Guernica, Pablo Picasso (1937) via BBC

Picasso’s famous Guernica in ‘stable but serious’ condition and deemed ‘too fragile to move,’ more here [Daily Telegraph] [The Guardian]
Bravo picked up Sarah Jessica Parker’s art reality show, covered in March by AO here [Gawker]
The Sun on Twombly’s first retrospective in 15 years, showing at the Tate Modern [NYSun]
Review of Richard Prince at Serpentine: ‘the coolest artist alive’ [Telegraph]
The Economist begins a summer series on collectors, starting with a historical view [The Economist]
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich finances Russia’s first retrospective by postwar artists in a 150 work show at his girlfriend ‘Dasha’ Zhukova’s galllery [Bloomberg]

A Christie’s worker takes a closer look at Monet’s Le basin aux nymphaes via yahoo

At Christie’s auction yesterday Monet’s water-lily painting, Le basin aux nymphaes, sold to an anonymous collector for $80.5 million, well over the estimated $35 to $47 million. This is a record breaking sale for the artist, and a tell tale sign that there is some life in many sectors of the art market. The other big sale of the evening was Degas’, Danseuses a la barre, which sold for $26.5 million.

A Monet Sets a Record: $80.4 Million [NYTimes]
Monet fetches record $80.5m [FinancialTimes]
Christie’s in London Sells Monet Masterpiece for $ 80.5 Million A Record for the Artist [artdaily]
Monet record smashed as art market boom goes on [Forbes]
$80M A Whole Lot of Monet [NYPost]
A lot of Monet as Christie’s sells waterlilies for record £41 million [Times Online UK]
Monet record smashed as art market boom goes on [Guardian UK]
In London, Will Moderns Move? [NYSun]
AO Preview: Christie’s London Impressionist and Modern Art [ArtObserved]

(more…)

Le bassin aux nympheas, Claude Monet (1919) via Christie’s

Christie’s London will conduct its Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale this Tuesday, June 24.  The sale will feature work from artists such headliners as Monet, Degas, Giacometti, Goncharova, Bonnard, Picasso, as well as many other notables. Viewing of the works on the block will continue until the day of the show.

Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale [Christie’s]

(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]

Anselm Keifer, Secret Life of Plants(2008) via Bloomberg

From April 15 to June 29, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is presenting a unique exhibition on the subject of books in art or of books as art. “Blood on Paper” is an exploration of how artists have interpreted and utilized the book medium. The works range from the conventional book format to large-scale installations and sculptures, such as Anselm Keifer’s enormous book made of lead (pictured).

“Blood on Paper” [Victoria & Albert Museum]
“Bacon’s Trash, Hirst’s Furniture Become Books: Martin Gayford” [Bloomberg]
“The Writing on the Wall“ [Financial Times]
“Works That Speak Volumes” [Financial Times]
“Blood on Paper: the Art of the Book” [The Independent] (more…)

–>
US Attorney announcing charges via Chicago Sun-Times

Buyers of ‘limited edition’ signed fine art prints take note– the Feds have indicted an international ring of several dealers making, forging signatures, and selling fake prints by Chagall, Picasso, Calder, Warhol and other big name artists. Utilizing Ebay, galleries and art fairs to sell the works, the fakes were made by reproducing from original artworks and by creating prints in the ‘style’ of a particular artist.

Official FBI Press Release[FBI]
–>
7 dealers from US and Europe indicted [Chicago Tribune]
–>
Same dealer was imprisoned for fraud in the 90s [Chicago Sun-Times]

(more…)

The Apotheosis of King James I via the Times U.K

Tate seeking £6 million to keep “country’s most significant” Rubens[Times UK]
Monet, Rodin, 30 other works stolen from ‘priceless’ French collection [Bloomberg]
As Indian art gains value, is it a good time buy? [NY Sun]
Chanel commissions Sophie Calle, others for bag inspired installation [The Age Australia]
Fake Picasso prints sold over eBay, arrests made in the U.S. [New York Post]
Update: Is the Whitney Biennial too smart for its own good? [NYMag]
Sischy, Brant formerly of Brant Publications (Art in America), are new editors of European Vanity Fair [Mediaweek]

–>
Gustav Klimnt, Beethoven Frieze via secession.at

Klimpt’s historic ‘Beethoven Frieze’ to be reconstructed at Tate Liverpool [NY Times]
–>
Old master stolen by Stasi (East German secret police) valued at $2 million [Bloomberg]
–>
The architectural intelligence of the New Museum [Financial Times]
–>
Update: Goat farm video, other favorites, at Whitney Biennial [Bloomberg]
–>
Brooklyn and Manhattan street art gains fans, collectors [NY Times]
–>
A case against art for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth [Financial Times]
–>
Gagosian’s Uptown Gallery Expands, with a new director (former Picasso biographer) [Art Info]
–>

The “most valuable missing painting,” Picasso’s “Maya with her Doll” – courtesy art.com

In the past few months there have been a series of Art Thefts worldwide, in Brazil, Zurich, and Zurich again. These thefts have prompted a series of different discussions and articles regarding the current frequency and history of Art Theft in general. Below is a brief list of different outlets take on the recent epidemic.

• If You Only Steal One Masterpiece per Year [Guardian UK] – Top 10 Stolen Pieces by price
• Where are you going with that Monet? [NY Times] – Inherent Flaws in Art Theft
• Opportunity Makes a Thief [Wall Street Journal] – Justifying Art Theft and its Economics
• Reward beats Risk for Art Thieves [CNN] – How stolen art makes its way to respectable retailers
• The World’s Most Famous Art Heists [Forbes] – Top Historical Art Heists
• The Art of Stealing [The Independent] – Overview of Art Theft Economy ($3bn/yr)
• List of Notable Art Robberies [International Herald Tribune via CultureGrrl] – Timeline of Art Thefts
• How to Steal a European Painting [Slate via C-Monster] – Analysis of Repeated Art Theft in EU

“The Tete de cheva” (Horse Head) Picasso via Daily Mail

Two Pablo Picasso paintings were stolen from an exhibition on Wednesday in a Zurich Museum. Police say that the burglars may have locked themselves into the building before the museum had closed for the night. The culprits broke into the Seedamm-Kulturzentrum cultural center and are thought to have escaped in the middle of the night. In a press conference on Thursday morning, the lead detective announced the case was still under investigation.

Two Picasso Paintings Stolen From Swiss Lakeside Museum [Bloomberg]
Two Picasso paintings stolen from Swiss exhibition, police say [Herald Tribune]

(more…)

Pablo Picasso’s Tete de Femme via Bloomberg

Last night, Sotheby’s Modern and Impressionist auction brought in $230 million selling roughly 88% of lots offered. Christie’s Modern and Impressionist auction, which took place this past Monday, did not fair as well.

(more…)

Damien Hirst “All You Need is Love” via Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s Lowers Estimate for (RED) Auction by 28% [Bloomberg]
Damage to Antiquities Caused by Tax Scheme Accounts for Art Raids [New York Times]
Ryan McGinley to Shoot Ads for Converse by John Varvatos [GQ Magazine]
Picasso Exceeds Auction Estimate at Christie’s London [Bloomberg]
Met Hires Headhunter to Find New Director [Wall Street Journal]
Guy Cogeval Appointed Director of Musée d’Orsay [Art Info]
Saatchi buys Contemporary Heinrich Himler portrait [UK News]
Richard Prince and Terry Richardson create artwork for controversial James Frey novel [New York Post]
Gerhard Richter at Serpentine Gallery in September [Guardian UK]

–>
Former Dia Building via The Observer

Former Chelsea Dia Art Foundation building slated for apartment rentals and gallery space [The Observer]
–>
How to preserve Paul McCarthy’s chocolate Santa [C-Monster]
–>
Hudson Morgan covers Gagosian’s gallery festivities in Rome [Men’s Vogue]
–>
Parisian home of Pierre-Auguste Renoir is for sale [The Wall Street Journal]
–>
The Times UK arts critic interviews Zhang Xiaogang [Times UK Online]
–>
Guardian Unlimited UK interviews Peter Doig [Guardian Unlimited]
–>
Suspect reports Saudi collector possibly behind Sao Paulo Picasso Theft [Art Forum]

Pablo Picasso via Wikipedia

Barcelona’s Museu Picasso is showing Picasso and his Collection through late March. The collection includes works from other artists, which Picasso traded or bought during his lifetime. Miró and Chardin are just two of the artists present in the collection.

Picasso’s Collection [Financial Times]
Exhibits [Museu Picasso]

Sao Paulo police guard the recovered paintings photo courtesy of the Guardian Unlimited

Two suspects were arrested in Sao Paulo for the theft of two uninsured paintings, a Picasso and a Portinari, with an estimated combined worth of $55 million. The works were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art (arguably the most important art museum in Latin America) on January 5th and were found unharmed in a home located in the outskirts of Sao Paulo. The MASP has been closed since the works were stolen.

Stolen Picasso Found in Sao Paulo [BBC]
Stolen Picasso recovered undamaged in Brazil [Guardian Unlimited]
Stolen artwork is found; 2 arrested [Detroit Free Press]
Picasso stolen from museum is recovered [Times Online UK]

Courtesy BBC

Picasso Brazilian Burglary Update [BBC]
AP on strong state of Art Market [AP]
Sotheby’s Sales Continue to Rise, up to $5.3B [Bloomberg]
Damien Hirst Goes Solar, spends $3m for his studio in Gloucestershire [EnvironmentalGraffiti]
Did Hirst truly sell his skull? [FirstPost]

–>
China’s Contemporary Art Museum via Art Newspaper

China’s first contemporary art museum backed by Belgian, Guy Ullens – [Art Newspaper]
–>
Best Upcoming Art Shows of 2008 – [Times Online UK]
–>
Mamontova Gallery in Russin debuts – [Bloomberg]
–>
Jeff Wall Show opens simultaneously in White Cube London, Guggenheim in Berlin – [Financial Times]
–>
UBS to display corporate Stash in Tokyo in ’08 – [Bloomberg]
–>
Picasso Stolen from Sao Paulo Art Museum – [ArtDaily]
–>

–>