By Emily Waldorf
For better or worse, the art market continues to defy expectations in the face of a dramatically declining economy. Damien Hirst’s groundbreaking Sotheby’s “artist direct to auction” sale beat expectations, with many lots exceeding their high estimates. His famous shark sold for $17.2 million and his golden calf for a mind boggling $18.6 million. Bloomberg.com cited London dealer Ivor Braka on the wildly successful sale: “At a time when other markets are reeling and the press are writing cynical and damning reports, the people with the free cash and the will have ignored the storm warnings and the voyage goes on.” Continue reading ‘Damien Hirst Making Auction Records As Wall Street Experiences Worst Losses Since 2001’
Filed under: art market, auctions, celebs, collecting, contemporary art, London | Leave a Comment
Tags: Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, Damien Hirst auction results, Golden Calf, Hirst shark, Ivor Braka, Sotheby's, Wall Street losses 2001
By Laura Gatewood
Noh robe (nuihaku), Edo period (1615-1868), second half of 18th century, Japanese Silk embroidery and gold leaf on satin; 61 1/4 x 56"
I recently had the opportunity to visit Japan and while there had the good fortune to attend not one, but two exhibitions exploring the role of decoration in Japanese culture.
Contrary to the widely held assumption that minimalism or simplicity, known as wabi-sabi, is the primary motivation throughout Japan’s decorative history, both the Museum of Kyoto and the Suntory Art Museum in Tokyo had on view exemplary shows that supplied insight into the social motivations behind kazari, a word that encompasses the culture’s long-held attachment to elaborate ceremonial adornment.
The Museum of Kyoto’s Kazari- Continue reading ‘Discovering Japan’s Insatiable Urge to Decorate’
Filed under: antiques, Asian Art, decoration, design, museums, travel | 11 Comments
Tags: Edo Period, Haute Couture Kimonos, Kazari, kosode, Suntory Art Museum, The Museum of Kyoto, Tokyo, wabi-sabi
By Emily Waldorf
Gagosian Gallery borrowed Jeff Koons' Baroque Egg with Bow, 2006, for the exhibition at a former chocolate factory in Moscow
September is a hot month for contemporary art in Moscow. Gagosian Gallery is mounting it’s second major one-off exhibition in the Russian capital, “for what you are about to receive,” in a former chocolate factory, adjacent to the Kremlin, on September 18th. Artists include Alberto Giacometti, Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, and Pablo Picasso as well as never before seen work by Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, and Cy Twombly.
According to the gallery, “The upcoming exhibition contrasts ways in which contemporary artists continue to investigate the twin pillars of twentieth century art: the readymade and pure abstraction, reflecting on the sublime through a self-conscious engagement with material and process.” Only some of the work is for sale and there are no plans to open a permanent exhibition space in Moscow. Continue reading ‘Gagosian Takes on Moscow, Part II’
Filed under: collecting, contemporary art, dealers, galleries | Leave a Comment
Tags: Dasha Zhukova, for what you are about to receive, Gagosian Gallery, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture
By Emily Waldorf
Allison Schulnik, "Hobo Clown #3" (2008) at Mike Weiss Gallery through October 11
It’s that time of year again when the art world picks up speed and a flurry of exciting openings and events are underfoot. Check out ARTINFO’s helpful guide to the best of the new contemporary art shows, including artists Allison Schulnik, Gary Simmons, Phyllis Bramson Josef Koudelka, Andres Serrano, and Su Xinping. In general, this season’s work is shaping up to reflect the currently pessimistic attitude about world events and the economy, such as Allison Schulnik’s fascinating yet depressing “Hobo Clowns” series.
Filed under: art market, collecting, contemporary art, galleries, museums | Leave a Comment
Tags: Allison Schulnik, Andres Serrano, Gary Simmons, Josef Koudelka, Mike Weiss Gallery, New York fall 2008 contemporary art, Phyllis Bramson, Su Xingping
By Emily Waldorf
At Forum Gallery through November 1, Alexander Melamid's Holy Hip-Hop! show featuring this 88 x 56" oil on canvas portrait of Kanye West
Known for his former partnership with Vitaly Komer, Russian-born American painter Alexander Melamid was thought to be hiding from the art world until he emerged with a new series of religious, rap, and new-money portraits last year. Alexander Melamid and Vitaly Komer were famous for satirizing socialist realism and the capricious nature of the art world, going so far as to teach elephants to paint and ironically marketing their work to a serious international art buying audience.
Melamid’s first solo show, Holy Hip Hop! premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit last winter and just opened at Forum Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition includes twelve larger than life portraits of heavy hitters in the worlds of rap and hip-hop, including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Common, Kanye West, Reverend Run, Duke, Lil Jon, Whoo Kid, Marc Ecko and Russell Simmons. Continue reading ‘Alexander Melamid’s Hip Hop Portraits Recall Old Masters’
Filed under: art market, collecting, contemporary art, fashion, galleries, Los Angeles, museums | 2 Comments
Tags: Alexander Melamid, Forum Gallery, Holy Hip-Hop!, Kanye West portrait, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Snoop Dogg portrait, Vitaly Komer
By Emily Waldorf
Damien Hirst and his Golden Calf, one of the star lots in his upcoming sale, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, at Sotheby's in London
Damien Hirst is single handedly causing an art market revolution with his decision to bypass his blue-chip dealers, Larry Gagosian and Jay Jopling, and sell 200 works directly through a dedicated mid-September sale at Sotheby’s New Bond Street location in London. The web site Art Observed cites Sotheby’s spokesman Oliver Barker on Hirst’s latest blockbuster tactic: “Damien is totally fearless. He’s not just an outstanding artist; he’s a cultural phenomenon.” Continue reading ‘When Artists Head Straight to Auction: The Damien Hirst Question’
Filed under: art market, auctions, celebs, collecting, contemporary art, London, Uncategorized | 31 Comments
Tags: Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, Damien Hirst, Golden Calf, Jay Jopling, Melik Kaylan, Oliver Barker
Former model and clothing designer, Dasha Zhukova now has her sights on the art world
Roman Abramovich’s girlfriend, the beautiful and understated Dasha Zhukova, 27, was featured in a New York Times piece, “Russian & Rich: Art’s New Tastemaker.” The 41 year old Abramovich is already a power player in the international art world, having set auction records for Degas, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Giacometti, among others.
Now it is Ms. Zhukova’s time to shine when her Garage Center for Contemporary Culture opens next month in Moscow. The first show will be a retrospective of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, followed by a visit from the Pinault collection housed at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
Ms. Zhukova explains her reasoning behind the transformation of the former Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage: Continue reading ‘Art World It Girl & Entrepreneur: Dasha Zhukova’
Filed under: celebs, collecting, contemporary art, non profit spaces | 33 Comments
Tags: art world It Girl, Dasha Zhukova, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Roman Abramovich
By Laura Gatewood
Diego Rivera freshly re-installed at LACMA
LACMA recently unveiled its re-installation of a first-class collection of Latin art representing the Pre-Columbian era to present day in the fourth floor galleries of the Arts of the Americas building. The star of the Pre-Columbian installation, Jorge Pardo’s undulating wooden framework and colored glass lamps and curtains lining each room, heightens the historical value of the collection through the juxtaposition of modern design and native art.
Alongside the Pre-Colombian works is a strong collection of colonial art, including a charming Book of Hours and paintings by Miguel Cabrera; it maintains the high level of quality found throughout the rest of the installation.
Continue reading ‘Wonderful collection of Latin American Art re-installed at LACMA’
Filed under: Uncategorized | 6 Comments
By Laura Gatewood
Marlene Dumas self-portrait Het Kwaad is Banaal (Evil is Banal), 1984, oil on canvas, 49 3/16" x 41 5/16.
Born in 1953 in South Africa, Marlene Dumas has resided in Amsterdam for almost all of her career, yet the social imprint of being raised a white woman in the midst of apartheid has been a consistent force behind her art. An exploration of how this and other existential questions have resonated throughout her career is the subject of a mesmerizing exhibition currently on view at MOCA’s Grand Avenue until September 22nd. Continue reading ‘Marlene Dumas at MOCA: Humanism meets Expressionism on Canvas’
Filed under: art criticism, collecting, contemporary art, museums, reviews | 12 Comments
Tags: Marlene Dumas, Measuring Your Own Grave, South African artist
By Lauren Dickinson
Watching polo can really whet your appetite, Pimms Cup and tea sandwiches anyone?
Thinking of heading to your local polo club for a few chukkas? It would really only be polite to bring something to share. You could do it British style with Pimms Cup (Pimms Cup is so closely linked with polo there is actually a Pimms Book of Polo), which is more or less fruit (strawberries and oranges are popular) soaked in a combination of Pimms, gin, and ginger ale, always with cucumber and frequently with mint. Tea sandwiches and strawberries and cream would be excellent here. Might as well bring a bottle of champagne while you’re at it- Veuve Clicquot has their own polo tournament both in England and now in New York. Continue reading ‘Since You Were Wondering: What to Eat/Drink at a Polo Match’
Filed under: epicurean | 44 Comments
Tags: Argentina, Bilo Zarif's Summerland Pinot Noirs, Malbec, Pimms Cup, polo, Quilmes, Veuve Clicquot