Tag: News

NEW YORK, NY.- Skate’s LLC, the world’s leading art investment research firm, has introduced three new resources to assist art market collectors in improving the economics and reducing the risks of their art trades. These new tools—Skate’s Artwork Background Report, Art Asset Pricing Service and the Platinum premium membership — further establish Skate’s role as a full-service provider of independent art market data and research for investors. Artwork Background Reports provide Skate’s clients with a quick vetting solution for both private and auction market transactions. Each report offers a thorough assessment of an individual artwork, with a focus on market valuation and investment potential. In addition to a suggested valuation, risk rating and investment summary, each report also includes such critical information as a catalogue raisonné summary,

OAKLAND, CA.- Approaching its 30th anniversary Claremont Rug Company declared 2010 “The Year of the Rug” and recent sales at the Gallery and of a rare carpet at auction have dramatically reinforced the claim. The most authoritative demonstration of the burgeoning interest in art level rugs was the recent sale of a 17th century Laver Kirman rug for $9.59 million at a Christie’s auction in London. The price, more than 20 times the estimate, was twice the highest price previous paid for a rug. Coincidentally, Claremont Rug Company president Jan David Winitz had had just opened an exhibition and sale of a 175-rug collection of 19th century Oriental carpets with a remarkable provenance. The results have been no less astounding, with nearly 50 percent of the art-level collection having sold within the first month of the exhibition. According to Winitz, it has previously taken six to nine months to sell this number of rugs of similar distinction

NEW YORK, NY.- Appealing to established collectors and first time art buyers, the ninth annual Affordable Art Fair New York City features contemporary art priced from $100 – $10,000. Over 75 galleries from five continents will exhibit original painting, sculpture, photography, and works on paper at 7W New York (7 West 34th Street) in New York City from May 6 – 9, 2010. Judith Pineiro, the recently-appointed Director of AAF, is thrilled to be part of such a fun and accessible art fair. “AAF NYC 2010’s exciting campaign ‘Art is Everywhere: Bring It Home from the Affordable Art Fair,’ underscores that art can be found in every aspect of our daily lives. We hope our campaign will encourage art enthusiasts, novices and the overall public, to visit the fair and find their own personal treasure at to take home,” says Pineiro. “I am happy to spearhead this year’s Affordable Art

LONDON.- Christie’s unveils an unprecedented sale of works of art selected from the Estate of Francis Newton Souza to take place on 9 June 2010 as part of the South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art auction. Comprising over 150 lots created throughout the artist’s career – from the late 1930s through to the 1990s and through his time in India, London and New York – the sale includes paintings, drawings, collages, watercolours and prints as well as ten revealing sketch books. Estimates range from £1,000 to £150,000, offering collectors an extraordinary and unprecedented opportunity to participate in an event that celebrates and commemorates one of 20th Century India’s leading artists. “Christie’s has been given unprecedented access to the life, studio and works of the late F.N. Souza to stage an auction event that will honour this extraordinary artist,” said Hugo Weihe, Senior Vice President, Ch

VENICE.- On May 3rd, the President of the Venice Biennale, Paolo Baratta, and the Director of the Architecture section, Kazuyo Sejima, presented the 12th International Architecture Exhibition, titled People meet in architecture, that will run in Venice 29th August to 21st November 2010 (Preview on 26-27-28 Aug). Two major projects will be developed for the 12th Exhibition: the Architecture Saturdays (a series of conversations, performances and weekly discussions with architects and critics) and the greater involvement of the Universities (educational opportunities for students). After a series of editions of the Architecture Biennale directed by eminent critics and historians, this Sector is once again in the hands of an architect, Kazuyo Sejima. The first woman to direct the Architecture Sector of the Biennale, Sejima has recently been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize 2010 (together with Ryue Nishizawa)

ROME.- MAXXI keeps expanding its international network. The museum’s Board of Directors, presided over by Pio Baldi and composed of Roberto Grossi and Stefano Zecchi, has appointed Bartomeu Marì, Director of Barcelona’s MACBA, to the Foundation’s Advisory Board. Marì replaces Carlos Basualdo – the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator of Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art – who has taken on the additional role of Curator-at-Large for MAXXI Arte. Pippo Ciorra – architect, critic and university lecturer – will instead serve as Senior Curator for MAXXI Architettura. “MAXXI is itself both dynamic and innovative, and certainly requires a program capable to respond to this extraordinary stimulus. The challenge is to imagine how the program implicit in the building could be mapped upon the fields of art, performance and new media. We want the visitors to have an experience

SINGAPORE (REUTERS).- Want to buy some Asian art but not sure how to go about it? Leading Asian auctioneer Larasati may have some tips for you.
As the art market recovers from the economic downturn, the auction house has launched a holding firm, One East Larasati, to help buyers in Asian markets learn the nuances of the art market before making an investment. One East Larasati, which is based in Singapore, will offer a range of art services from art consulting and education to collection management and conservation to tap the huge potential in Asia. “The Asian art market is recovering from the recession and about to enter a whole new growth cycle,” said Daniel Komala, chief executive officer and founder of Larasati. “To meet the demands of the market, which is not only growing in size but also in terms of sophistication, we have launched One East Asia to expand our service offering into investment and consultancy, expertise which the market needs to sustain growth.” Larasati, w

HARTFORD, CT.- A new exhibition featuring the works of contemporary artists entitled, High Water Marks: Art & Renewal After Katrina, opened at The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. The exhibition explores the legacy of Black artisans in New Orleans and the achievements of a range of artists who have documented the city’s devastation and are committed to the city’s recovery. High Water Marks is on view from May 1- September 19, 2010. The exhibition consists of thirty –one works, photographs, mixed-media and installation pieces, many by artists who have a connection to New Orleans. It includes material from The Amistad Center’s collection such as a 1915 post card of a Praline Seller; 19th century works such as the lithograph of John James Audubon by New Orleans- based artist, Jules Lion’s (1810-1866); and works by 20th century artists such as Deborah Willis, Charly Palmer, Malaika Favorite, Lewis Watts, Radcliffe Bailey, Brad

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Bonhams & Butterfields announced the inaugural West Coast auction of Rare Coins and Bank Notes on May 30, 2010, featuring the Collection of Paul Bloomfield. Sold to benefit the acquisitions fund at the Bancroft Library located at the University of California, Berkeley, the offering boasts a compressive selection of over 300 years of North American coinage and early tokens at a variety of collecting levels, from hobbyist to the seasoned buyer. Known in the field as a ‘type’ collection, which consists of varying designs over a period of time or from a particular region, the Bloomfield Collection features coinage from Canada, Mexico and the United States from the 17th though 20th centuries. Rare and interesting highlights can be found throughout the 2,000-piece Collection offering, from early American items issued by the original colonies to unusual pieces from the 1920s. “The Paul Bloomfield Collection is one

HONG KONG.- Hong Kong-based artist Simon Birch has created Hope and Glory, one of the most ambitious multi-media art projects ever undertaken in Hong Kong. The unprecedented scale of the show, filling the 20,000sq ft ArtisTree exhibition space in TaiKoo Place, Island East through May 30th, challenges established paradigms in art presentation and construction while bringing the audience on a fascinating and immersive adventure through a metaphorical world – a conceptual circus – created by the artist. A series of interlinked multi-media installations transform the vast space into a mythological labyrinth, where cultural and personal histories merge, and generating questions of one’s own relationship with the past, the present and the future. Just as the archetypal circus brought together spectacular “sideshows” from all over the world to create a multi-sensory allegory of foreign adventure, Birch has brought together artists, designers, musicians, filmmakers, pho