A restauranteur in Greece has given authentic decor a whole new level of meaning with the revelation that he bedecked his establishment with ancient and late medieval artefacts, contrary to the country’s cultural heritage laws.
Category: All Articles
Middle East Art Collector takes Sotheby’s to court
One of the most prominent collectors of Modern Middle Eastern Art has taken Sotheby’s to court for allegedly misrepresenting the value of an Egyptian sculpture in their sale catalogue. Continue reading
AI, Instagram and first-time jitters: the year in online art sales
‘The future of the online art market is guaranteed, although the shape remains a mystery’, says international specialist global fine art insurer, Hiscox, in its hotly anticipated Online Art Trade Report for 2018. Continue reading
Walpole and the ancient world
In this fourth instalment of our special blog series, we continue to follow art historian and provenance researcher, Silvia Davoli, on the trail of the lost treasures of Strawberry Hill House. Silvia unearths some astonishing finds when she delves deeper into Walpole’s collection of antique artefacts and explores his fascination with the ancient world.
Rome, February 1740. A young Horace Walpole arrives and I imagine the late winter sun illuminating his face, earnest and flushed with anticipation as he trawls the city for fashionable parties and collectible antiques. Continue reading
Copycat Damien Hirst owns up to “stealing” ideas
For years, the bad boy of British art, Damien Hirst, has defended himself against accusations of plagiarism. Now it seems he has has given up the fight and owned up to pinching ideas from his fellow artists. Continue reading
Suffragette statue joins boys’ club in Parliament Square
First came the campaign to have Jane Austen printed on the £10 note. Today another hard-fought battle was won as the first ever statue of a woman to be erected in Parliament Square was officially unveiled in London. Continue reading
Pittsfield museum to auction off American masterpieces
Last week, we learned the National Gallery of Canada plans to sell a Marc Chagall painting from its collection to fund another acquisition. Now it seems another museum is clearing house in a bid to raise US$55 million (£39.2 million) to enable it to undertake major renovation works. Continue reading
Can’t a museum sell an artwork in its collection?
Museums and cultural heritage institutions actively acquire art but can they sell it just as easily? The National Gallery of Canada has sparked a debate over this very question with the announcement that it will be selling a painting by Marc Chagall at auction on 15 May 2018. Continue reading
Nazi loot returned to heirs in landmark ruling
A Manhattan judge has awarded heirs of a Holocaust victim two looted artworks, citing the 2016 Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act. Continue reading
The mystery of the painting that inspired ‘The Castle of Otranto’
In this third instalment of our special blog series, we continue to follow art historian and provenance researcher, Silvia Davoli’s quest to find the lost treasures of Strawberry Hill House. Formerly the home of Horace Walpole in the 18th century, Strawberry Hill House was emptied of Walpole’s celebrated art collection when it was scattered 200 years ago. Silvia is now sifting through archives and searching museums in every corner of the globe to uncover the lost treasures in a bid to restore them to Strawberry Hill. Can you help her in her quest?
When we last left Silvia, she was on the hunt for the lost dagger of King Henry VIII. We rejoin her now in her quest to find another lost treasure of Strawberry Hill House, a painted portrait which inspired a gothic ghost story. Continue reading
Art Law & More 