of Abraham de Oliveyra, who was born in Amsterdam in 1657 and relocated to London in the 1690's. The other specialist maker was William Spackman, a gentile who followed Dutch prototypes. This pair of a height of 18in. (45.8cm) fetched <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >$338,500</span> at Sotheby's NY for an estimate of $300,000 /500,000. </span><br /><br /><br />(1)<b>Purim</b> is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the <span class="mw-redirect">Jewish</span> people of the ancient Persian Empire from <span class="mw-redirect">Haman</span>'s plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther.Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-66265833342377014722008-12-17T16:38:00.000-08:002008-12-18T20:23:35.819-08:00ROGER HILTON : MAY 58<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh5TK1fZNUdCiX2flLHWv0M37qaOzaiD1srTZL1k7oAv5QZpE_C4Bdmit4e4Me_808hctFv2NfWPvH-em2_JOvEOijkt3n9mh6pM5Nb86oMf1qSs5xHHFhcK_jz5GlPZssxykE2TIbyM3/s1600-h/hilton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh5TK1fZNUdCiX2flLHWv0M37qaOzaiD1srTZL1k7oAv5QZpE_C4Bdmit4e4Me_808hctFv2NfWPvH-em2_JOvEOijkt3n9mh6pM5Nb86oMf1qSs5xHHFhcK_jz5GlPZssxykE2TIbyM3/s320/hilton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280924224480156530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This rather uninteresting picture by Englishman Roger Hilton (1911-1975) titled May '58, is an oil and charcoal on canvas</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">measuring 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.)and was part of the collection of a wealthy Englishman who bought it in 1986 from the <a href="http://www.redfern-gallery.com/">Redfern gallery</a> in London (1).</span><br /></center><p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In February and March 1958, Hilton's first retrospective was mounted at the Institute of Contemporary Art (</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.ica.org.uk/">ICA</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">) in London. For the first time, the mature artistic nature of Hilton was on public display, in a powerful selection of works. The exhibition was a serious and important event which led to the Tate buying its first work by the artist, </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">January 1957</i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> .</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Later that year, in July 1958, Hilton was selected to feature in a Critic's Choice exhibition at Tooth's Gallery : it was an eclectic mix, bringing together Francis Bacon, William Coldstream, Victor Pasmore and Roger Hilton making the latter famous.</span> <b>Roger Hilton</b> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> was a pioneer of abstract art in post-war Britain. He was born in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Northwood</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">London</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and studied at the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slade School of Fine Art</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, London and also in Paris. But he is always connected with </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">St. Ives</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, and moved permanently to west Cornwall in 1965. By 1974 he was confined to bed as an invalid precipitated in part by </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">alcoholism</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. His work became less abstract in his later years, often being based on the nude or images of animals. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">His fame endured to this day as shows this banal oil/charcoal on convas that fetched this week at Christie's London the high sum of <span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > <span style="font-size:130%;">£32,450</span> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">($49,551) beating its lower estimate by almost </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">£</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">8,000 .<br /><br />(1) Note that the Redfern gallery represents the works by <a href="http://www.redfern-gallery.com/pages/thumbnaillist/7.html">Sarah Armstrong-Jones</a>, the daughter of the late Princess Margaret. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lady Sarah attended the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Camberwell School of Art</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and Middlesex Polytechnic and is a professional painter. She is also Vice President of the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Royal Ballet</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, an appointment she accepted in 2004, following the example of her mother who was a patron of the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="mw-redirect">Royal Ballet</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span></p>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-80274056180531121732008-12-17T16:12:00.000-08:002008-12-17T17:09:04.231-08:00THEODOR MAJOR : LANCASHIRE SCENE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJY3cRzWTk274XCE3rvfB1MvV1M-U2QJgo3Ad8PszaC2jqjQ2179EP6cnqoP5HoCpBuA_PRC4XlNz3gKNM_L-T504-fy-sJhcb1QgXU4rEDGkANKEZAVu9_BNf9j4OyyQL4LIFwmPH6IY/s1600-h/major.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJY3cRzWTk274XCE3rvfB1MvV1M-U2QJgo3Ad8PszaC2jqjQ2179EP6cnqoP5HoCpBuA_PRC4XlNz3gKNM_L-T504-fy-sJhcb1QgXU4rEDGkANKEZAVu9_BNf9j4OyyQL4LIFwmPH6IY/s320/major.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280917291966049026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">One would think that nobody is ready to go well beyond the estimate and the reserve price for a gloomy dim foggy view of Lancashire by English painter Theodore Major (1908-1999) titled Lancashire Scene.<br /><br />Well just change your mind because this oil on canvas measuring 22 x 26 in. (55.9 x 66 cm.) and painted in the late 1940s fetched this week at Christie's London more than twice its lower estimate at </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >£20,000</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ($30,540). Major was famous for his depiction of industrial scenes of the first half of the XXth century in all their gloomness and dreary perspective of dejected workers against a background of smoking chimneys, sinister industrial plants and dark smoggy skies.<br /><br />Major had this year some help from his supporters : 2008 marks the centenary of his birth and has been celebrated with a large exhibition at <a href="http://www.galleryoldham.org.uk/">Gallery Oldham</a> and the launch of a fully illustrated biography of the artist. The present work was painted in the late 1940s when the family lived in Wigan (Lancashire). After moving to Appley Bridge in 1950, Major painted on board rather than canvas and relatively few works remain from the earlier period.</span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-58818083370319968242008-12-17T15:25:00.000-08:002008-12-17T17:09:36.057-08:00GERMAIN FABIUS BREST : BOUQUET DE TULIPES<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wj0sFAdq5cr3SFrH3aM41Z2ydENMw8rtEFnbZJZODeuf6HlYuL9_shs9IX2Pvr91HwH7bnEC_XCIlUrLh8LFDtFloPgWp6WezIyCK7qqgClK7lJOMZce1Fd1jqz2gT2ToYh0415965M1/s1600-h/brest3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wj0sFAdq5cr3SFrH3aM41Z2ydENMw8rtEFnbZJZODeuf6HlYuL9_shs9IX2Pvr91HwH7bnEC_XCIlUrLh8LFDtFloPgWp6WezIyCK7qqgClK7lJOMZce1Fd1jqz2gT2ToYh0415965M1/s320/brest3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280910675746172594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBuNLbBXlSeTBKchl9TG1nG0Q-fo3jELTB1ZxxzWYYKR5NR93BOO09jSirpwpaUYQDkIsJjYYwkHLkjFI1EOu418bdVp5en1ULaHQnXJBIj0m7n7aBTaSG86sUxvagyVQwdtH6ULPdXYI/s1600-h/Brest_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBuNLbBXlSeTBKchl9TG1nG0Q-fo3jELTB1ZxxzWYYKR5NR93BOO09jSirpwpaUYQDkIsJjYYwkHLkjFI1EOu418bdVp5en1ULaHQnXJBIj0m7n7aBTaSG86sUxvagyVQwdtH6ULPdXYI/s320/Brest_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280910668547907394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlOUT00dLwH6MuQbDrsjfrbaXukXWuMwo03QXGOxzNkQboggjEP_9qZQoMkJA65BifCpf2SQk2Oy9jBfmNrq_gVgDiahg2WHHKD22HDaExl5slrW5Cx6aDc1kwn9yP_BzV7c-Hu02zf9n/s1600-h/brest.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlOUT00dLwH6MuQbDrsjfrbaXukXWuMwo03QXGOxzNkQboggjEP_9qZQoMkJA65BifCpf2SQk2Oy9jBfmNrq_gVgDiahg2WHHKD22HDaExl5slrW5Cx6aDc1kwn9yP_BzV7c-Hu02zf9n/s320/brest.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280906978200899602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you distrust or esteem that Contemporary Art market got nuts or unaffordable, you don't have to throw the towel regarding your aspiration to become a wise collector. You can buy for instance</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">works by French "Orientalist" painter </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="list_lot_desc">Germain Fabius Brest (1823-1900) whose pictures are still very much in demand.<br /><br />His </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bouquet de tulipes et pivoines dans un intérieur ottoman </i><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="body">-an oil on canvas measuring 24.02" x 19.92" in.- is part </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">of the</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">"<span class="sale_browse_info">tableaux orientalistes" category made by this artist from my home city of Marseille (France) ; it fetched this week at Christie's Paris </span>the respectable sum of </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >€20,000</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> vs. an estimate of 6,000 /8,000.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fabius Brest learnt his art with famous painters like </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Émile Loubon</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in Marseille and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Constant Troyon</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in </span><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">Paris</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. Advised by Loubon who had lived in Palestine to visit The Middle East, Brest went to Turkey where he stayed 5 years until 1859. He came back from this region with a lot of landscape paintings. The Middle East and its architecture will stay a source of inspiration during his entire life. Some of his paintings (see upper pictures) are amazingly vivid and good and can be viewed at the <a href="http://www.istanbularthouse.com/index_eng.php">Istanbul sanatevi </a>(Istanbul art house) from which you can even buy on line very solid and promising art..<br /><br /></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-59188678598357811402008-12-15T21:42:00.000-08:002008-12-17T17:10:05.973-08:00NEXT STAR ARTIST 2008 IS HERB WILLIAMS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqvIH702tyzae_CohPhRK2tpnzfv6IU6z0DpyXm1gP-gbkfGgiLpf-TM_r0iBdoXyGwM5nbEq5pej_a7s1hn640GObxn1itGtC8dDh9NzmE54VAs46AniSEoAif1SRpdSQxKyeVjomGuO/s1600-h/redhead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqvIH702tyzae_CohPhRK2tpnzfv6IU6z0DpyXm1gP-gbkfGgiLpf-TM_r0iBdoXyGwM5nbEq5pej_a7s1hn640GObxn1itGtC8dDh9NzmE54VAs46AniSEoAif1SRpdSQxKyeVjomGuO/s320/redhead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280275141776816402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z4LELg7yXR782dji15isX-aTYv3cMqd-PCQklrSDadoVuqqhvTaTKDcUH75vCXlBee735sGG9jH9isivZIlSQ_IvwPm0EUb1jxs6NwhPHcK-M36dFQ-_5i-OQoupwI7K-1FGWVLHyiF8/s1600-h/obama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z4LELg7yXR782dji15isX-aTYv3cMqd-PCQklrSDadoVuqqhvTaTKDcUH75vCXlBee735sGG9jH9isivZIlSQ_IvwPm0EUb1jxs6NwhPHcK-M36dFQ-_5i-OQoupwI7K-1FGWVLHyiF8/s320/obama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280260293077624098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">American artist <a href="http://www.herbwilliamsart.com/">Herb Williams</a>, 36, from Nashville (TN.) was named</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> Next Star Artist </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">for the year 2008 by a jury of 15 international galleries of whom Saatchi, Galleri HK, Red Bubble and Art Culture Studio.<br /><br />Williams think that artwork can be humorous and even downright fun, yet still be viable in the midst of what is considered “art” today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some of his influences are Jasper Johns, Magritte, Duchamp, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Robert Rauschenburg, Banksy, and Ai Weiwei, all artists whom the reader of this blog is now familiar with.<br /><br />In 1996 Williams obtained a</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">B.F.A. in Sculpture of the Birmingham Southern College (Alabama). Since then he exhibited in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and twice in France in 2003 and 2005. His works have been bought by several private and public collections (Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Vanderbilt, Vogue)</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Using cigar cutters and dog nail clippers, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SzHerK4m_eeMM1XzY_TP4siI1gBNBabOyojW3AnqSbsifpUIcyJ25gsNq_y_NwhnhdinZ4CrCjc1-Z5F8gf35d73vR-fYu2wdkU4HWvIDn6mwc2V8xUVcRmsPuME5mdgFCxxSRlZOAH3/s1600-h/shoes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SzHerK4m_eeMM1XzY_TP4siI1gBNBabOyojW3AnqSbsifpUIcyJ25gsNq_y_NwhnhdinZ4CrCjc1-Z5F8gf35d73vR-fYu2wdkU4HWvIDn6mwc2V8xUVcRmsPuME5mdgFCxxSRlZOAH3/s320/shoes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280266150577792130" border="0" /></a>Williams cuts the crayons to create a mosaic-like artwork : t</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">his Obama's 3D-portrait is made of over 50,000 crayons of different colors in a very large canvass that took 4 months of hard work. His life-sized Johnny Cash sculpture used over 100,000 black crayons, and he used over a quarter million Crayolas to create a six-foot Marilyn Monroe portrait. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Next September, his works will be exhibited in NYC's prestigious </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onclick="'s_objectID=" href="http://www.rare-gallery.com/main.html" target="_blank">Rare Gallery</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in Chelsea. <span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span><br /><br />While the recent portrait of President-elect Obama fetches <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;" >$25,000</span> from the <a href="http://www.therymergallery.com/">Rymer Gallery</a>, you can walk away with one of the artist's life-size high heel shoes for under $1,000</span>.Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-28059350147420935752008-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:002008-12-19T14:37:39.311-08:00CONTEMPORARY ART DOWN 17% IN 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH9MGhOF0R4466VPBV51_jnIe-BpmGfPFW4DFZx4Dxxq3cF-1pY8jPsp4JCZShH56GO3kOE3oPPz7xRTVM10GnA7fIMX__tcq0TfhBXfwxWWP_y55wdqKHs50t325g-Hp0auidA590xg4/s1600-h/aiweiwei2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH9MGhOF0R4466VPBV51_jnIe-BpmGfPFW4DFZx4Dxxq3cF-1pY8jPsp4JCZShH56GO3kOE3oPPz7xRTVM10GnA7fIMX__tcq0TfhBXfwxWWP_y55wdqKHs50t325g-Hp0auidA590xg4/s320/aiweiwei2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280248301788463778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Annual sales of contemporary art at </span><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Sotheby’s </strong><span style="font-weight: bold;">and </span><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Christie’s </strong><span style="font-weight: bold;">flagship auctions in New York and London have dropped 17% in 2008, according to Bloomberg news agency. The significant drop from a total of </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$2.4 billion</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> last year to just below </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$2 billion</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> this year comes after two years of more than doubling in sales.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">According to Christie's CEO Edward Dolman the London auction house is going to lower its estimates by 10% in the coming months. But if you listen to <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/video/privateview/N08489/index.html">Tobias Meyer</a> (1), auctioneer at Sotheyby's, the decline of Contemporary market is providing a lot of opportunities.<br /><br />(1)</span><span class="eventContactName"> Tobias Meyer is </span>Deputy Chairman, Europe at Sotheby's auction house, Head of Department, Worldwide Contemporary Art, and can be reached at Tel: +1 212 606 7254 or e-mailed to at <a href="mailto:tobias.meyer@Sothebys.com">tobias.meyer@Sothebys.com</a> <p></p>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-3152193633537122112008-12-14T21:34:00.000-08:002008-12-15T20:33:31.639-08:00CRISIS HITS HIRST AND HURTS STAFF<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholCl3VqGMm6UJv1zkUNE9xpITO-kzzikwkMaV9PimIRwT0GHhFruMkVqBKxGVelVpQqTbCouiezN3E9kSL01S4tW9xL3tosN2_8sQ53Cts4feyeYbaNJNUZDSo5HAsSO-RS6Ai6DylxZ8/s1600-h/Damien_Hirst.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholCl3VqGMm6UJv1zkUNE9xpITO-kzzikwkMaV9PimIRwT0GHhFruMkVqBKxGVelVpQqTbCouiezN3E9kSL01S4tW9xL3tosN2_8sQ53Cts4feyeYbaNJNUZDSo5HAsSO-RS6Ai6DylxZ8/s320/Damien_Hirst.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279894009520945234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">One would have thought that His Excellency <a href="http://priceofart.blogspot.com/2008/12/who-is-richest-artist-alive-damien.html">Damien Hirst</a>, unchallendged Pope of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Hirst">Factory-Contemporary Art</a>, would have been recession-proofed. Et bien non !!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">My favorite informer in London told me that he laid off his studio-factory staff on Thursday 12 December : almost 80% of the nice artists who make the pills for Hirst's drug cabinet series were told their contracts were not being renewed. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Another three who make his <a href="http://schikelgruber.net/art/hirst.html">butterfly paintings</a> were also told they were surplus to any current requirements. Their salary is or was in the region of </span><b>£</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">19,000 a year.<br /><br />Not too generous for a man who is considered the richest artist on earth with his <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >130 million Pounds</span> at 42. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Remember that in December 2004, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCNC2cEIV9zaBl6SsObrU2BdPv7pnPWjFkQcY5l3sUFYo7cBTbCrolrIhxZuHELWXPjxZ74y0aqosKCA19JgxmMpZ8OZGzeNdmLyFQo5vQzWuJ6ocoHxZDZ02-CgeNBSijlrtI_anvw3Q/s1600-h/Hirst-Shark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCNC2cEIV9zaBl6SsObrU2BdPv7pnPWjFkQcY5l3sUFYo7cBTbCrolrIhxZuHELWXPjxZ74y0aqosKCA19JgxmMpZ8OZGzeNdmLyFQo5vQzWuJ6ocoHxZDZ02-CgeNBSijlrtI_anvw3Q/s320/Hirst-Shark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279889954035771874" border="0" /></a></span><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living</i><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (picture) was sold by Saatchi to American collector Steve Cohen for </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$12 million</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (£6.5 million), in a deal negotiated by Hirst's New York agent, Gagosian. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Steve Cohen, a Greenwich hedge fund manager, then donated the work to </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoMA" title="MoMA" class="mw-redirect">MoMA</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br />Hirst is used to making dollars by the hundred of thousands and it is certainly a sign of the times if this poor artist does not have any more money to pay his employees. Donations can be made at the Gagosian Gallery in New York city.<br /></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931932842474168391.post-24702856593601347822008-12-14T11:55:00.000-08:002008-12-19T14:39:16.091-08:00A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE ART DEALERS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXruHbTWETi7D1WAO4Yetl7WDWaTcz50ZM2GvTNGk5bMqgEmzth68WyRL8fBU0qSLnjIJJEdcDl2QmUc8Jq-V4szAL5Q4wLj0JAmy5xGWI-aWYWheVuW0yFOZtdsvm3xJVB7OQOF7n6S3/s1600-h/adaa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXruHbTWETi7D1WAO4Yetl7WDWaTcz50ZM2GvTNGk5bMqgEmzth68WyRL8fBU0qSLnjIJJEdcDl2QmUc8Jq-V4szAL5Q4wLj0JAmy5xGWI-aWYWheVuW0yFOZtdsvm3xJVB7OQOF7n6S3/s320/adaa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279749013818503154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">There are thousands of galleries and art dealers in the world. In the USA, there is an </span><a href="http://www.artdealers.org/index.html"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Art Dealers Association of America</span></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (ADAA, 575 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">) that gives a list of its 165 members and a very comprehensive <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Guide to Collectors</span></span> that may be useful to an aspiring buyer.<br /><br />To qualify for membership, a gallery must have been</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">in business for at least five years, have a reputation for </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">honesty and integrity</span>.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> You would not expect less. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Note that the gallery of the flamboyant <a href="http://priceofart.blogspot.com/2008/12/who-is-larry-gaga-art-dealer.html">Larry Gagosian</a> is not a member of the ADAA : "Gaga" does not embarrass himself with that sort of membership. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Among the expectations that a collector must have, the ADAA cites as a #1 <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">Authenticity</span>, followed by Quality, Rarity, Condition, Provenance and Valu</span>e. Note that value is held in ultimate position and authenticity in #1. We would think that works by Hirst or Warhol or Tracey Emin or even Koons would respond to this criteria. Not at all. Warhol painted silkscreens by the dozens, Emin openly mocks authenticity, Hirst used to say that great artists are great negotiators and Koons does not care less about rarity that when he exhibits a plastic tortoise or a Puppy made of bushes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">However all the members of the ADAA would kill mother, sister and lover to have the chance to exhibit a Koons or a Hirst. It is one more case of "<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Do what I say but don't do what I do</span>" theory. And when it comes to auctions, the ADAA tells you that <span style="font-style: italic;">for both sellers and buyers, auctions are a gamble in which control is ceded to fickle and</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">sometimes irrational forces</span>. Understood ?<br /><br />Dealers, will tell you the ADAA, are able to give personal attention to buyers and sellers at all levels of the market, while auctioneers lavish much of their energy on multi-million-dollar lots. ADAA dealers have made a long-term commitment to the art and artists they represent, whereas auctioneers seldom look much further than the next sale. Capito ?<br /><br />More, the ADAA warns you that pre-sale estimates published in auction catalogues are not necessarily predictive of final sales results or of fair value. Estimates are frequently the result of a negotiation between the auction-house and the consignor and may represent wishful thinking on both sides. Verstehen ?<br /><br />Don't even believe that you made a bargain because you got a lot below its lower estimate. This is false. If a lot appears to be going cheaply, it may be that the estimate was <span style="font-style: italic;">too high</span>. Possibly the work is in bad condition. Perhaps the attribution is doubtful and perhaps the auctioneer is a crook. Compris ?<br /><br />In London you have the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujdwUJcHHZbcRoSFhKE2i9xcSu2JdHgs0k2Se46UZANwyCPNcnhyoD6W5IElpH2msUOB1gEQPKOPEVDOe2XBiwa-DvXan1p4j3kLb-nMJnzCCj5O0CBJDrZI86Cxf058rpuVs9nDn6LTi/s1600-h/abstract-art-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujdwUJcHHZbcRoSFhKE2i9xcSu2JdHgs0k2Se46UZANwyCPNcnhyoD6W5IElpH2msUOB1gEQPKOPEVDOe2XBiwa-DvXan1p4j3kLb-nMJnzCCj5O0CBJDrZI86Cxf058rpuVs9nDn6LTi/s320/abstract-art-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279796997609799714" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.slad.org.uk/">Society of Art Dealers</a> (SAD) in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ormond House, 3 Duke of York Street London, SW1Y 6JP that boasted of "around" <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">100 members</span> and was founded in 1932. Do not expect a great help from this respectable association ; the Society has a better role to play than assisting you in the Art jungle : its vital role is to represent "the interests of its members in discussions with the government and other professional bodies on current issues concerning the art trade." Do not think though that there are discussions with the auction houses, they hate each other. Entendido ?<br /><br />Once more note that the most powerful art dealer in England, Charles Saatchi, is not a member. SAD's artwoks database is very poor and does not mention a Koons or a Hirst but it gives you an exhaustive lists of galleries where you can buy Contemporary art.<br /><br />In France you have the <a href="http://www.antiquaires-sna.com/">Syndicat des Antiquaires</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">and the <a href="http://www.commissaires-priseurs.com/accueil.html">Cie Nationale des Commissaires Priseurs</a>, two very old institutions whose protectionist habits were shattered in the early 2000s when European regulations forced "art dealers" (antiquaires) and "commissaires priseurs" (auctioneers) to drop their monopolistic policies (Law of July 2000) opening the French art market to the competition of Sotheby's and Christie's. Those two organisations do not deal with the public needs and have a pure role of negociation and representation with public authorities. But there is no art dealers or galleries association like the ADAA or the SDA (2).<br /><br />In Canada, there is a </span><strong> <a href="http://www.agac.qc.ca/?lang=en">Contemporary Art Galleries Association</a> (AGAC)</strong> s<span style="font-weight: bold;">prang from Montreal art dealers’ desire to ensure the recognition and viability of the contemporary art market. Founded in 1985, the AGAC is a non-profit organization whose function is to defend its members interests. Presently, the Association includes contemporary art galleries from Quebec and Ontario.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />According to a book (1) recently published in the USA, the Superstar dealers are Gagosian gallery, <a href="http://www.haunchofvenison.com/en/">Haunch of Venison</a>, <a href="http://www.whitecube.com/">White Cube</a>, Lisson Gallery, Sadie Coles, <a href="http://www.victoria-miro.com/">Victoria Miro</a>, <a href="http://www.hauserwirth.com/">Hauser & Wirth</a>, Maureen Paley, <a href="http://www.theapproach.co.uk/">The Approach</a> and Stephen Friedman gallery in London and Gagosian, <a href="http://www.pacewildenstein.com/">PaceWildenstein</a>, Marian Goodman, Paula Cooper, Gladstone, David Zwirner, Matthews Marks, <a href="http://www.artnet.com/sonnabend.html">Sonnabend</a>, <a href="http://www.luhringaugustine.com/">Luhring Augustine</a> and <a href="http://www.gavinbrown.biz/">Gavin Brown</a> in New York. One could add <a href="http://www.artcurial.com/en/index.asp">Artcurial</a> in Paris, the<a href="http://www.galleriacolonna.it/"> Galleria Colonna</a> and the <a href="http://www.doriapamphilj.it/home.asp">Doria Pamphili </a>Galleria in Rome, the </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stella Art gallery </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">in</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Moscow</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">the Opera City Art Gallery in Tokyo and a </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.artnews.org/galleriesindex.php">handful of galleries</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in Zurich, Mexico and Madrid.<br /><br />A special mention must be made of the interactive <a href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/">Saatchi gallery </a>established in 2006 which is only an on line gallery but it offers representation to 38,000 artists and has more than 70 million hits per day. Anybody can register his works on the famous Saatchi gallery. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some sources advance that the average turn-over of that kind of very famous galleries in 2006 was around <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >$650,000 </span>and that they represent less than 1% of all contemporary artists. The majority of artists seek and settle for representation with less well-branded dealers. Somme 12,000 artists stroll the streets of London in search of a representing gallery and the figure is said to be 15,000 in New York. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Having said that it is hard to tell where to find the best deals and to clinch the juicest bargains : <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzb5dCpJFtxT3U7FZLdvmX5yaoBvYNJe-zsLEX-d0TP_2DSu8nRqJFC4iT8h_3qKPLkKHmPG27xMfNrYWozRriPKIRLdzO1lCtsdWigaDEoFIcM0k39BUVnNij2mTny1bgc4NjIPL9Wwk/s1600-h/meyer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzb5dCpJFtxT3U7FZLdvmX5yaoBvYNJe-zsLEX-d0TP_2DSu8nRqJFC4iT8h_3qKPLkKHmPG27xMfNrYWozRriPKIRLdzO1lCtsdWigaDEoFIcM0k39BUVnNij2mTny1bgc4NjIPL9Wwk/s320/meyer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279792063329069778" border="0" /></a>if you are beginning a serious collection and are really determined with some means I would advise to use the expertise of an art dealer. But do some serious shopping around in your city before to pick up one, ask questions and don't be afraid to look goofy. If you are really committed, it will show and the dealer will pay attention to you. If he/she does not and snubs you, just walk away, he/she has lost a good client.<br /><br />On another hand if you just want to catch a nice piece of art now and then and are not interested in becoming a serious collector just go to auction houses anywhere in the world but look at their incoming sales and refrain from letting yourself caught in a stupid bidding war.<br /><br />Once you are an experienced collector and know the art market, then you can drop your dealer and enjoy the thrill of the hammer especially when it is yielded by star auctioneer like <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/video/privateview/N08489/index.html">Tobias Meyer of Sotheby's</a> (3) (picture) and go to the big auction sales that draw the attention of the media and huge crowds... But never forget : Caveat emptor !!</span><br /><br />(1) The $12 million stuffed shark by Don Thompson, Palgrave Macmillan 2008<br />(2) Curiously enough the opening of the French market coincided with the acquisition of Christie's by businessman François Pinault and of Phillips de Pury by his rival Bernard Arnault.<br /><span>(3) </span><span class="eventContactName"> Tobias Meyer is </span>Deputy Chairman, Europe at Sotheby's auction house, Head of Department, Worldwide Contemporary Art, and can be reached at Tel: +1 212 606 7254 or e-mailed to at <a href="mailto:tobias.meyer@Sothebys.com">tobias.meyer@Sothebys.com</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Achtung Nadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15587573807347136080noreply@blogger.com0