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Rothko, "Untitled," 1961, scheduled for auction tonight at Sotheby'sMark Rothko's 1961 untitled red abstraction, the highest-estimated lot in Sotheby's big contemporary sale tonight (at $18 million to $25 million), has suddenly become the subject of a lawsuit on the brink of the auction.Lindsay Pollock of Bloomberg reports:Marguerite Hoffman, a prominent Dallas art collector, … [Read more...] about Rothko Rumblings: Last-Minute Lawsuit by Prior Owner (not the consignor) of Sotheby’s Star Offering

Now you can! Here's a CultureGrrl audio podcast from the scene of the rapid-fire bidding on Jasper Johns' record-breaking "Flag" last night at Christie's (followed by the segue into the next lot, a Gursky priced in the hundred-thousands, not millions).Just click the left arrow: … [Read more...] about Wanna Hear Christopher Burge Auctioning the Johns “Flag”?

"The Three Graces," Roman, Imperial period, 2nd century A.D., copy of Greek work from 2nd century B.C., displayed in the Metropolitan Museum's Greek and Roman sculpture courtThe Metropolitan Museum months ago finalized a major antiquities acquisition, but you wouldn't know it from the museum's press announcements, nor from the marble sculpture's label in the … [Read more...] about “The Three Graces”: Metropolitan Museum’s Unannounced Acquisition UPDATED

Jasper Johns, "Flag," 1960-66, proudly hailed (and slightly blurry) at the postsale press conference at Christie's"Great night at Christie's tonight. Can't say more, but it was a thrill," tweeted Richard Rossello, managing director of Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, PA, at about 10:30 p.m. last night.The dealer, who does not include Jasper Johns in his inventory of pre-contemporary … [Read more...] about Michael Crichton’s Last Best Seller: An Auction House Page-Turner

Four devoted art-lings have now risen to the challenge. One particularly sympathetic patron has bestowed upon me the largest donation in CultureGrrl History! I'm starting to feel much less under-appreciated.My warm thanks to out to Repeat CultureGrrl Donors 127, 128 and 129 from Boston, Los Angeles and NYC; and new CultureGrrl Donor 130 from San Jose, CA.Who will be magic … [Read more...] about The CultureGrrl Challenge: An Update

In connection with yesterday's rattling of the tin cup, I should mention that I've lately been told that there are a number of arts professionals in my core audience who would love to support the blog, but would want to do so anonymously, so as not to appear to be trying to buy favorable coverage by clicking my "Donate" button. It's conflict-of-interest in reverse.You KNOW that … [Read more...] about Blogger Accounting: How to Donate Anonymously

With all my recent posts about the art market's high finance, I'm feeling more disconsolate than usual about CultureGrrl's low finance.So, arithmetic art-lings, here's a bit of Blogger Algebra:No Ads + No Donations = Zero PostsAny sum of CultureGrrl Classifieds or Donations that totals up to at least 5 shows of support (in any amount) breaks my silence. You KNOW that I've got a … [Read more...] about Blogger Accounting: Millions for Picasso, Zero for CultureGrrl

Workers adding pieces to "Big Bambú," a continuing work-in-progress I was looking forward to today's press luncheon at the Metropolitan Museum with more than my usual breathless anticipation, because the pre-chicken reception was located on the Roof Garden, where Doug + Mike Starn's scaleable bamboo forest, Big Bambú, is installed (and will continue rising to more complex … [Read more...] about Bamboozled by Bamboo: No Climbing for the Scribe Tribe on Met’s “Big Bambú”

I was in listen-only mode for Sotheby's conference call with stock analysts late Thursday to see if Bill Ruprecht, the firm's president and chief executive, would venture to repeat his misleading claim about Wednesday evening's Impressionist/modern sale results.He didn't.While he twice boasted that Sotheby's Impressionist/modern total was three times what it had been last year, … [Read more...] about Truth-in-Accounting: Bill Ruprecht Gets the Message

Final Hammer: The $95-million (plus buyer's premium) PicassoIt's so easy to be cynical about moguls who lavish incredible sums of money on works of art, especially if you happen to be an impecunious art critic who can't afford a square inch of a 1932 Picasso. (I surely fall into that category.)If you read Holland Cotter's jaded commentary in today's NY Times about the … [Read more...] about Megabucks Collectors: Are They Trophy-Hunting Philistines?

Bill Ruprecht, Sotheby's presidentI've said it before in the Wall Street Journal (and numerous times on CultureGrrl). But it looks like I'm going have to say it again. Even Bill Ruprecht, the financially savvy president and chief executive of Sotheby's, hasn't yet gotten the message. So let's review:If you're going to compare sale totals to presale estimates, you've got to use … [Read more...] about Statistical Shenanigans: Misrepresenting Auction-Sale Results

Matisse, "Bouquet de Fleurs pour le Quatorze Juillet," 1919Poor Tobias Meyer was pulling teeth at tonight's Impressionist/modern sale at Sotheby's, trying to extract a few extra increments from bidders who finally managed to cough up $25.5 million (slightly above the $18 million to $25 million presale estimate) for the top lot---Matisse's decorative "Bouquet de Fleurs Pour le … [Read more...] about Sotheby’s Slog: Excruciatingly Slow Bidding at Impressionist/Modern Sale

James MurdochAt its annual shareholders meeting tomorrow, Sotheby's intends to add a new member to its board---James Murdoch, son of Rupert, who, according to Fortune magazine, is "the likely successor to take over his father's empire." That empire, of course, is News Corp.---the media giant that owns (among many other news organizations), the Wall Street Journal. James is … [Read more...] about Sotheby’s Nominates James Murdoch (Rupert’s son) to its Board

Two knowledgeable Christie's sources (NOT Conor Jordan, above) this morning informed me (on the record but not for attribution by name) that the anonymous $106.48-million purchaser of Picasso's portrait of his sleeping paramour, Marie-Thérèse Walter, was NOT the same party who received a financing fee from the auction house for being the third-party guarantor of the coveted … [Read more...] about The $106.48-Million Mistress: No Asterisk for Record Picasso Price

Christie's catalogue for the Brody CollectionAs an addendum to my auction post earlier today, I should let you know that I have an unrelated event to attend tonight and will not be joining the press scrum at Christie's. Nor will I be following the action online in real time. In fact, because I'm on deadline for an article I'm writing that is related to my recent Southern … [Read more...] about Question for Christie’s Press Conference: Should Picasso Price Get an Asterisk?