AO Art Observed™

partying at the Art Basel via the New York Times

The 39th Annual Art Basel, visited by 60,000 guests over the course of the fair, proved to be a very successful showcase of the world’s most famous artists. Basel, on the Rhine where Switzerland meets France and Germany, created a perfect setting for wealthy collectors, art enthusiasts, and 300 international exhibitors to network and indulge among the most stylish and cultured of the art world.

Brad Pitt Buys Table at Art Basel; Mittal, Abramovich Browse [Bloomberg]
The 39th Edition of Art Basel Closes With Outstanding Results [artdaily]
Ellsworth Kelly, Basking in Basel [New York Times]
Pre-Partying With the Jet Set of the Art World [New York Times]
Russians Help Art Basel Shake Economic Woe, Falling U.S. Demand [Bloomberg]
The Art Fair Explosion and Its Fallout [WSJ]
In Basel, Contemporary Art Enjoys a Bounty of Friends [NYTimes]
Picture perfect [Financial times]
Art Basel, Switzerland, Is On, Right Now [Art Observed]

(more…)

Millionaire Nurse, Richard Prince via Artnet

The record-setting Francis Bacon triptych wasn’t the only artwork purchased for large sums at Sotheby’s the other night. The evening sale, which amassed a total of $386 Million and came on the heels of a successful night at Christie’s was filled with powerhouse artwork and collectors –indicating that maybe not all Americans bearish on art.

Market Exuberance Surprises [International Herald Tribune]
Sotheby’s Stock Rises After Strong Contemporary Sales [Forbes]
Francis Bacon Triptych Tops Sales [Art Observed]
Sotheby’s begs the question - what recession? [New York Times]
$86 Million Corpse at Sotheby’s [Bloomberg]
The Scene at Sotheby’s [Wall Street Journal]
Bringing Home the Bacon [Artforum]

(more…)

Image via lilli in the city

Murakami, the subject of much news here in New York at the moment, returns to Los Angeles for the first time since his influential show at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). From May 3 to June 14, Blum & Poe will present Takashi Murakami’s “Davy Jones’s Tear.” This is a rare solo show of his new works.

Blum & Poe Gallery
“Takashi Murakami Davy Jones’ Show” [The Style Latte]
“Takashi Murakami: New Paintings” [LATimes]

(more…)

Vito Schnabel via The Age.com

Vito Schnabel’s art dealing off to a fast start [NY Sun]
The other (non-Hirst) British human skull artist [Guardian.co.uk]
$100M pier upgrade allows Armory Show to expand exhibitors [NYTimes]
An in-depth profile of Larry Gagosian via those who know him [Economist]
Takashi Murakami on Time’s most influential people list [ArtInfo]

Lowman and Colen’s, Wet Pain, at Maccarone via NY mag

A critique of Dan Colen and Nate Lowman at Maccarone [NY mag]
Supreme launches Marilyn Minter skate decks [Supertouch]
Collector/Art in America owner Peter Brant’s supermodel wife editor of Warhol’s Interview [Sassybella]
Antwerp’s low profile art gallery gems [NY Times]
Sotheby’s Previews $30 million of contemporary art in an upscale Russian mall [Bloomberg]
Update: Murakami as a capitalist in Brooklyn [The Economist]

Banksy’s graffiti in London via Supertouch

Banksy’s possibly largest most brazen, work to date [Supertouch]
Update: Murakami’s superflat: “epidemic wanderlust produced by psycho-socio-sexual binarism”[NYObserver]
Update: Rothko kin successfully transfer his remains [NY Times]
“The New York canon” from Acconi to Warhol [New York mag]
Painter Ross Bleckner to write a memoir [Daily news]
Whitney Biennial annex at Henri Bendel window [Artnet]
Centre Pompidou cancels Calder exhibition due to lack of funds [Art NewsPaper]

Murakami’s work via New York Times

“©Murakami,” a retrospective of 16 years of Takashi Murakami’s art, had a star-studded opening at the Brooklyn Museum of Art this Friday, after a strong showing on the West Coast.

Murakami’ s opening [Bloomberg]
Murakami at the Brooklyn Museum [New York Times]
Takashi Murakami’s opening [Supertouch]
Kanye West, Marc Jacobs at Murakami’s opening [New York Magazine]
Brooklyn Museum [Brooklyn Museum]
Murakami’s opening [Wall street Journal]

(more…)

Murakami’s Flowerball (3D) 2002 - to be shown at Brooklyn Museum via ArtDaily.org

©Murakami (See Murakami), which has garnered much hype leading up to its debut, April 5th, will feature in addition to ©Murakami, a fully operational Louis Vuitton store featuring a series of Murakami-styled bags, limited edition canvases featuring “Monogramouflage”, a collaboration between Murakami and Vuitton’s artistic director, Marc Jacobs.

Brooklyn Museum announces Vuitton store within murakami exhibition [ArtDaily.org]
Vuitton Sales benefit little-known charity [NY Sun]
Murakami Vuitton bags for sale at Brooklyn Museum [NY Daily News]
Louis Vuitton at Brooklyn Museum, brought to you by Takashi Murakami [ArtInfo]

(more…)

Justin Anderson via the Moment

Art handlers in the forefront, and the back story [NYTimes, the moment]
The story of Gauguin’s severed head Arii Matamoe [NY Times]
Gugg. ex-director Krens up to more than expected in Abu Dhabi [NYMag]
China’s art market as a mere “pump and dump” PR play [Forbes]
Murakami interview before Brooklyn Museum show [New York Magazine]
Spencer Tunick’s nudes at Four Seasons restaurant [New York Post]
Update: The Guardian’s criticism of Whitney Biennial [Guardian.co.uk]
Asian art wrap-up: Yen bolsters Christie’s sales; Sotheby’s slumps [Bloomberg]

Yayoi Kusama via T-Magazine

An interview with “dot” artist,Yayoi Kusama [T Magazine]
Louis Vuitton’s boutique controversy at Brooklyn’s Murakami Show [Arts Journal]
On “looted” Russian & French Paintings at Royal Academy of Art [NY Times]
Update: Critique of Jasper John’s recent show [Financial Times]
Wealthy eclipsing public funding for commissioning new works? [Financial Times]

Tagged Murakami Billboard via Boing Boing

Murakami Billboard in Los Angeles tagged [Art Fag City] and subsequently kept by Murakami [Boing Boing]
Russian Art Prices continue to grow [FT]
London Auctions buoyed by Expressionists [NYSun]
Detailed Summary of LACMA and Eli Broad Controversy [NYT]
NYC Evening Museum Party Schedule [NYT]
Gagosian maintains Schnabel Oscar plans despite writers strike [NY Observer]
Proenza Schouler inspirated by Donald Judd on MARFA, Texas trip [Style]
Richter’s “Zwei Liebespaare” sells for £7.3M, exceeds expectations [Christies]
Art forced out of Britain by Tax Laws: 40% of work’s value [Times Online UK]
Auction houses are increasingly financiers versus exchange agents[Economist]

Flower Ball via Retromodern
Takashi Murakami released a $400 soccer ball for those looking to play in style. This release brings to light the ever increasing presence of commercialism in art.

Athletic and Trendy? [Pure Point]
Flower Ball [Cereal Art]

Brooklyn Museum via ArcSpace

Murakami will display over 90 works at the Brooklyn Museum this spring, April 5th through July 15th. The exhibition was originally created by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The exhibition will debut there in February. The Brooklyn Museum of Art is the only other venue currently slated to display the works.

NY Times
Huliq
BrooklynMuseum.org