Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s charity foundation held a charity auction this week at Christie’s, in New York, realizing a staggering $38.5 Million in sales, and surging past estimates of $13-18 Million.  Benefitting several conservation projects for endangered species around the world, the auction allowed money paid over the estimated value to be counted as a tax deductible contribution, encouraging rampant spending that set impressive auction records for artists Rob Pruitt, Robert Longo, Mark Grotjahn, and several others.  As DiCaprio said before the event began: “bid as if the fate of the planet depends on us.”  (more…)

Last night’s Sotheby’s contemporary art auction in Doha, Qatar closed with the regional record sales total of $15.2 Million, with 9 records set for artists at auction, including the highest price for a living Arabic artist. The top sale of the auction went to Donald Judd’s Untitled (Bernstein 90-01), which sold for $3,525,000 after a long bidding competition.  Lina Lazaar Jameel, Head of Sale and Sotheby’s International Contemporary Art Specialist, said of the auction: “We are thrilled with the results of this evening’s sale, which achieved records for nine artists and set the highest total for a sale of Contemporary Art in the Middle East region. It is extraordinarily gratifying to see the market’s response to the exceptional range of art we sourced for this evening’s carefully curated auction. Interest grew throughout the pre-sale tour of highlights to both Jeddah and Dubai, culminating in tonight’s exciting auction.”  (more…)

The current strength of the contemporary art market has drastically raised the price for works by female artists.  Nine of the top ten prices for women painters has been set in the last five years, including a new top record for Berthe Morisot’s After Lunch.  “Whereas before we looked at female artists as the land of opportunity, with prices like these, collectors say the window is closing for gender-specificity bargain buying,” said Gabriela Palmieri, a senior vice president and contemporary-art specialist at Sotheby’s. (more…)

The Gagosian Gallery’s current retrospective of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is drawing impressive crowds to the gallery’s Chelsea location on 24th St.  Weekend attendance has frequently topped 3,000 visitors a day, and weekday attendance has seen somewhere from 1,000 to 2,000 visitors daily.  Attendance numbers are only expected to grow, with the upcoming Armory Show bringing much of the art world to New York City. (more…)

The sale of Berthe Morisot’s Après le déjeuner for £6,985,250 at Christie’s Modern Art Auction this week has set a new record for female painters.  The record highlights a major difference in market value between male and female painters, with top sales for male artists far beyond that sales range.  While institutions like the Museum of Modern Art have pushed for more equitable status for female artists, some speculate that monied interests have still not caught up in appreciation of contemporary female artists. (more…)

Sotheby’s has reported $1.25 billion in global auction results for Contemporary Art last year, making 2012 its third most successful year in history, and the highest in history for Contemporary Art.  “The marketplace and demand for contemporary art has never been stronger or more international – of the top 20 prices achieved by Sotheby’s last year, more than half were post-war and contemporary masterworks.”  Says Sotheby’s Chairman of Contemporary Art Europe Cheyenne Westphal. (more…)