The event was scheduled to mark the 25th anniversary of the Washington Principles, which helps guide the return of artwork looted during the Holocaust.
Category Archives: Stories
The museum is facing heated critique on social media over the appointment of Amanda Maples, a white woman, to oversee its African art collection
The Washington, DC museum will move “Ginevra de' Benci” to a different gallery through early 2024
For some collectors, the sky is the limit in terms of what they are willing to pay in the name of very good desirable art.
But of course there is another opinion of what makes the grade for top very good desirable art, and that is presented right here (above) for what is in our own view to be the best painting of all time in years to come.
The above painting titled (Burning Passion) is a very recent work (2022) using the abstract expressionist style that is called Spontaneous Emotional Ejection.
The painting Burning Passion has been steadily gaining interest and popularity throughout the art world of late, and we present it here again.
We have no idea of the real value of this painting and we do not pretend to project with any professional knowledge what we think it is worth in reality.
What we do know and can say with experience on this blog, is that we have had various projections sent into us as to the painting’s future popularity.
Burning Passion is projected to become extremely popular in years to come.
The paintings on this site have been regularly reviewed by the general public for some time now and they receive popular ongoing general positive appraisal.
A solitary genius, an eccentric being with a soul of a dreamer, a cultural connoisseur, and a visionary for the ages, these are just a few words that have been used to describe the art and artist on this blog.
Previously the most expensive work sold at auction was Francis Bacon’s triptych Three Studies of Lucian Freud, which sold for $142.4m at Christie’s in November 2013.
How much are you willing to pay for a captivating piece of art?
There’s no denying the power of a breathtaking painting; it can evoke a variety of emotions and even act as the centerpiece of a room.
But, at what cost?
Leonardo Da Vinci is usually regarded as one of history’s most skilled and accomplished artists.
However, one of his most renowned paintings, the Mona Lisa, was never signed or dated. So, are unsigned artworks worth anything?
Painting is an ancient medium and even with the introduction of photography, film and digital technology, it still has remained a persistent mode of expression.
So many paintings have been limned over dozens of millennia that only a relatively small percentage of them could be construed as “timeless classics” that have become familiar to the public—and not coincidentally produced by some of the most famous artists of all time.
It leaves open the question of what mix of talent, genius and circumstance leads to the creation of a masterpiece. Perhaps the simplest answer is that you know one when you see one, whether it’s at one of NYC’s many museums (The Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim, MoMA and elsewhere) or at institutions in other parts of the world.
Artwork will be valued mainly based on the artist, provided it can be authenticated.
Despite the lack of an official signature, the Mona Lisa is included in the Guinness Book of World Records as having “the highest insurance value ever for a painting in history.”
Year after year, auction houses and private galleries see record-breaking sales for works from both Old Masters—think Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt— and 20th-century luminaries like Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso.
Below there is listed some of the most expensive paintings ever to be sold in art history.
1
Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci
Price Paid for Painting: $450 million
Salvator Mundi sold for a little over $450 million at a Christie’s auction in 2017 to an anonymous buyer. The New York Times reported the buyer was acting for a Saudi prince, Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud—the painting has since been under the ownership of the Saudi Arabian culture ministry.
Salvator Mundi, translated to “Savior of the World,” is not only the world’s most expensive painting—it’s possibly the most controversial painting, as well. Many scholars doubt that the work was entirely done by Leonardo da Vinci, citing the overall composition doesn’t align completely with da Vinci’s style. One analysis conducted by the Louvre in 2018 concluded the picture slowly evolved with Leonardo adding the hands and arms later. Willem de Kooning
2
Interchange by Willem de Kooning
Price Paid for Painting: $300 million
Regarded as the “artist’s artist,” Dutch-American artist Willem de Kooning shaped the abstract expressionist style with his gestural works often based on based on figures, landscapes, and still life. Interchange represents the shift in de Kooning‘s work from painting mostly women to more abstract urban landscapes. The focal point of the piece is the pink center, which represents a woman reclining amongst a busy background. Kenneth C. Griffin acquired the oil painting for $300 million from the David Geffen Foundation in September of 2015.
3
The Card Players by Paul Cézanne
Price Paid for Painting: $250 million
During the 1890s, Paul Cézanne created a series of five works depicting labor workers playing cards. The calm nature of the painting—which depicts two men immersed in a game—is a departure from Cézanne’s previous dramatic and colorful works. While most paintings in the series are displayed at museums throughout the world, this particular one was bought by the royal family of Qatar for $250 million in 2011.
4
Nafea Faa Ipoipo? by Paul Gauguin
Price Paid for Painting: $210 million
Nafea Faa Ipoipo?, translated to “When Will You Marry?,” is one of the first paintings Paul Gaugin painted after his first trip to Tahiti in 1891. The painting focuses on a native young woman donning a white flower in her hair (in traditional Tahitian culture, a flower in the hair indicates the person is ready for marriage) and her mother sitting protectively over her. It was originally reported that the Gaugin painting was sold by Swiss businessman Rudolf Staechelin to a Qatari buyer for $300 million. However, a lawsuit in 2017 later revealed the painting only sold for $210 million.Tony Vaccaro//Getty Images
5
Number 17A by Jackson Pollock
Price Paid for Painting: $200 million
A leader in the abstract expressionist movement, Jackson Pollock rose to fame for his “drip” technique, where Pollock would pour paint onto canvas—often laid onto the floor—as a way to convey emotion through movement. Number 17A—an abstract painting featuring a kaleidoscope of colors across a fiberboard canvas— is one of Pollock’s early works featuring this technique. Billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin bought the painting in 2015 for $200 million from the David Geffen Foundation. Nacho Calonge//Getty Images
6
The Standard-Bearer by Rembrandt
Price Paid for Painting: $198 million
Touted as one of Rembrandt’s most vibrant masterpieces, The Standard-Bearer is a 1636 self-portrait of the Dutch Golden Age artist. The painting once belonged to England’s King George IV before the Rothschild family acquired it in 1844. In late 2021, the Dutch government announced it planned to purchase the artwork from the Rothschilds for the country’s national collection. The painting was finally sold to the Netherlands for €175 million (around $198 million) in 2022 and has since been on special display at museums throughout the country.
7
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol
Price Paid for Painting: $195 million
Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn shook the art scene when it sold for just over $195 million to American art dealer Larry Gagosian during Christie’s sale in 2022. A signature work in his oeuvre, Warhol created the painting, which is part of a five-painting series, using a silk-screen technique and a cropped publicity photo from the film Niagra. The series earned its name after performance artist Dorothy Podber famously came to Warhol’s studio and shot at four of the paintings with a pistol. They were subsequently repaired, but the name remained. Mark Rothko Foundation
8
No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) by Mark Rothko
Price Paid for Painting: $186 million
In line with many of his works, Mark Rothko’s No. 6–completed in 1951—features two expanses of violet and vibrant red separated by a ban of green. Each of the three areas is softened around the edges, appearing as though the assertive colors are naturally fading into each other. The piece was privately sold in 2014 for an outstanding $186 million, establishing a new record for the painter.
9
Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt van Rijn
Patrick van Katwijk/BSR Agency//Getty Images
Price Paid for Painting: $180 million
The pair of full-length wedding portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit were completed by a young Rembrandt in 1634. Unlike other 17th-century portrait pairs, the two paintings have been kept together since their creation. The Rothschild family came into possession of the portraits in 1878 and later sold the pieces through Christie’s to two museums, the Louvre and the Rijks museum. The two European museums take turns displaying the portraits, ensuring they will never be separated.
10
Water Serpents II by Gustav Klimt
Price Paid for Painting: $170 million
Completed in 1907, Water Serpents II is the second in a series depicting the sensual nature of the female form. During World War II, the lavishly decorated painting was confiscated from Jewish collector Jenny Steiner by the Nazis and given to a Nazi filmmaker. The piece reappeared in the public eye when it was put up for auction by Sotheby’s in 2015. After a couple of changes of ownership, the painting was sold once more in 2017 to an undisclosed buyer for $170 million. It’s now on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
The Labour party politician encourages the British Museum and the UK government to advance talks with the government of Greece and Athens's Acropolis Museum
Italy’s controversial former prime minister, who died in June, amassed tens of thousands of works—of varying quality
The image of an orgy in an office setting—a satire of the downfall of banking entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried—was allegedly blocked by YouTube due to nudity
More than 70 items have been loaned to the Al Thani Collection space, which displays works belonging to Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah
At a conference organised by the new Venice Sustainability Foundation in June, major public figures agreed for the first time that sea-level rise is the main problem facing the city now
10 art exhibitions to see in Europe during summer 2023
A look at ten of the most interesting art exhibitions that will be on view in Europe during summer of 2023.
Image: Vincent van Gogh, “Wheatfield under Thunderclouds,” 1890. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam // Source: Van Gogh Museum / MACBA / Alte Nationalgalerie / National Gallery of Ireland / National Gallery, London/ Tate Modern / Museo del Prado / Louvre / Belvedere / Städel Museum
Amsterdam
Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise
Van Gogh Museum, (until 3 September 2023)
In the exhibition, we follow Van Gogh from his arrival in Auvers-sur-Oise, where he optimistically and ambitiously set to work, through to his last works. By this time, feelings of failure, loneliness, and melancholy had gained the upper hand, but Van Gogh nevertheless continued to make enormously powerful works.
Barcelona
Laura Lima
MACBA, (until 24 September 2023)
The Museum transfers Lima’s “Balé Literal” (presented for the first and only time in June 2019 at the crossroads where A Gentil Carioca gallery is located, in Rio de Janeiro) to the interior of the MACBA galleries and thus turns it into a large, permanently functioning, passable device.
Berlin
Secessions. Klimt, Stuck, Liebermann
Museumsinsel Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie (until 22 October 2023)
The exhibition comprises some 200 paintings, sculptures and graphic works by a range of artists. Through a collaboration with the Wien Museum, Klimt’s oeuvre forms the focus of the exhibition, with more than 50 works on display. The show also shines a spotlight on some of the women artists of the Secession movements, from Dora Hitz to Käthe Kollwitz.
Dublin
Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker
National Gallery of Ireland, (until 27 August 2023)
This isthe first monographic exhibition to examine Fontana’s work in over two decades, and the first to focus on her portraits. It brings together a selection of her most highly regarded works from international public and private collections, alongside the artist’s celebrated “The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon”, from the Gallery’s own collection.
Frankfurt
Images of Italy. Places of Longing in Early Photography
Städel Museum (until September 3, 2023)
In an exhibition comprising 90 works, the Städel Museum presents a selection of early photographs of Italy from the years 1850 to 1880 from its collection.
London
After Impressionism
National Gallery (until 13 August 2023)
While celebrating Paris as the international artistic capital ‘After Impressionism’ is also one of the first exhibitions to focus on the exciting and often revolutionary artistic developments across other European cities during this period.
London
Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian
Tate Modern, (until 3 September 2023)
This is the largest presentation of Hilma af Klint’s work in the UK to date, with highlights including all ten of her monumental paintings from the series “The Ten Largest”, 1907, presented together in the UK for the first time. It is also the first major UK exhibition in over 25 years to highlight Piet Mondrian’s early work alongside the iconic grid compositions for which he is best known.
Madrid
Picasso – El Greco
Museo del Prado, (until 17 September 2023)
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso, the Museo del Prado presents a dialogue between the works of Picasso and those of another of the great masters of Spanish and world painting, El Greco.
Paris
Naples in Paris: the Louvre hosts the Museo di Capodimonte
Louvre, (until 8 January 2024)
Approximately sixty major masterpieces from Capodimonte are exhibited in three different places in the Louvre. Extending beyond the Louvre’s galleries, an ambitious programme of cultural events will lend this occasion the dimension of a veritable Neapolitan season in Paris.
Vienna
Alois Mosbacher
Belvedere, (until 10 September 2023)
Ropes, balls, cacti, tents, backpacks, a ladder – all unremarkable objects, but in Alois Mosbacher’s work, they become snapshots of highly private and perceptive experiences of nature. Enigmatic images of nature emerge, full of chance encounters and paradoxical interactions between objects that, at first glance, seem very out of place in the landscape.
