Bacon Breaks Record as Art Market Sizzles

Related Newser Stories

• Masters Shore Up Shaky Art Market

  Jul 3, 08 9:48 AM CDT
  The art market has again defied the economic downturn, with Christie's and Sotheby's bringing in more than $1 billion combined during the past two weeks' London sales—a 19% rise from last year. But those numbers disguise the erratic nature of the market, writes the Wall Street Journal. While new collectors from Russia and the Middle East are paying top dollar for works by established modern masters, younger artists went bust. More »

• Hirst Goes Straight to Auction

  Jun 19, 08 10:36 AM CDT
  In recent years, art collectors and auction houses have been reaping the profits of soaring contemporary art prices, while living artists watched with chagrin. Now Damien Hirst has stepped into the fray, bypassing the gallery system and bringing his latest works straight to auction. "It’s a very democratic way to sell art," says Hirst, "and it feels like a natural evolution for contemporary art." More »

• Art Continues to Buck Ragged Economy

  May 14, 08 2:21 PM CDT
  Christie's auction of contemporary art in New York belied an economic downturn, the Times reports, with paintings, sculpture, and even a house fetching handsome prices. Two works drew particular attention: a portrait of a 280-pound nude woman by Lucian Freud, which sold for $33.6 million, and a house in Palm Springs by Richard Neutra, which fetched $16.8 million. More »

• Robert Rauschenberg, American Master, Dies at 82

  May 13, 08 12:10 PM CDT
  Robert Rauschenberg, a pioneer of pop art and one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century, died yesterday at 82, the AP reports. Rauschenberg's "combine paintings" of the 1950s, which incorporated three-dimensional objects ranging from soda bottles to stuffed birds, were seen as revolutionary, but over a decades-long career he also worked in other media, including sculpture and dance. More »

• Art Auction Houses Predict 25% Bump

  May 5, 08 9:30 AM CDT
  The New York art auction season begins today, and Sotheby’s and Christie’s say they believe the art market’s 5-year boom will continue, forecasting $1.8 billion in sales, reports the Financial Times. The prediction of a 25% boost over last year flies in the face of financial-market lassitude and nervousness among collectors and dealers. Prices jumped 18% in 2007. More »