Art News Archives - Love Art Insurance

Green Vault Heist – The biggest in history?

November 25, 2019/in Art News, Art Theft /by Alex Andrews

Potentially the biggest art theft in history has occurred overnight in Dresden, Germany. Reportedly surpassing the still unsolved $500 million heist in Boston in 1990; thieves have made off with up to €1 billion ($1.1b US) of jewellery. Perpetrators of the Green Vault heist are said to have targeted smaller objects such as jewellery and left larger items like vases or paintings.

Dubbed in 2010 as ‘secure as Fort Knox’ by then-museum Director Martin Roth, thieves are thought to have set fire to a power box under the Augustus Bridge which cut power to the building before gaining entry via a small window.

Despite shutting off the power it is reported that a single CCTV camera was still in operation and has caught the suspects on film.

One of the most valuable items at the Gruenes Gewoelbe (Green Vault) is a green diamond called the ‘Dresden Green’ which is currently on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

A notice on the Green Vault’s website reads: “Please note that the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss) remains closed on 25. November 2019 for organizational reasons.”

A police spokesman Thomas Geithner confirmed the break in at 9:30am which apparently occurred around 5:00am this morning. “The crime scene group is on the scene, the perpetrators are on the run” he noted.

The Prime Minister of the state of Saxony – Michael Kretschmer had this to say in a statement: “Not only the state art collections were robbed, but we Saxons! Together with 600 artisans, we celebrated together that the largest part of the Residenzschloss is restored.” He continued: “The values that can be found in the Grünes Gewölbe and the Residenzschloss have been hard-won by the people of the Free State of Saxony for many centuries. One can not understand the history of our country, of our Free State, without the Green Vault and the State Art Collections of Saxony.”

Read more articles about art crime – The Future of Art Crime.

Banksy re-enters Art Review’s ‘Power 100’ list after 11 year hiatus

November 14, 2019/in Banksy, Auction Results, Art News /by Alex Andrews

Street artist Banksy has today been revealed at number 14 on Art Review’s 2019 ‘Power 100’ list. The anonymous Bristol born artist was last on the list in 2008 at position 63.

Art Review noted his admittance ‘because he neither seeks nor needs the support of the artworld’s established critical, institutional or commercial infrastructures.’ Whilst Banksy goes to great lenghts to kept his anonymity, he hasn’t shieded away from the spotlight with his work. Notable accolades for 2019 include:

Devolved Parliament Sale

The sale of Banksy’s painting ‘Devolved Parliament‘ managed a record breaking £9.9 million at Sotheby’s in October. The large-scale piece that replaces British politicians in the House of Commons with chimpanzees measures in at a dizzying 2.5m x 4.2m (8ft 2in x 13ft 9in).

Stormzy Headlines Glastonbury in a stab-proof vest made by Banksy

British rapper Stormzy – rolled out on stage as Friday night’s headliner at Glastonbury 2019 wearing a stab-proof vest emblazoned with a Union Jack. The vest grabbed the headlines and would later be offered on sale for a mere £850 as part of Banksy’s – Gross Domestic Product shop which popped up in South London in early October.

Gross Domestic Product

Banksy opened his very own ‘Homeware’ store in Croydon in October offering goods such as Tony the Tiger as a living room rug and a riot gear helmet disco ball. The temporary installation which never really opened was on display for a two week period after which the items were offered in a lottery sale on a new website setup by Banksy. Read more about Gross Domestic Product on Colossal.

Bbay

Alongside the announcement of Gross Domestic Product – Banksy revealed plans for taking control of the secondhand market of his work. The new site cleverly named – bbay.shop notes the site as ‘your first choice destination to trade in secondhand work by a third-rate artist.’ Little information is known about this ‘coming soon’ venture, but there is sure to be a twist as ever with Banksy.

For more information on Banksy, read our Banksy Insurance, Valuations, Authentication, Conservation and Sales guide.

CAMA Gallery Opening Ceremony

December 1, 2017/in Art Exhibition, Art News, Art Tours, VIP Art Club /by Megan Thompson

CAMA Gallery marked their arrival in the capital with an exclusive showcasing of Iranian art at Café Royal Hotel, London. 30 Exquisite pieces were on display by 30 highly acclaimed artists, inspired by professional and master Iranian art.

History of Iranian Art

Iran’s tumultuous history and troubled relationship with the West has often overshadowed overt international recognition of the country’s wealth of culture and artistic innovation. The turbulent political journey has been the driving force behind one of the most innovative contemporary art movements in modern history and CAMA are providing a platform for further global recognition.
Persian/Iranian art has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has a strong presence in various artistic disciplines including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. So, if you are an avid fan of art, it is highly likely that your favourite art piece has some form of Persian influence hidden in plain sight!

Recent Sales

An untitled work from Iranian poet and painter Sohrab Sepehri’s Tree Trunk series sold for 360,000 USD and was the highest grossing item sold at the Sotheby’s 20th Century Art: Middle East auction in London on Monday 23 October 2017. This is an exciting time for CAMA and the way the art market seems to be evolving at the moment – hence the need for a London Gallery Space together with an online presence.

In early 2014 news travelled concerning record-breaking sales emerging from Tehran which saw auction sales exceed $5million. The same Tehran Art Sale in 2015 saw 126 artworks sold with 46 works achieving well above estimate, creating a new record of $6.1million. To no surprise, we saw this trend continue with auction sales in excess of $10million at the Tehran Art Sale in 2017. At this auction, Sohrab Sepehri sold his impressive paintings in excess of $2million with individual works being sold for over $850,000.

CAMA Gallery Event

We were lucky enough to view one of Sohrab Sepehri’s pieces at the CAMA Gallery event, which was also available to purchase. Staff and clients of Brownhill Insurance Group were incredibly impressed with the skills and beauty of each of the pieces on show and great interest was expressed by all in the room. I can see that CAMA Gallery have a fantastic opportunity to really ‘rock’ the art industry and that Iranian artworks are becoming more and more popular. Future projections for auctions/ sales are thought to be bigger than ever, so watch this space!
Take a look at their website for further information and if you would like to make any enquiries then please contact me and I can put you in touch with CAMA Gallery https://en.camagallery.com/
Written by Megan Thompson, Cert CII tel 0208 353 8907.

Grenfell Tower: Benefit Auction

July 18, 2017/in Art News /by Lauren Andrews

Today opens Art Advisor Lucy Meakin’s online auction in aid of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in West London last month. The collection will feature some of the UK’s top contemporary artists including Cornelia Parker, Adam Fuss, The Clapham Brothers and Tracey Emin, to name a few.

After hearing of the disaster, Lucy – a former Notting Hill local, along with 25 of her artist friends came together to donate their works to the worthy cause. Running for 2 weeks the auction starts at 6 pm on 18th July 2017 until 6 pm on 1st August exclusively on artsy.net

Featured amongst the collection are photographs, hand-coloured etchings, prints, multiples as well as original artworks from the collective of artists. Each artist has donated a piece of work for the auction. Darren Almond has donated a photograph from his ‘full moon’ series. ‘Full Moon @ Valley Floor’ (2013). English sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker has donated two photogravure works: ‘Black Tulip’ and ‘Deception Glass’ (2017).

All funds raised will go directly to the London Community Foundation. Bidding will be open exclusively on Artsy.net.

credits

Ian Davenport – Colour Splat Cloud (white), 2017

An open laptop on an unmade bed with google mail displaying on screen

Cyber Criminals Target the Art World and Property Markets

April 24, 2017/in Art News /by Kim Wood

A worrying financial transaction scam has recently come to our attention. It involves the illegal accessing of email accounts and the intercepting financial correspondence.

The large sums involved in electronic transfers is the main attraction to hackers. By changing the bank details of the payee on an invoice, they are able to redirect the money into their accounts.

Due to the sophistication of this con, the invoice appears to come from the business itself and no one is the wiser.

Once transferred, the money disappears, dispersed between numerous bank accounts. The original invoice remaining unpaid.

Follow the steps below to avoid becoming a victim of this or a similar electronic fraud.

• Change your password on a regular basis.

• Always encrypt invoices or other sensitive information.

• Call and verify the bank details with the sender.

• When making large monetary transfers, consider paying a small amount first. Check funds have cleared with the recipient before paying the balance.

• Use a secure mobile payment system which requires extra verification.

Fabiano Parisi, Il Mondo Che Non Vedo, 2016 featured at the young masters exhibition

Young Masters Art Prize Launch

October 27, 2016/in Art Exhibition, Art News, Art Partners, Sponsorship /by Megan Thompson

On 2nd October, The Cynthia Corbett Gallery launched the fourth edition of the Young Masters Art Prize which Brownhill Insurance Group were proud sponsors of.

The exhibition, held at Royal Opera Arcade Gallery in Pall Mall, showed works from previous Young Masters artists together with guest artists. In various ways these talented artists’ reflect on the history of art through a variety of media. These include ceramics, painting, photography, multi-media and video.

Commanding great skill, each artist takes an aspect of art history, such as genre, technique, subject matter, reinventing it in a contemporary way. The standard of work seems to be of such high quality at each event. It is always a delight to be involved with Young Masters. We would like to congratulate the artists for the fantastic works displayed and also to Cynthia and the team for such an enjoyable evening.

(above picture: Fabiano Parisi, Il Mondo Che Non Vedo, 2016)

Clumsy Customers Create Costly Claims

July 27, 2016/in Art News /by Stephen Canning

Claims can happen in any art establishment, from a high street gallery to a world renowned museum. We’ve found three accidental damage claims that have come out in the public domain in recent years.

When a Pablo Picasso painting was being exhibited at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2010, a lady taking part in an art class accidentally fell into the painting.

The L’acteur, painted in 1904, is considered to be one of Picasso’s most famous works, and was valued at around £90 million. The woman created a 6 inch tear in the painting and it took three months to restore. The painting is now kept behind plexiglass.

A Taiwanese boy became an internet sensation last year for all the wrong reasons after he accidentally tore a hole in a painting worth £1 million. The 12-year-old lost his footing next to a 17th century Paolo Porpora oil painting called Flowers, valued at £950,000, It was at a Leonardo da Vinci show in Taipei. The boy lost his balance, stumbled over the safety rope and pressed a can of soft drink into the painting to steady himself! This was all seen in the security footage released by the organisers of the exhibition.

Nick Flynn was banned from ever visiting the Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge again after a loose shoelace, a lack of handrails and a bit of bad luck brought about the destruction of three Ming dynasty vases, thought to be worth around £100,000 in total.

Accidental damage emanating from a customer on your premises or whilst at an art exhibition or art fair can create all sorts of problems. No matter how many precautions you put in place a clumsy client can strike at any time!

Tim Lane Hits Kickstarter for Round 2

June 2, 2016/in Art News, Art Partners /by Alex Andrews

Following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 with nearly 150 backers pledging over £17,000, Tim Lane is back with his second Kickstarter campaign.

Silent Quarter is a short story and drawing bookwork told through a combination of writing and drawing.

Silent Quarter is a darkly beautiful, illustrated short-story. It is an emotional and philosophically reflective journey through the mind of an old man – who is both a mask-maker and a barber – as he comes to the end of his long life of love, service, ceremony and creativity.

With 7 days left (as of 2nd June) of his second Kickstarter project, Antlers Gallery and Tim Lane are looking to emulate the success of the Anima Mundi project of 2014.

Anima Mundi – The limited edition five metre long concertina book, which folds in to an A5 book and slipcase was successfully funded on 10th May 2014.

The book’s physical form provides a portable and tactile way to enjoy the whole virtual experience.

The title – Anima Mundi comes from the Latin for ‘Soul of the World’ and is according to several thought systems, an intrinsic connection between all living things on the planet.

To back Tim Lane’s Silent Quarter – visit the Kickstarter Campaign page – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antlersgallery/silent-quarter-tim-lanes-short-story-and-drawing-b. The project closes on 9th June at 3:00PM (BST).

For more information on Anima Mundi – please visit – http://www.antlersgallery.com/project/anima-mundi.

Restoration of Burghley House Fountain

May 14, 2015/in Art News, Art Partners /by Karl Constable

As a way of introduction to our most recent Art Partner, Anthemion Crowther, I was looking for the right way to introduce both the company and the work that they do. Very rarely do I get the chance to write about my home county, but Anthemion Crowther’s work at Burghley House presented the perfect opportunity to write about both at the same time.

Burghley House is situated in Lincolnshire, in the south of the county, and is a magnificent example of 16th century architecture. Constructed, and largely designed, by William Cecil who was Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, sixteen generations have called this beautiful residence their home. The House is currently lived in by the cousin of the current (and eighth) Marquess of Exeter, who also holds the titles of 17th Earl of Exeter and 18th Baron Burghley.

Although an essay many time as long as this blog post could be written about the architectural importance of Burghley House, it is the gardens which provide the backdrop to my introduction of Anthemion Crowther.

The formal South Gardens were conceived and planted in the late 1800s as a contrast to the rolling landscape created by Capability Brown in a century earlier. It was in the 19th century then that James Marriot Blashfield was commissioned to produce four urns to adorn the newly formalised gardens. In 1960s, under the direction of the 6th Marchioness of Exeter, these urns became the centre piece to four fountains. In subsequent years the fountains were removed and replaced by flower beds, however in 2014 it was the decision of the Burghley House Preservation Trust that the necessary restoration of the vases should be undertaken, and the fountains be re-commissioned.

Anthemion Crowther are a specialist company of architectural restorers who also specialise in restoration and installation of panelling and the brokerage of antique items. It is because of Anthemion Crowther’s specialism and experience that the Burghley Trust commissioned them to undertake the restoration of these urns using materials and techniques that would be sympathetic to how these historically important pieces were first created and that the original character as created by James Marriot Blashfield would not be lost.

Burghley House is just one example of the amazing work that Anthemion Crowther execute, for those interested, a visit to their website is recommended, to gain a full insight to the extent of their skills.

I look forward to hearing about what project they begin next.

The Forth Plinth – Gift Horse

April 2, 2015/in Art News /by Karl Constable

The Forth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, has become one of the most talked about public art commissions in the UK, if not the world, and continues to draw admiration by the public and discussion in the press.

The latest commission to grace the previously (and ominously) empty plinth in Trafalgar Square is by the esteemed German artist Hans Haacke and is called Gift Horse. The twice life-size skeletal bronze sculpture of a horse is derived from an etching by George Stubbs, the English painter famous for his depictions of horses, and features an electronic ribbon displaying live the ticker of the London Stock Exchange.

Gracefully perched above the square, Haacke’s Gift Horse plays on the relationship between power, money and history and compliments the other sculpture in Trafalgar Square. However, quite aside from the more traditional sculpture that graces the vicinity of the National Gallery (complete with its famous Stubbs paintings) and the surrounding area of Westminster, Gift Horse has far greater and more relevant political undertones.

Grayson Perry CBE, artist, Royal Academician and member of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, recognised the significance of the artwork’s political undertones tweeting “I am very pleased that Hans Haacke’s Gift Horse will be on the Fourth Plinth in the run up to the election. Unveiling on the Thursday morning.”

(http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/mar/05/fourth-plinth-provocative-artwork-gift-horse-hans-haacke-unveiled-in-london)

Whatever you want to read into Gift Horse, the electronic ribbon that displays in real time the London Stock Exchange performance is brazen, visually captivating and forces the viewer to ponder the relationship between art and money, between power and art and a combination of all three.

With the art market continuing to defy any talk of previous recessions or stable but steady growth, there could be a view that art (and therefore Gift Horse) is above the stock market and that the art economy on its own should be considered very powerful. Visually, Gift Horse draws viewers around the sculpture which can be viewed at different levels around the base of the plinth and from various points across Trafalgar Square and is transformed at night when the ticker is visible and eye-catching before the sculpture itself can often be seen in the dark.

Previous commissions enjoying stints on the Fourth Plinth include Powerless Structures (header image) by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset and most recently Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch which was the bright blue cockerel gracing Trafalgar Square until February this year. The Fourth Plinth Programme is funded by the Mayor of London and supported by Arts Council England.

If you have not had a chance to visit Gift Horse by Hans Haacke yet, the sculpture is set to be in place for 18 months and is free to visit. Maybe you’ll draw your own conclusions as to what Haacke’s sculpture represents, or what his comment might be on the relationship between politics and the economy in the UK…

Thanks to https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/fourth-plinth for the information.