Fine Art Blog

Category: Artists

Artists

  • Is Andy Warhol’s Pop Art loosing its demand? – Sotheby’s auction report May 10th 2011

    Andy Warhol’s Sixteen Jackies was expected to sell for a whopping $30 million at the ‘Contemporary Art Evening Sale’ held at Sotheby’s Art Auction House in New York on May 10th. However the usual big-money art collectors were a little reluctant to part with such big bucks on the night.


    Andy Warhol, Sixteen Jackies. 1964. Sold for $20.2 million at Sotheby’s auction to an unidentified telephone bidder.

    Despite being the top seller at the auction, Warhol’s 16 piece silk screened canvas only managed to draw in two bidders, and eventually sold at its low estimate of $18 million; excluding Sotheby’s fees that in total brought the sale up to $20.2 million. A total of 58 artworks were up for auction, of which 9 failed to sell. The night definitely wasn’t an out and out success, however Sotheby’s still managed to rake in a total of $128.1 million and surpass their low total estimate of £120 million. But was it enough?


    Andy Warhol, Shadow-Red. 1978. Topped its estimate of $700,000-$900,000 by selling for £4.8 million on the night.

    Before the auction began on Tuesday, collectors and dealers complained that Sotheby’s were auctioning too many Warhol pieces, as a total of seven were up for sale that night. Attending the auction was Californian billionaire and financier Mr. Eli Broad who commented: “It’s all in the material, and to me there was nothing really outstanding.” The auction proved that if the estimate was low enough, the dealers and collectors would bid (as was the case with Warhol’s Shadow-Red); however if the price wasn’t right, they just weren’t that interested. This lack of shopping and too much watching raises the question; is the art world tiring of Warhol’s pop art, or were Sotheby’s estimates just too high for the current economic climate?

    Thank you

    Jessica

    Useful Links:

    www.sothebys.com
    www.warhol.org
    The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

  • The National Gallery: Set to reveal Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition

    The National Gallery are set to hold what promises to be the most popular exhibition ever seen in the UK. The exceptional exhibition will feature several of Leonardo da Vinci’s rare works that the London gallery have managed to secure through a series of international loans. Some of the pieces will be travelling from galleries situated in Italy and others from France; many of which have never been seen in the UK before. By miraculously making seven Da Vinci loans a possibility, The National Gallery will feature the most complete series of da Vinci works ever seen.


    Leonardo da Vinci, Madonna Litta. c 1490-91.

    Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is the official title of the exhibition. It is to be held from the 9th November 2011 through to the 5th February 2012. This showing doesn’t concentrate of Leonardo as a draughtsman or an inventor. Instead it concentrates on Leonardo solely as a painter; delving into the skills and techniques used by this fascinating artist, and his pursuit for perfection seen in his representations of the human form. The exhibition particularly concentrates on the works created by Da Vinci through the late 1480’s and 1490’s, as this was the time period da Vinci spent as a Court Painter to Milan’s ruler, Duke Lodovico Sforza.


    Leonardo da Vinci, St. Jerome. c 1480.

    In order to make the three month exhibition as enjoyable as possible, The National Gallery intend to limit visitor numbers. To combat the possibility of over-crowding, the gallery will only allow 180 visitors to enter each half hour, instead of the usual 230 that is in accordance with the galleries’ Health and Safety regulations. However, knowing that tickets with be in high demand, the gallery will aim to avoid disappointment by introducing later opening times of a Friday and Saturday evening.


    Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper. c 1498.

    The final, and perhaps most exciting part of the exhibition, is the full-scale copy of da Vinci’s world famous ‘ The Last Supper’. This marvellous piece that will be on loan from the Royal academy will be seen alongside the preliminary drawings of this piece created by the very hands of Leonardo. Alongside this, visitors will get to discover how this grand-scale painting was intricately designed and accomplished by the fascinating man and artist that was Leonardo da Vinci

    Related Links:

    http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/

    http://arthistory.about.com/cs/leonardo/a/last_supper.htm

  • Artist Darren Baker is to paint Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Royal Appointment

    The outstanding Huddersfield born artist Darren Baker has well and truly made a name for himself as one of the leading painters of the classical realism genre. So far, Baker’s remarkable portfolio includes commissioned portraits for sports clubs, portraits of major sports personalities such as Lewis Hamilton, Jonny Wilkinson, and Steven Gerrard (to name drop a few), and even portraits of HRH Prince Charles and the now ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair. His art is highly sort after by both British and International collectors, and some of his works even hang in 10 Downing Street and the House of Lords.


    ‘Beckham’s Golden Generation’ by Darren Baker

    So how could the career of this already world renowned artist get any better, I hear you ask? Well I shall tell you. Baker’s portfolio is about to become even more extraordinary as Buckingham Palace has confirmed that he is to paint Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth by royal appointment. This Royal portrait is to be unveiled to Her Majesty this summer as a celebratory party of her 85th Birthday year. Baker will stand amongst a few elite artists to achieve an accolade of this standard.


    Photo of Darren Baker

    Alongside this exciting news, Baker has also revealed his new collection which further exemplifies the immense talent of this artist. Unlike his more formal portraits, this new collection includes stunning figurative pieces that appear much more sensual in tone and relaxed in atmosphere.


    ‘Vision Sensuelle III’ limited edition on canvas board by Darren Baker

    Baker’s prestige as a portrait artist of the sports world has also landed him the role of official artist for the London 2012 Olympics. He will be flying the flag for British art, and is most definitely going for the gold.

    Thank you

    Jessica

    Useful Links

    – Purchase Darren Baker Originals
    – ‘This Is Gloucester’ article on Darren

  • Beryl Cook News – Official Collectors edition release: ‘Dancing the Black Bottom’

    Although the wonderful Beryl Cook is no longer with us, she most certainly lives on in her popular postcard-esque paintings. Cook was known for her portrayals of saucy, larger than life characters, often seen to be completely engrossed in their spit-and-sawdust pub social life.


    Beryl Cook: ‘Dancing the Black Bottom’
    Published 2011, Official Collectors Edition
    Limited Edition of 650 (unsigned, posthumous release)

    The ‘larger’ ladies and male characters that commonly feature in her work are inspired by the colourful characters Beryl came across in the Dolphin Pub, whilst living in the seaside town of Plymouth. In stark contrast her characters Beryl was a shy, modest woman. You could say that it was this dissimilarity that drove her to perpetually observe these larger than life personalities, as although Beryl felt she could never be this way in person, she could, in a sense, be a bit flamboyant and saucy through her art.


    Beryl Cook ‘The Last Gasp’
    Published 2010, Official Collectors Edition
    Limited Edition of 650 (unsigned, posthumous release)

    Her pieces are always full of colour and have fun titles that have the ability to make you giggle. You feel that you could walk into any pub in any British seaside town and encounter the characters Beryl is famous for painting. Her art is all about pleasure; her characters are always seen enjoying the guilty pleasures of nightlife, including booze, fags, and with a little imagination sordid chitchat and gossip. She was most definitely a talented woman that will be deeply missed by the art world and fans alike.


    Beryl Cook: ‘Drinkies’
    Published 2009, Official Collectors Edition
    Limited Edition of 650 (unsigned, posthumous release)

    We have seen all of these releases in person and the colour reproduction is superb, we feel the printing technology continues to improve year on year in the UK. Also they are professionally printed, mounted, come with certificates & are personally approved by the family to print;

    It was their express wish that her pictures continue to be made available to the public. Our research shows that these lithographic prints remain the most cost effective way of owning high quality, large, collectable limited editions of her work.

    thank you

    Jenna

    Useful Links:
    BBC Audio slideshow featuring interviews with the artist
    www.thesun.co.uk – tribute and slideshow of images