Sotheby’s Middling Impressionist and Modern Sale Nets $62.8 Million Thanks to a Major Boost From Latin American Treasures

Auctions

Sotheby’s Middling Impressionist and Modern Sale Nets $62.8 Million Thanks to a Major Boost From Latin American Treasures

Sotheby's started off the lengthy auction evening on a strong note, but bidding for Impressionist and Modern art was more subdued.

By Eileen Kinsella, Jun 29, 2020

Auctions

Led by a Sizzling Bacon, Sotheby’s First-Ever Hybrid Contemporary Evening Sale Format Nets an Impressive $300.4 Million

The carefully choreographed sale took place on three continents.

By Eileen Kinsella, Jun 29, 2020

Politics

Donald Trump Signs an Executive Order Calling to Prosecute Anyone Who Damages Federal Monuments ‘to the Fullest Extent Possible’

The new executive order signed Friday reinforces the Veteran's Memorial Preservation Act.

By Sarah Cascone, Jun 29, 2020

Auctions

Christie’s Paris Sells Two ‘Sacred Sculptures’ From Nigeria, Despite Protests From Scholars and Nigerian Heritage Authorities

Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu and others have criticized the sale using the hashtag #BlackArtMatters.

By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 29, 2020

Art World

This Alabama Medical School is Training Students to Diagnose Figures in Famous Paintings. Why? It’s a Surefire Way of Exposing Their Biases and Assumptions

Mary Cassatt may not have known anything about rheumatoid arthritis, but she sure could paint it.

By Artnet News, Jun 29, 2020

Art World

When the Louvre Reopens Next Week, Patient Visitors Will Be Able to View the Mona Lisa Practically Alone

The museum has lost an estimated $45 million since the shutdown and expects attendance to plummet.

By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 26, 2020

Auctions

In a Profound Shift, Christie’s Is Eliminating Its Standalone Impressionist and Modern Art Department, Shedding a Significant Amount of Staff in the Process

The auction house says the move is a better reflection of how people collect—but it's also a cost-saving measure.

By Eileen Kinsella, Jun 26, 2020

Art Fairs

A Crafty Swiss Financier Is Reportedly Trying to Gather Investors to Wrest Art Basel Away From Its Parent Company, the MCH Group

But the MCH Group has its own plans.

By Eileen Kinsella, Jun 24, 2020

Auctions

Here’s Your Guide to the Top Lots in the First-Ever Hybrid Marquee Summer Auctions, Taking Place Simultaneously In-Person and Online

The houses are still banking on trophy-hunting collectors to prop up their rescheduled marquee sales.

By Eileen Kinsella, Jun 23, 2020

Auctions

A $10 Million Basquiat and a $35 Million Barnett Newman Are the Latest Big-Ticket Lots Secured for the Socially Distanced Summer Auction Season

Christie’s will sell a $40 million Newman in their globe-spanning, relay-style sale. Phillips will offer a $10 million Basquiat.

By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 18, 2020

Auctions

The Van Gogh Museum Paid $236,000 for a Revealing Letter by Van Gogh and Gauguin About Their Visits to Brothels

The museum is planning an exhibition of the artist's letters this fall.

By Sarah Cascone, Jun 17, 2020

Law & Politics

Authenticating Modigliani Is Big Business. That’s Why One Expert Is Suing an Organization That Wants to Put Research Online for Free

Modigliani scholar Marc Restellini says the Wildenstein Plattner Institute is holding his life's work hostage.

By Eileen Kinsella, Jun 10, 2020

Auctions

Sotheby’s Will Reimagine the Auction Experience by Livestreaming Its Big-Money June Art Sales—Without an Audience

The sale is scheduled for June 29.

By Eileen Kinsella, May 29, 2020

Law & Politics

A Paint Roller Tore a $20 Million Hole in a Picasso Painting Headed to Christie’s. Now, the Insurance Company Is Suing the Contractor to Pay for It

Casino mogul Steve Wynn had been planning to sell the work for upwards of $100 million at Christie's.

By Sarah Cascone, May 26, 2020

Galleries

Just How Bad Has the Financial Fallout Been for US Galleries? A New Survey Crunches the Numbers—and They’re Bleak

Full-time unemployment hasn't dipped too dramatically, but galleries are bracing for dramatic losses this quarter.

By Eileen Kinsella, May 19, 2020