Closing the barn door after its finest steeds have vanished, the Berkshire Museum today announced that "there will be no further sales" from its collection beyond the 22 works already sold through Sotheby's: In his Berkshire Eagle report, Larry Parnass today suggested that the museum's woefully belated decision to curtail its widely condemned deaccessioning spree was … [Read more...] about Vision Transfusion? Berkshire Museum Stops Hemorrhaging Art
Archives for November 2018
Hopping with Hopper, Hocking a Hockney: My Irreverent Takeaways from the Major Fall Sales
The big fall evening auctions of Impressionist, modern, postwar and contemporary works at Sotheby's and Christie's were a mixed bag, yielding generally solid but unspectacular results. The sweet spot for the typical offering fell slightly short of or just grazed the low estimate, with some very notable exceptions on both the upside and the downside. In other words, the … [Read more...] about Hopping with Hopper, Hocking a Hockney: My Irreverent Takeaways from the Major Fall Sales
$91.88-Million Hopper Sale Makes “Chop Suey”of Ebsworth’s Vow to Seattle Art Museum (with video) CORRECTED & UPDATED
In my Wall Street Journal review of the 2007 opening of the expanded Seattle Art Museum, I noted that SAM's campaign to "augment its permanent collection, in time for its 75th anniversary next year," had been "successful beyond the wildest curatorial dreams, adding nearly 1,000 owned, pledged and promised works to the collection"... ...or maybe not. Billed as a major … [Read more...] about $91.88-Million Hopper Sale Makes “Chop Suey”of Ebsworth’s Vow to Seattle Art Museum (with video) CORRECTED & UPDATED
Lord Harry Gets Mixed Results (& hurls verbal missiles) at Sotheby’s Impressionist/Modern Sale
Auctioneer Harry Dalmeny (new to me) at Sotheby's Impressionist/Modern sale tonight had a strange way of trying to entice bidders by pelting them with barbed wisecracks: ---I'll have to hurry you: I've got a late flight. ---The next bid is going to have to be a bit more than nothing. And this honest self-assessment, in the midst of bidding for the record-breaking … [Read more...] about Lord Harry Gets Mixed Results (& hurls verbal missiles) at Sotheby’s Impressionist/Modern Sale
Subdued Impressionist/Modern Auction at Christie’s Kicks Off the Big Fall Market Test
Tonight's Impressionist/Modern sale at Christie's was brisk, thanks to the no-nonsense auctioneer, Adrien Meyer, but bidding-war fireworks came only once, for a snowstorm (Monet's). Below is my Twitter recap. Pro Tip: You'll need to click each image twice to view the full picture. Monet Water Lilies disappointed at $28m hammer ($30m low est.) Biggest failure: a van Gogh … [Read more...] about Subdued Impressionist/Modern Auction at Christie’s Kicks Off the Big Fall Market Test
Leonardo Canards: Conservator Dianne Modestini Debunks Doubts Over the Elusive “Salvator Mundi”
Dianne Dwyer Modestini, who painstakingly restored Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," is exasperated by the questions that have been raised about the condition and attribution of the rediscovered painting that was to have been unveiled on Sept. 18 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. It has not yet resurfaced since it was sold at Christie's on Nov. 15, 2017: Joining the many … [Read more...] about Leonardo Canards: Conservator Dianne Modestini Debunks Doubts Over the Elusive “Salvator Mundi”