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Windsor Contemporary Art Fair 2009

Royal Windsor Racecourse
Friday 13th – Sunday 15th November

It’s the fifth year for the Windsor Art Fair and it has established itself as one of the most prestigious arts events in the Thames Valley attracting exhibitors and visitors from all over the country.

Visitors can expect to see an inspiring range of artwork from over 100 exhibitors including original paintings, photography, drawings, limited edition prints, sculpture and glasswork.

The fair showcases contemporary and fine art at its best from both well established names and new talent all under one roof with prices ranging from £30 – £3000. New and experienced collectors can view and purchase work in an informal yet stimulating atmosphere with music, art workshops, a café and wine tasting over the 2 days.

A catalogue is available giving details about the exhibitors enabling buyers to contact artists after the event to commission or buy further work. The catalogue also highlights the many mediums on display at the fair, explaining the techniques.

Art lovers have the opportunity to buy directly from the artists, understand their inspiration and establish possible long-term relationships.

Venue
Royal Windsor Racecourse
Maidenhead Road
Windsor SL4 5JJ

Opening Times
Friday 13th November 6pm – 9pm (Private view – tickets £10 or by invitation)
Saturday 14th November 10am – 5pm
Sunday 15th November 10am – 5pm

Ticket Prices
Tickets are available on the door.
£6 per person
£4 for concessions
Children under 12 free.
Art fair catalogue £1.

source: http://www.windsorcontemporaryartfair.co.uk

Published in:

on October 7, 2009 at 4:32 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Art, Art Dealer, Art Fair, Art market, Collecting art

New Medieval and Renaissance Galleries

The V&A will be opening their new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries next month (November 2009) as part of their 5-years future plan.

The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Medieval and Renaissance collection is outstanding in its depth and range, and contains some of the greatest surviving treasures of the period 300-1600 and McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) is the architectural bureau which was appointed to design the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.

The new galleries will be the biggest part of the world-famous museum of Art and Design and will be located in the east wing over level 1 and 2. You can see the floor plan here.

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One of my favorite items from the Renaissance Collection is The Book of Trades (Das Ständebuch):

published in Frankfurt in 1568

The Book of Trades was published in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1568, with text by Hans Sachs (1494–1576) and illustrations by Jost Amman (1539–91). It features detailed woodcut illustrations of various professions, each accompanied by a short poem in rhyming couplets and provides a fascinating insight into the diverse trades and crafts practised in 16th-century Nuremberg.

Hans Sachs was born in Nuremburg in 1494. A cobbler by trade, he had also learnt the art of the ‘Meistersinger’ or ‘master singer’. This enabled him to compose poetry and music. When he died, in 1576, his works numbered more than 1700. They included comedies, topical poetry and short plays to celebrate religious festivals.

In the ‘Book of Trades’, Sachs emphasises the importance of hard work and modest living to achieve a pious existence and a harmonious society. His views reflected the Protestant doctrines of Martin Luther, whose beliefs had been rejected by the Catholic Church at Nuremberg in 1522.

Sachs’s descriptions are not an entirely faithful reflection of Nuremberg society. He makes derogatory and anti-Semitic references to the Jewish community, even though the town had expelled the Jews in 1499. His attitude to pilgrims reflects his Protestant sympathies.

source: V&A

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on October 6, 2009 at 12:37 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Art, Favorites, Museum, Exhibition, Collection, victoria & albert museum, V&A, Renaissance Art

Art Fair Autumn 2009

It’s the time of the year again: Art Fair time!

One of the forthcoming art fairs is the famous FRIEZE ART FAIR 2009 which will take place from the 15th to the 18th October. Tickets are available online or on the door.

Frieze Art Fair 2008

I must admit that I am a little curious although I still think it it more a show run than a serious trade fair. It would be nice to see some new trends etc. but I will be in Italy on that particular weekend and will give that fair a miss.

Instead I might go and see the Affordable Art Fair this year. It will take place the week after and run from the 22nd to the 25th of October.

See you there…

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on September 29, 2009 at 12:32 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Art, Art Dealer, Art Fair, Art international, Art market, Collecting art

Money, money, money

The recession is certainly affecting all of us one way or the other but what to do to get a little bit of extra cash?

Well, most of us have probably seen TV programs such as ‘Cash in the attic’, ‘Antiques Roadshow’ etc. and wonder if they have something that might be worth a fortune, even if it is just a little fortune. And there are many ways to find out if we have little treasures at home without going national on TV.

When you think ‘auction house’ you probably think Sotheby’s and Christie’s straight away but there are many, many more.
Most of them have specialists on pretty much everything you can imagine: books, prints, drawings, paintings, gold, silver, jewelery, clocks, furniture, china etc. etc. etc. These auction houses usually offer a free quick valuation service which can give you at least an idea of what you have and if it is worth something. If you want a detailed valuation, however, you have to be prepared to pay a certain fee.

As an art historian I am quite down to earth with my little treasures and didn’t expect them to be worth a million but I was intrigued to find out what they might be worth. You can always check Artprice and artnet to find out what similar items were sold for in the past but if you want full access to these databases you will have to pay for subscription.

Hence – to get a second opinion – I went to the valuation day of my nearby local auction house Rosebery’s in South London last Saturday and took two of my originally signed engravings by Richard Müller and a golden bracelet with me. The engravings are dated 1912 and 1915 and the bracelet is, as I found out after a little research, late Victorian although in mint condition because it has been very well looked after.

My research showed me that you can get late Victorian bracelets for around GBP 800-900 and that my engravings might be around the same price each. Well, I was very happy to find out that my research was more or less correct and that I could get even more for the prints. It’s nice to know that there are at least a few treasures in my home but I don’t intend to sell them just now.

What treasures have you got at home?

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on September 25, 2009 at 2:11 pm Comments (2)
Tags: Art, Art Dealer, Art international, Art market, Auction houses, Auctions, Christie's, Collecting art, Sotheby's, Valuation

Tomorrows artists

Ever wondered how some came into possession of very famous and valuable artworks?
Well, you would either need a lot of money to buy a work of art at one of the big auction houses or you have a feel for trends and upcoming artists and buy something of a young artist that you like and/or think might be the next big name in the art world.
But how do you know? You don’t, you just have to take the risk but it might be worth it.

There are many young talented artists out there and if you go online you will find thousands of websites… or you go to 100artworks and browse their collection. Go and see for yourself because I guarantee you that there is something for everyone.

100artworks is one of the UK’s top up and coming urban art galleries styling modern, contemporary, abstract prints and canvas artworks by a wide range of guerilla artists. Buy and browse graffiti, urban and street art in our online gallery. All of our artworks are either one of one originals or signed, numbered and limited edition.

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on September 17, 2009 at 6:07 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: 100artworks, Art, Art Dealer, Art market, artists, Modern Art

Dilemma

What is it about teenagers that makes adults wanna scream at them and shake them and strap them down to a chair until they’re grown out of their hormonal roller coaster? We’ve all been there ourselves and it is often difficult to remember what we felt like when we were 15 or 16 but most of us just roll their eyes at teenage behaviour or maybe feel the urge to tell them off.

Some teenagers, though, are so out of line that they become criminals and have to be fined if not even jailed. But where is the line between annoying but harmless pranks and criminal behaviour?

Who decides what is criminal and what not. Theft is theft, isn’t it?

What if the theft is meant as a prank and to demonstrate the absurdities of life… or ART!?

Well, the result is a very angry Damien Hirst who is now in a vicious feud with a teenage artist over a box of pencils. Yes, a box of pencils and an admittedly creative collage of Hirst’s For the Love of God diamond skull.

One of Cartrain's takes on Hirst's For the Love of God

If you haven’t read about it yet: 17-year-old graffiti artist Cartrain has used pictures of the diamond skull in collages and offered them for sale online in 2008. Hirst reported him to the Design and Artists Copyright Society and a string of legal letters were sent to Cartrain’s art dealer.

In July this year Cartrain then went to the TATE into Hirst’s installation ‘Pharmacy’ and removed, as some sort of revenge, a “rare” pack of Faber Castell Mongol 482 pencils that were part of of the sculpture. He then created a “wanted”-style poster that read:

“For the safe return of Damien Hirst’s pencils I would like my artworks back that DACS and Hirst took off me in November. It’s not a large demand… Hirst has until the end of this month to resolve this or on 31 July the pencils will be sharpened. He has been warned.”

Hirst took this as a serious threat and, together with the TATE, has pressed charges against Cartrain who was arrested by the Art and Antiques squad from New Scotland Yard and had to appear in court on Fri 11 September 2009.

Hirst's Pharmacy

Now, I really am in a bit of a dilemma here: reading about this story makes me laugh and growl at the same time. Teenagers can be annoying and a theft is a theft but on the other hand I don’t, and I repeat, I do not like Damien Hirst and this whole thing shows me once more that he is a humourless and greedy person. Every artist at any time had to put up with plagiarism but other than Hirst many artists in the past saw both sides of the medal… plagiarism can also be some sort of appreciation and admiration for the artist’s work and if anything at all is also propaganda.

In Hirst’s case, however, it isn’t even plagiarism but ‘further development’ and interpretation of his artwork. I can’t help but think

“Shouldn’t he be flattered or at least amused by the reactions his works are causing?”

“Wouldn’t it be cleverer to have moved forward after the collages appeared online and get in touch with the kid?”

“He could have used the occasion to get involved in supporting young artists and for once, just for once, could have made positive headlines in the news!!!!!”

But Hirst’s behaviour doesn’t appear to be better than that of a teenager. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth seems to be his motto. How pathetic!!! Hirst’s should have stood above it all but instead demonstrated once more that he is a grabby fraud who doesn’t care about art or the artist community. Artists usually create art to provoke some sort of reaction but Hirst has now proven that he only creates art to make money. And it is clear that he can’t think ahead to realise that every sort of interpretation of his art by others is also publicity for his own art.

How dumb, how very very dumb of him!

images: Rex Features

Published in:

on September 15, 2009 at 12:03 pm Comments (2)
Tags: artists, Damian Hirst, Exhibition, Modern Art, Pharmacy, Prank, Tate, teenage artist

Sackler Collections on sale

Following up on yesterday’s post, there is more on sale of the famous Sackler Collections.

Sotheby’s New York is holding six auctions over the next five months containing several hundred objects from the Sackler Collections. Altogether Sotheby’s is hoping for a $15 mio. turnover. See their press release here.

Fine Chinese Furniture, Works of Art & Carpets
16 September 2009

Further dates:

Important English Furniture & Decorations
16 October 2009

Impressionist & Modern Art
4 & 5 November 2009

American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture
3 December 2009

Antiquities
10 December 2009

Important European Terracotta & Bronze Sculpture
26 January 2010

source & images: www.sothebys.com

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on at 10:41 am Leave a Comment
Tags: Auctions, New York, Sackler Collections, Sotheby's

Asian Art Week

It’s Asian Art Week in New York this week and Christie’s is holding dedicated sales on Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, South Asian Modern+Contemporary Art , Indian and Southeast Asian Art and Japanese and Korean Art.

One of the specials of these auctions is that the Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art sale includes pieces from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections.

Arthur M. Sackler (August 22, 1913, Brooklyn, New York – May 26, 1987, New York City) was an American psychiatrist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He attended New York University School of Medicine and graduated with an M.D.

Sackler was also a scholar of the arts. He endowed galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Princeton University, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University in Beijing, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C., and the Jillian & Arthur M. Sackler Wing at the Royal Academy, London.

Favorite auction lots of any of the above sales:

sources & images: www.christies.com

Published in:

on September 14, 2009 at 1:27 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Auction, Asian Art, Sackler Collections, New York, Japanese Art, Korean Art

Auction blows all expectations

World record in auction results at Christies in Paris.

The auction house saw a total turnover of over 270 million GBP within it’s 3 days sale this week.

The private collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé was sold in a three days auction sale at Christies in Paris. The results were mind blowing and exceeded even Christies expectations. Many lots sold for more than twice their estimate. On the evening of the second day Christies published the following press-release:

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24 February 2009

YVES SAINT LAURENT & PIERRE BERGÉ

COLLECTION OF 20th CENTURY DECORATIVE ART AND DESIGN REALISES

€59.1 MILLION /£52.6 MILLION / $76.5 MILLION

WORLD RECORD FOR A COLLECTION OF 20th CENTURY DECORATIVE ARTS

WORLD RECORD FOR MOST EXPENSIVE WORK OF 20th CENTURY DECORATIVE ART AT AUCTION

Top lot: Eileen Gray’s ‘Dragons’ armchair, circa 1917-1919, sells for €21.9 million /£19.4 million / $28.3 million

Eileen Gray’s lacquered sideboard, 1915-1917 sells for €3.9 million / £3.5 million / $5.1 million

François-Xavier Lalanne’s YSL bar , sells for €2.7 million / £2.4 million / $3.5 million

Jean Dunand pair of lacquered and gilt metal vases, 1925, sells for €3 million / £2.7 million / $3.9 million

12 WORLD RECORDS FOR ARTISTS AT AUCTION 10 WORKS OF ART SELL ABOVE €1 MILLION

Paris – Tonight’s second evening sale at the Grand Palais saw the hammer go down on the highly anticipated 20th Century Decorative Arts section of the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, offered by Christie’s in association with Pierre Bergé & Associates auctioneers. This meticulously selected group of Art Deco treasures, a sophisticated celebration of one of the most brilliant chapters in Parisian cultural life, realised a total of €59.1 million / £52.6 million / $76.5 million. The star lot of the evening was Eileen Gray’s ‘Dragons’ armchair, circa 1917-1919, which sold for €21.9 million / £19.4 million / $28.3 million, a world record for a work of 20th century decorative art at auction, and a world record for the artist at auction. 10 works of art sold for over €1 million (10 over £1 million and 10 over $1 million). The auction saw a total of 12 artist records established.

Philippe Garner, International Head and Sonja Ganne, European Director, 20th Century Decorative Art & Design said: “Tonight’s sale was a homage to the great personalities, designers, collectors and patrons who so marked their era in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s and, of course, to the pioneering vision of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé as collectors.”

Leading highlights of the sale included:

The visionary designs of Eileen Gray captivated the imagination of many during the public viewings that Christie’s held in London, New York, Brussels and Paris in association with Pierre Bergé & Associates in the lead up to this sale. Her ‘Dragons’ armchair, circa 1917-1919, originally in the collection of Suzanne Talbot, was the top lot of the night selling for €21.9 million / £19.4 million / $28.3 million, a world record for a work of 20th century decorative art at auction, and a world record for the artist at auction (estimate: €2,000,000-3,000,000). Gray’s unique Enfilade, circa 1915-1917, realised €3.9 million / £3.5 million / $5.1 million (estimate: €3,000,000- 5,000,000) and a ‘satellite’ hanging lamp, circa 1925, which hung in Yves Saint Laurent’s rue de Babylone apartment sold for €2.9 million / £2.6 million / $3.8 million (estimate: €600,000 – 800,000).

The Gustave Miklos pair of palm wood and lacquered bronze banquettes, 1928-1929, commissioned by Jacques Doucet, sold for €1.7 million / £1.5 million / $2.2 million (estimate: €2,000,000-3,000,000), a world auction record for the artist.

Monumental in size and striking in design, the Jean Dunand pair of lacquered and gilt metal vases, 1925, stirred competitive bidding and sold for €3 million / £2.7 million / $3.9 million (estimate: €1,000,000-1,500,000), a world record for the artist at auction. Bidders competed fiercely for other works by Dunand, such as a vase with a rearing serpent, 1920, which sold for €325,000 / £289,250 / $420,518 (estimate: €25,000 – 35,000), and a pair of armchairs, circa 1925, which sold for €625,000 / £566,250 / $808,688 (estimate: €400,000 – 600,000)

Works by Claude Lalanne sold for prices that far exceeded their estimates and a spectacular set of fifteen bronze and galvanised copper mirrors, modelled as branches, 1974-1985, sold for €1.8 million / £1.6 million / $2.4 million (estimate: €700,000-1,000,000), a world record for the artist at auction. Specially commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent, in 1974, they took 11 years to complete.

The sculptural YSL bar, François-Xavier Lalanne’s first commission from Yves Saint Laurent, sold for €2.7 million / £2.4 million / $3.5 million (estimate: €700,000- 1,000,000), a world record for the artist at auction. A striking, robust rectangular console executed in steel cut with a blowtorch and patinated, it was a centrepiece of the library in Yves Saint Laurent’s apartment in rue de Babylone.

A pair of floor lamps, 1930 by Eckart Muthesius commissioned by the Maharaja of Indore for his Modernist palace sold for €2.5 million / £2.2 million / $3.2 million (estimate: €400,000-600,000), far exceeding the world record for the artist at auction.

Other lots in the sale such as the curule stool of African inspiration, circa 1920-1925 by Pierre Legrain which sold for €457,000 / £406,730 / $591,312 (estimate: €400,000 – 600,000), a circular occasional table, designed by Armand Albert Rateau in 1919 which sold for €1.1 million / £1 million / $1.4 million (estimate: €600,000 – 800,000), and the crystal table lamp, circa 1926 by Jean-Michel Frank, which sold for €193,000 / £171,770/ $249,723 (estimate: €80,000 – 120,000) reflect the uncommon blend of instinctive passion and deep connoisseurship that the collectors applied at every level in their unerring search for refinement and elegance.

ARTIST RECORDS:

Lot 278

Ernest Boiceau

Tapis aux perruches et perroquets, vers 1920

Estimate: €150,000-200,000

Sold for € 601,000

WORLD RECORD FOR ARTIST AT AUCTION

Lot 328

Ivan da Silva Bruhns

Grand tapis de laine, 1925

Estimate: €100,000-150,000

Sold for €229,000