and Monuments… But right now there is 2 more feet coming down (check out the image below) making it 5, nothing is going to open for a while:
Sorry Visitors to our Art Museums
February 9, 2010 by Lauren GentileUpdate: Christie’s Withdraws Yale Skull and Bones Ballot Box
January 16, 2010 by Lauren GentileNEW YORK (AP) — A New York City auction house says a human skull that had been used as a ballot box by Yale’s elite Skull and Bones society has been withdrawn from sale.
Christie’s said Friday that the 19th century skull was being removed from the Jan. 22 sale due to a title claim. The auction house declined further comment.
The skull had been expected to sell for $10,000 to $20,000. Christie’s only identified the seller as a European art collector.
The skull is fitted with a hinged flap and is believed to have been used during voting at the mysterious society’s meetings. The club was founded in 1832 and publicly known members, called Bonesmen, include both presidents Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
Top 10 Headlines While You Were Away (According to Me)
January 6, 2010 by Lauren Gentile10. New York Taxis to Tout Art – Hail Shirin Neshat, Alex Katz or Yoko Ono on 500 cabs in the city.
9. Police Recover Picasso’s ‘Little Guitar’ Toy Sculpture Made for Paloma Picasso – Isn’t it cute?!
8. Polish Police Say Foreigner Behind Auschwitz Sign Theft – Thieves are caught and they point to a Thomas Crown living in Sweden.
7. Egypt Antiquities Chief Zahi Hawass to Demand Nefertiti Bust – Too fragile to return? excuses excuses
6. 2009 in Review: In Memoriam – Short list
5. Goodbye to Some of the Notable People in the Arts Who Left Us in 2009 – Long list
4. U.S. Firm Ordered to Turn $500 Million Treasure Over to Spain – Who else loved the discovery special on the History Channel and thinks this is BS?
3. Dutch Secret Service Take Custody of Jill Magid’s Art – Ironic BS
2. Yale University Says Suit Over Vincent Van Gogh’s Work Imperials Other Art – I love a restitution battle
And in other Yale News, my favorite headline while on vacation…
1. Skull Linked to Secret Yale Society to be Sold at Christie’s – 10 to 20k? Please, secrecy and discretion = bidding war!
People sold stuff, it was just a little “eh.”
December 11, 2009 by Lauren GentileBusy in preparation for the last month for this make-or-break last week… happy to finally have time to write about the question on everyone’s mind – How was Miami? The title quote definitely sums up the week.
Sales were way up from last year (how could they not be). The mood was education and post-fair due diligence, private parties in the evening. I didn’t expect to see blind spending, but I did miss the enthusiasm, everyone was very restrained. So I guess the title of this post could also be: 2009 – More liquid, just less excitement.
I have been shopping around for a good article about the Top 10 and I finally found one I agree with by Sarah Douglas – Miami Postmortem: A Basel Top 10.
If it were a Miami Top 10, Beg Borrow and Steal at The Rubell Collection would have been #1 – artist list and images for those who couldn’t make the exhibition.
My personal highlight – Chuck Close visiting our Scope booth and spending a lot of time looking at work by Barnaby Whitfield and Shawne Major.
Shawne Major (New Orleans, LA) L'Argent, 2009. Plastic netting, clothing, fabric, plastic toys (including trophies, sheriff badges, coins, flies, rings, tiaras), chains, charms, ornaments, satin ribbon roses, silk flowers, appliques’, pendants, bead, buttons, costume jewelry, circuit boards, feathers, bottle caps, bracelets, braid & trim. 7 x 7 feet.
Auction Sees Record Result in DC-area
October 14, 2009 by Lauren GentileSloans and Kenyon in Chevy Chase, MD set the Washington-area auction record this October when they sold an 18th-century unsigned oil painting of Venice’s Grand Canal (estimated at $6,000 – $8,000) for $687,125 (price includes buyer’s premium).
From the “school of” (a work by a pupil or follower of the artist, in his style) the 18th-century artist Giovanni Antonio Canaletto.
An 18th-century painting of Venice's Grand Canal is believed to be the most expensive painting ever sold at an auction in the Washington, D.C., area. (Courtesy Sloans & Kenyon)
There was a nice article in The Post, but since I personally use and trust Sloans & Kenyon, I asked my friend and specialist Lisa Jones for some insider information about the exciting sale:
Lisa L. Jones, Director of Silver & Decorative Arts at Sloans & Kenyon
Specullector: What kind of condition was the painting in, presumably it hadn’t been restored if it had been hung or stored by a Bethesda woman all this time?
Lisa: There was a small amount of prior restoration including some minor in-painting but overall the condition of the painting was very good.
S: Specialists make frequent trips to people’s home valuing works for resale, was the employee on this call instantly struck when they saw the work or was there a certain point when someone at the auction house, some secondary viewer said, ” I think we’ve got something…”?
L: I think a bit of both was involved with this painting. The quality of the painting is evident upon the first glance. After we started our research and marketing it became evident to both the art department and our buying audience that this painting was outstanding.
S: What was the vibe in the auction house once it came into inventory?
L: There was a very optimistic attitude among the staff concerning the painting. We knew it would achieve a handsome price at auction but we still had to rely on the current market to confirm our expectations.
S: The Grand Tour story is every valuer’s best and worst case provenance, were their other supporting documents that added value, say letters or journal entries recounting its purchase or her trip to Italy?
L: In this case because there were no supporting paper documents concerning the sale, we had to rely upon family history. It was common knowledge that the consignor’s grandmother took a Grand Tour through Italy.
S: Though the seller remained anonymous, was she present in the auction room and did you guys at least offer her a tea to calm her nerves?
L: The consignor was not present on the gallery floor when the painting was auctioned. Many consignors are too nervous to be present when their items sell. The consignor was contacted immediately after the sale and was absolutely floored at the selling price.
S: 6-8k is a very low estimate (sometimes auction houses use low estimates to create a buzz among collectors and build a bigger audience of those “looking for a deal”), like a very low estimate, was this your team’s strategy?
L: A conservative estimate is definitely a strategic move. We wanted to reach a cross-section of collectors and potential buyers. Today’s art market is not yesterday’s market. The pricing structure is different to reflect the changing buying atmosphere.
S: I was thinking that if Charles Beddington was an advisor to one of the bidders (and luckily for the British, they don’t need an export license to get a work out of the US like everyone else needs for the UK), I’m thinking it will be restored, repriced and returned to where it was first acquired. Maybe to one of our favorite Bond Street windows, Mr. Colnaghi or Mr. Green perhaps? Or maybe we’ll see it again at TEFAF. What are you thoughts on my speculation?
L: Any thoughts would be pure speculation but we know the painting is going to London. We feel sure the painting will be re-priced and will appear at some point on the market. It will most likely not be restored.
S. Lastly, a “sleeper” in the Old Master market is every auction house and dealer’s dream, thus I assume there was a lot of excitement and even a little eccentricity. Were there any funny back stories or anecdotes that happened during the auction process you can share?
L: Luckily in this case nothing too crazy occurred. We had a bit of a commotion trying to reach a dozen international phone bidders (some in foreign languages). We had some shouting and in the end we provided the audience with some great excitement. It was a pure adrenalin rush.
I would much rather have this over a diamond studded skull
September 26, 2009 by Lauren Gentile“They don’t seem to want to work in the winter, and when it rains too much, their silk becomes viscous and cannot be used” that sounds a lot like me! But seriously, these spiders produced a stunning work of art. Hopefully it will travel from the American Museum of Natural History (in NY) to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (in DC).
A detail of the textile, with its traditional Malagasy motifs. (Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)
Best left unsharpened?
September 17, 2009 by Lauren Gentile
Well well well, look who’s become a missionary
September 15, 2009 by Lauren Gentileof the Hockney-Falco theory … continuing on my last post about David Hockney’s book Secret Knowledge which argues that the Old Masters used optical aides to create their masterpieces, and even possibly, were the inventors of photography.
My obsessive research on the subject has led me to this headline: “Caravaggio used ‘photography’ to create dramatic masterpieces” .
In the article by Nick Squires, Florence-based art historian Roberta Lapucci claims that Caravaggio used a light sensitive “fixer“ on his canvases which was made from crushed fireflies – which is pretty cool – and then outlined the images with white lead and mercury for greater clarity.
Also note that Lapucci goes on to attribute Caravaggio’s notorious temper on his use of mercury, for “prolonged exposure to the chemical can affect the central nervous system”.
If Caravaggio gets to claim mercury, then I’m claiming Kool-Aid for my temporary insanity. I am a believer!
Caravaggio (Italian 1571-1610). Bacchus, 1595. Oil on canvas, 37 x 33 inches. Uffizi, Florence Italy.
An Art History Book That Will Change Your Life
September 2, 2009 by Lauren GentileMy talented and very intelligent boss changed my life on Saturday by bringing in the new expanded version of David Hockney’s book Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters. While we agreed the title is lame, we spent hours researching (which I’ll share with you so click on all the links in this post) art-optics and I will never look at art in museums the same again. That shouldn’t scare anyone though, it’s absolutely fascinating and will show you a new way of seeing. It’s also crazy that not one art historian or critic discovered this, it could have only taken a painter to.
Hockney argues in the book that the Old Masters, beginning in the 1400’s, used optical instruments or aides such as lenses, mirrors, the camera obscura, and the camera lucida to produce their strikingly realistic effects. The book obviously caused a huge debate about art and science, which should be expected if you radically challenge the romantic views of how Western art was established, but there is no doubt in my mind after reviewing this book that he is absolutely correct. And it’s not disappointing, but inspiring. Hockney never claims that these geniuses are any less genius, you will actually respect them more learning of their innovations, and even possibly, their invention of photography.
The Secret Knowledge (page 76)
Here’s a trailer for his BBC special (the book is way better). The clips are kind of silly and a little misleading but still fun to watch.
If Edward Tufte says it’s his favorite art history book, then I won’t be shy about claiming it’s mine too. Buy the new expanded version, I did – it will change your life and how you look at art.
Below the streets of NW DC
August 19, 2009 by Lauren GentileMost museum visitors don’t realize that the institutions they are visiting exhibit only about 15% of their overall collection, the rest lies below your feet in storage. So it is no surprise that the National Geographic Society has followed this example with what has been described as a “secret” museum below the streets of NW Washington, DC.
“For many years,” Randy Kennedy writes, “there has been a kind of secret museum of photography under the streets of northwest Washington — an immense, windowless, climate-controlled archive with roots reaching back more than a century.”
Equally exciting is the news that the works will be sold.
“The pictures comprise the archive of the National Geographic Society, and it was this sentiment said Mr. Bonner, the society’s archivist, that motivated him and officials there to explore the idea of opening up the holdings to the fine-art market for the first time. National Geographic’s goal is to find private and institutional collectors for the vintage black-and-white prints and later color images.”
I wish for the NGS’s sake that someone would have thought of this in 2006-2007, but I always applaud new material on the market – there has got to be some exciting sleepers for the niche photojournalism market.
Thank you NYTimes Art & Design: Treasures From an Underground Trove and I’m curious if we’ll be able to preview some of the rare works during Fotoweek DC before they are shipped off to Chelsea? Perhaps it would be a good marketing tool and would increase the chances of keeping some of these treasures in DC-based collections?
Courtesy of The New York Times, B. Anthony Stewart/National Geographic Society and Steven Kasher Gallery.
