Here at Museyon we love museums, but when it comes to getting up close and personal with great art, nothing beats the auction house. Almost once a season (the big auctions happen in November and May) a rare gem turns up, bringing a bit of adrenaline to the auction house. This time it’s Christie’s and Fertility, one of the last ... Read More »
Australians are a cheery lot, only apt to lose their senses of humor when we from the Northern Hemisphere point our their congenital case of good vibes. But looking at the newest painting to hold the title of Australia’s most expensive native artwork, it’s hard not to point out the it’s tongue-and-cheek attitude and what that says about the ... Read More »
From the perch of an auction-house seat, you might think that the world economy was flourishing, that bankers and bus drivers alike were in the black and in the chips. Last night, a Alberto Giacometti bronze statute, “Walking Man 1” (above, left) netted $104.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction in London, handily breaking the pre-recession record of $104.1 million ... Read More »
Pablo Picasso was no slouch—in his 92 years, scholars estimate he created over 50,000 works (1,885 paintings, 4,100 sculptures and ceramics, and some 12,000 drawings.) As many of his pieces appear in museums, thousands more are in the hands of wealthy and not-so-wealthy collectors. Still, the sale of his “Tête de Femme (Jacqueline)” (detail, above), a 1963 portrait of ... Read More »
News comes today that the somewhat controversial “La Belle Ferronnière”, a painting most likely from the 18th Century and once questionably attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci, has sold through Sotheby’s auction house at the princely sum of $1.5 million, about twice what it was expected to garner. Beautiful as it is, “La Belle” has been through the critical ringer ... Read More »
Certainly, he hasn’t been using it lately. Collected when the composer’s composer succumbed to liver failure in 1827 at the age of 57 (let that be a lesson to you drinkers out there), Ludwig van Beethoven’s skull has traveled a long way from his Viennese deathbed to the hands of California businessman Paul Kaufmann, who is now auctioning off the ... Read More »
MUSEYON BOOKS Smart City Guides for Travel, History, Art and Film Lovers