Glenn Brown, Ornamental Despair (painting For Ian Curtis) Copied From ‘the Stars Like Dust’, 1986 By Chris Foss (1994), via Sotheby’s

Another session of competitive auctions wrapped up this evening in London, with Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale providing an uneven, yet overall successful auction of contemporary works during the ongoing events of Frieze week, bringing forth a total sale amount of £21,459,000, with 7 of the 49 works remaining unsold. (more…)

Oscar Murillo, Untitled (2012), via Phillips

The Phillips Contemporary Art Evening Sale wrapped tonight in London, kicking off another edition of Frieze week auctions in the British capital. Running efficiently through the 38 lot auction, the first in the week’s three nights of sales achieved strong, if not expectable results.  With the events of Frieze week as a major draw for collectors around the world, Phillips had little problem finding new buyers for all but 6 of the works on sale, with 10 lots selling well above their maximum estimates.

Tauba Auerbach, Untitled (Fold) (2011), via Phillips (more…)

Elmgreen and Dragset, Powerless Structures (2013) and Hernan Bas, Pearl and pink pansy (fishing in the foliage) (2013) at Victoria Miro

Frieze London officially opened its doors today for its press and VIP preview, welcoming buyers from around the world to the temporary structure in Regent’s Park for another week of high-profile sales and new works.  A markedly reduced affair from last year (the number of galleries on view has been reduced by about 25), the fair still kicked off in traditional fashion, with a rush of early buyers passing through the galleries to review the plenitude of paintings, sculpture, videos and photography spread throughout the fair’s enormous space.

Damien Hirst, The Afterlife (2012) (more…)

Gerhard Richter, White, (1988), via Phillips

Frieze London opened its doors to VIP’s and the press today, beginning another hectic week of exhibitions, sales and, as is to be expected, major auctions from Phillips, Sotheby’s and Christie’s.  Beginning tonight, the three auction houses will look to capitalize on the atmosphere of frenzied competition that so often marks the major art weeks, with each bringing forth a strong collection of works from across the contemporary art landscape.

Peter Doig, Red Canoe (2000), via Christie’s (more…)

The New York Times profiles the upcoming release of Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, and the recent panel discussion the filmmaker and artist gave with writer Nelson George and fellow artist Kara Walker, discussing the influences for the film, and its place as a historical perspective on slavery.  “There’s a uniquely American exuberance for violence or an exuberance for getting ahead in the world and making a name for themselves. I’m talking about the sort of plantation class that fought for the entrenchment of the slave system,” Walker notes.  “That’s not something that can be overlooked when you think about the mythology of what it means to be an American, that one can become a self-made man if one is white and male and able.” (more…)

Neo Rauch, Die Müllerin, (2013), Courtesy Galerie Eigen+ART

On view at Galerie EIGEN+ART in Leipzig is an exhibition of large scale paintings by German surrealist artist Neo Rauch, entitled Gespenster, which translates as “Ghosts.”  Continuing his signature techniques of surrealist manipulation and alteration of classic communist propaganda imagery and pastoral idylls, the show is a strong addition to Rauch’s already substantial body of work.  (more…)

Jeff Koons, Sacred Heart (Blue/Magenta) (1994-2007), Courtesy Gagosian

As the month of October reaches its halfway mark, the annual Frieze Art Fair in London’s Regent’s Park prepares for its 11th edition, welcoming back a selection of 152 galleries from around the world, all vying for prominent sales and broader market exposure.  With a broad program of exhibitions, special commissions, installations and discussions, the fair will look to once again capture the attention of the art world for the next week, bringing over $2 billion in art to market over the next five days.  Art Observed is on site in London for the happenings.

William Kentridge, In Nervoser-Erwartung (2013), Courtesy of the Artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York (more…)

The recent surge of art forgeries and lawsuits over the attribution of works has had a chilling effect on the willingness of experts to offer their opinions on the authenticity of disputed works.  Cases like the recent Knoedler Gallery forgery sales and the following lawsuit by gallerist Ann Freedman have kept experts from vocally speaking out on the authenticity of work, even if their opinion may prevent a forged sale.  “If people were able to exchange opinions freely, cases like this would come to light much more quickly and you wouldn’t have a magnitude like this. Word would get out.”  Says Jack Flam, the president of Robert Motherwell’s Dedalus Foundation. (more…)

Ursula von Rydingsvard’s Ona has received considerable attention since its installation earlier this fall at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  Bloomberg spoke with the artist recently, discussing its construction, her views towards her work, and the inspiration behind the towering sculpture.  “I knew, if I wanted to be in front of it, I needed to have some presence, some power. So I made a piece that was sand cast in bronze. I wanted the sand casting because it would be more matte. I hate shiny, glossy things.”  The artist says. (more…)

In a recent article for New York Magazine, Jerry Saltz critiques the effects of the mega-galleries on their artist rosters, and asserts that the galleries often encourage artists to overproduce critically weak work in favor of sheer salability.  ” By now, these galleries are essentially exploiting the potential of artists who have been carefully nurtured for years by other galleries. And often ruining them.”  He writes. (more…)

A rare Andy Warhol portrait of Hall of Fame Hockey great Wayne Gretzky will be up for sale at Sotheby’s this Friday in London.  The portrait, made in 1983, is part of a series of works Warhol did exploring the world of professional sports, and is expected to command a price of $200,000.  “This project was very dear to me,” said dealer Frans Wynans, who introduced Warhol to Gretzky, and who has his eye on the piece  “So I’m very keen on the one that has come up for sale.” (more…)

Mark Flood, SADISTIC pleasure! (2013), via Peres Projects

Currently on view at Peres Projects in Berlin is an exhibition of new work by American artist Mark Flood, using his new pseudonym “Mike Lood” for the first time. Entitled Ask Officer Pepperspray, the exhibition is Flood’s fifth solo show at Peres Projects. (more…)

Alberto Giaccometti’s iconic Diego en chemise écossaise will be on sale at Christie’s November 5th auction of modernist and impressionist art in New York. A classic portrait of the artist’s brother, it is anticipated to sell for $30-$50 million.  “With this masterpiece, Alberto Giacometti establishes himself as one of the greatest portrait painters of the 20th Century, paving the way for the likes of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.” Andreas Rumbler, Deputy Chair of the Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s says. (more…)

Carol Bove, Hieroglyph (2013), via Daniel Creahan for Art Observed

There’s an interesting approach to spatial relations that runs through most of Carol Bove’s body of work, almost always insisting on an awareness of the exhibition space, and how this space connects with the sculptural works that fill it.  For her newest show of works at Maccarone in the West Village, Bove continues this trend, running a number of enormous shell girders through that space, always appearing as if they had intentionally been placed there as part of the space’s construction.

Carol Bove, RA, or Why is an orange like a bell? (Installation View), via Daniel Creahan for Art Observed (more…)

The nomadic pop-up gallery Shoot the Lobster has announced plans to open a permanent space in Luxembourg.  The gallery has put on shows in both Europe and the U.S., with works by painter Henry Codax, photographer Ryan Foerster, Agnes Lux and Servane Mary.  “The opportunity to work with several artists I know from the area was too good to pass up.”  Owner Jose Martos says.  He is also looking for exhibition space in the Lower East Side. (more…)

The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation has announced its 2013 SEED Grant recipients, a selection of 16 developing non-profit arts organizations in Boise, Idaho; Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; and Phoenix, Arizona, among others.  Each will receive $10,000 in support each year for three years.  “Young institutions have a whole host of hurdles to clear simply to begin the process of raising money,” says executive director Christy MacLear. “We hope to reach promising start-ups earlier than that, both to acknowledge their initial accomplishments and to ensure their longevity.”   (more…)

Writer Geordie Greig has released a biography on painter Lucian Freud, capping his 30 years pursuing the famously reclusive artist for interviews and insights into his craft.  Titled Breakfast with Lucian, the book charts the writer’s history with Freud, and his occasionally fractious relationship with the artist, including one scene where Freud pointed a serrated knife at Greig.  “‘Lunatic Artist Stabs Editor of Evening Standard is not a good way to be remembered,’ I said,” recounts Greig. “I can think of worse ways,” was Freud’s reply. (more…)

On November 12th in New York, Christie’s will offer a classic triptych by Francis Bacon of fellow artist Lucien Freud, estimated to sell for an artist record of $95 million.  The piece comes from an unidentified European collection, and is one of only two Bacon triptychs of Freud.  It has never been on the auction block before. (more…)

Part of its ongoing artist collaboration series, sneaker company Reebok has announced a series of shoes featuring the art of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat.  Screenprinted and embroidered across the upper segments of the shoes, the line features a series of pieces by the artist, and is now available. (more…)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has unveiled the newest addition to his publicly displayed art collection, Sky Mirror, the $10 million work by Anish Kapoor, which alters the viewer’s perception of height through an enormous slanted mirror.  The 23-ton work has traveled the world, but will finally settle into a permanent home at the Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.  “The pictures didn’t do it justice, it’s just beautiful,” Jones said.

(more…)

The Village Voice has published a rare interview with Banksy, discussing the artist’s ongoing show of street art in New York City, and his views towards his craft.  “There is absolutely no reason for doing this show at all. I know street art can feel increasingly like the marketing wing of an art career, so I wanted to make some art without the price tag attached. There’s no gallery show or book or film. It’s pointless. Which hopefully means something.”  The artist says. (more…)

A 1975 drawing by Joan Miró has been discovered in the offices of a Spanish art handling company.  The work disappeared in 2010, following an exhibition at the Kursaal Arts Centre in San Sebastián, but was not noticed missing until 2011.  An investigation into the disappearance of the work is underway. (more…)

Another Magazine has released an exclusive documentary and interview with artist Doug Aitken, following the conclusion of Aitken’s impressively expansive Station to Station project. “We wanted to create a language that is more nomadic and less materialistic and really empowering for the creators and the audience”  Aitken says. (more…)

Damien Hirst’s newest sculptures, depicting the stages of life for a gestating fetus, have been unveiled in Qatar.  Monumental in scale, the 14 bronze statues are estimated to have cost $20 million, and signal a new step towards acceptance of western art and artists in the country.  “To have something like this is less daring than having a lot of nudity,” said Sheikha al Mayassa Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani of the Qatar Museum Authority . “There is a verse in the Koran about the miracle of birth,” she said. “It is not against our culture or our religion.” (more…)