NEW: Art Fair and Art Auction at the Mall Galleries - this week!

This week there are two new initiatives this week at the Mall Galleries.

• one is in the galleries - the Women in Art Fair (WIAF) (11th to 14th October 2023)
• one is ONLINE ONLY - the Art for All | Fundraising Auction (9th - 16th October 2023)

Below is a short narrative about both - and I'll be visiting the Women in Art fair tomorrow when it opens and will report back.

Women in Art Fair

The Women in Art Fair a NEW Art Fair specifically celebrating art by women.

website: https://womeninartfair.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninartfairofficial/

Women in Art Fair seeks the best in contemporary art, photography, textile and sculpture; all mediums. 

Key Features:

A new initiative, WIAF is dedicated to redressing the gender imbalance in the art industry and will take over all three spaces at Mall Galleries (totalling 450 sqm)

The layout of WIAF

• West Gallery - a booth style art fair - with 9 different booths (not the 21 as indicated)
• East Gallery - a curated exhibition titled Unnatural Women - The show features seminal artists, such as Paula Rego and Jean Cooke alongside established contemporary names and emerging talent.
• North Gallery - an exhibition of artwork selected from an Open Call (which I obviously missed!)
• Theme: The World is A Family. 
• Artists were invited to submit work for exhibition, alongside galleries, for the inaugural WIAF in October 2023. 

WIAF seeks to create a positive global fair, from which women and those identifying as women, are given an opportunity to show their work and contribute to developing the exchange of ideas around gender, and culture.

It will be very interesting to see how people have responded to this new event. It sounds promising and I'm looking forward to visiting.

Event: Expert Panel Discussion

The $1.5 billion art collection - a new record for a single-session, single-owner sale

If you've ever want to see what an art collection worth $1.5 billion looks like, you can review images on the Christies website of the collection of the late Paul Allen - the co-founder of Microsoft.

It's a truly amazing collection and well worth drooling over. I've seen a number of the artworks before.

60 lots were sold in the evening sale of Part I of the Sale last night - which set a new record for a single-session, single-owner sale

On 9 November in New York, Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection kicked off with Part I, which surpassed the $1 billion mark at the 32nd lot and broke records across categories. The evening saw 60 extraordinary works achieve a total of $1,506,386,000, establishing the Allen collection as the most valuable private collection in history. Five paintings achieved prices above $100 million. Overview

Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection

The e-version of the Christies Catalogue Cover for the Sale of
The Paul G Allen Collection

This is when I find out the name behind the private art collection which lent some of the most famous paintings I've seen in art exhibitions I've visited. Sometimes the collections announce the name of the owner and sometimes they don't - and I don't believe I've ever seen his name on any of the labels I read assiduously! But I could be wrong.....

These are links to:

• the video of Part I of the sale
• browse all lots - wait a while if you just see plain coloured rectangles to start with - the images will appear
• you can organise by artists you like by checking the boxes of the artists listed on the left of the screen
• Results for some of the LOTS sold yesterday in Part I of the Sale
• These are the LOTS being sold today in Part II of the Sale - which you can watch LIVE right now
• This is the e-catalogue on Issuu
• these are different stories about various aspects of the Collection

STORIES from the Paul G Allen Collection

• Tour the Exhibition of the Collection ONLINE - prior to the auction. This is the Gallery Guide
• VIEW the Timeline of the Collection

All of the lots came to market backed by financial guarantees, either secured by so-called third party guarantees or those backed by Christie’s. In that insured sense, the evening qualified as a “white glove” sale, with 100% of the incredible bounty sold. Twenty artists’ auction records were broken and five works sold for over $100m, including fees, a feat in itself.

The Art Newspaper

PS The review I originally planned for today has been usurped partly by this sale and partly due to needing to provide some family support...... It will now be published tomorrow.

Keith Haring vs Mr Doodle

 I watched a news item on BBC Breakfast TV this morning about a chap called "Mr Doodle" (his real name is actually Sam Cox). 

The BBC was treating him as if he'd invented a completely new way of creating art - which is what prompted this post.

In fact, it looked very much to me as if he's trying to emulate the style of Keith Haring (1958-1990) - minus the homoerotic / sexual aspects of the latter's work. Mr Doodle's artwork seems to focus more on what look like kiddy cartoon characters - BUT the style of drawing is very, very similar. (I do wonder at times what the BBC losing competent arts journalists is doing to its coverage of art).

Keith Haring Foundation website

Haring was very much a pop culture artist of the 1980s. I well remember reading about him at the time and being completely amazed by nature and scale of his artworks.

He became an established artist by 1983 but preferred to keep his prices low so that his art was more accessible.

Haring created the Pop Shop in 1986 in the SoHo district of Manhattan, selling T-shirts, toys, posters, and other objects that show his works—allowing his works to be accessible to a larger number of people. Speaking about the Pop Shop in 1989, Haring said: "For the past five or six years, the rewards I've gotten are very disproportionate to what I deserve...I make a lot more money than what I should make, so it's a little bit of guilt, of wanting to give it back." Wikipedia

His artwork is now administered by the Keith Haring Foundation and sold via the Gladstone Gallery in New York 

Haring's VERY distinctive signature style has been much copied over the years by:

• his fans wishing to produce accolades to his art
• those wishing to make lots of money from his style - in part because Haring's style is so  very marketable. 

The reason Mr Doodle got a significant spot on the BBC is because he's doodled his house in Tenterden in Kent - absolutely everywhere. Apparently the neighbours don't mind. I'm wondering if they might should opening the house to the public is the next step!

See the video from his Twitter account below

Lalique, Shell Posters by famous artists and Mary Fedden

One of the thing I enjoy doing most is looking at Auction Catalogues online - particularly for art auctions - for two primary reasons:

• you can see artwork and made objects which are often never seen in art exhibitions at the major or minor galleries (i.e. they've disappeared into private collections and only reemerge when sold)
• the estimates in the catalogues provide a benchmark for relative values of art. 

If for no other reason, those pricing and selling art should pay attention to what's competing for the attention of buyers in terms of calibre of the artist producing it and the likely auction value.

I'm particularly addressing that comment to those emerging artists who think they need to price high to get taken seriously.  It's wise to remember that serious buyers will also review the opportunity to buy at secondary arts sales/auctions as well as visiting galleries to see new work. 

However those thinking of buying need to review the notes about the additions to the bill after an item has been bought - and note my short summary of the "additions" to the bill which arie after the hammer goes down.

Three auctions at the Mall Galleries this week

I was surprised to see this week that the Mall Galleries seems to be expanding its usual repertoire of exhibitions and events to include art auctions for third party auction houses.

This week (27 April 2021 to 29 April 2021) it's hosting exhibitions related to upcoming Auctions by Lyon & Turnbull as follows:

• Lalique (e-catalogue on Issuu) - by the French glass artist René Lalique (1860-1945) who was particularly noted for his art deco pieces - and what's on offer includes some amazingly beautiful pieces
• MODERN MADE | Design on the Move - which includes a lot of the old Posters from the Shell Heritage Art Collection - many of which were by famous/well-known artists of the 20th century such as Paul Nash, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Edward Bawden etc.
• MODERN MADE | Modern Art & Post-War Design - which includes works by Mary Fedden, Dame Elizabeth Frink, lithographs by LS Lowry etc

It makes for an eclectic mix of styles and artworks.

The Mall Galleries is NOT advertising these as exhibitions which can be visited.

Instead the Mall Galleries website is being used as a gateway to the Lyon & Turnbull website 

• the invitation is to view the lots online
• The artworks can be viewed by appointment 

and the physical entity of the Galleries is being used to hold the auctions.

Which leaves me wondering what exactly can be viewed by appointment. 

• Are the artworks on display in galleries - as happens at leading auction houses?
• Or do you have to identify the pieces you want to see and these are extracted and made available for viewing?
• Or given a number of them which are fragile (there's a huge amount of glassware) and/or will not be firmly attached to the wall in frames, do they just not have enough staff to "police' visitors?

The reason I ask is because of the sheer quantity of items in the auctions - see the online display of lots and the various e-catalogues below. The total of 532 lots will be stretching the now reduced capacity of the Mall Galleries (i.e. the end room of the North Gallery is no longer available)

The auctions are as follows

• Lalique (106 lots - mainly glass) - Thursday, 29th Apr 2021 14:00 - see e-catalogue on Issuu
• MODERN MADE | Design on the Move (49 lots) - 29th Apr 2021 18:00
• MODERN MADE | Modern Art and Post War Design (382 lots) - Friday 30th April 10am 
• - see the combined MODERN MADE e-catalogue on Issuu

Famous names in the auctions include: Rene Lalique, Paul Nash, Edward Bawden, Dame Elizabeth Frink, 

Note that all prices EXCLUDE 

• the reduced rate of 5% VAT on the hammer price
• the 25% premium paid on purchase
• plus the VAT on the premium
• plus 4% of the value of an artwork exceeding over €1,000 - which is due to all artists who can receive the artist resale royalty ( living artists and those who have died in the last 70 years) on secondary sales via an art gallery or dealer

On an artwork estimated to fetch £2,000 this could add (I estimate) 50 + 500 + 25 + 80 = £2,655 (i.e. around a third more than the hammer price) prior to transport and insurance.

From Basquiat to Banksy

If you are a Banksy, Basquiat or urban street art fan you'll be interested in the first Private Sale at Christies in London - following the lifting on most restrictions for all retail

It's titled Off the Wall: Basquiat to Banksy 

"Off the Wall: Basquiat to Banksy" is a private selling exhibition showcasing the contemporary explosion of street art, charting a course through post-punk New York, millennial Britain and beyond. From the illicit and illegitimate to the painterly and political, it celebrates the negotiation between street and studio over nearly half a century.

To find out more you can browse and view the lots in the exhibition and Private Sale

• either online 
• or view them at Christies's King Street Galleries at 8 King Street St. James 's from 12 April–7 May (12-5pm - including weekends) 

I've been to a number of pre-auction exhibitions at Christies and the galleries and viewing opportunities are excellent.

Our London galleries are now open for public viewing, following government guidelines. Private clients and the wider public are able to visit with other members of their household, and trade clients with their working group. 

By classifying it as a Private Sale, each artwork has a predetermined price - and is NOT up for auction. It enables the buying and selling art outside of the auction calendar i.e. it's as if Christies was a gallery for secondary sales.

The Private Sales includes 52 items by the following graffiti and street artists.

(the number of their artworks in the exhibition is indicated in brackets after their name):

• A-One, (1964-2001) (1) - who's not yet made it on to Wikipedia!
• Banksy (11) - nobody knows who he really is. Except he's English (probably from the west country) and he's a street artist, political activist, and film director who has a company which provides Certificates of what is and is not a genuine Banksy!

Banksy on the Christies website

• Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) (8) an American artist whose themes art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. 
• Blek Le Rat (B. 1952) (3) a French graffiti artist - one of the first in Paris. He used to stencil rats on walls.
• Keith Haring (1958-1990) (3) an American pop/graffiti artist in the 1980s - he frequently drew on New York subways
• Invader, (b. 1969) (4) - a French urban artist. He is known for his ceramic tile mosaics modeled on the pixelated art of 1970s–1980s 8-bit video games. Also a graduate of the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts
• Kaws, (b.1974) (2) - an American artist and designer whose includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs.
• OSGEMEOS, (B. 1974) (2) - identical twin street artists Otavio Pandolfo and Gustavo Pandolfo
• Rammellzee, (1960-2010) (3) New York street artist 
• Kenny Scharf (b. 1958) (5) an American Painter active at the same time as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring,
• Stik, (b. 1979) (4) - a British graffiti artist based in London. He is known for painting large stick figures.

It would be interesting to know who's selling!

A new Lowry at Christie's Modern British Art Sale

It's a joy when you get to read the catalogue for an art sale which is both informative and interesting. This post is about some of the interesting artworks and interesting back stories to be gleaned from the online catalogues for the upcoming auction of Modern British and Irish Art Sale in January 2020

Christies has a Modern British Art Sale in January 2020 and you can view the e-catalogues online

• Modern British Art Evening Sale on 21 January e-Catalogue
• Modern British Art Day Sale on 22 January e-Catalogue

I particularly enjoyed the catalogue reflections on the effects achieved in the paintings which were like others in modern art - and art from history.

An example being when a 'new' (i.e. previously unseen, unexhibited and uncatalogued) painting by Lowry is compared to a painting of children's games produced by Pieter Brueghel - a connection I'd not made before but which now makes complete sense as to one of the reasons why Lowry paintings are so popular with the general British public who respond to content not being told why they should "appeciate a painting".

A few highlights from the sale - and why I shall go to the view - are that it includes the following. (Note the links I'm providing have images which are nowhere near as good as those included in the catalogue. You need to click the links above and then agree to the conditions before you can access the e-catalogues)

What I've listed reflects my taste or an interest in the back storey.  The catalogues also provide an insight into who collects and they they collect!

 

Evening Sale

• The Mill, Pendlebury by LS Lowry - previously owned by Dr Leonard D Hamilton the chap who worked out the techniques for extracting DNA which was then tested by Crick and Watson to reveal the double helix structure for which they won the Nobel prize! How about that for a back story! The painting was acquired from the artist shortly after it was painted and includes the Acme Spinning Company Mill which was the first mill in the country to be lit entirely by electrocitiy. I wonder whether that scientific angle to the painting created a special fascination for the scientist. He was certainly a man who went on to build an impressive art collection.  He used to hang his Lowry painting in his rooms at Balliol College Oxford where he was an undergraduate. 
• Hero II by William Turnbull - this is the bronze with a green patina and stone sculpture in the David Hockney painting American Collectors (Fred and Marcia Weisman) owned by the American Art Institute of Chicago. For context see this link to the 1960s paintings gallery on Hockney's website - it's the first painting in the gallery. The sculpture comes from the Fred Weisman Collection. It's fascinating to hear the history of the sculpture and its antecedents in the British Museum. It's also interesting to see the texture in the sculpture and to read how it was created given its absence in the painting.
• The Wiring Party by William Roberts RA - who has drawn a group of soldiers building or repairing the defences in "no man's land' in the First World War in a cubist style. He had been a gunner and he became a war artist in 1918. The catalogue contains an excellent narrative about working as a war artist. The work was first exhibited at the 60th Exhibition of Modern Drawings in Watercolour and Black and White by the New English Art Club in 1919. It reminds me of the sort of drawing I look for in exhibitions today - of people doing contemporary and routine but unusual things - but very rarely see.

New English Art Club, '60th Exhibition of Modern Drawings in Watercolour and Black and White by the New English Art Club', Maddox Street Galleries, summer 1919 (Burying the Dead after Battle 1919, The Wiring Party 1918)

• Marynka pregnant by RB Kitaj - has an interesting story behind it which involves a visit to the Henri Roche shop in Paris to buy some pastels
• Square Form by Henry Moore in the auction - reminds me of why photos of your work in your studio can help provide provenance and also data a piece!
• Red and White Tulips by Samuel John Peploe - I always like to see a Peploe - and always interesting to see how an artist paints white flowers.... If you're using a 27" screen like me and click the catalogue you get an up close view of the brush strokes used - which to me always indicate the difference between somebody who paints and an artist who knows how to paint flowers

Other artists include Dame Elizabeth Frink, Howard Hodskin, Leon Kossoff, David Bomberg, Lynn Chadwick, Mark Gertler,  Allen Jones, Peter Lanyon, Ben Nicholson as well as other sculptors

Day Sale

This includes

• Postcards written to Felicity Hellaby by Lucian Freud - I just sat and stared! Quite unlike anything I've seen from Freud before.
• Gregory by David Hockney - one of his line drawings in ink which I adore. Gregory was Hockjney's Assistant and Companion through most of the 1970s. You can see more of Hockney's drawings in the 1970s on his website.
• Celia, Hollywood, May 1984 by David Hockney - another line drawing in pen and ink. These are other drawings by Hockney in the 1980s (I just love his drawings!)
• Church at Cassis by SJ Peploe - evocative of Cezanne - but not quite the same
• Barnet Fair by Walter Richard Sickert - almost a 'history painting' - recording what happened at the time - in 1928-30
• Maquette for Draped Reclining Woman and Maquette for Reclining Figure by Henry Moore - His website provides a record of the series of full size sculpture series developed from this maquette (and others, I guess). Moore is one of a few modern sculptors who "gets drapery" right. I've visited Hoglands and seen the studio where he made his maquettes and how he used them to upscale to his larger works - see my Flickr set Henry Moore Sculptures, Hoglands, Perry Green. 
• Eleven ideas for Sculptures and Figures in Settings by Henry Moore provides great insight into his working process and the importance of his drawings to his 3D works

Other artists include Frank Bowling, Dame Elizabeth Frink, Maggi Hambling, Leon Kossoff, Frabnk Auerbach, Sie Edward Paolozzi, Patrick Caulfield, RB Kitaj, Ben Nicholson, John Piper, Eric Ravilious and lots of minor (and not so minor) artists

Viewing is at Christies in King Street, St. James from Monday 13th January to Tuesday 21 January

• 13 Jan, 6pm - 8:30pm
• 14 Jan, 9am - 4:30pm
• 15 Jan, 9am - 4:30pm
• 16 Jan, 9am - 4:30pm
• 17 Jan, 9am - 4:30pm
• 18 Jan, 12pm - 5pm
• 19 Jan, 12pm - 5pm
• 20 Jan, 9am - 4:30pm
• 21 Jan, 9am - 3pm
• 22 Jan, 1pm (Lots 101 - 210)

More auctions

There's also what look like they might be interesting auctions in the early New Year

• Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on the 5th and 6th February
• Post-War and Contemporary Art on the 12th and 13th February

I'm now going to take a look at those e-catalogues!

Modern & Post-War British Art - Exhibition at Sotheby's

I spent more time today looking at the catalogue for the Modern & Post-War British Art evening auction taking place at Sotheby's in London on 18th - 19th June 2019

It's got a lot of interesting artworks by various artists and I very much recommend you 

• view the 5 day exhibition (see dates, times and venue address at the end) in advance of the auction
• take a look at the catalogue if interested in this period of British Art 
• click the link to Modern & Post-War British Art 
• either scroll down the page 
• or click a pic and go straight to the detailed page for that artwork - and click the pic again and get a larger image

The feet of "Beautiful Girl Lying Down" by Euan Uglow (1932-2000)
oil on canvas | 61 by 93.5cm.; 24 by 37in. | Executed in 1958-59
Estimate £300,000 - £500,000

Artists include:

• Edward Burra
• Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
• Euan Uglow - I was transfixed by the very beautiful painting "Beautiful Girl Lying Down" - do read the catalogue note about his work
• Alison Watt
• Leon Kossoff
• LS Lowry
• Walter Richard Sickert
• Henry Moore - both sculpture and shelter drawing
• Ben Nicholson
• Dame Barbara Hepworth
• Patrick Heron
• David Nash
• Graham Sutherland
• John Piper
• Roger Hilton
• David Bomberg
• Winifrid Nicholson
• Augustus John
• Duncan Grant
• Vanessa Bell
• Paul Nash
• Craigie Aitchison
• Dame Lucie Rie
• Dame Elisabeth Frink
• Sir Peter Blake
• David Hockney
• Sean Scully
• Christopher Le Brun
• Sir Terry Frost
• Gillian Ayers

The exhibition dates and times - at Sotheby's at 34-35 New Bond Street London W1A 2AA - are as follows

• Friday 14 June 9am - 5pm
• Saturday 15 June 12pm - 5pm
• Sunday 16 June 1pm - 5pm
• Monday17 June 9am - 5pm
• Tuesday18 June 9am - 4pm

Watch video of Banksy 'Girl with a balloon' being shredded after selling for $1 million+

Banksy has the last laugh.

• Sotheby's Auction gavel comes down on "Girl with a Balloon" after it sells for over $1 million
• An alarm goes off inside frame - also made by Banksy
• The painting starts to drop down and comes out shredded into strips!

Banksy posted on Instagram....

View this post on Instagram

Going, going, gone...

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Oct 5, 2018 at 6:45pm PDT

and you can watch on the VIDEO made by Pierre Koukjian and also shared on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

Special night with banksy at Sotheby #banksy #sothebys #london

A post shared by Pierre Koukjian (@pierrekoukjian) on Oct 5, 2018 at 2:22pm PDT

The incident has gone viral this morning.

Oddly the Sotheby's Twitter feed is silent!

Elsewhere accounts of what happened can be found as follows

• BBC News | Banksy artwork shreds itself after £1m sale at Sotheby's
• The Guardian | Banksy auction prank leaves art world in shreds
• The Independent | Banksy sells for over £1m then immediately self-destructs

Going, going gone.... but did Banksy get the last laugh?

Oddly enough, I think that since this is a unique event - and a first - that it will go down in art history and the value of the now destroyed artwork is probably a lot more than the buyer paid for it!

About Old Master Copies and Auctions

Have you ever fancied making a copy of an Old Master Painting?
Lots of art students do this in order to understand better how an artist painted. Copying old masters was and continues to be considered by some to be a traditional form of training for an artist wishing to paint in the manner of the Old Masters.

Of course, every art museum and gallery is also home to a number of copies of paintings by old masters and otherwise famous and or well reputed painters. Whether they know they are copies is another matter!

But who knew though that Sotheby's holds online auctions of copies of old Master Paintings!

samples of the sort of copies of old master paintings to be sold at the upcoming auction in the autumn

Its website states about Old Masters Copies Online (opening for bidding 5th - 13th September 2018 | 10:00 AM EDT)

We are delighted to announce that we are now accepting consignments for the second edition of the online-only Old Master Copies auction, which will be open for bidding this coming Autumn from 5 -13 September 2018. The sale will feature a vast range of paintings by accomplished followers and students of some of the greatest old master painters.

Apparently Sotheby's held its first auction last year in October 2017 - and Old Master Copies Online: Imitation & Influence is said to have been very successful.

This is the 2017 slideshow - Respected Reproductions: Highlights from Old Master Copies Online - which features paintings included in that auction PLUS the sort of prices they were expected to fetch. I haven't been able to locate the actual results page for that auction - but the fact they're having a second auction in under a year suggests there is a market for this sort of artwork.

More about Old Master Copies

Personally speaking I have absolutely no problem with Old Master Copies - just so long as they are sold as copies and not as forgeries!

Buying copies can be an affordable option for budding collectors and a great way for seasoned collectors to expand their collections. (Invaluable)

Should you be thinking you now have the perfect project for your summer holiday(!) - here's some more information about "Old Master Copies"

Rockefeller Collection on public show at Christies London

Once in a while, a really significant collection of art and artifacts rolls into town - and it's possible to see the works on exhibition prior to a grand auction - and bid on them if you feel so inclined!

The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller is being auctioned in New York in at Christie’s Rockefeller Center in New York in late spring. Prior to this auction, the most valuable collection ever previously offered at auction was the Collection Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé in 2009 at Christie’s Paris which achieved more than US$400 million / € 373,935,500

CLAUDE MONET (1840–1926)
Nymphéas en fleur
© Christie’s Images Ltd
oil on canvas 63 in. x 71 in. (160 x 178 cm.)
Painted circa 1914-1917

This is the largest auction ever entirely dedicated to raising funds for philanthropic causes. (see note at end)

“Eventually all these objects which have brought so much pleasure to Peggy and me will go out into the world and will again be available to other caretakers who, hopefully, will derive the same satisfaction and joy from them as we have over these past several decades.” David Rockefeller

Prior to this it is touring the world and the preview dates for the exhibition of works from the collection at Christies Galleries are as follows:

• London 21 February – 8 March 2018
• Beijing 6 – 7 April 2018
• Paris 16 – 21 April 2018
• Los Angeles 6 – 12 April 2018, and 
• Shanghai 10 – 11 April 2018

The auction sale will take place in the Spring (dates to be announced) at 20 Rockefella Plaza in New York.  It's expected that the sale will offer 1500 works overall split across auctions taking place in New York during the week of May 7.

Important pieces include:

• Claude Monet's Nympheas en fleur (c.1914-1917) - see above
• what will be the most valuable Matisse painting ever offered at auction to date
• a rather lovely Rose Period Picasso which originally came from the Gertrude Stein Collection

The extended public exhibition will feature significant works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Juan Gris, Paul Signac, Edouard Manet, Paul Gauguin, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, and Edward Hopper, among others

Below you can see the images in different contexts and learn something of how they were acquired.

Banksy: an auction in New York and "photographed" in Bethlehem

Yesterday Forum Auctions in New York auctioned 40 commercially produced prints and other artwork certified by Banksy’s authentication service Pest Control.

This is how Street Art becomes commercially lucrative.

• Each print has a detailed condition report
• Each print comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by The Pest Control Office - which acts for Banksy in relation to authentication of all prints, artwork and sale of new art

We answer enquiries and determine whether he was responsible for making a certain piece of artwork and issue paperwork if this is the case. This process does not make a profit and has been set up to prevent innocent people from becoming victims of fraud.

The rare signed example of Girl with Balloon (2004) went for $110,000 - within the estimate of $80,000-$120,000

By way of contrast his only editioned wood sculpture, Watchtower (2007) failed to reach reserve and was not sold.

Girl with Balloon on the Forum Auctions website

However while yesterday some newspapers were highlighting the auction - with major image features of his work (eg see Banksy artworks up for auction in New York – in pictures), today there's no mention of the auction online

Not all the work sold - however:

• 37 out of 40 lots sold for a premium-inclusive $1m (£750,000)
• most of the artwork sold within the range of estimated value identified beforehand

It's difficult not to reach the conclusion that the sale of works by Banksy has almost become predictable if not prosaic.

A fresh sighting of Banksy?

Today - to underline the excitement the auctions result did NOT generate - the major reference to Banksy in the news was absolutely nothing to do with the auction

The topic going viral on Twitter related to whether or not he was photographed in Bethlehem next to what is apparently a brand new Banksy artwork which according to Hyperallergic features on his website - although I couldn't find it!

Banksy unmasked? Tourist claims snap shows secretive artist at work in Bethlehem https://t.co/acCFNYuHXg

— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) 13 December 2017

The image shows a man in cargo shorts, sneakers, and a white fedora looking over his shoulder as he stands next to a fresh Banksy piece, which currently greets visitors to the artist’s website. Painted in a doorway near the Chapel of the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem, the mock holiday message reads: “Peace on Earth *terms and conditions apply.” The man holds a can of spray paint and a stencil in the shape of a star matching the one in the mural.Tourist in Bethlehem Believes He Photographed Banksy Wearing Cargo Shorts | Hyperallergic

...and so - what will remain forever perennial and viral and newsworthy is the quest to identify Banksy's identity!

Of course it could all be an elaborate marketing ruse for The Alternativity on BBC2 at 9pm on Sunday 17th December - also announced by the BBC yesterday! (see Danny Boyle and Banksy's 'Alternativity' to be on BBC Two)

Or is there such a thing as coincidence? ;)

Leonardo da Vinci sets new record for the most expensive painting ever sold at auction

The auction sale of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi at Christies New York yesterday is unusual for a number of reasons - the nature of the sale, the price it went for and the history of the painting

This post is for those who enjoy their art history and includes reference links to other more in-depth articles about the painting.

Salvator Mundi (c.1500) by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) 
25⅞ x 18 in (65.7 x 45.7 cm).
Sold on 15 November 2017 at Christie’s in New York

Here's my summary - each section is followed by referenced to some of the articles which comment in more depth on the painting and the auction

The Auction Sale

• The final hammer price shattered the world record for a sale of an artwork at auction. The painting sold for $400 million (at a cost of $450,312,500 to the buyer after you include the auction house premium). That equates to a cost to the buyer of £342,182,751.
• It exceeded the previous highest valued painting at auction by more than $200 million
• It was very unusually sold at an evening auction of Post-War and Contemporary Art - because it's at evening sales where wealthy art collectors buy their art

“By putting it in a contemporary sale, they shine a big light on the painting.”

• Almost 30,000 people viewed the painting as it was displayed to the public in The painting was show to the public in Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and New York. It's the very first time the painting has been shown to the public in Asia or the Americas.
• It was billed as "The Last Da Vinci", the "Male Mona Lisa", a "once in a lifetime sale" and the “Holy Grail” for elite collectors
• The auction house was so confident that it would sell for a high price that it had guaranteed a price of $100 million
• The bidding lasted 19 minutes with four bidders on the telephone and one in the room. The last bid jumped $30 million to close out the auction!
• The comments on the Facebook Live Stream of the sale make for interesting and somewhat predictable reading
• Nobody knows who the successful bidder was. It's likely to remain in private hands.

They made a film of people viewing the painting prior to the sale.



Reference

• Salvator Mundi: This is your only chance to buy a genuine Leonardo Da Vinci painting | The Independent
• Contemporary Art Sales: Do I Hear $100 Million? | New York Times
• Leonardo da Vinci Painting Sells for $450.3 Million, Shattering Auction Highs | New York Times
• Why Christie’s Put a Rare Leonardo da Vinci in a Contemporary Auction | New York Times
• Da Vinci Goes on the Block for $100 Million | Wall Street Journal
• Leonardo da Vinci painting sells for $450m at auction, smashing records | The Guardian

The history of the painting

Howard Hodgkin Portrait of the Artist - at Sotheby's

The collectable art and artifacts from Howard Hodgkin's estate are being auctioned on Tuesday at Sotheby's in London.

You can view the exhibition on Sunday and Monday - and it has some really lovely things in it.

You can also see the items online at the Sotheby's website for Howard Hodgkin Portrait of the Artist.

I must confess I love looking at what artists collect, even more so if they like the same things I like!  I love the fragments of Iznik pottery (I'm a big fan of the V&A's collection of Isnik tiles and pottery) but am somewhat bemused by the prices...

It's also intriguing how somebody known for his contemporary art should collect so much very traditional and decorative art.  The Indian pieces are outstanding!

Plus do read his article How to be an artist - it's a RECOMMENDED READ.

Damien Hirst back from the deep - with an awfully expensive wreck

This is by way of a round-up of all the reviews of the latest Damien Hirst extravaganza with a summary of ratings and comments.

I've tried to sort out who has seen the exhibition as opposed to scanned the press release.

There aren't any images of the exhibition in this blog post because he's licenced all the images to Getty Images (click the link to have a look!) who have a fairly hefty charge for using them.

Synopsis of key points

Exhibition details

Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable
9 April 2017 – 3 December 2017
Solo Exhibition
Venues:

• Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy
• Punta della Dogana 

Punta della Dogana, Venice

Key Points

The Exhibition

• Themes of Reality vs Unreality; Fake News; False Facts etc. 
• based on the notion that these are artefacts recovered from the bottom of the sea - from the wreck of an old treasure ship discovered off the coast of East Africa
• uses the methodology of museums to present the exhibits
• a 60ft high headless demon can be found in the courtyard of Palazzo Grassi
• some exhibits are clear spoofs e.g. they include the faces of people such as Pharrell, Kate Moss, Rihanna et al
• the exhibition is on display in two museums in Venice - one is an ex-Palazzo and the other is Venice's old customs building, the Dogana da Mar - which is now an art museum

As always, I've always thought that the theme underpinning much of what Hirst does involves him thumbing his nose at the art establishment.

The Metrics

• the project took 10 years
• comprises a collection of 189 statues 
• created by hundreds of craftspeople employed by Hirst
• cost c.£50 million - according to Hirst

The Art Media

• not everything is bronze or marble - there's also quite a lot is aluminium, polyester and fibreglass 

The Partner

• Hirst's project partner - the man who owns the art galleries - is Francois Pinault
• the fashion billionaire who owns luxury brands (e.g. Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen) and well-known everyday brands (e.g.) Samsonite - and Christies, the Auction House
• the owner of one of the largest collections of contemporary art

Is it for Sale?

• Yes according to the New York Times

“Treasures” cost Mr. Hirst millions of dollars to produce and Mr. Pinault millions to present (exact figures were not disclosed by either man). Collectors who have been offered the works report that prices start around $500,000 apiece rising to upward of $5 million. With Damien Hirst’s market untested on such a grand scale, the question the art world is asking is, will he sink or swim in Venice?

In 2008, Hirst cut out the gallery and went straight to the Sotheby's auction house to sell a complete show Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, - the day before the crash - and made £111m. ($198 million) and created a new record for the sum raised by one artist at auction (unbelievable but true!)

This time around he seems to have created another project but this time a major contemporary art collector who owns the auction house - can collaborate on how it is marketed, presented and presumably sold.

In other words, this is what rich people do for fun....

...and to maintain the value of the art owned by art collectors and previously created by Hirst whose reputation has slipped in previous years.

Think of it as the second coming - or as one wag put it "Elvis returns to Vegas"!

The Reviews

Below are reviews I've read and are worth a read to get a perspective on this art market/museum/exhibition phenomenon.

Five star

• The Guardian | Damien Hirst: Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable review – a titanic return by Jonathan Jones Artist has once again found the underwater grotto in his mind where monsters live, making a fool out of all of us who lost faith

The problem with this one is Jonathan is a fan. He wants to believe in the resurrection of Damien. Read it while tossing salt liberally over your shoulder.

• Evening Standard | Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, exhibition review: A triumphant return from Damien Hirst  by Mathew Collings Damien Hirst’s triumphant comeback show in Venice is a timely reflection on fakery, belief, truth and absolutes

The show is in fact a fiction about value and meaning, and the role of art as truth.

A blogger who has actually seen it

• Cat Bauer Venice Blog | Unbelievable! Damien Hirst in Venice: Best Seen Through the Eyes of a Child What is most interesting about Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable is that Damien Hirst has hit upon on a creative principle innate to novelists: you can create a fictional story; you can create characters -- you can create an entire world -- and bring that world to life.

This one's interesting because this individual has actually seen it and photographed it - and asked some children what they thought of it!

Trying to remain detached

• The New York Times | Damien Hirst Is Back With an Underwater Fantasy. Will Collectors Care? It’s a giant financial gamble for art’s king of controversy, who is trying for a comeback.

The only review I read which had tested the water re prices and sales (see quote above)

• Artnet News | Damien Hirst’s New Venice Show Is an ‘Unbelievable’ Journey to the Depths of Bling Micky Mouse and ancient goddesses populate the artist's fantastical exhibit.

Worth a read - I think Hettie Judah gets it about right.

• The Financial Times | Damien Hirst in Venice — a fantasy too far? Even by the British artist’s high-glitz standards, his new show is an extravagant affair

Probably the best actual description of the show - with some acute comments.

You begin to realise that the fictional narrative in which we’re engaged — or not — is much like a video game, with pathways endlessly dividing into other story strands.

Not the usual exhibition review

Metro | Freaky, mind-bending photos from Damien Hirst’s ‘Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable’ post-truth exhibition in Venice

This one has some great photos and some snappy comments!

Hirst’s latest exhibition makes you question the fakeness and reality of what you’re seeing, and why we go to museums at all.
Here’s the avant-garde artist’s take on cultcha.
The sculptures are spoofs of the kinds of artifacts people will queue for hours to see, from Medusa’s severed stone head…

Daily Mail | Could his £50million fake shipwreck be the downfall of Damien? LIZ JONES gets a sinking feeling at Hirst's 'sea treasures' spectacular

I rather liked this one. It has a strong sense of "the Emperor's New Clothes" about it

It's all very colourful, glitzy and embellished, and everyone is mwah-mwahing and clapping, but would you actually want to wear it?

and

There is an 18m tall statue in one courtyard, a Buddha made from one enormous piece of jade and a silver room, which is when, for me, it all became a bit 'ground-floor of Harrods'.

Previous posts about Damien Hirst 

• Review: Damien Hirst at Tate Modern
• Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst on BBC4
• Plus my review of his paintings is contained in this post

Damien Hirst's paintings are really awful. I've seen better painting and better artwork in a primary school. It really is not worth spending any time on them.

Ash to Art - over £500k raised for Glasgow School of Art Fire Appeal

25 major international artists were each sent debris from the remains of the fire at the Glasgow School of Art and asked to make art for the Ash to Art Auction

Each artist was sent a piece of debris specifically chosen for them with a note telling them what it was, where it was from and explaining the concept. The brief was left open for each artist to interpret what they received and create their own new piece of art.

On Wednesday, a Christies auction of the resulting artworks (as part of the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale) by 25 of the world’s leading international artists use raised

• a grand total of £706,438, including buyer’s premium, 
• almost £570,000 NET will actually go to the campaign Ash to Art campaign run  by J Walter Thompson, on a pro bono basis, on behalf of the Glasgow School of Art's restoration programme.

Jenny Saville’s charcoal on canvas called “Ashes” went for £269,000 and realised the most money for an individual piece of art.

Jenny Saville (b. 1970)

Ashes - sold for $269,000 / £220,000
signed and dated twice 'Saville 15-16' (lower left)
charcoal from Mackintosh Library on canvas
51 ¼ x 63in. (130 x 160cm.)
Executed in 2016-2017

Our #ashtoart auction for @GSofA eventually ended up raising £706,438. What a result. We could not be more thrilled. pic.twitter.com/LW9fSw9SI6

— JWT London (@JWT_London) 8 March 2017

Artists chosen by J. Walter Thompson London, and including seven Turner Prize winners, come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds to create a distinctive body of work, reflecting the international importance and influence of the Mackintosh Building on those who studied there and further afield. Christies

The full list of artists who participated in the auction are:

• Alison Watt -  Scottish painter Glasgow School of Art (1985-1988)

My piece of Glasgow School of Art, which in my studio has taken on the aura of a religious relic @GSofA #AshtoArt pic.twitter.com/oX7onO8RcZ

— Alison Watt (@alisonjfwatt) 2 February 2017

'Deep Within the Heart of Me' by @alisonjfwatt in #AshtoArt @ChristiesInc #MackintoshCampusAppeal https://t.co/NVyGAvxF11 pic.twitter.com/729JZnPVXO

— MackRestoration (@MackRestoration) 7 March 2017

• Anish Kapoor - British sculptor
• Sir Antony Gormley RA - British sculptor
• Conrad Shawross RA - British sculptor
• Chantal Joffe RA - English painter Glasgow School of Art (1988 – 1991)
• Cornelia Parker RA - English sculptor and installation artist
• David Shrigley - British visual artist Glasgow School of Art (1988-91)

Work by GSA alumnus @davidshrigley, part of #AshtoArt auction of works for @MackRestoration @ChristiesInc today https://t.co/ognIKvZEfA pic.twitter.com/lTw3DCxprP

— Glasgow School Art (@GSofA) 8 March 2017

• Douglas Gordon - Scottish artist
• Grayson Perry CBE RA - CBE RA - English artist, known mainly for his ceramic vases and tapestries

Good start Grayson Perry #AshtoArt pic.twitter.com/RzqYyqVFKP

— Russell Ramsey (@russellramsey1) 8 March 2017

• Idris Khan - British Artist
• Ishbel Myerscough - British painter Glasgow School of Art (1987-91)
• Jenny Saville RA - British painter  Glasgow School of Art (1988–92)
• Jim Lambie - Scottish Visual Artist  Glasgow School of Art (1990-94)
• Joseph Kosuth - American conceptual artist.
• Julie Mehretu - Ethiopian/American artist
• Martin Boyce - Scottish sculptor  Glasgow School of Art, graduated BA (environmental art) 990, MFA 997
• Miroslaw Balka - Polish sculptor and video artist
• Nathan Coley - Scottish artists Glasgow School of Art (1985-89)
• Dame Paula Rego - visual artist
• Sir Peter Thomas Blake, CBE, RDI, RA- English pop artist,
• Rachel Whiteread - English sculptor
• Richard Long - English sculptor
• Simon Starling - English conceptual artist  attended Glasgow School of Art 1990-92
• Tacita Dean - English visual artist
• The Chapman Brothers - British visual artists

Other articles

• Artwork from Glasgow School of Art ashes raises £700000
• Artworks made from fire-gutted Mackintosh library sell for £700,000
• Major sale of art from the Mackintosh Building fire sells for more than £700,000