ART
The Artnet of the Deal
The embattled art market company faces an intense five weeks of politicking that will determine, once and for all, who controls its future—and who will prevail in the interminable Weng–Neuendorf battle of wills.
Marion Maneker
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January 22, 2025
Americana Hustle
Formerly a musty shopping spree (brown furniture, silverware, weather vanes) for the Boston Brahmin set, the American art sales this week in New York will offer works by revered landscape and natural history painters such as Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt, as well as a trove of outsider art from the collection of William Louis-Dreyfus.
Julie Brener Davich
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January 19, 2025
An Art Collection’s Escape From L.A.
Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall decided to sell their collection six months before fires ravaged Los Angeles. Now, dozens of 20th century works are safe, sound, and for sale in Tribeca.
Marion Maneker
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January 17, 2025
The Way of Christie’s
News of Guillaume Cerutti’s ascent to run the Pinault Collection set off a predictable game of telephone in the art market, filled with all sorts of informed (and uninformed) speculation about what the family might be plotting. Herewith, a summary of the inside conversation, from the Qataris to the Arnaults.
The Morandi Moment
Mattia De Luca’s dream was to hold a pop-up exhibition of his favorite artist, Giorgio Morandi, in New York. On the eve of another important Morandi show at David Zwirner, he speaks about his experience with the artist.
Julie Brener Davich
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January 14, 2025
An Art World Brokerage Play
News and notes on the future of Gurr Johns, the historic appraisal firm, as its new C.E.O. jumps into the brokerage business.
Marion Maneker
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January 14, 2025
Policing Peter Beard’s Legacy
The strength and quality of an artist’s studio or foundation can be the difference between their legacy dissipating into the ether or gathering strength with time. And soon enough, Beard’s own fate might be decided.
Marion Maneker
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January 12, 2025
Private Parts
After perusing endless 2024 sales data, I’m optimistic about the art market, especially because so much of the growth is at the lower end; in collectibles; and in the uppermost tier, where the impact of the private market cannot be captured by data alone.
Marion Maneker
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January 10, 2025
Art in the Apocalypse
Los Angeles is burning. And one theme of the fires, which are forcing residents to choose between their possessions, is that art is interwoven into our lives. Among the various efforts in the gradual rebuilding, art insurance executives are beginning to grasp the work ahead of them.
The Art Market in Numbers
New, proprietary data shows a 25 percent drop in art sales last year across Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips—a brutal signal, perhaps, that the market has truly hit bottom. Nevertheless, there are encouraging signs within certain market segments, such as more buyers bidding, and a growing number of lots selling above the estimate range. Herewith, an autopsy…
Marion Maneker
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January 8, 2025
The 2025 Art Market Prediction Roundup
Will the strong stock market gains of 2024 translate into art market sales? Has money from the Middle East returned to art? What about the rising prominence and wealth of India? A survey of some art market predictions might help the industry tell itself a better story.
Marion Maneker
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January 5, 2025
The Art World’s New Manhattan Clubhouse
The folks at Hauser & Wirth want you to experience the art collecting lifestyle in a down-to-earth, casual setting, complete with a very mindful seasonal locavore menu. Can a simple concept of art gallery-as-restaurant bring new collectors into the fold?
Marion Maneker
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December 23, 2024
Sotheby’s Christmas Retreat
A bold new fee structure was meant to transform the auction business—lower buyers fees to spur business and end the brutal price war between the auction houses. But after Sotheby’s struggled to land property in all of its main sales centers, it quietly reversed course in the final days of the year… effectively burying the news.
Marion Maneker
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December 17, 2024
Brooklyn’s Finest
A conversation with Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak and Uovo prize founder Steven Guttman about bestowing this year’s award on Melissa Joseph, the fast-rising textile designer and painter.
Marion Maneker
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December 16, 2024
The Mona Lisa of Memorabilia
The market for pop-cultural artifacts has never been hotter. For some time, there’s been a growing fixation on sports memorabilia and rock god guitars, but the runaway sale of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers brought the point home: When it comes to memorabilia, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
Marion Maneker
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December 10, 2024
Sotheby’s Black Tuesday
Shortly after closing on a $1 billion financing, the 280-year-old auction house is drastically cutting back staff in offices around the world. With new real estate that emphasizes luxury retail and plans to exploit the power of its brand, what does the future look like for a leaner, meaner Sotheby’s?
Marion Maneker
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December 8, 2024
Magic City Moves
There isn’t one definitive Art Basel Miami Beach experience. Everybody rushes around chasing their own bliss. And while the parties and brand activations might have been toned down—sorry, no Rihanna this year—many attendees said the quality of the artwork on offer was better and the prices were more realistic.