Author: Sam Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has removed a rare portrait of the first president of the United States, George Washington, to be sold at auction to raise money for the museum’s acquisition fund. The painting, by famed American portraitist Gilbert Stuart, is estimated to sell for between $1.5 million and $2.5 million at an auction in New York next month.According to Christie’s, the portrait is one of the earliest of Stuart in Washington after the president sat for him in the fall of 1795. Those portraits are known today as the Vaughan series, named after the recipient…
Kanye West seems eager to get rid of his Malibu mansion, a house that is now the most minimal of all minimalist properties. According to the Wall Street Journal, the rapper, producer and designer has put the beachfront home, designed by contemporary minimalist architect Tadao Ando, on the market. In an off-market deal in 2021, Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband paid Richard Sachs (Ashley Olsen’s ex) $57 million for the 4,000-square-foot mansion, but is offering it for just $53 million, clearly accepting that the investment is a loss for him. West gutted the entire place, but never completed renovations to the house,…
For those keeping an eye on the art market, 2023 was characterized by one word: correction. After a string of successful sales and record spending in 2022, many believed that 2023, with its lingering economic uncertainty, would be the year of relative contraction. And given market volatility since the pandemic, many wondered if this year would represent a “new normal” for the art industry.As the year comes to a close, it’s still difficult to speak definitively about the state of the art market in 2023. What we can do, however, is look at some of the key facts that sum…
Dick Wolf, a television producer best known as the creator of the ubiquitous legal and police drama Law and Order, gifted the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York with more than 200 works and a sum that would be said to be in the tens of millions of dollars to endow two galleries that will now bear his name. The donation, announced on December 20, consists mainly of Renaissance and Baroque works spanning from the 15th to the 18th century, but also includes more recent pieces, such as an early landscape painting by Vincent van Gogh, as well as…
Designers pay close attention to details, from finishes and finishes to proper proportions. But what about the tedious, desk-bound tasks associated with invoicing, payroll and other business operations? There’s a reason an accountant is often a designer’s first hire: having operational support can make a big difference.On January 25th at 1:00 PM ET, Nicole Hollis of the eponymous firm AD100 and CEO of the studio Lewis Heathcote they will share their expertise in building a solid financial foundation for a scaled interior business e to hold moderated by Amy Astley, ADVERTISEMENT global editorial director and US editor-in-chief, the “Taking charge…
Hauser & Wirth announced the representation of New York artist Ambera Wellmann in partnership with Company Gallery in New York City. This collaboration marks a new approach to artist representation, where the blue-chip gallery works with a smaller gallery to help elevate the artist with their combined strength and resources.Born in Nova Scotia in 1982, Wellmann is known for her technical mastery of oil painting, drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Baroque styles. He attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and the Cooper Union. His work has been exhibited around the world, most recently at the Fondazione Sandretto…
Basel: More than the fairBasel is one of the most delightful European art cities to visit, being relatively compact along the banks of the Rhine. While the international art world descends on the city for its annual Art Basel fair (June 13-16), its museums also host ambitious exhibitions.The top of the bill is Matisse: Invitation to travel (September 22-January 26, 2025) at the Fondation Beyeler. With more than 70 works, it will be analyzed how the artist’s themes echo those of Baudelaire’s poem of the same name.The Kunstmuseum’s program includes three varied offers. The first is Dan Flavin: Dedications in…
I could tell you about my first Snoopy memory, but that doesn’t matter because it’s not about me. You see, this story is much bigger than me because Snoopy is having a moment at 73 years old. Yes, I’m fully aware that the beloved beagle has been a staple in pop culture since the 1950s, but believe me when I say that Snoopy has risen to a new level of Internet fame that makes his role in the Thanks from Macy’s seems trivial. He is amassing 1.9 billion views on TikTok and has 5.6 million posts to his name on…
Chateaubriand Assis Museum of Art in São Paulo (Masp)Sao Paulo, BrazilOpening in late 2024, cost undisclosedHow do you build a museum extension that floats above the ground, with its main bulk resting on elephant legs? And one that is a famous example of modern architecture and a landmark of your city?The trick is to dig: the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (Masp) is creating an underground tunnel that will connect to a new 14-story tower across the road. With a minimalist gray facade, the new block avoids visually impacting the original building, while reflecting its shape and…
Finding the best leather sofa is a daunting task. Maybe it’s just us, but when we think of leather furniture or hear the phrase “leather sofa,” the first thing that pops into our heads is an oversized black monstrosity (probably L-shaped!) with sad, squishy cushions like armrests Or there is the traditional Chesterfield sofa, which usually has such a rigid structure that you can hardly imagine reading on it or reclining on it while watching a relaxing movie. But despite having a pretty bad reputation, there are actually some great leather couches out there with tons of benefits.For one, they…