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Category Archives: Economics

Auctions / Benefits: “MTV RE:DEFINE” Results

Posted by lowpro, October 3, 2011

A couple Saturdays ago, the inaugural MTV RE:DEFINE benefit exhibition and auction opened at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas. As we previewed a couple weeks back, curators, The Future Tense, brought together an impressive roster of 30 emerging and established artists in the contemporary and urban/street art genres – including such big names as Damien Hirst, Shepard Fairey, Harland Miller, Faile, Russell Young and Tracey Emin – to commemorate 30 years of AIDS research. Phillips de Pury & Company brokered the auction to a sold-out audience […]

Auctions: Bonhams “Urban Art Sale” Results (September)

Posted by lowpro, September 30, 2011

Last Wednesday, Bonhams hosted their September Urban Art Sale to a “packed house” at the New Bond Street location in Central London. As we highlighted the strength of some recent Banksy results in our overview and analysis of his Top 25 Most Expensive Works Ever, money appears to continue pouring into street art unimpeded at the auction level, despite the general malaise evident in the financial markets. This fact was further reinforced in the wake of last week’s Bonhams Sale, with the auction realizing a […]

Viewpoints: Top 25 Most Expensive Banksy Works Ever

Posted by lowpro, September 21, 2011

Last Wednesday during Christie’s Post War & Contemporary Art sale in London, a historic Banksy canvas came very close to tripling its high estimate of £50,000. Originally exhibited in 2002 at Santa’s Ghetto, a perennial winter group show (a modern riff of which occurred last December with Marks and Stencils) during those early, pre-hype years that saw Banksy canvases sell – and sometimes sit unsold – for a mere few hundred quid, Bird with Grenade closed at £145,250 ($228,043). The piece serves as an interesting […]

Interview / Preview: Jeff Ramirez – “Being There” @ Thinkspace Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, May 17, 2011

AM recently sat down with an artist we have been meaning to talk to for while now to learn a little more about him and his upcoming joint show at the Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City opening May 21st. The vivid hyperrealistic paintings of Jeff Ramirez have always drawn our attention with their curious poses and refreshing angles, an ode to his skills with the camera as he photographs all his own references – something he discusses in our interview among other things… Questions and […]

Auction Results: “Urban Art” @ Bonhams 1/11/11

Posted by Khoi, January 11, 2011

If today’s Urban Art auction at Bonhams can be seen as an indicator for the overall health of the Urban/Street Art market, then things are looking absolutely strong, exciting, and prosperous. Most lots found buyers and all the major pieces in the sale found new owners. The most notable result was Shepard Fairey’s Peace Goddess on maple from the Sea No Evil benefit auction in 2008, which surpassed everyone’s expectations and sold for over double the high estimate, at $43,000. Among in-the-know Shepard Fairey collectors, […]

SDCC ’10: Frank Frazetta Conan Painting Sells for Record Price

Posted by Khoi, July 27, 2010

Although this unfortunately occurred two months after the artist’s death, the above painting, “Conan the Destroyer”, just sold for $1.5 million – a record for a work by Frank Frazetta. The piece was sold by the estate in San Diego, during this year’s Comic Con. Franzetta was 82 when he died and was a legend among fantasy artists. He produced work for comic books, album covers, and movie posters, among others and has his own museum showing his work. In recent years, his children have […]

Overtime: May 23 – 29

Posted by sleepboy, May 30, 2010

Robert Williams to premiere his new movie Mr Bitchin’ at LACMA in June. Ashley Wood getting ready for Beijing. Armsrock and Stella Im Hultberg getting ready for London. Interview with James Jarvis. A weekend with Salvador Dali. Something new from Kate Mccgwire. Christie’s to pay $8.57 million in damages for waiting too long to return Richard Prince art that failed to sell. The Whitney museum is expanding with plans for a new building downtown. And, Eli Broad getting closer to deciding HIS museum location. Rare […]

Auctions: Picasso Painting Sells For Record Price

Posted by Khoi, May 5, 2010

History was made in the art world last night. There is a new record holder for priciest work ever sold at auction and that distinction belongs to Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso. The 1932 painting sold for $106,482,500 (after auction fees were accounted for) to an unidentified phone bidder at Christie’s. The sale brings huge publicity, hope, and optimism to the start of the auction season. This is a defining moment that many will point to as evidence of confidence in the […]

Jeff Koons & Damien Hirst Prices Drop 50%

Posted by sleepboy, January 2, 2010

Two of the biggest stars of the art boom in the latter part of the last decade, Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, were bound to feel the effects of the down economy. It’s taken some time to compile the data of all the fallout but it looks like their works have taken about a 50% hit in value since those happier times. On the brighter side, sounds as though the fairly or unfairly portrayed scapegoats of the art world’s extravagance should make a recovery eventually, […]

Andy Warhol’s Eight Elvises Sells for $100 million

Posted by Khoi, November 30, 2009

One month after Andy Warhol‘s 200 One Dollar Bills sells for $43.8 million at auction, The Economist has reported that his Eight Elvises painting sold privately for $100 million– a number that only Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning and Gustav Klimt has achieved for a single sale. It is a unique piece and measures 12 feet. With one of the most vibrant markets of any artist, Warhol continues to be as relevant as he’s ever been. This particular painting merges the most popular […]