Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (The Black Athlete) (1982), via Sotheby’s
Another evening of auctions sales has come and gone as Sotheby’s concluded its Contemporary Evening Sale in London tonight, a fast-paced event that saw brisk sales and strong interest until the late lots, with 15 works of the 53 lot sale going unsold, and bringing in a total of £36,351,250. (more…)
Cornelia Parker has been invited to design the next Met rooftop commission for the summer of 2016, the New York Times reports. “In her large-scale installations, Cornelia opens our eyes to the special qualities – and sometimes darker significance – of familiar places and things we tend to overlook,” says Met chair of Modern and Contemporary Art, Sheena Wagstaff. (more…)
The Hirshhorn Museum has commissioned Mark Bradford to create a 360-degree fresco for the artist’s November 2016 solo show. “I want it to feel as if it can’t make up its mind on whether it’s deconstructing itself or constructing itself,” Bradford says. (more…)
Cy Twombly, Untitled (2006), via Phillips
The sales have concluded tonight at Phillips London, as the auction house capped a procedural yet impressively consistent outing, seeing a white glove sale where all 36 lots sucessfully found a buyer, bringing a final total tally of nearly £32 million for the night. (more…)
Mark Leckey, Inflatable Felix (2014) at Galerie Bucholz
The doors have opened on Frieze 2015 in London, bringing the art world en masse to Regent’s Park for the 13th edition of one of the fall’s biggest selling events. The exhibition, which capped its “VIP” day last evening, saw viewers flocking to its long, loping hallways to browse the works on view. (more…)
Hilla Becher, via Artforum
Hilla Becher, the influential German photographer who, alongside her husband Bernd, worked as a pioneer in the field of contemporary art photography, has passed away at the age of 81. (more…)
Artist Abraham Cruzvillegas has opened his new commission at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, featuring an intermeshed series of planters filled with dirt from different parts of the city. The work allows visitors to spread seeds or see what is growing unplanned from the soil. “I hope that something can happen in the worst of conditions. In our society, all these migrations, all these conflicts … how can we ask questions?” the artist says. (more…)
Following its merger with Art in America, led by Peter Brant, ArtNews Magazine is moving over to a quarterly format, continuing the transition process that began this summer, and which will see a focused move to digital. “We are committed to staying in that world,” Brant said. “These are art publications—they’re visual. You can go overboard on the digital side.” (more…)
The River, a new arts center has opened at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT, boasting a flowing design by SANAA Architects. “We invite people to shape their own personal experiences at Grace Farms,” said Sharon Prince, president of Grace Farms Foundation. “The possibilities are as open as the landscape itself.” (more…)
Oscar Murillo is the subject of a profile piece in the Evening Standard this week, as the artist prepares to open his exhibition at David Zwirner London, and reflects back on his years working as a cleaner to support his work. “Art to me has never been about paying the bills — it’s ironic to say that now, but it really wasn’t,” he says. (more…)
A New York judge has ruled that the lawsuits against Knoedler Gallery’s Ann Freedman will come to court this coming January, denying a motion by the former gallery director’s president to dismiss the case. “Plaintiffs have offered ample circumstantial evidence demonstrating that Freedman acted with fraudulent intent and understood that the Rosales Paintings were not authentic,” Judge Paul G. Gardephe of United States District Court in Manhattan wrote. (more…)
Despite challenging market conditions around the globe, the Financial Times reports that art buyers seem unfazed. “Even if there is less money for luxury spending, there’s commonly a substitution effect when times are tough: people buy fewer designer bags and instead buy things they think have a tangible value,” says economist Clare McAndrew. (more…)
As the Tate Britain closes its show of Barbara Hepworth sculpture, the Guardian looks back on the career of departing curator and director Penelope Curtis, publishing an open letter from a group of prominent British intellectuals. “Curtis, and the curators with whom she worked within and outside Tate Britain, re-introduced us to the British collections – often showing us works long hidden, invariably in fresh contexts,” the letter reads. (more…)
The Spanish government’s seizure of a Picasso painting from billionaire banker Jaime BotÃn’s yacht in the Mediterranean earlier this year has led to a fierce battle over ownership of the work, and raised important questions of what a government may do to preserve national treasures. “The Picasso case raises the question of whether a state can deny an export at no cost,” says lawyer Guiseppe Calabi, who is currently involved in a similar case in Italy. “To declare a work an item of cultural interest destroys the market value.” (more…)
Art Basel Miami Beach has announced its plans for the 2015 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, featuring works by Glenn Kaino, Chris Ofili, and more across the 27 curated exhibitions in the section. “These wide-ranging projects encompass both emerging and established artists, and offer unique moments of discovery with precise exhibitions embedded throughout the halls,” says Art Basel Americas director Noah Horowitz. (more…)
Bill Koch is selling a pair of works this November in New York, boasting a combined estimate of over $110 million. The works are Picasso’s La Gommeuse, which is estimated at $60 million, and Claude Monet’s Nympheas. The sale of these works may see Koch making up to 11 times what he paid for the works. “Monet is as desirable in China, Singapore, Taiwan as he is in Russia, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.,”co-head of Sotheby’s worldwide Impressionist and modern art department Simon Shaw said. “He is an accessible, modern brand.” (more…)
Twelve works from the collection Miles and Shirley Fiterman will hit the auction block at Christie’s this November in New York, including works by Roy Lichtenstein and Pablo Picasso. “They have artists in great depth,” says Laura Paulson, Christie’s chairwoman of postwar and contemporary art. “Miles and Shirley were incredibly passionate — it really can’t be overstated — they were actively involved as a couple in collecting. They had deep relationships with their dealers and with the artists they collected.” (more…)
Both the Whitney Museum and Centre Pompidou will open exhibitions devoted to transformative gifts from collectors and art advisors Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner. “Thea and Ethan are among the most astute collectors of late twentieth century and early twenty-first-century art and their gift adds enormous strength to the Whitney’s collection. We are deeply grateful to them and are pleased to be collaborating with our friends at the Pompidou,” says Whitney President Adam Weinberg. (more…)
Agnes Martin, Untitled (1999-2000), via Sotheby’s
With the opening days of the Frieze art fair in London also come the annual fall auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips, launching another season of marquee sales at the auction houses. Starting on October 14th, one day after the fair opens its doors for the VIP viewing, the sales will offer a second opportunity for collectors to vie for top works. (more…)
Richard Long, Untitled (2006), via Lisson Gallery
This week, the global art world touches down in Regent’s Park for the 13th edition of the Frieze art fair, marking one of the first major staples of the fall festival circuit in London. Featuring over 160 galleries from both the UK and around the globe, the event promises another year of in-depth exhibitions, special projects and installations across the British capital. (more…)
Sol LeWitt, Drawing Series I,II,III,IIII (Drawings for Xerox Book) 24 Drawings (1968), via Art Observed
In 1968, a group of artists interested in the material limits of art practice, and the interrelations between text, language and action launched The Xerox Book, a published art book culling contributions from Carl Andre, Robert Barry, Douglas Huebler, Joseph Kosuth, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, and Lawrence Weiner to be printed and copied as an easily distributed art work. Presented at Paula Cooper’s 21st Street Location in New York, The Xerox Book is a return to this landmark publication, incorporating a series of works and objects drawn from or inspired by each artist’s contributions.
The Xerox Book (Installation View) © Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, Photo: Steven Probert
Damien Hirst is planning on opening a new edition of his famed restaurant “Pharmacy” at his Newport Street Gallery next year, the Evening Standard reports. The new space inherits Hirst’s penchant for controversy from the original, which was ultimately barred by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain over its confusing name. (more…)
David Zwirner has announced that it is now representing the estate of painter Sigmar Polke. “Growing up in Cologne, I had the great fortune of meeting Sigmar and witnessing firsthand the enormous influence he exerted on his generation and the ones that followed,” Zwirner himself says. “His creativity and curiosity knew no bounds, and his ability to innovate across different media is unparalleled.” (more…)
Sotheby’s has announced another flagship work in its New York Impressionist and Modern auctions this coming November, Picasso’s La Gommeuse, which features a hidden portrait on the back side of the canvas. “With her dreamy gaze and frank sensuality, the cabaret dancer in La Gommeuse ushers in a new visual idiom for the 20th century,” says Simon Shaw, co-head of Sotheby’s worldwide impressionist and modern art department. (more…)