Arrested Motion

There are many art fairs each year around the world, but there is one that draws the biggest galleries, the most eye-popping works of art and the wealthiest collectors, and that of course is Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland. This year, for the first time, AM was there for the big show, and we couldn’t have been more impressed. And it seemed that the top-end collectors were also impressed, as the show was packed and buzzing from preview to closing, with many galleries reporting excellent sales.

Even bigger than Art Basel Miami or New York’s Armory show, Art Basel encompassed the city’s large two-floored convention center. The most impressive modern and post-modern works were shown on the the first floor, and the second floor was dedicated mostly to more contemporary art. Because of the enormity of the show, we’ve decided to split our coverage similarly. So today, take a look at our images of the modern and post-modern works from the fair, after the jump.

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Andy Warhol Lot 57: Andy Warhol, Jackie (1964), acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 20 by 16in (50.8 by 40.7cm). Est. 800,000-1,200,000 GBP

Christie’s and Phillips de Pury have proven to have strong works available at their forthcoming auctions (check out our previews here and here). AM now examines Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening and Day Art Sales (February 10 - 11), which contain great pieces by some of our favorite artists, such as Feng Zhengjie, Yoshitomo Nara and Andy Warhol (above). We are happy to report that several of our favorite lots, included those by Frank Auerbach, Lucio Fontana and Andy Warhol, performed well, either within or above estimate, in the evening sale and look forward to results on the day sale that is previewed (with several highlights from last night’s auction) after the jump.

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Lot 21: Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), Triptych: black and white photograph. Each: 148 × 121 cm (58 1/4 × 47 5/8 in). Est. £70,000-90,000

Take a look after the jump…

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Lot 46: Richard Prince - Very Private Nurse #1 (2003) - ink-jet print and acrylic on canvas - 69 x 42in (175.3 x 106.7cm) - est. £1,200,000 - £1,800,000

AM took a close look at the upcoming Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips de Pury in London this February and found a lot of work worth highlighting (as well as some that are definitely worth bidding on if you have the means).

First up, we show you the best of Christie’s Post War and Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales (February 11-12), including interesting works by Hernan Bas, Banksy, Zhang Huan, Terence Koh, Barry McGee, Richard Prince (above), Yoshitomo Nara, Ai Weiwei and more.

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New York City’s Chelsea may be one of the centers - if not the center - of the art world, but more often than not, if you go there without knowing what you want to see, you’ll spend the day wandering in and out of galleries without seeing much of anything you really cared for. On rare occasions, however, you may just stumble on a show that really blows you away. Luckily, this latter scenario occurred over the weekend, when AM wandered into Metro Pictures and experienced Swiss-born artist Olaf Breuning’s new show entitled “Small Brain Big Stomach.”

Walking into the gallery is like entering a funhouse, filled with whimsical black and white sculptures and wall drawings. But even though Breuning’s art seems simple and childlike, as with Alexander Calder’s circus or the work of David Shrigley, it also poignantly explores the comedy and tragedy that is the human condition. “Small Brain Big Stomach” is up until early December, so if you are wandering aimlessly in Chelsea anytime before then, we highly recommend you check out the exhibit.

See all the images, after the jump.

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