Category: visual

“And yet, sales were down from years past—last November’s postwar sale, with just a few more lots, netted $331.8 million, indicating a drop of 16 percent. But that auction was considered a disappointment, and if you compare Tuesday’s sale to that of November 2014, which brought in $852.9 million over 72 lots, you’d see a two-year dip of 67 percent. The market contraction continues apace.”

Two of the world’s top van Gogh scholars say there’s no way these are forgeries or copies: “These are absolutely O.K., from one to 65. End of song, end of story.” A senior researcher at the Van Gogh Museum says they’ve seen the book and dismissed it twice already. So – what’s the evidence?

It’s the second-highest price ever paid for a Munch (after you-know-what). Yet it was the only bid on the painting, and that was by a party that guaranteed the sale. In fact, the entire evening was disappointing sales-wise.

The art market has expanded enormously, but despite many schemes, selling art online in a big way has been elusive. “Most of its incumbent players recognise that technology is powering the sheer volume of interest in the market, but believe that, for now, it is more of a tool than a game changer.”

There will be six labs on two floors, and the facility is expected to place the MFA among the top institutions for art conservation in the world.

Poor Lisbon – this is the second time this year it’s happened there.

Only the largest Egyptian pyramids are higher than Middle Eastern ziggurats and central American step pyramids. The Nimrud ziggurat was apparently bulldozed and pushed into the ancient bed of the Tigris river.

First of all, everyone’s sitting on great work because they’re waiting to see if the market will be there for great work. So that’s a slight problem.

During a recession, and with little government support, the museum remade itself – after “60 years of tireless campaigning” – is “abstractly handsome” with “a degree of majesty.”