The New York Times notes the increasingly central role Instagram is taking in the art market, used by galleries, artists and collectors alike to promote, publicize and sell works.  “So many people are either artists, collectors or gallery owners or photographers who are using it very actively, so it allows you to preview exhibitions happening everywhere in the world, and to see the works the minute the exhibitions open, rather than waiting to read about it in a review,” says Simon de Pury.  “That’s what makes it exciting.” (more…)

Phillips Auctioneers has appointed Edward Dolman as its new chairman and chief executive officer. Dolman comes to Phillips after three years as the executive director and acting chief executive of the Qatar Museums Authority in addition to 27 years working at Christie’s, during which time he rose to the rank of chairman and CEO. As chairman of Phillips, Dolman follows in the steps of Simon de Pury, who left the position in late 2012 after selling control of the auction house to the Mercury Group, a Russian luxury goods distributor. With the help of funding from the Mercury Group, Dolman plans to recruit talent that will help Phillips prosper as it relocates to new, large headquarters in London.  (more…)

Former Auction House head Simon de Pury has reportedly signed a book deal with St. Martin’s Press after leaving Phillips auction house last year.  The book will be “a look inside the auction world in his voice,” says executive editor Jennifer Weis. “Stories, history, the highlights, the problems, everything.” (more…)

Simon de Pury Phillips Auction House, image via GQ

Simon de Pury, chairman and principal auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Co., along with his wife Michaela, a senior director, have announced that they will leave their posts at the auction house, effective today. It will be renamed Phillips in 2013.

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Simon de Pury and collector Robert Tomei discuss their obsession with design as a harbinger of the contemporary market: “Collecting design is quite a new phenomenon,” he says. “In the past, collectors rarely attempted to buy great design as well as great art. Robert, though, is passionate about both, but he doesn’t take himself seriously. His collecting is all done in a spirit of fun, with a genuine interest and curiosity”, says de Pury. Tomei began by collecting video installations form the 90s and owns work by Maarten Baas, Piet Hein Eek, Sebastian Brajkovic, Rolf Sachs, Olafur Eliasson and Elmgreen & Dragset, among others. (more…)

‪‬Simon de Pury is subject of Sucklord doll, as part of Lot 158 at Phillips de Pury’s contemporary auction next week [AO Newslink]

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New MOCA Director, Jeffrey Deitch. Via LATimes

More on  MOCA’s new director, Jeffrey Deitch, who brings his more business-oriented background to the Museum in LA: [Bloomberg] Deitch’s contract with the museum has certain safeguards against conflicts of interest that might arise from his foot in the business world– among the new rules, Deitch must notify the museum’s board of anything he adds to or sells from his collection. [LATimes]

Eli Broad and his Broad Art Foundation reveal that they are considering 3 different Westside locations on which to build and endow a museum for his art collection. The third site was recently revealed as being a ten-acre parcel on the campus of West LA College in Culver City.  [LA Times]

Works by Picasso and Henri Rousseau have been stolen from a private villa in the South of France, marking the country’s second major art robbery in that week– (work by impressionist painter Edgar Degas was stolen from the Cantini Museum in Marseilles only days before). [FT]

To stay apprised of the latest relevant news of the art world…

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Polaroid Wall, Dash Snow (2005) all images via Phillips de Pury

This week we have been reporting on the Post-War and Contemporary evening sales in New York and last night Art Observed was on site at the final auction of the week – a smaller, more boutique event at Phillips de Pury in the meatpacking district of the city overlooking the celebrated Highline railway and Hudson River that was overseen by Simon de Pury himself.  Unlike the multi-million totals achieved at Sotheby’s and Christie’s Contemporary evening sales, Phillip’s modest sale brought in a grand total of $7,099,250, within the pre-sale estimate of $5.8 – $8.4million.

Ice Bucket, Jeff Koons (1986) sold under estimate $230,500

More text, images and related after the jump…..
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Simon de Pury DJing at the opening of his exhibition ‘PUREPURYGRAPHY’ in Berlin via Interview

Auctioneer Simon de Pury of Phillips de Pury & Company has stepped out from behind the rostrum and into the role of exhibiting artist at a show this fall at the upscale clothing store The Corner Berlin in Berlin’s fashionable Mitte district. The exhibition is comprised of 40 large-scale photographs taken by de Pury on his various travels, under the title ‘PUREPURYGRAPHY.’ Another 400 photographs are included in the accompanying catalogue. The photographs range wildly in subject matter and style, touching on luxury brands, contemporary art, urban architecture, and nature. At the opening of the exhibition, de Pury, who said his “ultimate musical hero is Prince,” DJed a mix of 80s hits and power pop, a night given the title of PUREPURYPOP, which Interview called ‘a blissful Bar Mitzvah-style bash.‘

PUREPURYGRAPHY
DJ Da Pury is in da Berlin house [The Art Newspaper]
A First Time for Everything [Interview]
Simon de Pury Exhibits Photos, Spins Turntables [Lindsay Pollack]
In the Air: Star Ambitions [Artinfo]
The Talented Mr. de Pury [Luxury Culture]
Purepurygraphy, Berlin [Harper's Bazaar]
The art market: The talented Mr De Pury [Financial Times]
Best Link Ever! It’s Hammertime for Simon de Pury! [Art Fag City]

Simon de Pury’s ‘Multiple Choice.’ via PUREPURYGRAPHY

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Terence Koh and Simon De Pury at the 16th Watermill Summer Benefit. Photo by Patrick McMullan

Robert Wilson greeted his guests as they arrived at the 16th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit- an event he choreographs every summer in order to raise funds for the artistic community to which he is the director. The evening included a silent auction, a live auction hosted by Simon de Pury – Chairman of Philips de Pury auction house, over 10 art installations interpreting this years theme “Inferno,” dinner,  theater performances of various genres and attendance by many from the worlds of art, fashion and music.

Related Links:
Hot as Hell At Watermill [ArtInfo]
Fire Starters at Watermill Benefit [WWD Lifestyle]
Isabella Rossellini shows for Water Mill Benefit [Newsday]
Flaming Creatures [ArtForum]
The 16th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit Hot As An “Inferno” [Hamptons]
About Watermill Center [Watermill Center]
The 16th Annual Watermill Summer Auction and Benefit [Art Observed]

Attendees walk the trails behind the 16th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit and Auction at the Hamptons, all photos by Art Observed unless noted

More text and pictures after the jump…

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Manaus, Christophe Schlingensief. Inferno, this year’s theme of the 16th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit. Via Hamptons

The Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation’s sixteenth Annual Summer Benefit will take place on July 25th in the Hamptons.  Robert Wilson, its Artistic Director, envisages an event that will include various installations, theatrical performances and auctions all framed by this year’s theme- Inferno.  An auction in support of artistic programming at the Watermill Center conducted by Simon de Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury auction house, will certainly be one of the highlights of the evening.

Related Links:
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Inferno: The Sixteenth Annual Watermill Summer Benefit [Artdaily]
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Sixteenth Annual Watermill Summer Benefit [The Watermill Center]
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About Watermill [the Watermill Center]
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16th Annual Watermill Center Benefit [Artinfo]
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Summer Is a-Kooning In: We Preview Watermill Benefit Goodies! [NYObserver]
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Simon de Pury [Bigthink]
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Welcome to Watermill – a review of last year’s (2008) Watermill Benefit [BIZBASH]

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Julian, Elizabeth Peyton. At the Annual Watermill Benefit this year. Via Watermill Center

More pictures and text after the jump… (more…)

Dash Snow and his daughter Secret via TinyVices

Following Dash Snow’s untimely death early last Tuesday morning, articles such as this one from The Guardian labeled Snow as an “art icon.”   The Independent cited the artist as “a mythical hero of an artistic underworld.”   There was a cynical editorial on Dash Snow from Canada [Toronto Star via Art Market Monitor]   And within 48 hours of Dash Snow’s death, New York Magazine speculated on the market for his work, and later that that his work might be pulled from an charity auction in Watermill next weekend. Terence Koh dedicated a performance in the UK [The Moment] and Brazilian street art duo OS Gemeos dedicated their Houston and Bowery mural to the artist [NYMag] There was an extensive image collection of the artist and his work from Tiny Vices. and finally a eulogy from the artist’s friend Glenn O’Brien [Purple-Diary]

A work by John Baldessari via the Tate

The Tate Modern will launch a major John Baldessari retrospective, his first in the UK, on October 13th [Tate]
Bob and Roberta Smith and Wolfgang Tillmans will be Tate trustees [FAD]

Zevs bombing the Armani store with his dripping Chanel Trademark via SlamXHype

Graffitti artist Zevs arrested in Hong Kong before a major gallery show [SlamXHype]
In related, 3 are arrested for conducting a counterfeit Banksy printing operation [The Art Collectors]

A mockup of London’s Playing the Building installation via David Byrne.com

David Byrne reprises his downtown New York Playing The Building sound in architecture installation at London’s Roundhouse August 8th through the 31st [Roundhouse.org]

The video for Madonna’s ‘Candyshop,’ featuring video by Marilyn Minter via YouTube

Marilyn Minter’s Green Pink Caviar is used as a video backdrop for Madonna’s song “Candyshop” [Artnet]

A rendering of Herzog de Meuron’s expansion to the Tate Modern via World Architecture News

Much publicized plans to expand the British Museum and the Tate could be tabled as funds come into question [TimesUK]
A look at some of the recent graduates and potential YBA’s at Goldmith’s degree show in London [GuardianUK]

Olafur Eliasson speaks about using space and light via Ted

An engaging video of Olafur Eliason speaking about perception [Ted]
The Wall Street Journal has an excerpt from the book Provenance, which documents one of the greatest cons in the history of art forgery [Wall Street Journal]

Lawrence Salander via Bloomberg

Lawrence B. Salander was arrested for the 2nd time for what the Manhattan District Attorney called the biggest art fraud in New York history [Bloomberg]
A video interview with American painter Ellsworth Kelly [The Art Newspaper]

Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova via Fashion Week Daily

According to rumors, Moscow curator Dasha Zhukova and 2008 mega-collector Roman Abramovich have split [Fashion Week Daily]
Christie’s has an iPhone app, offering access to its calendar and catalogs, and soon a live-bidding component [Guardian]

Simon de Pury via Harpers Bazaar

Simon de Pury, chairman of the auction house Phillips de Pury revealed as Judge on the upcoming Bravo/Sara Jessica Parker art-world reality show [NY Times] and video of the around-the-block line in New York to apply to be on the show recently [NYArtBeat]

Simon de Pury, Chairman and Co-Founder of Phillips de Pury, via Getty Images

Phillips de Pury, a pre-eminent auction house with a strong contemporary art and photography focus, has been bought by Mercury Group, a Russian luxury retail group that owns top shelf department stores selling Gucci, Prada, Ferrari, Maserati, Rolex and other high end names.

Phillips was acquired in 1999 by Bernard Arnault who is the chairman of Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessey. Following that acquisition by Arnault, Simon de Pury and Daniella Luxembourg, both art dealers, ran the auction house then called Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg. In March 2004 Simon de Pury acquired majority control of the firm which was then renamed Phillips de Pury.

Coincidentally, the acquiring firm Mercury Group, headed 41 year old self made billionarie and tobacco tycoon Igor Kesaev, owns the shopping center that was the site of Sotheby’s preview of contemproary art, as reported by AO in April. Simon de Pury will stay at the helm of the company as Chairman, and will remain an important shareholder. According to de Pury, who was quoted in the company’s press release, the ‘strategic partnership’ with Mercury will “allow us to provide a unique platform to new and fast growing markets.”

Press Release: Phillips de Pury announces partnership with Mercury Group
Russian Group Buys Auction House [NYTimes]
Russian Luxury Retailer Acquires Phillips [ArtInfo]
Russia’s Mercury Group Buys London Art Company Phillips de Pury [Bloomberg]
Phillips de Pury sold to Russian group [Financial Times]
Phillips auction house is sold [Wall Street Journal]
Phillips de Pury hopes takeover will secure future sales [DesignWeek]
Newslinks for Wednesday, September 24, as summer’s China-focused news comes to an end, Autumn news centers on Russia [AO]

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Starry Night over the Rhone, Van Gogh via NYTimes

‘Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night’ coming to The MOMA [NYTimes]
Details of contract for the Louvre Abu Dhabi revealed [TheArtNewspaper]
In industry executive news: MoMA’s Chief Curator of Paintings and Sculpture says ‘Good-Bye’ [NYSun]
In other executive moves, DIA Art Foundation has a New Director, Philippe Vergne [NYMag]
More executive news: Neil MacGregor, of the British Museum, declines directorship of the Met [TIME]
In page six today: Andy Warhol criticized in memoir by former friend and Ahn Duong, former flame to Julian Schnabel and Simon de Pury, ends her marriage [NYPost]