The colonial past While the world re-examines its colonial past and condemns the occupation by former empires of vast swaths of distant territory, while supporters of “cancel culture” topple through the sheer force of their voices the statues...
Justin Sun: the crypto entrepreneur who will soon be investing 100 million dollars in art. Exclusive interview
https://youtu.be/cGAPJhvLlA4 30 years old He’s thirty years old and he’s in a hurry. It’s been scarcely six months since NFTs were created and already Justin Sun, the Hong Kong-based Chinese founder of the cryptocurrency platform Tron,...
1932: Picasso’s most fascinating year is even attracting crypto-investors . Christie’s pushes up his value
The ultimate art-market star Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is the 20th century’s star painter, but he is also the ultimate art-market star of the early 21st century. Looking at the numbers, according to the Artprice database 100 euros invested on...
Art Dubai: the first real-life fair since the start of the pandemic announces formats of the future
A physical fair It’s almost miraculous. In Dubai, the most commercial city in the United Arab Emirates, where restaurants are open and tourism is flourishing even when it’s coming from Israel (1), the first physical contemporary art...
NFTs: understanding the very promising marriage of blockchain and the conventional art market
Technological progress and art history https://youtu.be/TejoBQ71Sv4 Contrary to all commonly held assumptions, art history is closely linked to the history of technological progress. It is said, for example, that Vermeer made use of the...
Munch at Sotheby’s: the master of anguish and solitude also had a huge talent for self-promotion
https://youtu.be/9X-BYm0iWxk The scream “The Scream” by Edvard Munch (1863-1944) is a bit like the tree that conceals the forest. Or the story of how a painting conceived in four versions – which has become a cultural touchstone in...
Pierre Le Tan’s collection at Sotheby’s: the story of the influential Parisian dandy from Vietnamese painting to Hockney
Art and Life “Art is what makes life more interesting than art.” People tend to slightly overuse this quote by the great Fluxus artist Robert Filliou (1926-1987), but it perfectly articulates a desire for an existence driven by the pursuit of...
Fiac Online: what is the art market’s “French Touch”?
https://youtu.be/NF-kLy44Hls Daft Punk In electronic music, people often refer to a unique genre known as “French touch” which enjoyed great international success by liberating itself from its traditional musical heritage, and whose...
Massimo de Carlo descends on Paris with a new gallery model
Nex https://youtu.be/Wofl6m4Iazo A result of Brexist We are living through times of scarcity in the contemporary art trade, and yet they all keep coming. As a result of Brexit, the likes of Zwirner, White Cube, Continua and Levy-Gorvy are all...
Christo lives on in Paris: auctions, an exhibition and the soon-to-be-wrapped Arc de Triomphe
https://youtu.be/vmxWq4ukJrI Immortality Great artists never die. This illusion of immortality certainly applies to the Bulgarian-born, New York-based creator Christo, who passed away on 31 May 2020 at the age of 84. (See here the...
Botticelli: Explanations and questions regarding a 92.2 million dollar painting
https://youtu.be/N_50PZxHyoY There are successive stories of old masters on the art market and yet no two are quite alike. Absolute record The absolute record for an old masters work, 450 million dollars, was obtained by Christie’s in...
Revolution at Opera Gallery: the creation of a 100-million-euro fund for garanties at auction and the promotion of recognized artists
https://youtu.be/Kk24fEsCY9g Reactive art market The art market is exceptionally reactive. It is adapting at great speed to the conditions of the world health crisis. Focused demand This is because demand in the first place is very focused. In...