This weekend marks the inaugural opening of FRONT International, Cleveland’s new Triennial for Contemporary Art. Centered around the theme “An American City,” FRONT seeks to push the boundaries of the traditional art fair by emphasizing “process, research, collaboration and long-term engagement with Cleveland and Northeast Ohio." While the theme gives the triennial a local focus, it all aims to engage larger social, political, cultural, ecological and economic issues, using Cleveland to serve as an example of how these issues function on a larger scale.
Latest Art News
At their auction of English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations yesterday, Sotheby’s broke auction records with the sale of the Original Map of the Hundred Acre Wood. A testament to the timeless of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, and the lasting impact of the work of illustrator E.H.
The upcoming sale of Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art at Sotheby’s offers an array of paintings and drawings by Simeon Solomon. An inventive artist of the British Aesthetic Movement, Solomon upheld the creed of “art for art’s sake,” creating dreamy, sensual paintings even in the midst of personal tragedy.
What is sure to be a high point of a week of auctions in London, Christie’s Old Masters Evening Sale set several records on July 5. The top selling lot was Ludovico Carracci’s Portrait of Carlo Alberto Rati Opizzoni in armour, three-quarter-length, wearing the Order of the Knights of Malta, the city of Bologna beyond, which sold for $6.7 million, becoming the second highest price for the artist at auction.
A charm bracelet is like a portrait of a life, as personal as a family photo. When the charm bracelet of a well-known person comes to auction, the question is always, “Why was this very personal item allowed to leave the hands of the family?” Sometimes the answer is simply that the object has outlived all the family members. Presumably, that was the case of the unique Art Deco all-diamond charm bracelet seen here. Each of the nineteen charms is set with single-cut diamonds, with an estimated total weight of 9.50 carats. The charms depict nearly all the years between 1922 and 1940, with elements such as a palm tree providing clues as to the likely venue of the owner.
June 27th was another record-breaking evening in the art auction world. Bidding was fierce at Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in London, which made 41% more than last year. One of the top achieving works, Francis Bacon’s Interior of a room (1935), was a highlight of the sale, going for $3,748,158.
Fiber artist Allison Morgan shares the inspiration behind her intricately beaded sculptural works.
Considered a prime example of Monet’s skill and power, La Gare Saint-Lazare, vue extérieure sold for an impressive $32 million. Completed over a three month period of intense creativity in 1877, La Gare is one of a series of 12 paintings depicting the oldest railway station in France. Monet’s bold brush strokes capture the bustling energy of the Parisian train station and the vibrant power of the steam engine forging towards the platform. Of the 12 Gare paintings, 9 are in public institutions and 3 are in private hands.
One of the most valuable illustrated books ever produced, a first edition of John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America,” went up for auction at Christie’s in New York, June 14th, and sold for USD $9,650,000. This is nearly $2 million more than when this particular copy had sold to American collector Carl Knobloch in 2012 for $7.9 million.
At their Modern Decorative Art & Design auction this week, Bonhams offers a fine assortment of works from Mid-Century Modern Renaissance man Harry Bertoia. Bertoia was an Italian-born artist who spent most of his life in the US. Originally a painter, Bertoia had a diverse career that included jewelry and furniture design, printmaking, public sculpture, even a series of albums.
