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The Top 10 Most Searched Artists on artnet in 2014
Seems apropos that someone named Monopoly made this list.
Daria Daniel
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Want to know which artists have been trending this year? Collectors, dealers, and art neophytes alike comb our virtual pages for artist information. So who were they all most curious about in 2014? Some of the top searches have crept in from left field, but the top spots go to Warhol, Picasso, and Banksy, oh my!
Those biggies along with Lichtenstein have secured the top four places a second year running. The artists that got bumped off of last year’s list? Alexander Calder, Vik Muniz and Jean-Michel Basquiat all failed to inspire the artnet search engine in 2014. Underdog Keith Haring leaps to the front lines at number five. And as for those artists breaking new ground—the top 10 includes rookies Gerhard Richter, Alec Monopoly, and Joan Miró. Between Haring, Banksy, and the novice Monopoly, street art was indubitably in vogue in 2014. (This list combines results from our proprietary searches as well as the free search on our site and artist index.)
1. Andy Warhol
The pop king dominates by a landslide at first place for the second year in a row. A series of current and upcoming Warhol exhibits may have tilted the odds slightly in his favor. The Hyde Collection in New York is displaying “the Late Drawings of Andy Warhol” until September 27, 2015 and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles runs “Andy Warhol: Shadows” until February 2 of this year. Hurry up!
2. Banksy
For an artist who may or may not be more than one person, Banksy sure gets a lot of traction. Amidst arrest hoaxes and an onslaught of mistaken identity controversies, the street art maven has had one tumultuous year. However, his staunch anti-commercialism remains a constant.
3. Pablo Picasso
An exciting year for the Spaniard—the landmark Picasso/Dalí exhibition met with tremendous success and will continue through June 28, 2015 at the Museo Picasso in Barcelona. 34 of his works from the Leonard A. Lauder collection currently fill seven galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the ongoing “Cubism” exhibition. And finally, Gagosian Gallery paid tribute to the master in “Picasso and the Camera,” a show that ended January 3, which explored Picasso’s engagement with photography.
4. Roy Lichtenstein
Sprawling sculptures, painted BMWs at Art Basel in Miami Beach, and a smashing price at Christie’s record-breaking contemporary sale are a few recent high points in the appreciation of the late architect of Pop. His Reflections on the Prom (1990) sold for $21.4 million at auction ($6 million above its estimate). Want more? Quickly rush to the FLAG Art Foundation for “Roy Lichtenstein: Intimate Sculptures“ before it closes on January 31.
5. Keith Haring
Haring’s work has been the subject of renewed interest in the art market and at institutions alike. “Keith Haring: The Political Line“ runs through February 16 at the de Young museum and “Keith Haring,” a highlight of the artist’s black-and-white compositions, ends tomorrow at Pace Prints. Both exhibitions focus on Haring’s more solemn side with an emphasis on sober and color-muted works.
6. Marc Chagall
An assortment of rare Chagall paintings will find their way to Bern’s Museum of Fine Art. The institution has decided to accept the art trove of Nazi loot hoarder Cornelius Gurlitt. Meanwhile, the Palazzo Reale in Milan is offering up the most important retrospective devoted to the artist in Italy until February 1.
7. Gerhard Richter
It’s been a good year for the German visionary. Gerhard Richter’s premiere at Marian Goodman’s London Gallery this year received stunning reviews. What’s more, he holds records for the most expensive works sold by a German artist. His 1968 canvas Domplatz, Mailand (Cathedral Square, Milan) sold at Sotheby’s for $37,125,000.
8. Michael Dweck
Famed visual artist and Montauk aficionado, Michael Dweck continues to captivate with photographs of beautiful and fleshy women.
9. Alec Monopoly
A character not quite as evanescent as Banksy, this face-mask prone graffiti artist has made a definitive name for himself in the art world, often hosting events at Art Basel in Miami Beach and participating in collaborations with musicians. He gained renown painting his favorite subject, the little white man (with mustache and top-hat) from the popular board game of the same name.
10. Joan Miró
A notable year for Miró . The exhibition in his name at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Istanbul met such critical success that it has been extended until March 8 of this year. Simultaneously, 85 of the artists’ works will leave Portugal and be sold in London at Christie’s with an estimated value of near €40 million.
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