NEWS

Russian Art Auction raises US$39 million
Sotheby’s biannual Russian Sale in London yesterday realised US$39,136,774. The sale was extremely well-attended and attracted more than 230 international buyers who registered to bid in person and on the telephones. The sum achieved for yesterday’s auction brings the combined total for sales of Russian art at Sotheby’s worldwide so far this year to US$148,895,702 – US$46 million more than the annual turnover for Russian sales at Sotheby’s worldwide last year, itself the highest total for a single year. Sales continue on Thursday.

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Museum race to be first to open in Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Museum and Guggenheim Foundation are battling to open first their new museums in Adu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. The Louvre Museum action is being supported by President Jacques Chirac's desire for better relations between east and west. Meanwhile, The Guggenheim's new museum designed by Frank Gehri, will open in 2012.

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Manchester United's manager to help save WWII paintings
Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, will lead a campaign to raise money to save a collection of World War II paintings and restore artworks by Sir Stanley Spencer. Ferguson, born and raised in Glasgow, was approached by the Imperail War Museum to help save the paintings (they have begun to fade and crumble). The museum knew that his father, brother and uncle had all worked in the shipyards.

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Exhibition censored because of deep-fried American flags
Artist William Gentry's exhibition "The Fat is in in the Fire", was removed from the Customs House Museum, less than 18 hours after the inauguration. All this happened because the artist featured deep-fried American flags.

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"Lost" Paintings by Fra Angelico discovered in Oxford
Two paintings by Italian Renaissance master Fra Angelico have been discovered hanging behind a door in a two bedroom terraces house in Oxford. Both paintings (two panels each painted with the standing figure of a Dominican saint in tempera on a gold background) are expected to fetch a total of more than US$1.9 million, belonged to a 77-year-old Jean Preston, who died earlier this year.

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Art-on-demand
Comcast is bringing fine art masterpieces and photographs to the living rooms of their customers nationwide with GalleryPlayer On Demand. Comcast and GalleryPlayer are delivering a new service that transforms the way customers use and interact with their HDTVs.

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Most expensive art auction in history:US$491 million
Three days ago, the sale of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie's realized US$491,472,000, setting a new record for any auction. The prospect of acquiring masterpieces the likes of which had not been seen on the market forever generated boundless enthusiasm and bidding throughout the sale. Nine new world auction records were set including for Klimt, Schiele, Kirchner, Gauguin and Balthus. Buyers in Wednesday's sale, by lot (not value) were 39.5% American, 42.5% European, 4% Asian, 1.5% Russian, 3% Latin American and 9.5% other.

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Sotheby’s Impressionist sale totals US$239 million
Two days ago at Sotheby’s, key examples of Impressionist and Modern Art brought US$238,670,000, the highest total for a sale in this category at Sotheby’s since May 1990. The top price achieved this evening was for a stunning still-life by Paul Cézanne, which sold for $36,976,000.

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Max Ernst painting stolen from Art Cologne
A thief stole a Max Ernst painting during the last day at Art Cologne. While staff from Salis & Vertes Gallery from Salzburg, Austria were busy taking down pictures, they turned their backs and one painting was missing. Police admitted they have no clues, security was lax at that moment.

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Los Angeles Ballet Celebrity Art Auction
The Los Angeles Ballet will host a celebrity art auction fundraiser on Thursday, November 9th at Bergamot Station. The event with Honorary Chair Anjelica Huston will offer works by celebrity artists like Steve Martin, Orlando Bloom, Tony Bennett, Tony Curtis, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Bridges, Julie Andrews, Viggo Mortensen, Jane Seymour, Yoko Ono among others. The auction will be conducted live by Santa Monica Auction House Auctioneer, Robert Berman.

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New world record: US$140 million for Pollock painting
Jackson Pollock's artwork "No. 5" was auctioned for a record US$140 million. It is the most expensive artwork beating the US$135 million spent by cosmetics heir Ronald S. Lauder in June on the 1907 portrait "Adele Bloch-Bauer I" by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.

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Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art opening date delayed
We will have to wait a little more time for The Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art to open. Sources at the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) said that the museum will not be on schedule for December 01, 2006. We will know the exact date on November 08. One of the most prestigious repositories of Islamic artefacts in the world will be ready at least in four months.

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Italian exhibition on stolen treasures recovered
Italy is suffering of new attacks by thieves who are selling treasures from churches on the black market. In a failure for ancient sites, thieves are focusing on churches for religious artefacts. Even when many international museums are returning to Italy illegally exported antiquities, thieves are trying to find more objects to sell to collectors. The demand is still in the market.

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