Global contemporary art events and news observed from New York City. Suggestion? Email us.

AO Auction Results: Old Master’s Week at Christie’s and Sotheby’s New York – the majority of works sell above estimate, with many works reaching record-breaking prices

Saturday, January 30th, 2010


Diana and Callisto, Gaetano Gandolfi. Estimate: $800,000 – $1,200,000. Price Realized: $4,114,500

After the success of London’s ‘Old Master Week’ that took place in December 2009, expectations were high for the Old Master auctions that took place this week at Sotheby’s and Christie’s in New York. While perhaps not as rousing as the sales in London, the Old Master auctions in New York marked the first opportunity to verify suspicions that buyers were returning to the art market with confidence. Christie’s two days of sales included the two-part auction of Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings & Watercolors on Wednesday and a special private collection sale, A Cabinet of Curiosities: Selections from the Peter Tillou Collections on Thursday, achieved a combined total of $40,858,500. While these auctions were successful, the auction that led the week was Thursday’s sale of Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture at Sotheby’s, which brought $61,599,250 – twelve lots sold for more than $1 million, and almost 60% of the works sold brought prices above the high estimate.

More text, images and related links after the jump….
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Art Observed Newslinks For Wednesday December 16th, 2009

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009


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Tacita Dean’s Christmas tree, ‘Weihnachtsbaum‘ at Tate Britain via Zimbio

The Tate has been embracing the Christmas spirit this week with a series of headlining seasonal happenings.  The Tate Christmas Tree 2009, “Weihnachtsbaum” designed by Tacita Dean, shocked critics by actually appearing “Christmassy”[Bloomberg]  This weekend, Tate Modern’s vast Turbine Hall was taken over by Rob Pruitt‘s festive ‘Flea Market’ – originally held at Gavin Brown’s Passerby gallery in New York in the late 1990s, this event was programmed to coincide with the Tate Modern exhibition Pop Life: Art in a Material World, in which Pruitt also appears [POP Magazine]

Italian police have seized works of art belonging to Carlisto Tanzi – founder of the Italian firm Parmalat who collapsed in a massive fraud scandal in 2003. The 19 paintings and drawings, included works by Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh, and is estimated to be worth more than 100million euros [BBC News]


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Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon that will appear in New York’s Madison Square Park in March 2010 via ArtInfo

Antony Gormley has announced plans to install 31 nude sculptures cast from his own body in and around Madison Square Park in Manhattan’s Flatiron District beginning March 26 [NY Times]

to stay apprised of the latest relevant news of the art world read more…..
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AO Newslinks for Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Thursday, May 7th, 2009


David Zwirner via Art Info

An interview with power gallerist David Zwirner [WSJ] and more here [WSJ]
Jerry Saltz on the controversial Adel Abdessemed video of animals killing animals on display at David Zwirner
[NYMag]
The Turner Prize Shortlist is announced [ArtDaily]
ArtPrize out of Grand Rapids, Michigan will award nearly $1/2 million to its winners
[ArtPrize]
Art Basel announces eight works for its public art projects [ArtDaily]
A walk through Peter Brant’s new contemporary exhibition space in Greenwich, complete with a Jeff Koons sighting
[NewYorker]


An annotated view of Roxy Paine’s ‘Maelstrom’ at the Met’s Roof Garden [NYMagazine]


A self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh

Book asserts that Paul Gauguin and his sword were the cause of Van Gogh’s lost ear[NYTimes] and more here’ [TelegraphUK]


A self-portrait of Paul Gauguin

And a refute of the assertion here [Bloomberg] and another non-believer here [GuardianUK]


Art Collector Nicolas Berggruen

Nicolas Berggruen to open private museum in Berlin [ArtNewspaper]
The Getty Museum will cut 205 people from its work force
[NYTimes]
Sotheby’s cuts its dividends and plans to cut more jobs
[Bloomberg]
Art + Auction publisher Louise T. Blouin MacBain cuts executive salaries
[NYPost]


A work by Nam June Paik via  albrightknox.org

The Smithsonian receives the complete Nam June Paik archives [ArtInfo]


‘Burn, Baby, Burn’ by Roberto Matta

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has acquired a 10′ x 30′ work by Roberto Matta [CultureMonster]


JR in Brazil

JR shows up in Brazil with more installations [WoosterCollective]
California Judge dismisses suit against MOCA regarding Takashi Murakami prints
[LATimes]
NYTimes has an article on the resurgence of private sales amidst high profile failures at auctions
[NYTimes]

New York Magazine on opportunities to be had in the art world
[NYMag]
And an anonymous forecast on artists by their contemporaries [NYMag]
Impressionist works and their value
[Economist]

Newslinks for Monday, April 13, 2009

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Kate Moss by Damien Hirst on the cover of Tar Art Magazine, Via New York Times

Kate Moss by Damien Hirst is the new cover of Tar Magazine (anagram for “art”) [NY Times]
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Art funds launched in 2008, such as the London-based Art Trading Fund, are shelved due to failure to raise required funds
[ArtNewspaper]
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Art:21, Art in Twenty-First Century is now available for free on Hulu [Hulu]

"G8" by Andrei Molodkin via Financial Times

Russian Artist Andrea Molodkin, previously cited by AO here, prepares for Venice Biennale [Financial Times]
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Jeff Koons is speaking at Strand Books tonight at 7:00-8:30 in New York
[Via FAD]
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New York Old Masters dealer Lawrence Salander is indicted and pleads guilty in $88 million charge [Bloomberg]

A look inside Rome’s MAXXI designed by Zaha Hadid via c-monster

A preview of the MAXXI in Rome, $108 million art museum designed by Zaha Hadid [c-monster]
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Adam Lindemann, financier, collector and author of Collecting Contemporary launches a new book from Taschen: Collecting Design [ArtInfo]


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Flash Art’s current cover featuring a portrait of Barack Obama by Marlene Dumas via Art Fag City

Marlene Dumas’s portrait of Barack Obama is the cover of Flash Art [Art Fag City]
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Madonna’s art collection is estimated at £80 million pounds
[TimesUK]

A selection from the site via The World’s Best Ever

A timeline of modern & contemporary art artists by movement, school, style, period, theme & art prize [The-artists.org via The World’s Best Ever]
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Richard Serra to receive honorary degree from Pratt Institute at its 120th Commencement on May 18th
[MediaBistro]

Interview with photographer Nan Goldin on why she is auctioning some of the curiosities she has collected [TelegraphUK]
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SFMOMA announces plans for a future expansion, doubling gallery space
[SF Chronicle]


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A preview of SANAA’s design for the 2009 Serpentine Pavillion via Architect’s Journal

SANAA, the Japanese architectual duo behind the New Museum, release first glimpse of design for the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion [Architect’s Journal]
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Jim Dine donates 40 drawings influenced by Greek and Roman sculpture to the Morgan Library
[Artinfo]

Julian Schnabel’s Picasso Femme au Chapeau will soon be sold by Christie’s [New York Times]
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The Mugrabis, a hi
gh impact, market-making collector family, may be addicted to the game of art [The Observer]

ASSEMBLYMAN LENTOL WARNS HIS COMMUNITY ABOUT ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE

US Fed News Service, Including US State News November 8, 2006 Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, D-Brooklyn (50th District), issued the following press release:

Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) alerted his community that the Asian Longhorned Beetle, a non-indigenous insect that preys on healthy trees, has returned to Brooklyn. Once a tree is infested it must be removed and destroyed to prevent the beetle from spreading to other trees.

“The Asian Longhorned Beetle is a threat to our community,” said Lentol. “We thought we eradicated it from the district seven years ago. Now we have evidence that it has returned.” A massive infestation in Greenpoint was literally rooted out in 1999 when over 1,000 trees had to be destroyed because of the Asian Longhorned Beetle. Last spring, the New York State Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program found 18 trees in Williamsburg infested with the bug. The majority were on Lynch St. Thirteen of the 18 trees were on Lynch St, the rest on nearby Lee Avenue and Heyward St. website asian longhorned beetle

“Just because we’re talking about a little bug doesn’t mean this isn’t a big concern for our district,” warned Lentol. “We’re lucky that this appears to be a small infestation, but the key to keeping the Asian Longhorned Beetle from destroying our trees is through awareness.” The Asian Longhorned Beetle is known to nest in all varieties of maple, as well as birch, horse chestnut, elm, willow, poplar, ash, hackberry, sycamore, London Plane and mimosa. Lentol encourages homeowners to look for exit holes on their trees, they will be about the size of a dime, and to grant environmental inspectors access to their property for the purpose of finding infested trees. go to website asian longhorned beetle

Lentol also encourages residents who spot the beetle to call 311 and ask for the Asian Longhorned Beetle Hotline. The United States Forest Service offers replanting of new trees to those who lose trees to the beetle. The insecticide imidacloprid is the only effective preventative measure against the beetle, though experts warn that it cannot help a tree once it is infested. ALB Eradication Program contractors use it during the spring to treat at-risk trees. Residents will be notified by the ALB Eradication Program when tree treatments take place in this area, and Assemblyman Lentol urges residents to work with program officials and provide them access to yard trees for these critical applications and for survey.