Archive for July 2009
Exhibitions: Bright Forecast
In 1926, the year of his death, Claude Monet wrote, “The only merit I have is to have painted directly from nature with the aim of conveying my impressions in front of the most fugitive effects.” The Impressionists were indebted to a long tradition of artists who went beyond the studio walls to sketch and paint outdoors.
Read MoreAdobe Empire
Santa Fe, which celebrates its 400th anniversary next year, is one of the oldest cities in America. It also has one of the largest art markets in the country—either the third largest or the second largest, depending on whom you ask. Steeped in Native American, Spanish and Old West traditions, Santa Fe has long been known as the place for collectors to go for blue-chip art and objects in those fields.
Read MoreBeyond the Sea
By: Sheila Gibson Stoodley When King George IV approached J.M.W. Turner in 1823 and commissioned him to paint Trafalgar, the most important naval engagement in British history, the artist rose to the task. He invested The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805 with all the drama and tragedy the subject demanded, showing that the glory…
Read MoreMarket: Old Art City
By: Sheila Gibson Stoodley Every July in London, Christie’s and Sotheby’s shine the spotlight on Old Masters. Christie’s will hold its evening sale on July 7 and will offer 19th-century works alongside the Old Masters, although these will be relatively few; Paul Raison, London head of Old Masters and 19th-century art for Christie’s, estimates that…
Read MoreMarket: East End Aesthetes
By: Jenna Curry Once a remote, picturesque haven for artists from Childe Hassam to Jackson Pollock, the Hamptons are now more likely to host collectors and well-heeled summer vacationers. In 2008 entrepreneur Rick Friedman organized the area’s first international fine art fair, ArtHamptons, which he describes as “a (casual) situation where a lot of the…
Read MoreMarket: The Rite of Spring
By: Sheila Gibson Stoodley Watching the marquee spring evening sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York was like crossing a rope bridge in an action film: The fear of collapse yielded to the relief of avoiding the abyss. The shakiest moments came during Sotheby’s Impressionist and modern sale on May 5, when Pablo Picasso’s…
Read MoreIn Perspective
By: The Editors EXHIBITIONS Parade of piranesis: David Tunick spent more than 20 years assembling Giovanni Battista Piranesi 1720–78, an exhibition of the Venetian artist’s etchings that opened in May and will remain on display through the summer at Tunick’s Manhattan gallery. It includes the last available intact set of Magnificenze di Roma, a 1751…
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