31 March 2022
No Surprises: Annual Art Basel Global Art Market Report 2022 Revealed
The Art Basel Market Report 2022 is a highly anticipated industry barometer.
6 February 2022
US Treasury Releases Report On Illicit Art Market Money Laundering
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has published their study on the facilitation of money laundering and the financing of terrorism through the trade in works of high-value art. Heavyweight art dealers and auction houses spent over $1 million lobbying federal officials in Washington on this and other regulatory issues over the past two years. […]
18 January 2017
London’s Future As Global Art Hub Depends On EU Free Movement
In a survey taken by the exhibitors at the London Art Fair 2017, 49% believe ensuring free movement of people and goods within the EU is the most important thing.
Is Your Avant-Garde My Avant-Guard? By Edward Lucie-Smith
There are increasing signs of conflict between the two wings of the avant-garde – currently so-called – in the visual arts. I say ‘so-called’ because in fact neither wing has a firm claim to this much-coveted description. On the one hand there is the increasingly crazy and shady world of the big art fairs and major auction rooms. On […]
A Year Of Blatant Art Consumerism Our 12 Days Of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me: A partridge in an Ai Weiwei Tree This year has been a sort of ‘homecoming’ for Ai Weiwei: with his passport returned galleries all around the UK welcomed his return with a flurry of activity, including a retrospective of his work at the […]
The Art Market: Polarisation Between The Anticipation And Expectation
It is a simple law of physics – but, sadly, not a view held by more optimistic economists – that growth cannot continue indefinitely. Most auction houses however rely on the illusion of continuing growth to bolster their image and maintain their selling status, with much coverage devoted to the big names with pulling power: […]
Global Art-marketing: Where The Crowned Kings Of Auctioneering Find Their Sovereignty
In my best Sam the Eagle voice: “Sales is vanity, profit is sanity”. Splashed all over the art newspapers this week were Christie’s
France Changes Art Tax Rules To Benefit Artists
Artists based in France and hoping to sell their work directly from their studios without the aid of a gallery, have gotten a boost from the government. As of January 1, the value added tax (VAT) rate on artworks purchased directly from artists is only 5.5 percent. This change marks a significant reduction from the […]
16 June 2013
Art Basel Excels With Buoyant Sales And Record Visitor Numbers
Art Basel’s 44th edition closed this evening, (Sunday, June 16, 2013), with galleries reporting exceptionally buoyant sales across the board. The fair has once again proven itself, the leading meeting place for both the international contemporary and modern art world. The event attracted a record of 70,000 visitors, generating an attendance of 86,000 over the six […]
Why The Other Art Fair Provides A Real Alternative To Frieze
For a second year running, The Other Art Fair is hoping to provide a radical alterative to the established model of art fair by cutting out the gallery middleman, and providing a platform for emerging artists to sell work directly to art buyers. Last year The Other Art Fair wowed punters with its pointedly unpretentious […]
6 February 2012
Super Rich Keep Sotheby’s and Christie’s Afloat
Christie’s and Sotheby’s report booming business thanks to patronage of the super rich, with Ten Richest Clients Responsible For 10% Of Art Auction Revenue It may appear bizarre that, in the midst of such turbulent economic times, business at auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s is booming. Christie’s, for instance, has announced sales of £3.6bn – […]
London Art Fair Reports Bustling Trade
London Art Fair reports record attendance figures, and ‘pre-recessionary’ buying atmosphere The London Art Fair has finally released its roundup of the weekend’s events. And, (excitingly, given that ArtLyst was a media partner this year), they have revealed record attendance figures, with 25,020 visitors to the Islington Business Design Centre, compared to the previous record […]
24 January 2012
Art Collection Fund Seduces Rich To Invest In Art
The Art Collection Fund seduces new investors with promise of 12% return from $80,000,000 investment in art Investors are to be invited to invest in a European investment group with plans to purchase $80 million worth of modern and contemporary art for a predicted annual return of 12 % over four years. ‘The [Art Collection] […]
London Art Fair Reveals Market Optimism
London Art Fair survey reveals gallery optimism for 2012, with gallerists convinced collectors collect for love of art irrespective of economic climate A survey of leading galleries undertaken by the London Art Fair has revealed considerable optimism for the future of the art market, despite general doom and gloom about the economy. So, while 76% […]
8 November 2011
Damien Hirst Is Saving Grace For Lukewarm Auction
Buyers lack enthusiasm at first post-war and contemporary sale of the season, uncharacteristically held by Phillips De Pury Phillips De Pury hosted the first post-war and contemporary sale of the season last night, and, whilst results were by no means as disappointing as those seen at Christie’s last week, neither could the sale be […]
Chinese Buyers Dominate London’s Asian Art Fair
London’s Asian Art Fair sees Wealthy Chinese collectors dominating sales This year’s Asian Art in London began last week, an event which has been showcasing art from China, India, Japan and Korea for over ten years through a series of specialised exhibitions and sales run by leading dealers and auction houses. This year’s […]