Archive for September, 2008
Friday, September 19th, 2008
Ryan McGinness x 3
Ryan McGinness is set to present new works from his Aesthetic Comfort series at three back to back exhibits. The first opens Sept. 27 at Artcore/Fabrice Marcolini, Toronto, followed by two simultaneous shows opening Oct. 25 at the Cincinnati Museum of Art and Franklin Artworks, Minneapolis.
Friday, September 19th, 2008
JR takes NYC
French photographer and muralist JR hit downtown New York this week, while visiting to set up for Lazaridies’ Outsiders show. The massive piece went up in Open Roads Park, on the side of East Side Community High School. The mural expands on JR’s epic project, The Hills Have Eyes, in which the artist immersed his images in the crime-ridden slums of Rio de Janeiro, covering buildings with enlarged portraits of women whose lives have been impacted by violence, conflict, and loss. The New York mural adds an additional layer of complexity to the project, depicting a photograph JR took of one of his prints already installed on the steps of a building in Favela de Providencia, with local residents walking above. An additional piece can be seen at the corner Houston and Bowery St, or catch a pic of it over at The World’s Best Ever.
Catch more exclusive pics of the installation after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
It’s Hirstory
Image: Steve Forrest for The New York Times
Excuse the questionable title…Following months of equal parts anticipation and speculation, the results are in on Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, Damien Hirst’s unprecedented auction at Sotheby’s, London. While many forewarned weak results, others hoped the market could somehow insulate itself from a deepening recession and the past week’s global economic crisis.
Recent announcements of the near bankruptcy of financial service provider, Lehman Brothers, the government bailout of AIG, and the impending collapse of mortgage corporations, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac (both are under federal control), have certainly shaken confidence in an already uncertain art market. A Sept. 12th Bloomberg report cited last weeks’ 9% drop in Sotheby’s stock and 40% drop in shares over the past year as a sign of things to come, going as far as quoting one dealer who said, “it’s very simple, Damien Hirst will fail.”
Not all observers were skeptical. According to The New York Sun, art market research company ArtTactic’s poll of 51 market insiders concluded the auction would fare well and close within Sotheby’s published estimates.The report can be viewed in more detail here
When the final hammer dropped on Tuesday afternoon, the 223 lots on the block had grossed a total of $198 million USD (£111.7 million), breaking initial auction house estimates of $116.5 million USD (£65 million), and yielding sales more than 40% higher than anticipated. Some of the biggest successes of the two day sale were Hirst’s spin and butterfly paintings (both of which the artist has announced he will stop producing), and several formaldehyde encased animals, including a tiger shark entitled The Kingdom, which sold for $17,115,756 USD (£9,561,250), shattering its high estimate of $10.885,573 USD (£6 million). However, not all pieces fared as strongly, with some even going unsold or below estimate.
Reporting on the auction’s strong results, The New York Times quoted Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art, who stated, “Damien Hirst is a global artist who can defy local economies,” and Hirst’s personal business manager, Frank Dunphy, who said, “I woke up this morning in the teeth of the gale of recession, but we came out as confident as ever.” While Hirst may have defied the odds of a gloomy economic climate and re-solidified his position as a global art juggernaut, time will tell if these astounding results will transfer into a larger resurgence of art buyer confidence.
Read on for detailed results and auction highlights.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Roberts & Tilton Inagural Exhibit
Kehinde Wiley, Count Potocki, 2008. Oil on Canvas, 9 x 9 feet.
The Art Collectors congratulates Roberts and Tilton on their newly relocated space in L.A.’s Culver City. The gallery ushered in their grand opening with Macrocosm, an inagural group show highlighting an eclectic roster of represented artists. The exhibit features new works by Jimmy Baker, Matt Leines, Barry McGee, Andrew Schoultz, Ed Templeton, Kehinde Wiley, Ai Yamaguchi, and more. Show runs till Oct. 4th. Click through for more.
Roberts and Tilton
5801 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
tel: 323.549.0223
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Aiko says “Shut Up & Look”
Aiko opened her first solo exhibition, Shut Up and Look, at Brooklynite Gallery in Bed Stuy Saturday night. On view are six new large scale mixed media pieces which incorporate both new and old imagery for the former Faile member. The Art Collectors suggest that you do as she says some time before October 11.
Read the rest of this entry »
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Jeff Koons at Versailles
The New York Times have posted a nice slideshow of American art-superstar Jeff Koons’ current installation at the Palace of Versailles. Check it out here.
Image: Ed Alcock for The New York Times
Friday, September 12th, 2008
RVCA x Cinelli Heads to TX
RVCA, in conjunction with high-end Italian bicycle company, Cinelli, present “Pressure”, a group exhibit of road bikes, customized by an impressive roster of artists. The show takes place at Lance Armstrong’s bike shop, Mellow Johnny’s in Austin, TX.
Artists include: Ashley Macomber, Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, C.R. Stecyk III, Dmote, Jesse Geller, Josh Lazcano (AMAZE), KAWS, Phil Frost, PM Tenore, and Stephen Powers (ESPO)
DATE & TIME
Reception
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
7pm to 10pm
LOCATION
Mellow Johnny’s
400 Nueces St. (Fourth and Nueces)
Austin, Texas
Source/image: RVCA
Thursday, September 11th, 2008
Phillips de Pury Contemporary & Street Art Results
This past Saturday, Sept. 6th, marked the much anticipated Contemporary and Urban Art Auction at Phillips de Pury, London. To date, this is largest sale of its kind, with several artists coming to auction for the first time. Speculation over the past few years, coupled with the recent dip in market confidence had many collectors watching closely as the results rolled in. The Art Collectors highlights the sale after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday, September 11th, 2008
KAWS gets “Saturated” in Miami
It’s been over six years since KAWS‘ last solo gallery show. Alas, “Saturated” will usher in the first of three new exhibits by the ultra-hot artist. While less than a handful of paintings have surfaced to the public, all depicting the Spongebob character, we’re hoping for one of KAWS’ trademark surprises. Sept. 20 – Oct. 15 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Miami. More Kawsbob after the link. Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday, September 11th, 2008
Maritime Theater with Swoon
As an extension of her breathtakingly monumental installation, Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea, Swoon and co. will unveil three nights of music and performance, staged on the artist’s floating fleet, currently docked outside Deitch Studios in New York’s East River. Collaborators include playwright Lisa D’Amour, the band Dark Dark Dark, and circus composer, Sxip Shirley. Performances run Sept. 11, 12, 13 at 8pm.
Image/Source: Deitch