Author: artnews.com

This post was originally published on artnews.com Sotheby’s Now and Contemporary evening sale on Wednesday didn’t border on the absurd, it dived headfirst into it as Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s chairman of Europe, sold a banana duct-taped to a wall for $6.24 million. Minutes later, Chinese-born, New York–based cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun announced on X not… Continue reading Cattelan’s $6.24 M. Banana and Its Buyer Justin Sun Steal the Show at Sotheby’s $110.4 M. Contemporary Evening Sale

This post was originally published on artnews.com “The world’s most expensive banana” sold Wednesday night at Sotheby’s New York. That’s how auctioneer Oliver Barker put it as he was trying to eke out the last of the bids for Maurizio Cattelan’s viral artwork, Comedian (2019). The famed artwork, of a banana duct-taped to a wall,… Continue reading Maurizio Cattelan’s Duct-Taped Banana Sells for $6.24 M. at Sotheby’s

This post was originally published on artnews.com 45 well-known pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong were sentenced in a mass trial on Tuesday under the national security law implemented in 2020, the Hong Kong Free Press reported. It is the largest case of its kind invoked under the national security law. Among those who were sentenced… Continue reading Hong Kong Artist Receives Prison Sentence for Political ‘Subversion’

This post was originally published on artnews.com The illegal excavation of an Etruscan burial site in Umbria, in central Italy, has been seized by Italian authorities, Italy’s Minister of Culture announced on Tuesday. Police now seek two people suspected of stealing an urn and sarcophagi, among other artifacts, worth a total 8 million euros ($8.5… Continue reading Italian Authorities Bust Illegal Excavation of Etruscan Burial Site

This post was originally published on artnews.com Steve Locke’s best-known works are paintings of faces with their tongues sticking out. This fatuous facial gesture is immediately relatable but also, as Locke discusses below, one that can be read in a number of different ways. Such multifaceted readings are typical for Locke, who trained as a… Continue reading Steve Locke Talks About His Painterly and Polemical Provocations

This post was originally published on artnews.com A third Just Stop Oil activist was recently charged in connection with a protest at the Stonehenge monument in June, after orange powder paint was sprayed on the ancient stones. Luke Watson, a 35-year-old resident of Manuden, Bishop’s Stortford, was charged with “one count of aiding, abetting, counselling… Continue reading Third Just Stop Oil Activist Charged After Orange Paint Protest at Stonehenge Monument

This post was originally published on artnews.com After a year-long search, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston has selected Nora Burnett Abrams as its next director. She will begin in the post on May 1, succeeding Jill Medvedow, who has directed the ICA for 26 years. Abrams comes to the ICA after a 15-year tenure… Continue reading ICA Boston Picks MCA Denver’s Nora Burnett Abrams as Next Director

This post was originally published on artnews.com Anonymous Was A Woman has revealed the 2024 recipients of its celebrated grants, which are awarded to women-identifying artists over the age of 40 in support of their ongoing practice. Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) has awarded $25,000 annually to at least ten artists since its founding by… Continue reading Anonymous Was A Woman Reveals 2024 Grantees in Milestone Year for the Celebrated Program

This post was originally published on artnews.com If there is one thing we have learned this year, it’s that the collector class still has money to spend, but will only spend it on the choicest, most fresh-to-market works. Christie’s 20th century evening sale on Tuesday, which totaled $486 million with a sell-through rate of 92… Continue reading $486 M. Total at Christie’s Double Header Hides Uneven Night of Sales

This post was originally published on artnews.com On Tuesday night, Phillips began a week of sales in New York with its modern and contemporary evening sale of roughly 30 lots generating $54.1 million with fees. That result marks a 23 percent drop from the $70 million total that last year’s equivalent November sale generated. That… Continue reading Phillips $54.1 M. Evening Sale Drops 23 Percent from Last Year