Put this away for a rainy day if you like; it’s not new, but it’s fun. That’s what I did, anyway. New York, for most of these past two weeks, has been drizzly, gloomy and cool. So I spent more time inside. Rummaging around my computer, I discovered an email I sent myself about two years ago about something called Phillips Art Expert.
The site is an unabashed commercial for the art market connected with Phillips de Pury, the auction house. The fun part is under a tab called “Games Gallery.” There, you can take quizzes about the art world. “Quiz” let’s you choose from categories like “Basecoat,” “Russian Contemporary Art,” and “Art and Design” and take timed multiple choice tests. I haven’t taken them all yet, but let’s just say I scored as low as 37 and as high as 80. (I’m saving my best categories for another time.)
There’s also “Auction Game,” which lets you guess the hammer price of real auction lots and is only available two weeks before each auction.
The final category is called “Name that Brushstroke.”
In this, you get a very close-up look at segment of an art work, and you try to guess who the artist is. If you’re stumped, just click and you get a little more, and a little more, until you run out of time or you’re right. (My scores ranged from 0 to 100.)
The rest of the site, if you overlook its commercial nature, has some useful information.There’s Forum, which offers an international calendar of exhibitions, a running commentary on some of them, a gossipy “Spotted — who’s been where in the art world?” and Simon de Pury’s column of predictions. There’s also an “Ask Simon” tab, where de Pury explains auctions, and a calendar of Phillips auctions.
Here’s the link. You have to register to play the games — but just with an email address.