Does Contemporary Art Make the Old Masters Look Cheap?

Sandro Botticelli - “Madonna and Child With Young Saint John the Baptist” (also known as "The Rockefeller Madonna") which sold for $10.4 millionCollective sales of works by Old Masters took in less than half of the $400 million contemporary art sale that Christie's held last November. It begs the question, “Does Contemporary Art Make the Old Masters Look Cheap?” READ the numbers and see what you think!

How and Why Taste Changes

Kirk Douglas as Post-Impessionist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) in the 1956 film, “Lust for Life”. Vincent (as he signed his works) rose to fame only after his death. English artist Damien Hirst (born 1965) enjoys his popularity (and financial rewards) now. The notion of the “struggling artist” is definitely undergoing a rethink.David Ekserdjian is a professor of history of art and film at the University of Leicester. He’s written a “must read” article on the evolving changes in tastes in art that I’m sure you’ll all enjoy. He suggests that once artistic “giants” wane from popularity--very few of them are resurrected.

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The Golden Age of Abstraction: Right Now

Chris Martin’s Seven Pointed Star for Isaac Hayes, 2009, touches on cosmology and technology. COURTESY MITCHELL-INNES & NASH, NEW YORK. (click photo for larger image)

“Riffing on the past as it comments on our own time, contemporary abstraction evokes landscapes, bodies, signs, buildings, and much more.”

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A History of Art and Fashion Collaborations

An Image of a Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama Concept Store, Summer 2012

“While the crossover of fashion and art is hardly a new phenomenon, the nature of today’s partnerships differ greatly from those of the past.”

READ MORE in an article by Meredith Blechman that reviews how the relationship between fashion and art has evolved.

Detailed Urban Landscape Images Are Actually Ultra-Realistic Paintings

The gifted artist, Nathan Walsh, at workNathan Walsh - A Finished Product (click photo for larger image)

“Nathan Walsh (born 1972) is an English realist painter who specializes in urban landscapes. He pays tribute to some of the world’s most beautiful cities, like New York, Chicago or London, through photo-realistic paintings of various urban locations.”

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This artist goes through a lengthy, meticulous process to create his wonderful works--and feels that process is far superior to working from photographs. The process becomes an “experience” in Walsh’s view.