Art Market Overview: Gerhard Richter’s Comeback
2021 marked the German painter’s recovery in the market, when he was crowned the world’s best-performing living artist at auction, according to Artprice.
Art Market
Alberto Giacometti’s Lucky Star
The bronze lamps created by the sculptor in the mid-1930s look as modern as ever.
A Young Prince in Marble From the Antonine Period
This marble bust from the Antonine period is so lifelike it looks as though the young man is about to speak to us. His slightly idealized features bring the legendary Antinous, the beloved favorite of the Roman emperor Hadrian, to mind.
Cyrille Gouyette: Street Art in the Context of Art History
Cyrille Gouyette, project officer at the Musée du Louvre, exhibition curator and artistic advisor for the M.U.R. Bastille, wears several hats and builds bridges between classical and street art.
Martin-Guillaume Biennais: Serving Napoleonic Clan
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843) promoted French imperial propaganda, notably through his “Napoléonides” series. Several previously unknown pieces will be revealed at the sale of a group of works hailing from the artist’s descendants.
T is for Tapestry
In the late Middle Ages, tapestry production, whose origins lay in the East and classical antiquity, was one of the most prominent crafts in Western Europe. Numerous widely-scattered workshops in France already foreshadowed the royal factories of the future.
Lange & Söhne Timepieces Score Big Time
The German watchmaker’s precision models confirmed their powerful appeal.
Retrogaming: A Booming Market
Eight years after starting up in France, the retrogaming (also known as classic gaming) market is consolidating and setting record sales. The tenth art is gradually carving out a niche in the auction room.
Spotlight on Baccarat
The glassworks’ glittering crystal chandelier shared the billing with paintings by Francis Picabia and William Adolphe Bouguereau.
Hair Ye, Hair Ye!
When wigs came into fashion under Louis XIII, it was for an obvious reason: to hide the royal baldness!
Art Market Overview: Toyin Ojih Odutola’s
With MoMA and the Art Institute of Chicago recently acquiring some of her works, Nigerian-born artist Toyin Ojih Odutola is enjoying a meteoric rise in the auction house at age 36.
The Lacquered Felines of Jean Dunand, Master of Art Deco
Making their debut on the market, these three big cats date from a turning point in the artist’s career and boast a rare combination of two lacquer techniques.
The Art Market Day 2021: Energy-Guzzling NFTs vs. Market Ecology
On November 16, NFTs, cryptoart and the art market’s environmental impact were the themes of “The Art Market Day” at the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Gallerist Patrick Lee Appointed Head of Frieze Seoul
Frieze has just named Patrick Lee director of its new art fair in Seoul, which is expected to take place in September 2022.
Art Fairs in Miami’s Sunshine
The traditional procession of December fairs in Miami is back, apart from the satellite fairs Aqua Art Miami and Volta, postponed to 2022 in response to post-epidemic recovery.
Charles Cordier, Orientalist Sculptor
The sculptor of the Second French Empire, Charles Cordier, produced a large number of Orientalist busts and statues. Our two master models were used to create emblematic works.
Amin Jaffer: Curator of the Al Thani Collection
The delights of the fabulous collection of Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani, cousin of the Emir of Qatar, are now on display for the next 20 years in the Hôtel de la Marine, the former French Royal Garde-meuble. Its chief curator looks back at its origins and explains why it ended up in Paris.
Art Market Overview: Historic Sales in New York
Between them, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips set ten records between November 9 and 18, 2021.
A is for Azulejos
Unlike what might be commonly thought, azulejos take their name not from their traditional blue color but from the Arabic al zulaydj, meaning a small enameled polished stone intended to copy ancient mosaics. Portugal gave them a unique artistic and monumental grandeur.
Against All Odds, Art Basel Will Take Place
Following Art Paris, Photo London and the Armory Show, it is Art Basel’s turn to return to the fray from September 23 – 26.
Art Market Overview: Adrian Ghenie Rocks the Salerooms
Ten years after his first work was sold at auction, Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie (1977) is rising to the top of the contemporary art market.
M is for Mother-of-Pearl
In the sixth century, its iridescent nuances were already enlivening the mosaics at Ravenna’s Basilica of Saint Apollonia. Fragile and long inimitable, mother-of-pearl, also known as nacre, was used as a precious material to decorate cabinets of curiosities, jewelry and even garments.
Nazy Vassegh: Reinventing the Traditional Art Fair with Eye of the Collector
We spoke to Nazy Vassegh in advance of the opening of the inaugural Eye of the Collector at the historic Two Temple Place in the middle of London. From auction house to advisor to art fair CEO, she has created a new model for collectors, where the artworks take center stage.
Art Paris Is First In Line
Art Paris is opening the art fair season in France, attracting a rising number of galleries.
Paris: A September Jammed Packed with Art Fairs and Shows
September will be packed with an unprecedented concentration of fairs and shows, starting with Art Basel, whose parent event has been postponed until late September. Paris is no exception.
Art Market Overview: The Hong Kong Model Takes Off
An Artprice report says that Hong Kong’s art market may have a record-breaking semester.
Monumental Sculptures from the Lalanne Couple
While the Château de Versailles hosts “Les Lalanne à Trianon,” an exhibition presented in partnership with the Galerie Mitterand, running through October 10, the Osenat auction house is unveiling three monumental works by the sculptors on Sunday, October 3, in Fontainebleau.
Design: The Return of Rattan
Rattan is everywhere, from the pages of fashion magazines to major retailers. How about trying the vintage version?
Market: France Salvages Something from 2020
France has done fairly well despite the global decline in public sales. In its assessment, the Conseil des Ventes (French Sales Council) focuses on the positive side—but also on the uncertainties.
Art Market Overview: Peter Doig
Scottish superstar Peter Doig placed 75th in Art Price 2020’s overall rankings. His prices have remained stable despite Covid.
François Morellet: Off Walls of a Psychoanalyst
Several works from a therapist’s collection in Angers, France, trace French artist François Morellet’s development.
The Salon du Dessin Returns to Paris
One of the art world’s leading events is making an eagerly awaited comeback and celebrating its 30th anniversary at the Palais Brongniart.
A Lalanne Rabbit Hops to Success
Modern and natural works were the core of this sale devoted to Claude Lalanne, Raoul Dufy and Jean-Michel Atlan.
Art Market Overview: Julie Mehretu is Back
Ethiopian-born American painter Julie Mehretu has made a noteworthy return to the auction room.
Bourgogne Tribal Show: Far from the Teeming Crowds
The fifth edition of the Bourgogne Tribal Show will take place from June 24 to 27 in Besanceuil, near Cluny in Saône-et-Loire.
François Pannier, a Forerunner of the Himalayan Art Market
François Pannier has endeavored to build a Himalayan art market since the 1970s, when it was non-existent. He has just made two donations, one to a museum in Cannes, the other to Confluences in Lyon.
Anticipating EX.Paris, the New Parisian Art Fair
Co-organized with the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, the ambitious event planned for November aims to mix traders, high-end jewelry and “haute facture”. But all remains to be built, in a particularly complicated context.
The Love Story of Amar Chattar and Sundari Virda in the Pure “Provincial Mughal” Style
This album of 30 Indian paintings from the Pierre Maurs Collection highlights the elegance of the “Provincial Mughal” style.
A Million-Plus Bid for a Limoges Enamel Plaque
The Medieval period dominated majestically with a Limoges enamel plaque by the illustrious Master of the Aeneid, and a delicate limestone bust.
Surrealism: A Women’s Affair a Long Way from France and Europe
With the approach of the Second World War, Surrealism moved across borders. In the UK and the US, women artists delved into esotericism, botany, medicine, cinema, naive art—in fact, everything was grist to their mill.
Redon and Soulages: A Marriage for the Better
Two artists and prophets of their time, one was collected by Louis-Charles Libaude (1896-1922), the other appeared with an unexpected bronze, an alliance formed and took flight.
The 20th Edition of Quartier Art Drouot Spotlights Drawing
On June 16, galleries in the 9th arrondissement of Paris will join forces for the 20th Biennial “Quartier Art Drouot.”
The Auction Market’s Phoney Crisis
Despite the pandemic, the auction market has not collapsed, and the first quarter of 2021 even broke records: a euphoria now confirmed by the traditional May sales in New York. And a revolution is probably taking shape at the same time…
A Connoisseur’s Delight: 18 Rare 15th-Century Books of Hours Up for Auction
Connoisseurs will have their choice of several manuscripts illuminated in France, including a work by the Coëtivy Master.
Supports/Surfaces: Painting Above All
In 1970, when the contemporary art scene was obsessed with the “death of painting”, a dozen of young artists declared their love for the venerable medium and formed the group Supports/Surfaces. Stripped from the non-essential, painting was to be rejuvenated, not sentenced to death.
Pavel Ovchinnikov’s Tea Box for a Tsar
Russian goldsmith Pavel Ovchinnikov stood out alongside glassmaker René Lalique.
Art Market Overview: New York on Top
The just-ended week of sales in New York was an extraordinary one, with Picasso’s Woman Sitting by the Window fetching $103.4 M at Christie’s and Basquiat’s In this Case $93 M at Sotheby’s.
Sabine Bourgey: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Numismatist
A famous expert in a discipline considered somewhat dull, the heiress to the venerable firm founded by Etienne Bourgey in 1895 is also a prolific novelist and an atypical collector with a pronounced taste for adventure.
Art Market Overview: Rising Prices for Paintings by American Artist Robert Colescott
Twelve years after his death, the price index for works by the American New Figuration painter Robert Colescott (1925-2009) are soaring.
