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The topic that I chose to address in my two talks at the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday was Towards a Ceasefire in the Cultural Property Wars, in which I discussed the recent repatriation agreements between American museums and source countries, and made some proposals about where things should go from here. I think it's safe to say that my ideas are not squarely in … [Read more...] about Penn Professor-for-a-Day: My Ceasefire Proposals for the Cultural-Property Wars–Part I

Jori Finkel's excellent NY Times "Arts & Leisure" article today, Museums Solicit Dealers' Largess, brings to mind how much the Brooklyn Museum's director, Arnold Lehman, was criticized for asking dealers to become patrons of the benefit gala for the highly controversial "Sensation" show, drawn from the Young British Artists collection of Charles Saatchi. What to many seemed … [Read more...] about The Slippery Slope of Dealer Support for Museum Exhibitions

The Virginia Supreme Court yesterday handed a major victory to the opponents of the sale of four works from the Maier Museum of Randolph College. At the very least, the auctions of the works planned for this month at Christie's, where they were to have been star lots, will be postponed. The court denied the college's request that the temporary injunction imposed by Lynchburg, … [Read more...] about VA Supreme Court Gives Big Win to Maier Museum Art Sale Opponents

75 stories? Did they say 75 STORIES??? Trust me, the neighbors and, hopefully, the City Planning Commission are not going to stand for a 75-story look-at-me skyscraper on this cross street. New York skyscrapers in this part of midtown are customarily consigned to the avenues; the cross streets are less dense and more lowrise in character. West 54th Street is partly … [Read more...] about It’s a MoMA Monster! Nouvel’s Towering Ambitions

I've been uncharacteristically offline today because of my enjoyable foray into academia. But while you await my return from Philly, here are some cultural-property links that I've prepared for my captive University of Pennsylvania audience, which you might also find of interest: Princeton Art Museum Agreement with Italy Yale University Agreement with Peru Getty Museum … [Read more...] about More CultureGrrl Curriculum: Antiquities Agreements and Museum Acquisition Policies

Travel complications preclude me from giving you a complete rundown of Sotheby's strong contemporary art sale tonight, other than to say: ---The total of $315.9 million fell just shy of Christie's $325 million the night before. ---Sotheby's decisively won the battle of the mega-Koonses with a $23.56 million price for "Hanging Heart" (again, as at Christie's, from Koons' dealer, … [Read more...] about Contemporary Contentment: Sotheby’s Happy Night

I could not find this anywhere on the Wall Street Journal's website, but on its "Letters to the Editor" page today it ran the following as a correction, concerning Alexandra Peers' article that had suggested that the major art auction houses sometimes reduce the buyer's premium for third-party guarantors who are successful bidders: Christie's does not discount its buyer's … [Read more...] about Wall Street Journal Runs Buyer’s Premium Correction

The Circuit Court of Lynchburg, VA, yesterday ruled against the opponents of the Maier Museum's art sales. It rejected their request that the court reduce or eliminate the $10-million bond they must post by tomorrow, to make permanent the court's temporary injunction against impending auctions of four paintings by Christie's later this month. "Unfortunately, it is unlikely that … [Read more...] about Legal Setback for Opponents of Maier Museum Sales

Before I embark on my glorious fall folliage trip down the scenic New Jersey Turnpike today (to hold forth tomorrow at U. Penn), here are a couple of art-auction thoughts as we await the big contemporary sale tonight at Sotheby's. Carol Vogel, in today's NY Times, does her usual excellent job of tracking down the names of the "anonymous" buyers and sellers of key works last … [Read more...] about A Few Between-Auction Thoughts on the Market

Andy Warhol, "Muhammad Ali," 1978 It wasn't at the stratospheric levels of the $70 million-plus top lots at Christie's and Sotheby's last spring, but Christie's contemporary sale tonight did fine, with only five of the 67 lots unsold---none of them the big-money offerings. The sound of firm applause could be heard throughout the land (if, like me, you were watching the … [Read more...] about Christie’s Proves There’s Still Fight in the Old Bull Market

We're only six lots into the Christie's contemporary sale, and I think I can safely say that the bubble has not burst. Five of the six lots set new auction records, with Richard Prince's "Piney Woods Nurse" just knocked down at $5.4 million (to applause), against a presale estimate of $1.8 million to $2.2 million. True we haven't gotten to the "big" lots yet, but the money, up … [Read more...] about Christie’s Contemporary’s First Six Lots: Forget the Bubble Burst Babble

My recent revelation about the magazine-reading habits of the Metropolitan Opera's idle orchestra members has inspired a string of comments by clarinet players, answering this burning question on their Clarinet BBoard: What Do You Do During Long Rests? Dave, for example, reveals: I have seen people reading, doing crosswords, knitting, and even minor instrument repair. And I was … [Read more...] about Orchestra Members Weigh in on How They Pass Their Down Time

As previously mentioned, I'm going to drop the ball and NOT attend this week's major contemporary art sales, even though all other eyes will be anxiously upon them to assess the health of the market. I may try to weigh in with some quick art-market quips (or even analysis), but I need to keep my eye on another ball this week---my invitation, extended by Professor Richard … [Read more...] about Reading List for the CultureGrrl Curriculum

As the Lynchburg News & Advance reported here, opponents of the impending sales of four works from Randolph College's Maier Museum are balking at Judge Leyburn Mosby Jr.'s requirement that they post a $10-million bond to make permanent (until the case is decided on its merits) the judge's temporary injunction against the disposals set for this month at Christie's. Now, this … [Read more...] about Maier Sale Opponents Seek Elimination of $10-Million Bond Requirement

CORRECTION: Due to incorrect figures e-mailed to me by Christie's press office prior to this sale, I published the wrong amounts for the presale estimate range. The right figures are in the corrected version, below: A little sigh of relief: Christie's Allan Stone sale (which was eclectic, but with an emphasis on contemporary art) was a triumph: 90% sold by lot; 94% sold by … [Read more...] about Hot Off the Fax Machine: Christie’s Strong Stone Sale CORRECTED