High-risk occupations: Tightrope walker. Stunt driver. Art valuer.
During the course of a discussion over a lovely long lunch at Cicciolina in St Kilda yesterday with one of my favourite art-world people, it occurred…
Joining the Dots: The Sustainability of the Aboriginal Art Market
Yes – things have been busy. Very busy. Exhaustion and sleeplessness have kicked in. But no fungus infections as yet, I’m happy to say (note to…
Haunch of Venison Sautéed and Stuffed? Founding Directors of Christie’s Commercial Gallery Venture Head for Greener Pastures.
Much to the annoyance of contemporary art dealers everywhere, in 2007 auction leviathan Christie’s acquired the suitably obscurely-named London gallery, Haunch of Venison (in answer to…
The great art laundromat?
If you have ever stopped to wonder why it is that such extraordinary sums of money pass through the fine art market, consider this: what other…
All art buyers are equal, but at auction, are some buyers more equal than others?
The laws that govern buying and selling in a competition-based forum are based on the premise that all buyers are competing on a level playing-field. According…
Art investment made easy, or, parking your loot in Picasso
Picasso made some pretty extraordinary works of art. Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur, 1932, pictured at left, is not one of them. But, proving the old maxim…
A final word on Sam Leach’s Wynne Prize-winning entry
Here’s a nice, big slice of schadenfreude pie for those of you who are distressed to the point of distraction about Sam Leach’s Wynne-ing streak (pardon…
ACCC Reviews Goodman’s Sotheby’s Proposal
But is it still ‘My Sotheby’s’? Hmm. And news just in – the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched an informal review through its…
Aussie Sotheby’s iSnack 2.0
Auctioneer Tim Goodman (picture: Anthony Geernaert via news.com.au) Well, if anything was going to waken me from my interweb slumber, this would be it. Down here…
Tricks of the trade: Ron Coles and the mystery of the disappearing genitals, or, how to make a painting more saleable
I had me a little flashback last night watching Four Corners’ fascinating report on fakes and forgeries in the Australian art market. In the course of…
Art matters 