Michael Jackson Warhol painting sold

A portrait of Michael Jackson painted by the late artist Andy Warhold sold at auction Tuesday night for an undisclosed amount. One report gave the figure of 1 million dollars, but the gallery owner declined to give any figures.

The painting depicts a Thriller-era Jackson and was commissioned to celebrate the album's sales. Warhol painted a number of celebrities throughout his career, including Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy, Elvis Presley (Jackson onetime father-in-law), Elizabeth Taylor and more.

Lemon Marilyn

Warhol's Jacko Art In London Ahead Of Sale

Andy Warhol's 198 portrait of Michael Jackson has gone on show at the O2 arena, before going under the hammer in New York later this month.

Time Magazine commissioned the King of Pop Art to paint the King of Pop to celebrate the world record breaking of Thriller, and its one of only five known Warhol-Jackson portraits.

read more on Sky News

Collecting Michael Jackson

NEW YORK—Michael Jackson’s untimely death at 50 yesterday, apparently from cardiac arrest, caught the world by surprise. Not least the auction world.

In a rarefied league with items related to Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, Jackson memorabilia was already highly collectible. Now it will become even more so, according to Darren Julien, chief executive of the Beverly Hills, Calif.–based Julien’s Auctions.

A color photograph of Jackson’s high school class from 1973

sold for $180, below its pre-sale estimate of $300 to $500,

at Christie's in 2006.

Julien is well versed in Jacksonabilia. His company nearly put up 1,400 Jackson items for auction earlier this year, before the singer changed his mind and sued to cancel the sale. Several other Jackson-related items will be part of Julien’s Summer Sale today and tomorrow in Las Vegas, including a concert T-shirt from his Michael Jackson Victory Tour and a signed belt.

Read more on Artinfo.com

American art weak at Sotheby’s and Christie’s New York sales despite museums’ clear-out

A new willingness to deaccession brought some success, but overall picture is of caution in the teeth of the recession

new york. Prices for 18th- to mid-20th-century American art plunged in May as Sotheby’s and Christie’s struggled to sell just 60% of their New York auctions, making $32.1m, down from $159.6m a year ago. “There were fewer bidders than we’ve seen in a decade,” said Dara Mitchell, the head of Sotheby’s American painting department. “People were cautious and really waiting to see where this market is going.”
“Most of the big players were not around,” said New York American painting dealer Howard Godel. “There wasn’t enough enticing material above $1m to get those buyers salivating.” Even a plentiful array of fresh-to-the-market museum offerings wasn’t enough to bolster weak results.
Christie’s 20 May sale totalled $16.8m for 141 lots, under the $20.6m low pre-sale estimate. Just 62% found buyers, and only three lots surpassed the million-dollar mark. The top lot was Milton Avery’s 1944 Sketching by the Sea which fetched $2.2m, well above the $800,000 high estimate. The painting depicts two figures drawing by a rocky coast line and came from an estate where it had resided since 1946.

Read more on The Art Newspaper

Buyers for Warhol and Calder

LONDON — A 1963 painting from Warhol’s famous “Death and Disaster” series and an early standing mobile by Calder — works by artists who have stood the test of time — were among the top sellers in a solid contemporary art auction at Sotheby’s here on Thursday night.

Bidding was cautious, as dealers and collectors thought carefully before shopping. Still the sale showed that when the price is right, there is still cash to be spent on classic, conservative art. The evening totaled $41.9 million, just below its low $45 million high estimate. Of the 40 works on offer only three failed to sell.

Read more on The New York Times

The norwegian opera and ballet wins the 2009 mies van der rohe award

It was announced last wedensday that the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies Van Der Rohe Award 2009 was awarded to The Norwegian Opera and Ballet, designed by the Snøhetta Architects.

Given by the European Commission and the Fundacio Mies Van Der Rohe, the prize is one of the most important and prestigious prizes for international architecture. By supporting the prize, the European Commission underlines the role of architecture as a driver for creativity and innovation and draws attention to the important contribution of European professionals in the development of new ideas and technologies.

The Norwegian Opera and Ballet bested four other finalists, which were chosen from a pool of 340 project nominees from around the world.

Dagbladet

Nytt media-jippo fra Aune Sand?

TV2 meldte tidligere at et maleri malt av broren Vebjørn, verdt 200 000 kroner, ble stjålet fra Galleri Sand under et nachspiel i regi av Aune Sand lørdag natt.

Det hele ble filmet av overvåkningskamera - som Sand velvillig viste fram på TV2. Både VG og Dagbladet har nå slått dette stort opp.

Idag melder Dagbladet at Aune nå har fått en telefon fra en student som har meldt seg, og at saken kanskje ikke blir anmeldt. Nye oppslag i media og omtale er resultatet.