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Best of the Costume Institute Gala: Cindy and Cartier and Tiffany, Oh My!
09/05/2012
Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It By Jewel Snob While the Metropolitan Museum might have an vast collection of irreplaceable jewels from ancient Egypt to the Renaissance, there’s no doubt the sparkle spotted on the attendees of this week’s gala gave the collection a run for its money... Share This Story Tweet This Post to Stumble Upon Email to a Friend Read moreJewelry & Watches Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Fossil Cuts Profit Forecast After Weak European Sales, Shares Plummet 24%
09/05/2012
Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It By Forbes Fossil slashed its earnings guidance today, reporting disappointing European sales of its watches, purses and belts. The fashion-accessories maker expects to earn $5.30 to $5.40 in fiscal 2012, down from the earlier $5.40 to $5.50 range. Analysts were ex Read more Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Nissan's Juke-R supercar now available to Canadians
09/05/2012
Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It By Globe and MailThe radical Nissan Juke-R that promises supercar-baiting performance in a subcompact crossover body will be available to... Share This Story Tweet This Post to Stumble Upon Email to a Friend Read moreAutos & Boats Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Pure Evil Haunts "The Apprentice" Art Episode, "The Scream" Poster Bonanza, and More Must-Read Art News
09/05/2012
Pure Evil Haunts "The Apprentice" Art Episode, "The Scream" Poster Bonanza, and More Must-Read Art News Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It by ARTINFOPublished: May 9, 2012– "The Apprentice" Pits Contestants Against Pure Evil: The latest episode of the British version of "The Apprentice" has a very special challenge for its would-be corporate titans: try to run a gallery. (Keep in mind that in this version, the Donald Trump figure is called Lord Sugar.) Among other things, this has the two teams vying for the prize of representing British street artist Pure Evil, with one contestant rather embarrassingly trying to show off his knowledge of graffiti. (See the clip below.) He does not win over Pure Evil. [UKPA] – "Scream" Sale Boosts Posters: The record-setting sale of Munch's "The Scream" has had an unintended — if possibly predictable — side effect: Sales of the poster version on the Web site Art.com have gone through the roof. "Before this week, 'The Scream' was a steady seller," the company's CEO said last week. "Sales increased 10 times yesterday." Trade in a parody copy featuring Homer Simpson in the famous face-clapped pose have rocketed as well. [Bloomberg] – American History Museum Gets a New Director: John L. Gray, the founding president of the Autry National Center of the American West, has been chosen to lead the National Museum of American History, replacing Brent Glass. Gray's appointment may help address recent criticism that Smithsonian programs do not incorporate in-depth study of the West. [WaPo]  – New York Dealer Linked to Indian Smuggling Ring: New York-based gallerist Subhash Kapoor (of Art of the Past gallery) has been charged with the robbery of a centuries-old emerald idol from a temple in Kalady, India. The theft is just one of over a dozen such temple heists police believe Kapoor engineered over the last six years. [Times of India] – Million-Dollar Art Not for Sale: Galleries presenting art that can't be bought, but might enhance the prestige of the presenter, are getting to be rather fashionable. (It is already all the rage in London.) No less than three exhibitions currently on view in New York — Domenico Gnoli at Luxembourg & Dayan, Frank Stella at L&M Arts, and Cy Twombly at Eykyn Maclean — all present work that is not for sale. [Bloomberg] – French Cave Paintings Older, Better Than Previously Thought: The cave painting community has long been divided as to the dating of the Chauvet cave paintings in southern France, which depict horses, rhinos, and other animals in startlingly refined detail. A new study by French scholars seems to suggest, thanks to geomorphological and chlorine-36 dating, that the images could be as much as 40,000 years old — making them the oldest artworks in the world. According to the study, "These results have significant implications for archaeological, human, and rock art sciences." [News 24] – MAXXI President Resigns: The president of Rome's Fondazione MAXXI — which has been threatened with a government takeover following budget woes — has resigned. Pio Baldi, who has been the Zaha Hadid-designed museum's leader since it opened in 2010, left following the revelation of a €800,000 ($1.03 million) gap in its 2011 budget. [ArtReview] – Santiago Calatrava Criticized for Climbing Costs: The Spanish starchitect has come under fire for charging his home state of Valencia exorbitant fees to build a massive new City of the Arts and Sciences. According to a Web site created by a local leftist party, the architect has billed the state some €100 million ($130 million) to date for the project. [Guardian] – Turkish Artists Fight Back: Turkish artists have begun staging sit-ins and protest marches in response to increasing pressure from the secular country's Islamist government. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained that artists "have started to humiliate and look down on us and all conservatives," but his threat of privatizing state-run cultural institutions drew outrage. "This is political interference on freedom of art," said actor Nazif Uslu. [AP] – Tate Reveals 2013 Exhibitions: The British museum announced its next year of exhibitions, including the first major Roy Lichtenstein retrospective in two decades, to open at the Tate Modern in February, followed by a major Paul Klee show in the fall. Tate Britain will show works highlighting L.S. Lowry's influence on French painting — perhaps in response to criticism from actor Ian McKellan that the museum had neglected the artist — while Tate Liverpool plans exhibitions on Chagall and glam rock. [Guardian] – Asia Society Leader Departs: The president and chief executive of the Asia Society, Vishakha N. Desai, will leave her post in September after more than two decades with the Upper East Side-headquartered institution. She won't be going far, though: she's joining the Guggenheim Foundation in an advisory role developing its global policy and programs. [NYT] VIDEO OF THE DAY A contestant on the British version of "The Apprentice" tries really hard to convince Pure Evil that he's down with street art: ALSO ON ARTINFO: Pop-Up Populism: How the Temporary Architecture Craze is Changing Our Relationship to the Built Environment How a Roving Shipping Container Became a World-Class Mobile Art Museum for Children in France and Africa Fighting "Fairtigue": How Art Professionals Are Coping With the Ever-Intensifying Global Art Calendar Christie's Postwar and Contemporary Sale Takes $388 Million, Led by a Record-Smashing $87-Million Rothko ART HK — And Its Sister Fair Art Basel Miami Beach — Will Both Now Simply Be Known as "Art Basel" Decoding MoMA's Category-Defying "Ecstatic Alphabets" Exhibition Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ by ARTINFO,The Daily Checklist,The Daily Checklist Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Helen Rödel
09/05/2012
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“Y… as in Yet” at Shanaynay
09/05/2012
Artists: Richard Jackson / Alberta Mayo, Barry Johnston, Vishal Jugdeo, Josh Mannis, Catherine Sullivan, Mateo Tannatt Venue: Shanaynay, Paris Exhibition Title: Y… as in Yet Curated by: Olivian Cha Date: April 7 – May 20, 2012 Click here to view slideshow Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump. Images: Images courtesy of Shanaynay, Paris Press Release: [...] Read full article here

VIDEO: Preview of Schiaparelli and Prada – Impossible Conversations at the Met
09/05/2012
VIDEO: Preview of Schiaparelli and Prada – Impossible Conversations at the Met Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It by Tom ChenPublished: May 9, 2012With a breathtaking installation that includes a series of films directed by Baz Luhrmann, impeccable ready-to-wear, and vintage fashion photography, the latest Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute exhibition, "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations," opens May 10. The show will dazzle fashion and film aficionados alike. ARTINFO attended the press preview, speaking to Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, who explained how he, along with curator-in-charge Harold Koda, conceptualized the fantastical dialogue between the late Elsa Schiaparelli (played by Judy Davis in the Lurhmann films) and Miuccia Prada. Share This Story Tweet This Post to Stumble Upon Email to a Friend   Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Style & Society, Fashion, ARTINFO Video, Tom Chen Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Sale of the Week, May 13-19: Marie de Medici and Lily Safra's Magestic Gems in Geneva
09/05/2012
Sale of the Week, May 13-19: Marie de Medici and Lily Safra's Magestic Gems in Geneva Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It Photo Gallery: Slideshow: Images from Jewelry sales in Geneva and other International Salesby Shane FerroPublished: May 9, 2012SALE: Magnificent Jewelry LOCATION: Sotheby's and Christie's Geneva DATE: May 14-15 ABOUT: For the jewelry enthusiast out there, Geneva is the place to be next week. Sotheby's will offer the Beau Sancy, a giant 34.98-carat, modified pear double rose cut diamond that boasts a 400-year royal provenance and is expected to fetch CHF 1.85-3.65 million ($2-4 million). The diamond's storied history begins in India, where it was probably harvested from the mines of Golconda. It was acquired in Constantinople at some point by Nicolas de Harlay, Lord of Sancy. In 1604 Henri IV of France bought it for his wife Marie de Medici (according to Sotheby's because the queen was envious of a larger stone  Sancy had sold to King James I of England a few years earlier). The unhappily married Marie, who frequently could be found using vulgar, unladylike language to confront Henri's many mistresses around court, wore the stone in 1610 during her coronation. Incidentally, the day after she was crowned Queen Consort her husband was assassinated. Marie was exiled to the Netherlands, where she sold her gems to get out of debt. The Beau Sancy ended up in the hands of Prince Frederick Hendrick of Orange-Nassau. Later, the Beau Sancy was used to grease the wheels of the marriage deal between Willem II of Orange Nassau and England's Princess Mary Stuart (who was Marie de Medici's granddaughter, as that is how these things go). After a family fued, the stone made its way into the gem chest of Friedrich I of Prussia (a descendent of the Orange-Nassaus) in 1702, where it remained into the 21st century, until it made its way to Sotheby's Geneva. In addition to the Beau Sancy, there will be more than 700 jewels auctioned off at the Sotheby's jewelry sale, including an emerald and diamond necklace by Bulgari circa 1970, which could bring CHF 1.4-2.8 million ($1.5-3 million), and a necklace with detachable pear-shaped D color 41.4-carat diamond that is estimated to sell for CHF 2.75-4.55 million ($3-5 million). Of course, having the royal diamond is in some ways better than having royal blood — there is most certainly less risk of hemophilia. Meanwhile, Christie's in Geneva will offer the collection of socialite and philanthropist Lily Safra — known throughout the art world as the purchaser of Alberto Giacometti's "L'Homme qui marche I," one of the most expensive works of art ever purchased at auction (for £65 million, or $104.3 million), at Sotheby's London in February 2008. The collection includes three solitaire rings that weigh more than 30 carats, and a pair of pear-shaped diamond ear clips that weight 19.43 and 19.16 carats each (est. $3.5-5 million). The sale also includes the largest single-owner selection of jewelry by JAR and a number of antique and period pieces. The proceeds of the Lily Safra collection will benefit 20 charitable institutions. OTHER INTERNATIONAL SALES: Sale: WatchesLocation: Antiquorum GenevaDate: May 13 Sale: WatchesLocation: Christie's GenevaDate: May 14 Sale: WatchesLocation: Sotheby's GenevaDate: May 15 Sale: American PaintingsLocation: Christie's New YorkDate: May 16 Sale: American PaintingsLocation: Sotheby's New YorkDate: May 17 Click the slide show to see more gems from this week's auctions. Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Auctions, Jewelry & Watches, Spring Auctions 2012, Shane Ferro, Auction Previews Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here

Amy O’Neill: “V” / Blancpain Art Contemporain, Genève
09/05/2012
The current exhibition at the gallery Blancpain Art Contemporain in Geneva / Switzerland is a solo show with works by the New York-based artist Amy O’Neill. The exhibition is titled “V” for “Victory Gardens” and refers back to the World Wars I and II, when American and English citizens were urged to plant vegetable gardens [...] Read full article here

Christie's Postwar and Contemporary Sale Takes $388 Million, Led by a Record-Smashing $87-Million Rothko
09/05/2012
Christie's Postwar and Contemporary Sale Takes $388 Million, Led by a Record-Smashing $87-Million Rothko Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It Photo Gallery: Slideshow: Highlights from Christie's Post-War Contemporary Evening Saleby Judd Tully, Art+AuctionPublished: May 9, 2012NEW YORK — Powered by a stunning handful of super-trophies, including a sublime and record-eclipsing Mark Rothko masterpiece from 1961, Christie’s delivered a $388,488,000 Postwar and Contemporary at evening sale. The tally zoomed beyond the $236-329 million pre-sale estimate and nicked the May 2007 high water mark of $384.6 million, harkening back to a time generally acknowledged as the zenith of the last art boom. It easily surpassed last May’s performance that realized $301.6 million, though it still trailed the house’s all-time high evening tally for a various-owner sale, set by the $491 million worth of Impressionist and Modern art sold back in November 2006. Tonight, 11 artist records were set while 40 of the 56 lots sold made over a million dollars. Of those, nine hurdled the ten million dollar mark and 18 went over five million dollars. With the seminal bidding action at times resembling a raucous fireworks display of unrestrained exuberance, only three lots failed to sell, making for a tiny five percent buy-in rate by lot and one percent by value. There were other epoch-making features of the night as well. It marked the last appearance of star auctioneer Christopher Burge, who navigated the sale with exceptional élan, at times impatient at certain bidders’ attempts to split bids at already outrageous sums. “We’ve messed around long enough,” snapped Burge as he rapped his gavel after a long bidding battle for Gerhard Richter’s color-stroked, square "Abstraktes Bild (798-3)" (1993) (est. $14-18 million), which sold to an anonymous telephone bidder for a record $21,810,500. Larry Gagosian was the underbidder in a deep-pocketed field that attracted at least a half-dozen bidders including dealer Jose Mugrabi. “It’s getting out of hand here,” muttered Burge at an earlier point, when bidding hit $15.3 million and one telephone bidder wanted to increase that amount by $100,000 and not the established $200,000 increment. “No, absolutely not,” intoned Burge — sparking more competition. Though Christie’s has said Burge will stay in the game as a business-getter and occasional auctioneer, he clearly told the packed salesroom it was his last hurrah. The sweet spot of the huge evening centered around the 13-lot trove from David Pincus, the late collector and philanthropist who passed away in November. It was expected to bring $89.8-125.9 million and wound up making $174.9 million instead. Leading that dazzling pack was lot 20, Mark Rothko’s magisterial oil on canvas, “Orange, Red, Yellow” (1961), which unleashed a bidding frenzy, starting at $24 million and quickly escalating, at least, for the most part, at one million dollar increments. The Rothko brought a record $86,882,500 (est. $35-45 million), knocking out the previous mark for any Postwar work, set by Francis Bacon’s “Triptych” (1976) that sold to Roman Abramovich at Sotheby’s New York in May 2008 for $86,281,00. It also crushed the previous Rothko record, set by “White center (Yellow, pink and lavender on rose)" (1950) — also known as the “Rockefeller Rothko” — which fetched $72,840,000 at Sotheby’s New York in May 2007.   “The Rothko was a great value,” said Chicago dealer Paul Gray, who watched the action from a ringside seat near the front of the salesroom, “but it has superb quality if that’s  your brand of trophy picture. Put in the company of other $50-million-plus pictures and it belongs there.” (The fire-hued Rothko also epitomized the often hackneyed notion of ‘fresh to the market,’ since Pincus, a Philadelphia-based mensware magnate, acquired the painting from Marlborough Gallery in London back in 1967, three years after it debuted there in a 1964 solo exhibition.) AbEx works soared throughout the evening as another rare Pincus highlight, Jackson Pollock’s “Number 28, 1951,” a thickly impastoed, all-over composition in oil sold to another anonymous telephone bidder for a record $23,042,500 (est. $20-30 million). Yet another Pincus high achiever was Willem de Kooning’s late and juicy “Untitled I” (1980), which sold to German private dealer and former Christie’s specialist Jorg Michael Bertz for $14,082,500 (est. $8-12 million). Still another work from the Pincus brood, Barnett Newman’s slightly battered looking “Onement V” (1952), featuring the artist’s signature ‘zip,’ sold to yet another anonymous telephone bidder for a record $22,482,500 (est. $10-15 million). New York dealer Christophe van de Weghe was the underbidder. “We were super surprised we didn’t get the painting,” said van de Weghe, who dropped out at $19.5 million, $4.5 million over the high estimate. “My client” — who the dealer described as a private American in his late 40s — “has been trying to find the right Newman for years. But it was such a strong sale….” Outside the Pincus orbit, huge sums were realized in various categories, including whopping prices for world-class Alexander Calder sculptures, including “Lily of Force,” a ravishing standing mobile of painted sheet metal in red, blue, black, white, and yellow shades, from 1945. It sold to London- and New York-based dealer Daniella Luxembourg for a record $18,562,500 (est. $8-12 million). It pulverized the mark set by “Snow Flurry,” a hanging mobile from circa 1948 that made $10,386,500 earlier in the evening action. Luxembourg also snared Gerhard Richter’s early and calming “Seestuck (leicht bewoelkt)” (1969) for $19,346,500 (est. $10-15 million).   Though it set a record, Yves Klein's much-hyped and assuredly iconic blow-torch and dry pigment composition, “FC1 (Fire Color 1)” (1962),  considered the artist’s last masterwork, sold to the telephone for $36,482,500 (est. $30-40 million). Still, the star lot came nowhere near the contrails of the splendid Rothko. There appeared to be an unlimited appetite for first-class works as evidenced by the soulful and brawny Richard Diebenkorn “Berkeley #59” abstraction from 1956 sold from the estate of legendary San Francisco art patron Evelyn Haas, to benefit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It made $6,242,500 (est. $4-6 million). On a lighter side, at the top of the night, Urs Fischer’s paraffin wax sculpture, “Untitled (Standing),” depicting art collector Peter Brant, from an edition of two plus one artist’s proof, sold to London dealer Marco Voena $1,314,500 (est. $700,000-1 million). The new owner is entitled to a fresh version from the foundry once the current example melts down, according to the auction house. (It was one of a half-dozen works that carried financial guarantees in whole or in part by third-party backers.) “Fischer has made only eight wax sculptures,” said Voena who said he bought it for his own collection as he exited the salesroom, “and the other one is in Peter Brant’s house.” Christie’s spectacular evening could have gone higher if two high-priced lots hadn’t been withdrawn for undisclosed reasons at the eleventh hour, including Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)” (1983) (est. $9-12 million) and Brice Marden’s loopy abstraction, “Attendant 5” (1996-99) (est. $7-10 million). Go figure. As the sidewalk crowd thinned after the two-hour-long auction, Gil Perez, the 34-year Christie's doorman and meet-and-greeter, tugged on his brimmed hat and acknowledged, as Burge did, this was his last event and said, "I'm just a guy from Brooklyn and to get this job was a real blessing." The contemporary action resumes Wednesday evening at Sotheby’s. To see highlights of Christie's Postwar and Contemporary Sale, click on the slide show. Like what you see? Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and get our best stories delivered to your inbox. Go to top ↑ Auctions, Spring Auctions 2012, Judd Tully, Auction Reports Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Read full article here