Since 2016, billionaire real estate tycoon Harry Macklowe and his ex-wife Linda Burg have feuded in court over assets during their contentious divorce proceedings. Disagreeing on the value of their impressive art collection, the couple were ordered to sell off the coveted trove. Sotheby’s have now auctioned all 65 artworks for a staggering $922.2 million (£741.9 million) in total, making it the most valuable private collection ever sold at auction.
Continue readingTo loan or not to loan? Marilyn Monroe’s dress worn at Met Gala sparks conservation debate
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has sparked a wave of criticism after wearing an iconic Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) dress to this year’s Met Gala. Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the gala celebrated the current exhibition “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” with the dress code ‘Gilded Glamour’.
Continue readingAmateur unearths treasure trove of Roman coins in Switzerland
An amateur Swiss metal detectorist has recently uncovered a remarkable find in a forest near Wildenstein Castle in Bubendorf, Switzerland. Daniel Lüdin identified a clay pot containing nearly 1,300 Roman coins which, following expert analysis, can be dated to the reign of Constantine the Great, who ruled from 306-337 C.E.
Continue readingMajor project rediscovers artworks by forgotten female artists of Venice
The US organisation Save Venice has launched the project ‘Women Artists of Venice’, which aims to spotlight the under researched women artists of Venice. Relatively little is known about their lives in comparison to Venetian male painters, like Titian (1488/90-1576), Tintoretto (1518-1594) and Canaletto (1697-1768), who have traditionally dominated art historical scholarship.
Continue readingNFTs recognised as legal property in landmark case
The High Court ruled last week that NFTs are now to be considered legal property, marking a significant step forward for victims of NFT theft, who will now be more confidently able to apply for an injunction when finding that their NFTs have been misappropriated.
Continue readingHacking of Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Instagram leads to $3 million (£2.4 million) NFT theft
On Monday morning, the official Instagram account of a non-fungible token (NFT) collection suffered a major hack. It is estimated that a whopping $3 million (£2.4 million) worth of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs were taken during the mass theft.
Continue readingBritish artist Sonia Boyce lands top prize at Venice Biennale
The 59th Venice Biennale, which had been scheduled for 2021 but delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had its pre-opening from 20-22 April and presented its highest prize, the Golden Lion, to British artist Sonia Boyce.
Continue readingSotheby’s to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with spectacular sale and exhibition
Ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, Sotheby’s London will auction and exhibit rare British royal ephemera in a month-long programme in London. Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch at the age of 96, having ascended to the throne in 1953.
Continue readingNotre Dame dig reveals 700-year-old treasures and human remains
In the years since a shocking fire ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, work has been underway to rebuild the spire of the city’s iconic site. Recently, various extraordinary treasures have been unearthed during an excavation dig under the cathedral.
Continue readingGiant spider sculpture poised to break records at Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Arachnophobes, look away now! A rare spider sculpture by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) will headline Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Art auction in Hong Kong later this month. It could become the most expensive sculpture ever sold in Asia, luring in collectors with an estimated value of HK$120 million to $150 million (£11.5 million to £15.3 million).
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