Image via Telegraph UK

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago presents a collection of retrospective work of the influential contemporary artist Jeff Koons, through September 21st.  This is his first major U.S. exhibit in 15 years which contains 60 paintings and sculptures of his most iconic work, including many of his recent works.

Jeff Koons: First Major US Museum Survey in Fifteen Years at Chicago’s MCA [Art Daily]
Jeff Koons exhibit opens at Museum of Contemporary Art [Chicago Tribune]
Jeff Koons opens first major US exhibit after 15 years [International Herald Tribune]
A Jeff Koons Retrospective [The New Yorker] (more…)

Amy Winehouse via musikxtrema

Roman Abramovich pays Amy Winehouse $2 million to open girlfriend Daria Zhukova’s 8,000 square meter Moscow gallery [Ria Novosti]
Tom Sachs Interview[artinfo] and double show review [NYTimes]
Two Picasso prints ($612K) stolen from Brazil museum by force [Int. Herald Tribune]
Sotheby’s floating $300 million of convertible notes [Bloomberg]
1.27 Million pound record for indian art sale[Bloomberg]
London new mayor keeping art on fourth plinth[artinfo]

Untitled (Pecho/Oreja), Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983 via artdaily

The band U2 is projected to receive up to 6 million pounds ($17.7 million) for the sale of a painting done by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The painting, Untitled (Pecho/Oreja), was acquired by U2 at the Robert Miller Gallery in New York in 1989, and has been hanging up in their Dublin studio for almost 20 years. The painting goes up for sale at Sotheby’s on July 1st.

U2’s Basquiat Painting May Fetch 6 Million Pounds at Sotheby’s [Bloomberg]
U2 selling Basquiat masterpiece [BBC]
Sotheby’s to Offer Untitled (Pecho/Oreja) by Jean-Michel Basquiat on Behalf of the Members of U2 [artdaily]

(more…)

Chanel’s Mobile Art – First Stop, Hong Kong via Museum Lab

The Pritzker prize winning, Iraqi-born, Zaha Hadid is the name marking Chanel’s newest and (potentially) most audacious endeavor to date in the merger of art and fashion. The project is a “portable” exhibition of contemporary art. The Mobile Art project, which is essentially a globe trotting collapsable pavilion, was designed by Hadid and has thus far served to bring contemporary art to the general public at its first world location: Tokyo, Japan.

Moving Pictures [NY Times]
Mobile Art Exclusive [Wallpaper]
Chanel Mobile Art
Quilty Pleasures [The National]
Zaha Hadid [DesignBoom]

(more…)

Jake (left) and Dinos Chapman with their work Fucking Hell 2008 via The Independent

From May 30th to July 12th the news collection from the Chapman brothers, If Hitler Had Been a Hippy How Happy Would We Be will be on display at the White Cube Gallery in Mason’s Yard London.  The show includes a remake of the Chapmans’ original piece Hell entitled F****** Hell and the defacement of watercolors created by the hand of Hitler and a series of classic oil portraits.

White Cube Gallery
The Chapmans journey to Hell and back [Times Online]
Hitler gets Chapman treatment as Hell rises from the ashes [Guardian UK]
Jake and Dinos Chapman go to work on ‘abject’ Hitler art [Times Online]
Chapman brothers’ Hell back from the flames [Telegraph UK]
Chapman Brothers Draw on Hitler [Artinfo]

(more…)

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…)

Visitors Outside Art Basel in Switzerland via myswitzerland.com

Freud Painting Sells for $12 Million [Bloomberg]
New Freud Paintings Enter the Market [Times Online, UK]
Roman à Clef [artforum]

The painting, titled Girl in Attic Doorway and dating from the mid 1990s, was reserved during much of the fair’s preview yesterday. The work sold today via Freud’s international agent, Acquavella Galleries, for $12 million to a buyer who wished to remain anonymous. This sale follows Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s record-breaking purchase of Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping for $33.6 million at Christie’s last month, making the British painter “the world’s most expensive living artist.”

(more…)

Drawing machine from Spatial Vibration via spatialvibration.blogspot

Part of a series of experiments investigating sound and image by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, this installation at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Chelsea actually invites visitors to “make drawings.” Between 4 and 5pm viewers can participate in Eliasson’s piece by playing a stringed instrument which triggers laser projections and a drawing machine, giving visual form to sound.

spatialvibration.blogspot [Official Website]
Olafur Eliasson: Spatial Vibration [Art Vent]
Olafur Eliasson: Take Your Time at MoMA and P.S.1 [Art Observed]
New York City Waterfalls [Official Website] (more…)

A view of Art Basel via the NY Times

The largest international contemporary art fair opened June 4^th (through June 8^th) in Basel, Switzerland. The show, run by Annette Schonholzer and Marc Speigler, has occurred every spring since its inception in 1970. An estimated 60,000 people are expected to show up at the four-day fair. This number includes artists (2,000), collectors, galleries (300), as well as art enthusiasts, representing thirty different countries viewing art in the mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, performance and video art.

Art Basel Takes Off [NY Sun]
Art Basel, world’s largest art fair, opens in Switzerland [Sun sentinel]
Art Basel Awaits Sales [NY Sun]
At Art Basel, Old Names and Few Showstoppers [NY Times]
Art Basel heats up [the Moment]
Art Basel:El Dorado of the international art world set to open in Switzerland [art daily]
Abramovich Prowls art basel;$8 Million Murakami “Budha” sells [Bloomberg]

(more…)

Charles Saatchi via ArteSpain

Charles Saatchi, the influential British art dealer and advertising magnate, has signed a deal with The Art Trading Fund to advise contemporary art purchases in the Western market, as well as the emerging markets of China, India and the Middle East. Saatchi will garner more corporate patrons for his gallery and will receive a percentage of profits on pieces of art that go through his hands; the fund is hoping he “will bring global expertise to our plans to enter new markets.”

Hegde Funds gets tips on hottest artists [Bloomberg]
Art For Money’s Sake [Portfolio]
Saatchi to Advise Art Fund on Deals [New York Times]
Saatchi Signs Deal with Art Trading Fund [Artinfo]
Charles Saatchi will advise fine art hedge fund [Wall Street Journal]
World’s First Regulated Art Hedge Fund [Financial News]
Charles Saatchi [Wikipedia]
(more…)

“untitled” by Raymond Pettibon via BFAS

From May 22 through July, 19, BFAS Blondeau Fine Art Services in Geneva is hosting the new exhibition of Raymond Pettibon entitled “Punk Epocha” which is composed of 70 drawings from the eighties.
–>

–>
Raymond Pettibon [BFAS]
–>
Raymond Pettibon – Punk Epocha: 70 drawings from the Eighties [Artnet]

(more…)

Instructions (1989) via Saatchi

Paula Cooper Gallery is currently showing works on paper by Rudolf Stingel, in the recently opened 23rd Street space. Back in 1989, Stingel published a manual giving instructions for how to make knockoffs of his work; here Stingel paints directly onto those black-and-white instruction photos. He also follows his own directions and applies white onto white producing abstract patterns. The exhibition will be open through June 7th.

Rudolf Stingel [Paula Cooper Gallery]
Rudolf Stingel [ArtCal]

(more…)

Image via Art Daily

The fifth annual Moscow World Fine Art Fair has drawn attention and the bank accounts of buyers from around the world. Travelers from Kyoto, New York, and Paris came to take advantage of Russia’s new exploding luxury goods market. There are 56 fine and decorative art vendors and 20 jewelry vendors who enjoyed brisk sales. There is €1 billion euros ( $1.6 billion dollars) worth of art at the fair. A highlight of the fair is Spanish artist José-María Cano’s oversized Wall Street Journal style illustrations of leading Russian personalities. The fair runs from May 28 – June 2nd.

Moscow World Fine Art Fair
Moscow Fair Brings Luxuries to Nouveau Riche [Art Info]
International Dealers Have $1.6 Billion of Art on Offer at the Moscow World Fine Art Fair [Art Daily]
A new Powerhouse for Moscow’s new rich [NY Sun]

(more…)

Yue Minjun, “Gweong-Gweong” via ArtNet

This weekend marked Christie’s first Hong Kong Evening Sale with artists such as Zeng Fanzhi, Zao Wou-ki, Yue Minjun setting auction records. Monday’s sale was the second day of Christie’s six-day auction of 2,400 paintings, gems and antiques that the company expects could tally HK$1.7 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Gun-Slinging Robot, Wooden Beams Mark Quiet Hong Kong Art Sale [Bloomberg]
Smiling Bombs, 101-Carat Diamond Lead Christie’s Hong Kong Sale [Bloomberg]
Picasso Women, Hirst Spots Mark Hong Kong Bid for Art-Fair Fame [Bloomberg]
Asian Contemporary Art Sets a Record [NYTimes]
Asian art records tumble at Christie’s Hong Kong auction [China Post] 5.26.08

(more…)

–>

Fritza Riedler via Klimt.com

Klimpt’s dual acumen in portraiture and decorative design [GuardianUK]
–>
Tom Sachs’s Hello Kitty Sculptures: copyright violations? [NYMag]
–>
Art economist interview on her new global market study [ArtInfo]
–>
11 global art scene cities [ForbesTraveler]
–>
Rare interview with collector-scion/billionare Nicolas Berggruen [Financial Times]

Balloon Flower (Magenta) via jeffkoons

A Jeff Koons sculpture, Balloon Flower (Magenta), which has been in the Dallas collection of Howard and Cindy Rachofsky for seven years, is set to be auctioned at Christie’s London June 30 and may fetch $23.5 million. The sculpture, originally purchased for $1 Million, has gained value as Koons has emerged as one of the world’s most influential contemporary pop artists. Balloon Flower is from the same “Celebration” series as the sculptures which are currently on view on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Koons Prices Balloon, ‘Flower’ Will Be Sold [NYTimes]
Jeff Koons: Iconoclast [Sundance]
Koons Sculpture to Fetch Millions[Bloomberg]
Christie’s Announces Sale of Koons [Art Daily]
Rachofsky’s Sell Koons to Focus Collection [Dallas News]
Koons Balloon Soars to Auction [ArtInfo]

(more…)

–>
Francisco Goya The Witches’ Flight via Goya in Times of War [Museo Nacional del Prado]

For the 200th anniversary of the events of May 1808 and the start of the Spanish War of Independence, the Museo del Prado presents a major exhibition of Goya’s work. Almost 200 works by the artist are currently shown.

Goya in Times of War [Museo Nacional del Prado]
–>
The stained cape of his heart [Financial Times]
–>
Prado Pulls Goya Painting [ArtInfo]
–>
Goya at the Top of His Game [New York Sun]

(more…)

Pharrell on his design for Perrotin Gallery via [BBC]

Gallerist Perrotin collaborates with Pharrell [Billionaire Boys Club]
The recent effect of “non-doms” on the art market [Portfolio.com]
German gallery tries to halt Beuys sculpture sale [The Art Newspaper]
Vanessa Beecroft, Peter Brandt (2x) Aby Rosen in today’s Page Six [NYPost]
Remembering Robert Rauschenberg [NYMag]

Anish Kapoor Blood Stick (2008) via erikjsommer

Gladstone Gallery is currently exhibiting new work by the sculptor Anish Kapoor at both its 24th Street and 21st Street locations.  The exhibition is the first at Gladstone’s new gallery space on 21st street.  Kapoor uses divergent materials such as stainless steel and vibrant colored dyed wax to make his work, always placing a premium on the viewer’s interaction with the sculpture.

Anish Kapoor [Gladstone Gallery]
Interview with Anish Kapoor [Bloomberg]

(more…)

–>
Playing the Building via Creative Time

From May 31- August 10, the artist and musician David Byrne will transform the landmark Battery Maritime Building in lower Manhattan into a massive ‘sound sculpture.’ The project is being executed with the help of Creative Time, the innovative arts organization known for its experimental public art. Visitors will be invited to ‘play’ the building, making music by controlling an organ that is attached to devices installed throughout the structure.

Playing the Building [Creative Time]
–>
David Bryne [David Byrne]
–>
David Plays the Building [Gothamist]
–>
David Byrne Explains [Fargfabiken]
–>
Teaching An Old Building New Vibes [NY Times] (more…)

Image via World’s Best Ever

today:
First look street art exhibit at the Tate [World’s Best Ever]
Studio visit interview with Ernesto Neto [ArtInfo via C-Monster]
Former Met Director de Montebello as NYU Professor [NY Times]
Art charity raises to buy Rubens for Tate where British state failed [Bloomberg]
French billionaires battle at Sotheby’s last week [Art Info]

Lucian Freud, Naked Portrait with Reflection, (1980) via Evening Standard

Following the success of Post-war and Contemporary art sales in New York, Christies has announced they will offer a rare Francis Bacon painting and a Lucian Freud masterpiece for his London auction. These two pieces are considered the most valuable and important works to come up for auction.

Boom for Bacon and Freud [Evening Standard]
Freud Masterpiece and Bacon Triptych Highlight Christie’s London Auction [ArtDaily]

(more…)

Vincent Van Gogh, Dr Paul Gachet (2nd Version) (1890) via Guardian UK

The painting in question was stashed in an Athens bank vault along with a sketchbook, which may be the last work of Vincent van Gogh.  The painting is a portrait of his physician, Dr. Gachet.  Doretta Peppa, claims her father “liberated” it from the Nazis during the war. 

Is the Van Gogh ‘find’ too Good to be True? [Guardian UK]
Discovered Painting May Be Van Gogh’s Last [ArtInfo] 

(more…)

Roy Lichtenstein via Gagosian Gallery

From May 12 through June, 28 Gagosian Gallery in New York is hosting the exhibition of Roy Lichtenstein, “Girls.” The works are a series of images of women, taken directly from newspaper and romance comic books from post-war in America.

Gagosian Gallery
–>
Roy Lichtenstein, “Girls” [Time Out]
–>
Lichtenstein’s Primary Ladies [NY Sun]

(more…)