Downtick: 80’s Painting
What in heaven's earth is Jeff Koons thinking with regard to his new series of paintings aside from money? They are without doubt the most awful crop of crap to emerge from the studio of a leading light of contemporary art since...there is no comparison to be made, as...
Cancellation of Art Basel Miami Beach – Spring 2001
Lesson number one for those contemplating staging an international contemporary art fair in the future: get more than a contract when signing up participants, get a deposit. Lawyers raison d'ítre is to get clients out of contracts, but the leverage of money in hand is...
Downticks: the Damien Duldrums: When is Enough Enough?
As evidence that there can be no strictly linear movement up in the art market without regard to quality and consistency, there has been a marked downturn and backing off with regard to Damien Hirst's auction performance in 2001. Though his last extravaganza at New...
Paul Thek: Famous… & Forgotten… & Famous
Bottino; :Bot; Glass
From 1986 to the summer of 1999 Borocco Restaurant (below Canal on West Broadway) was a favorite art world hang out in the heyday of the Mary Boone-Schnabel-Fischl-Salle-Basquiat, rein of power. A time forever, memorably etched upon the minds of those that caught a...
Trends in the Day Sales of Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips
Phillips was tepid at best and at worst, a dangerous place to go to market with your contemporary art wares. The conclusion was don't sell at Phillips work that could be accepted for consignment at either Sotheby's or Christie's (in contrast to some big-ticket items...
My Dinner (Eavesdropping) With Gagosian
OK. So I didn't actually have dinner with him, he sat at a table behind me; but, I recognized that unmistakable close cropped gray buzz cut. We were back to back in the restaurant. As the meal progressed and in proportion to my imbibing, I began to listen more and...