Latest news with #Gagosian
Business Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
At Art Basel, dealers reap rewards by sidestepping politics and war
ABOUT halfway through the opening day of Art Basel's fair in Switzerland, the dealer Larry Gagosian was sitting on a bench near his booth. Crowds—incredibly thick when the art fair opened to VIPs at 11 am —had dispersed a bit as grandees shuffled into the convention centre courtyard for lunch, queuing up for sausages, oysters and ice cream cones. Gagosian, though, seemed content to stay inside, overseeing a presentation that included an early Cy Twombly painting priced at over US$30 million. 'We've sold quite a few things, considering the state of the world,' he said. 'I'm encouraged that initially we've been doing quite a bit of business. We live in a crazy time, and I think that a lot of people want to take refuge in some other universe.' (Art Basel's VIP days ended June 18; public days are June 19–22.) It's true that Basel's week of dinners and cocktail parties and talks and openings have felt a world apart from the current geopolitical realities plaguing most of the globe. That was the case at Unlimited, an exhibition sector adjacent to Art Basel's main fair where many of the massive artworks on display were pleasantly inoffensive; and it was particularly true in the main fair, where gorgeous abstract paintings sat easily alongside landscapes and portraits. Expensive or cheap, new or historical, it didn't matter: Nearly every artwork on offer at the fair was lovely and apolitical. Playing it safe 'I think people brought fairly safe material,' said the American adviser Suzanne Modica, who was walking down the aisles of Art Basel to meet a client. 'Obviously, people are bringing things to sell.' That's in large part because the art market slump has lasted so long that it's arguably a permanent condition. As such, dealers, seemingly desperate to turn a profit, appeared just as reticent to go out on a limb as their collectors. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'There's a severe correction currently in the market, meaning that everybody just wants to keep it running,' said Loa Haagen Pictet, the chief curator of Collection Pictet, who observed a preponderance of feel-good paintings and sculptures. 'There's a lot of colourful and exuberant art, a lot that's sort of surrealist but joyful,' she continued. 'It's out there, trying not to bring us down.' As a result, the few artworks that took an overtly political stand stood out starkly. At the Liste fair, which traditionally has cheaper work from smaller, younger galleries, the Dutch artist Jonas Staal had filled Laveronica gallery's booth with pictures of burning yachts. Price: 10,000 euros (US$11,480) for smaller work; 19,000 euros for a larger light box depicting a fake still of CNN whose chyron read 'Jeff Bezos' Super Yacht Set On Fire'. 'It's a political statement,' said the gallery's owner Corrado Gugliotta. 'But on the other hand, I have understood after the many years that I've done things like this, the market is able to absorb everything.' And in the main fair, Sprüth Magers had a large piece by American artist Barbara Kruger titled Untitled (WAR TIME, WAR CRIME), which included the phrase, among others 'CLASS WAR, BIDDING WAR, TRADE WAR, COLD WAR' and sold on the first day for US$650,000. 'We didn't go the route of other galleries and bring safer works only,' said senior director Andreas Gegner. 'It's always tempting to do that, but I think it's more important to stick to your identity and bring works that are maybe, on the face of it, more difficult.' A very good start Before the first day was over, it seemed that for many galleries, a less combative strategy had paid off. David Zwirner sent out a release that it had sold 68 works ('so far'), including a hanging mesh sculpture by Ruth Asawa for US$9.5 million. Hauser & Wirth reported selling 33 pieces, including a mixed media work by Mark Bradford for US$3.5 million. Thaddaeus Ropac gallery reported more than 20 sales, including a US$1.8 million painting of two upside-down figures by Georg Baselitz. 'We've had a very good start,' says Hauser & Wirth's partner and president Marc Payot. 'It's fantastic to see such a resilient market in what's all and all difficult times.' But if you looked closely enough, reality had seeped ever so quietly into the fair after all. 'There are certainly clients of our clients who've not been able to travel in the last 48 hours from Lebanon and Israel, who'd been intending to come,' said Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz, speaking in a conference room above the fair. 'So that's material. But on the other hand, we've seen, yet again, the global art world coming around an event like Art Basel and celebrating art, and celebrating the privilege of being in this community.' BLOOMBERG
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Bailey House Honors Queer, Black Artist Derrick Adams; Benefit Raises Over $200,000 For New Yorkers Living With HIV/AIDS, Chronic Illnesses
Derrick Adams 'Cool Down Pop (RWB), AP5' (2023) A removable red-white-and-blue ice pop springs up at an angle from a square launch pad. The stick of the quintessential frozen summer 'firecracker,' 'rocket,' or 'bomb' treat replica is inscribed with the artist's signature and the work's edition number. Multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams chose the sentimental imagery to convey a celebration of and open a conversation about contemporary Black life and culture. Even if it's not the same pop every viewer chose as a kid on a sweltering day, it evokes the joy of hearing whatever cheerful, catchy tune the ice cream cart played as it rolled into your childhood neighborhood. It may also symbolize a new interpretation of the American dream. Adams' Cool Down Pop (RWB), AP5 (2023) fetched $8,000 during a live auction Monday evening at the Art House benefit at The Bowery Hotel in New York City, hosted by Bailey House, the leading provider of housing and supportive services for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Art enthusiasts may recognize the painted aluminum sculpture from multiples sold by Gagosian, signaling Adams' status in the art world. The live auction included the sale of Herb Ritts' bold, sensual Duo II, Los Angeles (1990). Combined with a silent online auction and donation, the joyous community-building event raised over $200,000. Herb Ritts 'Duo II, Los Angeles' (1990) The online auction, powered by Artsy, featured more than 50 original works by: Adams, Abdolreza Aminlari, Matthew Bede Murphy, Kayleena Berry, LaKela Brown, Debra Cartwright, Cecile Chong, Natasha Das, Damien Davis, Jay Davis, Saul Endara, Aristotle Forrester, Philippe Hausmeier, Karsen Heagle, Gonzalo Hernandez, John Kelly, Karo Kuchar, Lucas Michael, Ruben Natal-San Miguel, Kwesi O. Kwarteng, Sean O'Connor, Emilio Perez, Ritts, Kevin Sabo, Haris Sardar, Agathe Snow, Jeremy Sorese, George Stoll, Berend Strik, Borris Torres, and Louis Venturelli. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Kathleen McGivney speaks onstage during the 2025 Art House Benefit for ... More Bailey House at The Bowery Hotel on June 16, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Housing Works) 'We read the news every day coming from Washington, and it is terrifying. By being here tonight, you're helping us to protect, serve, and house communities that are under direct attack,' Chair of the Board of Directors of Bailey House, Kathleen McGivney, told supporters Monday. 'Thank you for showing up and standing up for an organization that's working to build New York better. Tonight is a celebration of art, and I'm so grateful to the artists who have generously donated their treasures for auction.' NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Kim Cullen speaks onstage during the 2025 Art House Benefit for Bailey ... More House at The Bowery Hotel on June 16, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Housing Works) Adams was honored Monday as the 2025 Gina Quattrochi Arts & Legacy Award recipient. 'It's a privilege to be here to support an organization that's bringing joy to so many people through life saving services, the mission of Housing Works and Bailey House deeply align with the vision of the artists we're here to honor tonight,' said Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer at New York Live Arts, Kim Cullen. 'Derek Adams is a friend, a singular, once-in-a-generation talent, best known for his vibrant depictions of Black joy, leisure, beauty, creating art that examines the cultural capital built by Black people throughout history.' Adams' work has been featured in solo exhibitions at institutions such as The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland (2022); The Momentary, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville (2021); Hudson River Museum, Yonkers (2020); and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York (2018). Adams has mounted multiple public installations, and his work has been featured in notable group exhibitions, including: Giants: Art from the Dean Collection, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn (2024); The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore (2023); Packaged Black: Derrick Adams & Barbara Earl Thomas, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle (2022); Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair, Kent State University Museum (2021–2022); and Performa, New York (2015, 2013, 2005). His art is in the collections of many institutions, including: The Brooklyn Museum; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Studio Museum in Harlem; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; and the Birmingham Museum of Art. Adams earned a BFA from Pratt Institute, New York, in 1996 and a MFA from Columbia University, New York, in 2003. He has held numerous teaching positions and is currently a tenured assistant professor in the School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts at CUNY Brooklyn College. He was granted an honorary doctorate from Maryland Institute College of Art. In 2022, Adams established Charm City Cultural Cultivation, a non-profit organization to support and encourage underserved communities in the city of Baltimore. But his life didn't begin with a charmed existence. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Honoree Derrick Adams speaks onstage during the 2025 Art House Benefit ... More for Bailey House at The Bowery Hotel on June 16, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Housing Works) 'When I arrived in New York in 2006 I was homeless, but I found my way to Tyler house, right here in the East Village, on 9th Street,' Adams said, referencing the proximity of the hotel, which has had multiple uses and served in 1940s as a flophouse for returning World War II soldiers, when the now-ritzy Bowery was known as "Skid Row.' 'I can say without hesitation that this organization is home for me. This is where I found community and the help I needed to become housing stable. From then on, I allowed myself to experience the joy of living a healthy and vibrant life. I began to volunteer for Housing Works. I wanted to help the community. They helped me and uplift others who needed the same help that I needed. I originally entered their job training program to become a full-time field organizer and peer advocate to be able to inspire others to activism. That has been a dream,' Adams shared. 'Through Housing Works, I learned how to advocate for myself, and now I'm able to fight for those who need our help the most for giving me this opportunity. I am forever grateful. The opportunity led me to being elected to the Housing Works Board of Directors five years ago. … I've learned even more about how to elevate my voice as an advocate. We make our voices loud in the streets for housing equality and access to equal health care. We plead for dignity and the right to be seen as members of the LGBTQ+ community. … I'm proud to be a black queer artist.' NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: A view of art pieces up for auction during the 2025 Art House Benefit ... More for Bailey House at The Bowery Hotel on June 16, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Housing Works) Previous honorees include Mickalene Thomas, Nan Goldin, Nicole Eisenman, Whoopi Goldberg, Debbie Harry, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Cynthia Nixon, Catherine Opie, and Billy Porter. This year's Benefit Co-Chairs include: Kim Cullen, Agnes Gund, Holzer, Ronald Sosinski, Antwaun Sargent, Thomas, Jasmine Wahi, and Jaqueline Woodson, along with Benefit Committee Members: Dulcina Abreu, Daniel Baez, Rachel Cohen, Chloe Devine, Rob Fields, Adrianna Gautreaux, Micaela Giovonnotti, Gigi Grussing, Natalie Kates, Efrain Lopez, Nick McCarvel, McGivney, Kesha McLeod, Mia Moretti, Erica Newman, Andres Ouyela, Tariku Shiferaw, Sue Stoffel, Marty Preciado, Martina Scala, Alex Tieghi Walker, Hannah Traore, and Louis Venturelli. The 2025 Art House benefit was sponsored by: The Richman Group, Hudson Inc.; Holzer and Erik Sumption; Agnes Gund; Reno & Cavanaugh PLLC; Broadway Builders; Penta Restoration, Betsy and Hunt Lawrence; and Back Home Cannabis Co. Read about last year's honoree and benefit: Championing The Marginalized, Bailey House Honors Artist Mickalene Thomas And Her 'Divine Orchestration'
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Documentary Podcast Amoako Boafo: Creating space to celebrate Blackness
The Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo has attracted global fame for his bold and sensual portraits. He paints bodies and faces using his fingertips instead of a brush, capturing form through direct, tactile gestures. When he went to art school in Vienna, he was struck by the extent to which Black subjects had been overlooked in global art. Determined to change the status quo, he drew inspiration from early 20th Century Viennese artists like Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele and added his own techniques to invent a fresh new style of portraiture. Lucy Ash follows his preparations for a major new show at Gagosian in London. It involves a transformation of the gallery space into a full-scale recreation of a Ghanaian courtyard – just like the shared space in which he was raised. With the help of his collaborator, Glenn De Roché, an architect famous for community buildings and with an artist friend who produced a set of playing cards, especially for the event. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from In the Studio, exploring the processes of the world's most creative people.
Tatler Asia
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
9 cultural events to look out for in June: Jay Chou concert, Jimmy O Yang show and ‘Lust, Caution' composer in Hong Kong
2. Cy Gavin Above 'Untitled (Aquarium)' (2025) by Cy Gavin (Image: courtesy of Cy Gavin, Jackie Furtado and Gagosian) When: Until August 2 Where: Gagosian, 7/F, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central What: New York-based artist Cy Gavin—who drew global attention for his Met Gala blue carpet—is debuting his first solo show in Asia. His latest works explore transformation, resilience and natural cycles. Featuring elements like Maximillian sunflowers and protostars, Gavin weaves together metaphors of biological and geological growth. 3. Dongpo: Life in Poems Above 'Dongpo: Life in Poems' (Photo: courtesy of LCSD) When: June 13 to 14 Where: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui What: A poetic homage to Song dynasty polymath Su Dongpo (1037–1101), this stage production by China Oriental Performing Arts Group blends contemporary dance with classical Chinese cultural elements. Expect an atmospheric interpretation of Dongpo's legacy through calligraphy, poetry, martial arts, painting and more. 4. Jimmy O Yang Live in Hong Kong When: June 13 to 15 Where: Hong Kong Coliseum What: Hong Kong-born comedian and actor Jimmy O Yang returns for his hometown debut. Known for Interior Chinatown (2024) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Yang delivers fast-paced humour shaped by cultural quirks and personal tales of identity. 5. Echoes of the Heart Above A poster of 'Echoes of the Heart' (Photo: courtesy of French May) When: June 14 Where: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui What: A multicultural musical moment featuring Canto-pop singer Jay Fung and French vocalist Joyce Jonathan. They'll perform across genres in Chinese, English and French. Jonathan, who won the NRJ Music Award for Francophone Breakthrough of the Year in 2011, is the first French singer-songwriter to join the Chinese music competition Ride the Wind in 2024. This concert is part of this year's French May. 6. Trevor Yeung: Courtyard of Detachments Above 'Pond of Never Enough' by Trevor Yeung (Photo: courtesy of M+ and the artist) When: June 14 to October 12 Where: M+, West Kowloon Cultural District What: Following his showcase at the 60th Venice Biennale, Hong Kong artist Trevor Yeung revisits and reimagines his acclaimed installation. Shifting from themes of attachment to detachment, Yeung explores power dynamics and emotional ecology through aquatic-inspired ecosystems. 7. Wing Po So: Polyglot Above 'Polyglot Mulberry' (2023) by Wing Po So (Image: courtesy of Blindspot Gallery and the artist) When: June 17 to August 23 Where: Blindspot Gallery, Wong Chuk Hang What: Wing Po So examines the language of nature through a pharmacological lens. Drawing from Chinese medicine, her mixed-media works use materia medica to reveal hidden systems and structures, offering a layered interpretation of the environment and the unseen forces within it. 8. The Film Music of Alexandre Desplat Above A still from 'The Shape of Water' (Image: courtesy of IMDB) When: June 20 and 21 Where: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre What: The Hong Kong Philharmonic pays tribute to Alexandre Desplat, the French composer behind The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Lust, Caution (2007), Godzilla (2014), The Shape of Water (2017). Though Desplat will not attend due to Hollywood commitments; his wife and violinist Solrey will conduct the performance. Don't miss: 'Frozen', James Horner and John Williams: the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's new season line-up is announced 9. Jay Chou Carnival World Tour Above Jay Chou at his 'Carnival World Tour' in Nanning, China in April 2025 (Photo: Instagram/@jaychou) When: June 27 to 29 Where: Kai Tak Stadium, Kowloon City What: The Mando-pop legend Jay Chou returns to Hong Kong with his globe-trotting Carnival World Tour , which began in Shanghai in 2019 and has since then toured around Asia, Oceania and Europe. From Fade Away to If You Don't Love Me, It's Fine , fans can expect an energetic set of his greatest hits in this Hong Kong concert.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The incredible ceramics collection with a very surprising owner
Among the students of Oxford University, Sylvanus Sydney Denton was a name to be conjured with. For many years, he made his money selling bicycles to students, while simultaneously developing a passion for modern and contemporary ceramic art. He amassed a collection of over 220 examples which he kept in a specially built kitchen extension. Denton died last year at the age of 90 and his collection has gone on view at Sotheby's this week prior to being sold at the end of the month. It is estimated to fetch as much as £1.7 million. It is not known exactly when Denton caught the ceramic bug, but it was probably not until his late forties. Having done his National Service in Kenya he found work back home in Oxford fixing bikes and refurbishing caravans before investing in a bike and toy shop. By 1982 he had four shops and was displaying his ingenuity buying vintage 19th century bikes on which he posed for the local press. Sotheby's believes his journey to ceramics began with Modern British art (Henry Moore, LS Lowry and Barbara Hepworth) before he discovered more affordable ceramics by the likes of 1930s refugees from Nazi Germany, Hans Coper and Lucy Rie whose pots were beginning to be seen as fine art and superior to craft. According to the sale catalogue, one of Denton's earliest acquisitions was a work by Coper which he bought in 1988 at the trailblazing Oxford Gallery, which presented contemporary ceramics with avant-garde modern art by the likes of Terry Frost and Patrick Heron. Two works he bought there in the 1990s were by Edmund de Waal, the ceramicist and author of The Hare with Amber Eyes, long before he was swept up by the upmarket Gagosian contemporary art gallery. Denton also shopped at auction and in 1997 bought a Black Cycladic Form Arrow pot by Coper at Bonhams for about £9,000. To give an idea how Coper's prices have moved, another Cycladic Form Arrow pot bought by a different collector in the 1970s for £250 sold in 2018 for £381,000. Denton's example at Sotheby's is a comparatively tame £100,000 (check). Sotheby's describes Denton's collection as 'one of the finest collections of studio and contemporary ceramics in private hands'. Apart from Coper there are several delicate works by Rie in the £25,000-50,000 range, and a standout work by Elizabeth Fritsch, who is currently enjoying a high-profile exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield museum near Leeds. Denton bought Fritsch's 20-inch, vividly coloured 'Spout' Pot (1998) for a double estimate record £10,160 at Bonhams in 2004, since when her record has risen to £51,400 last year. The estimate for Spout Pot has now doubled to £12,000-18,000. Another auction buy was a playfully twisted 'Monumental Body Pot', by Joanna Constantinidis which Denton bought for a record £1,600 at Bonhams in 2002, two years after she died. Posthumously, her prices have crept up to £15,000 for another Body Pot in 2021 so Denton's example, now estimated at £4,000-£6,000 should make more. His favoured method of acquisition, however, was to buy directly from the artists themselves; he was very popular with potters. One was Dame Magdalene Odundo, the British Nigerian who was the subject of an impressive exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield in 2019. Three burnished terracotta pots by her in the sale all date from 1990/91, before she was famous. There is no record of their cost, but by this point art dealers were charging £5,000, compared to £250 in the 1970s. Since then, her prices have been multiplying. At auction in around 2010 they were selling for £10,000-£15,000, but after The Hepworth Wakefield show was announced and she was signed up by leading contemporary art dealer Thomas Dane, wealthy collectors like fashion designer Jonathan Anderson (who has been announced as the new head designer at Dior) began buying her work and at auction they soared to a record £533,400 for one of her pots in 2023. The estimate on that work was £100,000, a record for Odundo at the time. Now Sotheby's has gone a step further with two from Denton's collection estimated at £150,000 each. This is, though, a collection of value extremes. While most of the value is concentrated in just a handful of artists, the majority of lots are estimated at under £3,000 each, some with no reserve minimum price. Other artists include Janet and David Leach, the wife and son of the influential potter Bernard Leach, and Richard Batterham, a student of Leach who died in 2021 the same year that a pair of his pots hit a record £20,000 at auction. So, for fledgling ceramic collectors it's time to get on your bikes and bid. The sanctions that were imposed on Russian businesses after Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 put an end to the regular art sales, worth millions of pounds, which London used to stage mainly for the benefit of Russian buyers. Russian art auctions in London went from being worth over £100 million a year to nothing. But last year, Sotheby's held a sale – unnoticed by the press – entitled Fabergé, Imperial & Revolutionary Works of Art, which included Russian paintings, and it exceeded its £2.9 million estimate to make £3.9 million. And this November they are planning a repeat. So what is going on? According to analysis conducted by advisory group Overstone Art Services, Russian art continues to appear, but in different sale categories – from Old Master and 19th century to Modern. Russian art can be bought and sold, so long as the client is not a Russian passport holder or on a sanctions list. This April, for instance, Sotheby's included two paintings by the 19th century artist Richard Zommer, who worked in Central Asia and would previously have been sold in a Russian art sale, in its sale of Orientalist art together with a variety of European artists. One of his paintings, a depiction of a chaikhana (or meeting place for travellers) on the Silk Road, was estimated at £20,000 and sold for a record £114,300. Trade sources believe the Russian art market is buoyant within Russia, better than property, and that Russian buyers are still active in the West but operate under a dual nationality, as Ukrainian, say, or Belarusian. In a statement released to the Telegraph last week, Sotheby's said: 'Today there is a significant diaspora of Russians who collect. As ever, we have worked to ensure that we are complying with sanctions and other restrictions placed on Russian clients and property of Russian origin. Where appropriate, we have also been offering Russian paintings in international sales across various selling locations. While the international auction market for Russian art remains significantly smaller than it was, we have seen areas of positive momentum.' The statement echoes Overstone's observation that while sale totals are down, average hammer prices for Russian artists have increased, indicating that 'growth is already beginning to occur. If this trend continues, it seems likely that the accessibility of the Russian paintings market will increase, thus allowing for the market to grow again when the situation is more settled.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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