This May 14th, Barnett Newman’s Onement VI will go on sale at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction, projected to sell for $30 to $40 million.  While Sotheby’s has declined to name the seller, several dealers have identified the current owner as Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who purchased the painting in 2000.  “Several conservators have seen it and said it is in good condition,” says Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Worldwide head. “It is unlined and on its original stretcher.”  (more…)

Frieze New York has announced its 2013 “Projects”, a selection of seven specially commissioned works that will be brought to life at the fair this May.  The show will feature works by Liz Glynn, Maria Loboda, Mateo Tannatt, Andra Ursuta, Marianne Vitale, a special tribute to the artist-run restaurant Food, and an original text by novelist Ben Marcus.  Says Frieze New York Projects Curator Cecilia Alemani: “For the second edition of Frieze Projects in New York, I asked the commissioned artists to intervene in the fair and its surrounding landscape by staging challenging works that play with everyday habits and collective behaviors. Basic actions such as eating, drinking, speaking and praying serve as the starting point for a series of site- specific installations that engage the ritualistic dimension of the fair and the unique landscape of the island.” (more…)

Frieze has announced the gallery list for its second annual Frieze New York art fair.  The fair will see 53 galleries from New York join a strong contingent of exhibitions from around the globe.  Running from May 10th to the 13th, the fair will return to its location overlooking the East River on Randall’s Island between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and will again feature a full lineup of commissions, panel discussions and featured exhibitions. (more…)

The international art fair calendar will see a new addition to the lineup of Art Basel events this year, with the announcement today of Art Basel Hong Kong, running from May 23th-26th.  The festival mirrors the expanding prominence of the Asian art market, and will include a variety of exhibitions, public works, panel discussions and large-scale installations.  “There’s no question today’s serious international collector is looking at Asia,” Art Basel Director Marc Spiegler says. “The notion of collecting by continent is outmoded, and Asian collectors are looking beyond borders, too.” (more…)