New York auction results for November are disappointing.
Impressionist, modern and contemporary art sales at Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips New York last week totaled $ 1.4 billion. A not-insignificant amount which is however 45% lower than last year. This result can be explained by the absence this year of emblematic works of highly rated artists, such as Jeff Koons or David Hockney. Political instability (demonstrations in Hong Kong, Brexit, or President Trump 's impeachment procedure ) could also have encouraged sellers to stagger the sale of their favorite pieces.
A copy of the Mona Lisa sold for $ 600K
From 70,000 to 90,000 euros, estimate set by the auction house Sotheby's for this copy of the Mona Lisa, attributed to Theodore Chasseriau (1819 - 1856). Awarded last Tuesday at 552,000 euros, the work, auctioned by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, pulverized its initial estimate. This painting is the third copy of the masterpiece sold this year, which marks the 500th. anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci.
Hung Liu exhibition in Beijing canceled.
The retrospective of Sino-American artist Hung Liu (born in 1948), to be held in December at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing, was canceled one month before its inauguration. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture reportedly refused to accept paintings depicting Chinese working classes. One of them, showing girls wearing gas masks, would have been particularly problematic because of its all too evocative allusion to the current protesters in Hong Kong. Philip Tinari, director of the UCCA, attributed this choice to a "hardening of the civil sphere" in China and tensions between the country and the United States.
Beaux-Arts article
