Art
Most Valuable Artworks in the World
A Leonardo da Vinci is sold for $450 million at an auction house of New York “Christie’s auctions and private sales.” It is a record-breaking sale because the current record for the auction of artwork is $179.4 million in 2015 for a Picasso. The record-breaking painting is not only famous for its beauty but the sotheby’s rybolovlev case. Salvator Mundi: A Portrayal of Jesus The painting is sold for a sum of $10,000 almost 12 years ago. The painting is a portrayal of Jesus known as Salvator Mundi. Experts believed that a follower of Da Vinci had painted the portrait. Some critics still have doubts on the authorship of the work, but a majority of researchers trust its authenticity. The uncertainty didn’t affect the bidding period of 19 minutes. During this duration, the painting climbed from a pre-sale guaranteed bud of $100 million. Salvator Mundi is painted by old masters…
Expert Tips on Choosing the Right Art for Your Home
Art is definitely among the best luxuries to invest in, especially if you’re in the process of creating an ambience or a particular look for your house. A room can be so much livelier and more comfortable with the right pieces or art placed in the right locations. Art doesn’t have to serve a purpose, but that doesn’t mean you can’t introduce a sense of practicality when choosing your pieces. Take a look at the work of top interior designers and you will find beautiful ways of integrating art into your home. If you’re eager to get started with a bit of art shopping, we have a few expert tips on choosing the right pieces to buy that you can follow. Size Matters Even the most beautiful art pieces can still make a room look cluttered. On the other hand, the right pieces can also make a room appear bigger…
Artwork With Which You Can Decorate Your House – Best Wway To Make Your Home Look Good
If you’re one of an artist who is looking forward to decorating your home, you must be looking for some advice to pick the best possible artwork which can not only make your house look worthy enough but also reflect your exclusive choice. Interior decoration is something which should be done with enough care and attention so that you can include some of the best items, objects and materials while making your house so that you can end up designing your dream house. Art is something which completely stands and that which has nothing to do with decoration. The concerns of this article will tell you about some techniques which you can use in your decor to give more space to art. Repetition of color and line adds value to your room When you have an artwork which is very well supported in your room, you should set some contrasts…
Magritte, art revolution and surrealism
Last month Luxuryactivist team went to Magritte museum in Brussels – Belgium. It is the biggest collection in the world for Magritte work with more than 150 paintings but also with several documents and belongings of the artist. We visited the permanent collection and if you are visiting Brussels for a day or a weekend, do not hesitate to visit the Magritte Museum. The Magritte Museum is located in an old neoclassical building from the late eighteenth century and part of an architectural ensemble built after the fire of Coudenberg palace in 1731. Over the centuries, the owners have succeeded to transform it into a hotel, jewelry and finally a museum. Place Royale and the surrounding buildings are historical testimony of Belgium under the “Ancien Régime” and its independence. It is on this spot that was held the enthronement ceremony of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, King of the Belgians, 21…
The 18th Century in Art. Freedom undercover
The 18th century is marked by an extreme liberation of arts. This was due to the weakness of Royal power at that time. Painters, sculptors and even architects wave on a new flow of freedom, sometimes covered by the usage of classic codes revamped. Philosophers like Diderot, protector of Arts, helped to establish the “free thinking” in Europe and a new way for Men to reconsider what surround them as well as their own existence. Welcome to a new era that was considered as one of the most progressivist decade of the classic period. It was also called the Era of Enlightenment. 18th century: Royal power is no more In France, Louis XIV dies in 1715. As the young new King, Louis XV is only 5 years old (5 years and 9 month exactly), a period called Regency starts. During the mandate of Duke of Orleans, the royal power in…
Amazing Smoke Personalities Portraits by Octavian Mielu
Romanian artist Octavian Mielu releases a new series of incredible Smoke portraits. From Marilyn Monroe, to Michael Jackson or Che Guevara, Octavian portraits reveal an original emotion and expression of these iconic personalities. Octavian Mielu has chosen some of the most iconic personalities of the past 100 years, from multiple domains and eras. It is a sort of tribute to a certain humanity legacy . All personalities are universally well known and all represented something important in their own domain. It is interesting to see how Octavian Mielu was inspired by very different famous people. It is a very rich selection. From Mickey Mouse to Marilyn Monroe, it is a whole world that separates them. Several sizes are available which would allow interesting displays organization. When you ask Octavian Mielu about his work, he explains that he uses different smoke photos and techniques in order to bring this misty impression…
Friday Chronicles #2: the luxury auction market is lost in translation
When a Rolex Daytona steelcase is sold for $ 400’000, when a Francis Bacon triptique reaches $ 142 million whereas the correct price is half of it, then we have a problem. The entire Auction market is trusted by hundreds of people around the world who has in average between 20 to 40 million dollars to spend in luxury goods every year. This means that certain objects, no matter if they are Art, Fashion items or Antiques, will see their price double or triple. People with this level of purchase power takes it as a hobby or a challenge. Millionaires are nothing. Say hello to Billionaires Every year the prestigious Forbes magazine update their list of top world billionaires. There are some interesting findings when you compare the new list with last year. In the world there are 1’645 billionaires. They all aggregate a $ 6.4 trillion. This is $…
Tom Sargent, Art and Antiques Insurance has no secret for him.
Luxury Activist got the opportunity to exclusively interview Tom Sargent, Art and Antiques auction expert. Tom Sargent works as Client Manager of Artscope at Aon Private Clients, he specialises in high net worth items in auction, antiques and art. Previously worked in the auction industry for 6 years at Bonhams & Butterfields and Christies auctioneers where he valued antique furniture and Works of Art. Here he gained useful knowledge on how the art and high net worth industries operate working with dealers and collectors as well as sellers. Here is the interview: LuxuryActivist (LA): The Art Market evolved a lot in the past years. Can you describe the major changes in Art Insurance you have observed in the past 10 years? Tom Sargent (TS): I’ve worked in the art industry for over 10 years and of that 6 years in insurance. In that time we have seen the top end art…
Andy Gott Behind the scenes – Hollywood portraits
Andy Gott, one of the most talented photographers of his generation is presenting a new exhibition called “Behind the scenes”. It is taking place at Hollywood land of stars Hollywood was always full of stars. From Glamour to drama, every decade held its legends. Some of them were a star for one film, others last … For ever. Most of them were iconized thanks to the talent of more or less known photographers. We all have in mind iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire, or more recently Sharon Stone, Robert de Niro or Nicole Kidman. Some of those photographies contributed to starrify those people, and some of these portraits became even pieces of Art. And I would not even talk about the work of certain artists like Warhol. But after a while, those portraits are delivered with no surprises. It means that nothing really different pops up and then…
2014 incoming art exhibitions in Switzerland
Here is our selection of the most incoming Art exhibitions in Switzerland for 2014. It will be another great year for Art in Switzerland. 2013 is not yet over and we are looking forward visiting the incoming ones. 2014 Zürich Kunsthaus 2 main exhibitions to note at the Art Museum of Zürich, one dedicated to Expressionism, as you never saw before, and the second one about Alberto Giacometti, under a different facet. From Matisse to “Der Blaue Reiter” Expressionism in Germany and France From 7th of February to 11th of May 2014 Expressionism is an interesting art trend. Most of people think that it is a independent German movement. In fact, it was more a global reaction to an interesting period of history in which artists would travel, meet and exchange their point of view. So this begining of 20th century attended to a ping pong game between neo-impressionism in…
Art exhibitions in Switzerland – 2013 top 7 exhibitions you do not wish to miss!
Switzerland is a very rich country… in art institutions and museums. It is one of the countries with the biggest density of museums per inhabitant. If we calculate only the official ones, we could count more than 1,000. 2013 will be again a very exciting year for art. Here is our selection of exhibitions not to miss in Switzerland for 2013. Kunsthaus Zürich Felix Vallotton – Precious Moments. From July 5th to September 15th 2013 This exhibition will be a unique dialog between pieces coming from a private collection and the Kunsthaus storage. More than 50 paintings will be displayed under a common theme “Precious moments”. Switzerland is one of the countries with the biggest number of Vallottons, unfortunately a big majority belongs to private collectors. So this is one opportunity in a thousand to see the talent of this amazing artist. Felix Edouard Vallotton was a Swiss painter, born…
Emporium Chair by Marco Costa. “Cutting” edge design.
Design was often made to serve functionality. But some talented designers bring something more. Boca do Lobo always proposes exclusive designs made by inspiring people. Discover the Emporium chair – limited edition – by Marco Costa. You never saw something like it. Marco Costa is a self-taught artist and he finds his inspiration in Surrealism. He transcends design and function into a more intense experience. In hour case here the chair has only 3 legs ! This piece was conceived with the goal of questioning the notion of space and what is established by usage or not. 2 main parameters are interesting to highlight despite the design and construction: the usage of Aluminum and the different colours proposed. There is a sense of fun and frivolity but as the same time it has something of dramatic. A brilliant paradox. All hand-crafted. According to Boca do Lobo: “Marco dares to create…
Miro, Poetry and Light – New exhibition.
Next month, La Fondation de l’Hermitage will present a new exhibition about Miro called “Poésie et Lumière”, Poetry and Light in french. It will take place from June 28th until October 27th 2013. More than 80 works by Joan Miró will be exhibited (1893 – 1983). All works come from Pilar i Joan Miro Foundation in Palma de Majorca. The Miró foundation in Majorca holds a very important amount of the artist’s work and represents a very interesting place to visit. Here is a video presenting the foundation and for more information you can visit their official website: http://miro.palmademallorca.es About the incoming exhibition at L’Hermitage now. According to them: “The exhibition concentrates on the works of his maturity, created during the last thirty years of his life in the Majorcan workshop where the great master lived from 1956 until his death 1983.” The exhibition will follow chronologically the work of the artist…
2013 MoMa new exhibitions – don’t miss!
In 2013, the MoMa in New york is preparing a great program in terms of exhibitions. Here are the 3 most expected ones. You cannot miss them! Abstraction generation, now in Print. February 13 – June 24, 2013 – Second floor. Abstraction is connected with so many artistic movements that at the end of the day, everything is abstraction! It played an extremely important role in the 20th century and today became one of the foundation of post-modernism. This interesting exhibition treats Abstraction in Print, from books to magazines, towards leaflets, cards or other communication printed tools. We can see works from artists like Cory Arcangel, Tauba Auerbach, Philippe Decrauzat, Liam Gillick, Wade Guyton, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, R. H. Quaytman, and Haegue Yang. Le Corbusier: Landscapes for the Machine Age June 9 – September 23, 2013 – sixth floor For the first time, the MoMa is presentation a complete exhibition about the…
The Little Black Jacket by Chanel
Chanel initiated a world-tour photo exhibition called “The Little Black Jacket”. Next friday, it will be in London at Saatchi Gallery until October 28th. The exhibition is designed to show the versatility and creative genius behind the legendary fashion house as well as showcasing how the jacket can be worn in a multitude of ways. Karl Lagerfeld’s 113 photos of different celebrities donning the jacket will no doubt provide inspiration for budding fashionistas out there so head down to the Saatchi Gallery for an eye opening look at the power and influence of the high end fashion industry (viewlondon.co.uk). See here the presentation video: Click here for information about Saatchi Gallery: SAATCHI GALLERY DUKE OF YORK’S HQ KING’S ROAD – LONDON SW3 4RY 10AM – 6PM LAST ENTRY 5:30PM Next stops: Moscow, Sydney, Berlin and Paris. LA Info sourced at Chanel dedicated website, viewlondon.co.uk, Saatchi Gallery website. All content is…