NewsArt market
Monet's $70m water lilies float to the top of Sotheby's three-auction marathon
The evening of sales in New York totalled $439.6m, with Basquiat's Versus Medici topping the contemporary art offering at $50.8m and a new record for Leonor Fini
NewsArt market
Hands up who's bidding for classic post-war art? Picky response to Anne Marion's all-American collection reflects market's shifting tastes
Sotheby's auction of the Texan rancher's collection totalled $157.2m and set new records for Kenneth Noland, Larry Rivers and Richard Diebenkorn
NewsArt market
Thaddaeus Ropac is the latest Western gallery to open in Seoul
With its resilient economy through the pandemic, South Korea is attracting the art industry's attention, with rumours of Frieze launching a fair in Seoul next year
NewsArt market
Spotty performance for unseen Yayoi Kusama paintings at Bonhams New York—but works on paper soar off the block
Pieces came from the collection of late New York heart surgeon who befriended the artist in the 1960s
NewsArt market
Access denied: British auction house executives refused US visas to travel for marquee New York sales week
But the show goes on at Sotheby’s and Christie’s with a mixture of in-person and remote bidding, while British dealers are getting creative in the Big Apple
NewsArt market
A $93.1m Basquiat and reams of records for hot young names kicks off New York auction week at Christie's
The $210.4m sale included new highs for contemporary artists like Mickalene Thomas, Jordan Casteel and Lynette Yiadom Boakye, while some established names fell flat
PreviewObject lessons
May auction highlights: from a rare Cubist Hockney portrait to a playful piece by Alexander Calder
Our pick of the best objects up for sale in New York, Dallas and Paris
NewsArt market
Out of Africa and into Messums: UK gallery launches new photography department with vintage prints of Karen Blixen's life in Kenya
Some of the images taken by the younger brother of the Danish author, whose memoir became an Oscar-winning film, reflect colonialist attitudes that the exhibition aims to confront
NewsArt market
Leonardo da Vinci's bear pawtrait could make record for drawing by the artist
The work is expected to fetch up to £12m in a live sale at Christie's London this July
NewsArt market
Christie's to offer paid internships to students with disabilities
Auction house has partnered with disability charity Leonard Cheshire's Change 100 programme to give work placements in-house and fund others at Tate and National Galleries of Scotland
AnalysisArt fairs
Members only: what exactly does Frieze’s membership programme get you?
Artist studio tours, museum shows, talks and other events are on the slate, but the best bang for your buck might come from the fair’s partnership with NeueHouse
NewsDeaccessioning
As a Sotheby’s auction looms, scholars protest against Newark Museum of Art’s plan to sell a Thomas Cole painting and other works
In an open letter, they denounce the deaccessioning move as a “senseless monetisation” of art from the permanent collection
NewsArt market
Unable to run in its usual format, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair moves into Christie’s for bijou showcase
Knotted Ties exhibition features textile works by female artists from Africa and the diaspora
NewsNFTs
Contract Killers: artist Nancy Baker Cahill challenges the efficacy of the 'smart contracts' behind NFTs with an augmented reality project
The environmentally conscious project considers broken and violated social contracts in the artists space and in society as a whole
NewsArt market
Charles I disposed of this Van Dyck portrait when he signed the sitter's death warrant. Now it is up for sale at Christie's
The 17th century painting of the Earl of Strafford, recently discovered to have been in the Royal collection, is expected to sell for up to £5m in London in July
NewsArt market
'It is like spring in the art world': A more civilised, 'humane' Frieze New York bodes well for the market
Exhibitors praised Frieze for seamlessness of install and timed entry gave galleries and guests more time than usual for art chat, making deals and catching up
NewsArt market
Artists are expected to give away their work for charity. This new auction platform aims to give them something back in return
The Stand has been launched by former Sotheby's boss and will give 70% to artists, 20% to charity
NewsArt market
Bill and Melinda Gates are divorcing—what will happen to their art?
As the multi-billionaire couple announce they are ending their marriage, we look at some of the art world's bitterest splits
NewsArt market
If you can't beat them, join them: Goodman Gallery jumps on the Hamptons bandwagon with new outpost
Denis Gardarin has joined as US director and will oversee the South Africa- and London-based gallery's presence at Frieze New York this week as travel restrictions persist
NewsArt market
Crypto-creep accelerates as Sotheby's accepts Ether and Bitcoin for $5m Banksy painting
The sale this month will be the first time the auction house has accepted cryptocurrency as payment for a physical work of art
NewsArt market
Taxidermy flying kittens, Irish giants and Queen Victoria's knickers: the world of Viktor Wynd
The artist, writer and dealer is selling a selection of bizarre pieces from his London-based Museum of Curiosities on 6 May
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Van Gogh's $30m riverscape with an absinthe-coloured sky comes up for sale at Christie’s
The story of Le Pont de Trinquetaille—with the young female mudlark and the ruffians from the red-light district
NewsLitigation
Stand and deliver: the $950m ‘art hostage situation’ involving paintings by Malevich and Goncharova
In a long-running legal battle, the Shchukin Gallery seeks the return of five paintings worth $63m that the gallery says were taken by a Russian financier
AnalysisArt market
Busy Gallery Weekend Beijing brings city's art scene back to life
This year's event, delayed from March, included 30 galleries and museums across the city
NewsArt market
White Cube announces exclusive worldwide representation of Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi
British gallery will work in collaboration with the Noguchi Museum in New York
NewsArt market
Phillips names Stephen Brooks, a former Christie's financial officer, as new chief executive
The current chief, Edward Dolman, will shift in September to a new role as executive chairman of Phillips’ holding company
NewsArt market
'I was brought here to get the company sold privately and that is done': Amy Cappellazzo to leave Sotheby's in July
Brooke Lampley and Mari-Claudia Jiménez will step up into new roles in the global fine art division, while Gregoire Billault is the new chairman of contemporary art
NewsArt market
Basquiat NFT withdrawn from auction after artist’s estate intervenes
“No licence or rights were convened to the seller,” estate says
NewsArt market
Mexico City galleries come together for homegrown Zonamaco Art Week
Despite postponing the traditional art fair, organisers found a way to hold shows and create a sense of occasion
NewsArt market
Flight of the Balloon Dog: Jeff Koons leaves Gagosian and David Zwirner galleries for Pace
The gallery will now represent the shiniest and most expensive living artist worldwide
NewsArt market
Colnaghi gallery to lead research into €1,500 painting now believed to be by Caravaggio
Established dealership will manage restoration and authentication of disputed work offered at auction for €1,500
NewsArt market
Andy Warhol Foundation fights back in fair use case
Lawyers for the foundation claim a US Court of Appeals decision conflicts with precedent and threatens historically significant contemporary art work
AnalysisArt market
NFTs in IRL: the rise of digital art galleries in physical spaces
Bricks-and-mortar commercial spaces are bringing crypto art to life, "providing an experience beyond the artwork living on a cell phone”
NewsRestitution
Sotheby's to sell $2m Meissen porcelain collection restituted by Dutch government to heirs of Jewish industrialist
The collection of 18th-century porcelain was previously exhibited in Dutch museums
CommentLooted art
Is there loot lurking in your collection? Find out—before someone else does
Do your research and and check whether you unwittingly own stolen works, otherwise it could tarnish your reputation
NewsArt market
Gettin' biddy wit it: Will Smith handprint painting to appear alongside works by Hockney and Picasso in Dubai auction
Charity sale is in aid of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's "100 Million Meals" campaign
NewsArt market
Art shipping sector consolidates as Crozier buys Martinspeed
With much-reduced travel and events, the pandemic has been tough on the logistics business and will have lasting effect, Crozier chief says
NewsArt market
Christie's to offer Xu Beihong painting for £41m—highest estimate put on an Asian work by a Western auction house
It could become the most expensive Asian work sold by a Western auction house. Meanwhile, young contemporary names proved popular at last night's Sotheby's sale in Hong Kong
AnalysisArt market
As the market for their artists booms, African galleries take control by expanding to the West
With outposts springing up from London to Los Angeles, dealers are putting their artists on the global map
NewsArt market
Gallery Climate Coalition expands to Berlin
The London-based eco-friendly initiative aims to reduce galleries' carbon footprints by at least 50% over the next decade—now German galleries are getting involved too
NewsArt market
UK treasure items cleared for sale may soon face problems with export to the EU
New licensing regulations for cultural property may hamper metal detectorists' ability to sell legitimate finds on the European market
NewsArt market
Paula Cooper names four new partners in her New York gallery
The announcement bolsters Cooper’s legacy and sets up a possible line of succession
NewsArt market
From heartstrings to purse strings: nostalgia and the art market
Sometimes the wistful memory of time long past is all one needs to spend a few hundred thousand dollars
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s launches first auction dedicated to women artists—but why do we still need a segregated sale in 2021?
Online sale will span the 17th to the 21st centuries featuring artists including Dorothea Tanning, Hannah Höch and Barbara Hepworth
NewsArt market
Sotheby's to sell Robert Colescott's take on George Washington crossing the Delaware River
The painting's low estimate of $9m is ten times the artist's record at auction
AnalysisArt market
The cost of a single tulip bulb surged to the same price as a mansion 400 years ago: are NFTs the ‘tulipmania’ of the 21st century?
Similarities between the new digital technology craze in the art world and the surge in value of tulips in 17th-century Holland suggest that it could all end in (real) tears
NewsArt market
Phillips starts 2021 sales with a 17% leg up on last year
Despite the “headwinds” of Covid-19 and an extended UK lockdown, the firm raised £24.8m in its three-city livestreamed auction
NewsArt market
Chips are down: Hauser & Wirth opens in Monte Carlo
The new space will open with an exhibition of work by Louise Bourgeois in June
NewsNFTs
A grey single-pixel 'work' sells for $1.3m at Sotheby’s maiden NFT sale
Over 3,000 bidders purchased nearly 24,000 digital works in a three-day, multi-facted sale on Niftygateway
NewsArt market
US judge throws out latest non-payment case involving Anatole Shagalov
Dispute with Artemus centred on a multimillion-dollar leaseback arrangement involving Keith Haring and Frank Stella works
CommentArt market
In our current dystopian art market, the pervasive and persistent Damien Hirst may well have the last laugh
The British artist has had a bumpy boom and boost history when it comes to sales, but his ubiquitous brand makes him a safer bet in uncertain times
NewsArt market
'Good reasons to believe this is a new Caravaggio': specialists cautiously vouch for €1,500 painting pulled from Spanish auction
Government does not want to repeat ‘export mistake’ of 1970s when another work by the Old Master ended up in the US
NewsArt market
Frieze Los Angeles 2021 is cancelled, new venue for 2022
The fair will move from Paramount Studios to a tent on Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, for its next edition in February
NewsArt market
Christie’s to auction a slice of NFT history for $9m this May
Larva Labs created 10,000 CryptoPunks three years ago—and gave away most of them
NewsArt market
Tefaf permanently scraps autumn fair in New York—but spring edition will return in 2022
Cancelled this year, the Modern and contemporary art event will return to the Park Avenue Armory next May but the October fair for historical art and antiques has been dropped
CommentDiary of an art historian
Boo to NFTs! Hang on, think of no customs fees
As Brexit makes buying anything from Europe almost impossible, purchasing questionable digital art is almost tempting
NewsNFTs
Sorry to burst your bubble: NFT prices slump 70%
Sales for NFTs linked to art dropped from $16.7m to $12.5m—but experts say it's not a permanent dip
NewsArt market
Send art, not staff: more than half of Art Basel in Hong Kong galleries take 'ghost booths'
Of the 104 exhibitors at the fair next month, 56 will take remote participation stands instead of travelling in person
NewsArt market
French galleries sue state over Covid-19 closure
The gallery association CPGA is going to court, claiming its members are “victims of a distortion of competition” as auction houses are allowed to stay open
NewsArt market
Picasso portrait of Marie-Thérèse to sell for $55m at Christie’s New York this May
The 1932 work was last sold in 2013 at Sotheby's when it seemingly sold to the guarantor for a low estimate £28.6m
NewsArt market
Pared down and profit sharing: here are the sales from Art Dubai, this year’s first physical fair
Meanwhile, a crypto-art cruise during the fair indicates which way the wind may be blowing for future editions
CommentArt Market Eye
How the art market turned upside down—in one month
Banksy, NFTs and Sacha Jafri et al are ripping up the rulebook
NewsCryptocurrency
NFT art bubble? 2017 crypto bust could spell out the future of current boom
Mania for non-fungible tokens is gripping the art world, with one selling for $69m. But artists unfamiliar with the mercurial cryptocurrency markets ought to curb their enthusiasm—this has happened before
PreviewArt market
Object lessons: from illuminated early golf memorabilia to a marble fragment with a twist
Our pick of the highlights from April's auctions
NewsArt market
NFT breakthrough: Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin creates 99% energy efficient blockchain—and Damien Hirst is its first artist
Hirst launches the Palm platform with a drop of 10,000 works on paper linked to NFTs that “explore the boundaries of art and currency”
CommentArt market
EU proposes tough new laws on antique ivory trade—despite lack of evidence it leads to modern-day poaching
Proposal appears to contradict European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's assertion that any new restrictions must be proportional and "evidence based"
NewsArt market
Selling, selling, sold...and sold again. The truth about the bungled sale of a Van Gogh at Sotheby's
Rare painting of a Montmartre street scene sold three times in the same auction
NewsArt market
Art Dubai fair opens—in real life—with 'pay nothing up front' plan for galleries
Most of the 50 exhibitors participating are based in the Middle East but seven who are unable to travel in person have sent works for "remote participation" stands
NewsArt market
India Art Fair appoints Jaya Asokan as new director
She will take over from Jagdip Jagpal who led the Delhi fair for three years
InterviewArt market
How three New York galleries are expanding against the odds
Despite the pandemic, Grimm Gallery, Salon 94 and PPOW are all taking on new spaces in Manhattan—here they tell us why
CommentArt market
The art market is 'high risk' for money laundering, so ignore new regulations at your peril
The UK government may make examples of galleries, advisors and auction houses found failing to comply to new laws, so prepare your business with these steps
NewsArt market
In bidding confusion at Sotheby’s, unseen Van Gogh initially sells for €16.2m but is then resold for €13m at end of auction
Cross-category relay sale brought in $176.2m against high estimate of $120.5m and culminated with surprise Basquiat announcement
NewsArt market
Casting doubt over hopes of a 'normal' UK summer, Masterpiece London cancels June fair
The fair will hold an online event in some form, while the London Original Print Fair plans to hold a gallery-based event for 33 of its exhibitors this May
PreviewArt market
Selling Tino Seghal's Zoom call in an online viewing room: Art Basel's Pioneers OVR reaches peak meta
Our pick of five artists to seek out on the fair's first digital presentation of 2021
InterviewArt market
New EX.Paris fair will replace the Paris Biennale—but how will it stand out on the post-pandemic event circuit?
President Alexis Cassin tells us why he thinks the event will succeed in November
NewsArt market
Sacha Jafri reveals the backbreaking process of creating 'world's largest painting' that sold for $62m
The work sold to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Andre Abdoune and all proceeds will be donated to four charities fighting child poverty
NewsArt market
Banksy's Game Changer sells for record £16.7m in aid of charities supporting the NHS
The work appeared suddenly last May at the University Hospital Southampton as a thank you to its staff during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic
NewsArt market
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Warrior becomes most expensive western work of art sold in Asia at $41.7m
The 1982 work sold today at Christie's in Hong Kong to an Asian buyer
CommentNFTs
The looming legal and regulatory questions NFT collectors and sellers should prepare for
An expert in anti-money laundering laws shares her thoughts on the booming digital art marketplace
NewsArt market
Gaitonde breaks Indian art auction record—again—but Amrita Sher-Gil painting falls flat in uneven South Asian sales
A number of Indian artists made their auction debut this season, though several established names missed the mark
NewsArt market
First London Gallery Weekend to feature a whopping 87 galleries including David Zwirner, Gagosian and Sadie Coles
Citywide event launching in June will focus on three different areas of the UK capital
NewsArt market
Christie’s abandons Impressionist and Modern and post-war and contemporary sale categories
The new 20th and 21st century auction format will launch in New York this May
AnalysisOld Masters
Today’s obsession with assigning singular attribution to Old Masters may be lucrative, but it is often misleading
The cult of the individual reigns supreme but in reality Renaissance works were often not made by one hand
NewsNFTs
Rapper Ja Rule launches NFT platform—and is selling a painting from infamous Fyre Festival on it
Flipkick will sell physical NFT works and hopes to collaborate with celebrities and influencers
NewsNFTs
Sotheby’s gets in on NFT fever with a collaboration with digital artist Pak
Auction house's head of sale Max Moore has already personally bought a work by the artist
InterviewArt market
'No one feels ambivalent towards Russia': Jo Vickery on leaving Sotheby's, launching her art advisory and looking beyond politics
Despite its size and power, Russia is a blindspot for the international art market but Vickery wants to change that perception
CommentArt market
The 'Ledbury Titian' discovery begs the question: who should we trust when it comes to art attribution?
We often overlook gaps in provenance, or disagreement between experts, simply because we want to believe in fairytales
PreviewObject lessons
Object lessons: from a dagger-brandishing Irma Stern painting to a Munch self-portrait with a turbulent history
Our pick of the highlights from this month's auctions
NewsArt Basel Art Market Report
Art Basel/UBS report: global art market shrinks by almost a quarter to $50.1bn during Covid-19 crisis
Online sales, a growing pool of billionaires and reduced overheads all helped sustain the trade when physical art fairs and auctions all but disappeared
NewsArt market
Berlin dealer Johann König opens new space in Seoul
Opening next month, the new space will include a sculpture garden on a roof terrace
NewsNFTs
Revealed: Metakovan, pseudonymous founder of ‘crypto-exclusive fund’ Metapurse, is the buyer of Beeple’s $69.3m NFT
Everydays: The First 5,000 Days sold at Christie’s yesterday—and the buyer says it is worth $1bn
NewsNFTs
Chinese tech entrepreneur reveals he was narrowly outbid for Beeple’s NFT—and computer said no when he tried to pay $70m
TRON blockchain founder Justin Sun says on Twitter that Christie’s website would not let him place another bid with 30 seconds to go of the online auction yesterday
NewsArt market
WTAF? Beeple NFT work sells for astonishing $69.3m at Christie’s after flurry of last-minute bids nearly crashes website
Everyday: The First 5000 Days is now the third most expensive work by a living artist sold at auction
NewsArt market
Newly attributed Bernini drawing up for auction in France
Actéon auctioneers expect the 17th-century study of a male nude, authenticated by Ann Sutherland Harris and Louis de Bayser, to sell for €30,000 to €50,000
NewsArt market
The curious saga of a Russian cosmetics entrepreneur and his €107m Cellini painting
Bizarre story of a painting discovered in a French village, said by its owner to be a self-portrait by Cellini, is told in a new BBC radio series
FeatureArt market
Call My Agent: the rise of the artist talent agency
A growing number of agencies are popping up in the art market, providing an alternative to the traditional gallery model
NewsArt market
After a stormy few years, Paris Biennale is laid to rest
The long-running French event will be replaced by a new art, antiques and luxury crafts fair at the end of November
NewsCommercial galleries
Art world reels as New York gallery Metro Pictures announces closure
Long-standing Chelsea gallery was synonymous with the artists of Pictures Movement—including Cindy Sherman, discovered while working as a receptionist
CommentAfrican art market
Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu’s greatest work is much loved by the art market—but it should mean more to art history too
Editions of the Anyanwu sculpture always attract attention at auction, but the legacy of the work and its maker are largely ignored both in his home country and the international art scene
Ayodeji Rotinwa