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…)

Artist Damien Hirst at Blain Southern Gallery. All photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.

As Frieze London prepares to open its doors to the press and VIPs tomorrow morning in Regent’s Park, gallerists around the city are aiming to pull out all the stops in attracting collectors during the week’s events.  Such seemed to be the case with Blain|Southern‘s Candy, a blockbuster exhibition of works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Damien Hirst focusing on the artists’ shared material and aesthetic interests in the sugary snack as artistic medium, which opened last night.

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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…)

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…)

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…)

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.

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London’s Hayward Gallery has announced plans for a retrospective of the work of Martin Creed, featuring a broad selection of work from the Turner Prize winner.  The exhibition, set to open in January of next year, will also include exhibitions at the Southbank Centre and the Royal Festival Hall.  “If people find the exhibition exciting, that would make me happy.”  Creed says. (more…)

Gallerist Marian Goodman will open her new London space in the fall of 2014, and spoke with Art Info about the size and scope of her third gallery.  “The London gallery was inspired by our artists, many of whom are eager to show there but do not already have working relationships with other London galleries,” Goodman said.  “The London scene is so dynamic that I have been thinking about opening there for a very long time, it was just a question of finding a wonderful space.” (more…)

The New York Times profiles artist Omer Fast during the final stages of the artist’s newest video project, set to premiere in two weeks at Frieze Art Fair in London.  Examining the impact of pornography on the psyche, Fast’s work will be included in the Arratia, Beer booth.  “I can show it as nasty as it gets, or I can pull back,” Fast says. “It would be totally hypocritical to clean it up.” (more…)

Frank Auerbach was recently interviewed in The Daily Telegraph, discussing his long career as a painter, the solitary life of painting, and his simple, unadorned opinions towards working on his canvases.  “People who turn out pictures and think, ‘How nice,’ and then go to the next picture seem terribly boring to me. You might as well work in a factory. The whole thing is about the struggle and the struggle makes it a fun activity.” (more…)

In an emailed press release today, the Saatchi Gallery in London has announced a broad collaborative partnership with the Tsukanova Family Foundation, a London-based charity organization.  The announcement comes after the highly successfully Breaking The Ice: Moscow Art 1960-80s exhibition at Saatchi earlier this year.  “We look forward to using the Gallery’s vast experience to further expand upon this through a series of shows over the course of the next 5 years,” says Igor Tsukanov, Co-Founder of TFF. (more…)

Current New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been named the next chairman of the Serpentine Gallery in London, assuming the post once his mayoral term ends this year.  Bloomberg previously served on the board for the London gallery, which is open to the public, and will assume the post at the start of 2014. (more…)

Dealer Victoria Miro is profiled in the Financial Times this weekend, discussing the opening of her second gallery space in London, her impressive stable of artists including Chris Ofili, Grayson Perry, Peter Doig, Conrad Shawcross, Elmgreen & Dragset, and Yayoi Kusama, and the changing nature of the art market.  “It affects production: it doesn’t suit all artists.”  Miro says. “Work is probably not as precious as it was. We are in a quick world. The collector base is moving. There’s a time element – you can go to an art fair and see so much in a few hours. I really regret that people don’t spend the time to look at things.” (more…)

Elmgreen and Dragset’s long-awaited installation, Tomorrow, which creates the fictional home of a disillusioned, homosexual architect, has opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  Featuring works by the artists alongside objects from the museum and a nearby antiques market, the show will seek to alter the perception of the museum and its collection.  “There are lots of clever art shows at the moment where you go and look and it’s almost as [predictable as] mathematics,” Says Michael  Elmgreen.  “We do something where even we ask ourselves: ‘What is it about?'” (more…)

The 2012 Turner Prize nominee formerly known Spartacus Chetwynd has undergone another identity change, documenting the process in The Guardian this week. Originally named Alalia Cichosz before changing her name in 2006, the artist has yet again changed her name to Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, in honor of the deceased soul singer.  “For the last six months or so, I’ve been thinking about changing my name again – this time to Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. Again, it’s a good experiment. It could work like a shield, or a spell. In the end I just thought: ‘I’m going to try it, because nothing matters very much.'” She writes. (more…)

The Serpentine Sackler, via The Guardian

The newly completed redesign of the Serpentine Sackler Gallery is set to open this Sunday in London’s Kensington Gardens neighborhood, featuring a sloping new design extension by architect Zaha Hadid, which complements a freshly renovated gunpowder store initially constructed in 1805.

The Serpentine Sackler, via The Guardian (more…)

The shortlist for the next installation on London’s Fourth Plinth has been released, calling on the public for “lively debate.”  Featuring works by David Shrigley, Hans Haacke, and Ugo Rondinone, among others, small maquettes of the sculptures are currently on view at The Crypt, St Martin-in-the Fields.  “The placing of challenging artwork amidst the historic surroundings of Trafalgar Square creates a delicious juxtaposition that gets people talking and debating, underpinning London’s reputation as a great world city for culture.”  Boris Johnson, London’s Mayor, said. (more…)

In a recent segment, BloombergTV reviews the current state of Sotheby’s, examining the auction house’s current issues with activist investors Daniel Loeb and others, who have together taken a 15% stake in the company.  Emphasizing Sotheby’s position in the market, and its sole rival, Christie’s, the segment goes on to detail the house’s “untapped pockets of value.”  “It’s widely expected that they (investors) will focus on the brand, the real estate story, the balance sheet.  What’s not clear is whether they will agree.”  Says Bloomberg’s Su Keenan. (more…)

Artist Tacita Dean was recently interviewed by The Guardian, profiling the artist’s fascination with Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty, her interactions with writer JG Ballard over the work, and the resulting video work she is currently exhibiting  at Frith Street Gallery in London, alongside a series of postcards depicting the changing German city of Kassel.  “What you see here no longer exists.”  She says. (more…)

The New Art Dealer’s Alliance has announced the exhibitors list for this year’s edition of the fair, held concurrently with Art Basel Miami Beach.  This year’s fair features a group of 80 galleries, with a high number of spaces from NADA’s home city of New York, including Feature Inc. and Zach Feuer, among many others.  The fair will also feature a special exhibition section from 11 galleries worldwide, including Rob Tuffnell in London, SculptureCenter in New York, and XYZ Collective in Tokyo. (more…)

Part of the 2013 London Design Festival, Alex de Rijke of dRMM Architects and Dean of Architecture at the Royal College of Art has created a complex, interlocking staircase installation on the grounds in front of the Tate Modern.  Endless Stair will open on Friday, and is open to the public during the day.  It closes on October 10th. (more…)

Marian Goodman Gallery has reportedly settled on a new space in London, located at 20 Golden Square, just off Piccadilly Circus.  The addition of Goodman to the neighborhood signals what may be the emergence of a new gallery district in central London, to the east of Regent Street.  The gallery has not stated an intended opening date, but it is not anticipated to be before the end of this year.  (more…)

In an effort to win more consignments, Sotheby’s has filed a statement saying that it has entered into auction guarantees totaling over $166 million, including $23.5 million by undisclosed third-party guarantors.  With fall sales in London, New York and Hong Kong, the auction house has increased its borrowing capacity to provide even more in guarantees to interested sellers.  “We did this to enhance our flexibility as we negotiate deal opportunities and hopefully provide us with an opportunity to improve margins and profitability by taking prudent balance sheet risk,” Sotheby’s head William Ruprecht said. (more…)

A never-before-auctioned painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti will appear on the auction block this December at Sotheby’s in London.  A Christmas Carol was purchased in 1917 by Soap powder billionaire William Hesketh Lever.  Lever kept the work for his entire life, and are being offered for sale by his son, alongside works by William Holman Hunt and James Tissot.  “I have been here nearly 27 years, and I really think these are the best Victorian pictures we’ve had in that time. To see one Victorian painting of such quality would be remarkable, to get three in together is extraordinary.”  Grant Ford, a 19th-century expert at the auctioneers, said. (more…)