How a Restored da Vinci Became the Most Expensive Artwork Ever

    What does it really take to create a $450 million painting from Leonardo “Dough” Vinci?   “Salvator Mundi,” the most expensive painting ever sold at auction, was hammered down at the Christie’s Contemporary evening sale last month. But a number of art critics had blasted the painting. “Why is a Leonardo in a Modern and Contemporary auction?” wrote New York magazine’s Jerry Saltz. “Because 90% of it was… Read more
Published
Categorized as NY Observer

The Art World’s Biggest Lie: A Dealer Apologizes for Collecting as Investing

The last several years have brought nosebleed prices for works of art, auction records that seem to be broken almost as soon as they are made. With endless media coverage of $100 million Picassos and $50 million Jeff Koons sculptures, the general public is often left with the impression that art has not only been a great investment, it’s been the investment of late. I, too, have taken part in… Read more
Published
Categorized as NY Observer

Why I’m Worried About the Art World: Adam Lindemann on the Sizzle vs. the Steak

As the year begins, I’m troubled, worried, confused and concerned about the art world: Are we treading on thin ice, or can this bull market just charge along for over a decade? When was the last time the art market didn’t surprise and defy all logic? It’s up when it should be down and vice versa.   Remember last November, when Jeff Koons’ classic Celebration series sculpture “Moon (Yellow)” failed… Read more

The Art World’s Instant Grammification – Taking the bull(#@!%) by the horns

You might have heard that Instagram has taken over the art world. Yes, I’m on it, and I follow several people, not because I want to, but because I feel I have to. Everyone must follow artists like Richard Prince, Wade Guyton and Alex Israel, as well as all the sundry dealers, advisers and collectors trying desperately to be cool.   The number of people posting images on this silly… Read more

One for the Flippers: Buy Now! Liquidate! I’d SellYouLater, but It’s Already Too Late

SellYouLater.com is the best art website to come along in some time. Since starting in early February, it has been rebranded as ArtRank.com, but the old name seems more appropriate. They rank artists as “buy” or “sell” based on a secret mathematical formula (don’t you love that!). They claim to use algorithms to identify “prime emerging artists based on qualitatively weighted metrics, including Web presence (verified social media accounts, inbound… Read more