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Auctions

London: Banksy self destructs live at Sotheby’s

With the crazy art week and all the collectors gathered in London for the Frieze Art Fair and plethora of glamourous art events, a series of artworks by elusive artist Banksy were presented at prestigious auction house Sotheby’s, including his iconic Girl with Balloon for the evening auction of 5 October 2018.

Girl with a Balloon (2006) was the final lot of the night, and just as the canvas hammered at £953,829 ( totally 1,042,000 GBP after taxes) — exactly the same figure as the artist’s previous auction record, achieved in 2008 — an alarm was triggered inside the work of art. Onlookers turned just in time to see the canvas slip through its faux-gilt frame and be shredded into pieces.

 

Pics courtesy of Sotheby’s

“It appears we just got Banksy-ed,” said Alex Branczik, the auction house’s head of contemporary art, Europe, immediately after the sale. “He is arguably the greatest British street artist, and tonight we saw a little piece of Banksy genius,” he said, adding that he was “not in on the ruse”, although it is not clear whether other members of staff were. Some commented on the unusually thick frame, which could have easily concealed a shredding mechanism.

After a man dressed in black sporting sunglasses and a hat was seen scuffling with security guards near the entrance to Sotheby’s shortly after the incident, speculation mounted that the elusive artist had himself pressed the button that destroyed the work. According to the provenance, Girl with a Balloon was acquired directly from the artist in 2006.

“We are busy figuring out what this means in an auction context,” Branczik said. “The shredding is now part of the integral art work. We have not experienced a situation where a painting has spontaneously shredded, upon achieving a record for the artist.”
One potential outcome, according to a spokeswoman, is that the destroyed painting could be preserved as a document of the guerrilla tactic. “You could argue that the work is now more valuable,” Branczik said. “It’s certainly the first piece to be spontaneously shredded as an auction ends.”

On his social media account Banksy captured the moment with a caption ‘Going, Going, Gone…’

Art Fair, London

London: PAD Art Fair

The 12th edition of the Pavilion of Art and Design (PAD) fair kicks off on October 1 with a fine line-up of 58 returning exhibitors. Set in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, PAD focusses on masterpieces across design, art, antiquities, tribal art and collectible jewellery.

10 new exhibitors join the prestigious roster of returning galleries and include: Achille Salvagni (London), Veta Stefanidou Tsoukala (Athens), 18 Davies Street (London), Karen Swami (Paris), and Robert Zehil (Monaco) in the fields of design and decorative arts; Hélène Bailly (Paris) in the field of 20th century art; Walid Akkad (Paris), Lorenz Bäumer (Paris), Valery Demure (London) and G by Glenn Spiro (London) in the field of collectible jewellery. With the arrival of these new renowned exhibitors, the fair will have a focus on collectible jewellery this year with a dedicated alley.

With the recent launch of PAD Genève and the ever-growing success of PAD Paris, PAD reinforces its position as Europe’s leading cross-collecting fair group based in three prime locations.

Here are some selected highlights.  Click on the images for more information.

MATHIAS BENGTSSON “Growth Table”, 2017 Photo : Martin Krupp / Copyright Mathias Bengtsson ©Galerie Maria Wettergren
Franck Evennou 3 Leaves ‘Lotus’ coffee Table in polished bronze Photo: Bruno Simon Courtesy of Avant-Scene
The Claudette Colbert Starfish: A Ruby and Amethyst Starfish Brooch Designed by Juliette Moutard for René Boivin, Paris, 1937 Courtesy of Siegelson
Amphora With An Episode From The Myth Of Medea Greek (Attic), 520 – 500 B.C. Ceramic Courtesy of Phoenix Ancient Art
Joan Miró Femme et oiseau V/X (1960) Oil on burlap 54 x 42 cm (21 1/4 x 16 1/2 in) Signed with the initial M (lower left); signed Miró, titled and dated 14/5/60 on the reverse Courtesy of Mayoral
LOUIS MAJORELLE (1859 – 1926) “POINCARE”, A RARE FLOOR LAMP, CIRCA 1900 Wrought iron; the shade in alabaster Courtesy of Robert Zehill

PAD Art + Design Fair
1-7 October 2018
Berkeley Square
Mayfair
London W1J 5AX

Art Fair, Paris

Paris: District 13 – International Art Fair

The first District 13 – International Art Fair will be held from 26 – 30 September in Paris at Drouot, an iconic institution of art history. Located in the heart of the capital, District 13 offers the public a curated selection of international galleries and international renowned street artists.

District 13 finds its inspiration in the city’s 13th district, with a long history of supporting street art with Street Art 13, an open air museum led by Galerie Itinerrance and the Mayor of the 13th District, as well as the more recent project Tour 13 (covered here).

Opened in 1852 in Paris, Hotel Drouot is the world’s largest auction house. Over the years, this institution has forged a place as a focal point for contemporary art. Works from the greatest names throughout the history of art, including Picasso, Matisse, Braque and Dalí, have been sold under the hammer of Drouot’s auctioneers.

For the first time ever, Drouot will be hosting a fair dedicated to Urban Art – a movement that is undergoing a complete transformation and lies at the heart of the debate and future of contemporary art.

District 13 will host a series of events.

Participating exhibitors include a carefully selected range of galleries and international street artists (from Paris, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, etc): Garey The Third (OTI),Galerie Itinerrance, Subliminal Projects, Galerie LJ, Corey Helford Gallery, Dorothy Circus Gallery, 39.63 Project, Hellion Gallery, HEY! Modern Art & Pop Culture, Galería Lira, Pure Evil Gallery, Art & Craft Galerie, Avenue des Arts, Orlinda Lavergne Gallery, Yosr Ben Ammar Gallery , GCA Gallery, France Albin Michel Editions Beaux Livres, Galerie At Down, France Backside Gallery,France Swinton Galler, Graffik Gallery, What’s Art Gallery, Lavo//Matik.

The programme also features conferences, meeting with artists, guided tours, and an auction for the final day of the fair.

District 13 International Art Fair
26- 30 September 2018
Drouot
9, rue Drouot
75009 Paris, France

London

London: Static ‘Modern Muses’

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Since 2006 London based artistic duo STATIC, made of Tom Jackson and Craig Evans have been producing bold original work abstractly exploring duality and conflict through figurative assemblages.

Mixing stencil and spray paint with vivid collages with feathers and glass, lego, mother of pearl inlays; STATICs aesthetic is as dynamic as it is intricate.

Blending pattern with portraiture, their signature style is heavily influenced by modern ‘tribes’ and mythologies.
Mixed media creations primarily examine perception with colours and shapes seemingly suspended through the use of layered materials.
Through iconic signs and symbols charged with their own histories, STATIC are looking to challenge the viewer to examine their own cultural identity.

Their new exhibition ‘Modern Muses’ features four layered glass originals, a series of hand painted multiples that accompany the originals and 10 hand painted multiples featuring their signature Chinook Chandeliers.

Check their social media as they will also be running competitions to win this week.

STATIC – M O D E R N M U S E S
@ Robi Walters Gallery
12 Ingestre Place, London W1F 0JF
27th – 30th September 2018

London

London: Conor Harrington ‘The Story of US and Them’

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Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them

Irish born painter Conor Harringtonreturns to London with a new solo exhibition “The Story of Us and Them” at HENI Gallery in London. Fascinated by art history, Renaissance and the Baroque era, Conor Harrington continues to explore patriotism and contemporary social political themes, combining classical oil painting techniques and graffiti influences.

The exhibition features 12 new large scale works featuring two fictional male figures dressed in ornate baroque uniforms fighting each other and brandishing their bright coloured flags as weapon.

The viewer is immediately transported in this semi fictional tale, through bold red and blue vibrant colours, while the energetic brushstrokes accentuate the feeling of drama and movement.
Duality is an omnipresent theme : realism vs onirism, a sense of political division occurs through the use of colours, flags.
Conor Harrington’s painting techniques have also evolved with more loose paint gestures, the use of solvent and extinguishers to create some blurring effects while some elements of the composition are in focus with intricate details such as the uniforms or expressions of the faces.

Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them

“The works are set against a background of a fictional nation state and feature two so-called ‘blind patriots’ engaged in combat,” the gallery says. “By using predominantly red and blue in their apparel and the flags they brandish, Harrington draws on the various political and cultural connotations associated with this pairing to make a comment on society today.”

Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them
Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them

Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them
Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them
Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them
Conor Harrington - the Storyof Us and ThemConor Harrington - the Storyof Us and Them

View the full set of pics here

Conor Harrington: The Story of Us and Them
14th September — 13th October 2018

HENI Gallery
6-10 Lexington St, London W1F 0LB