Artfixdaily Blog Network

The marine art of Frank Vining Smith (1879-1967) has become part of America's collective consciousness. When we envision a wind-propelled sailing ship plying the high seas, often the image in our mind's eye is inspired by, if not actually painted by, Smith. Prints of his ship paintings adorn seafood restaurant walls, original oils grace art museums and corporate office suites, and his best works now inspire collectors to bid upwards of $25,000 at auctions. The life and work of this beloved artist of America's great age of sail has finally been rightfully recognized with the ...

Bank of America (BofA), the recipient of $45 billion in taxpayer-funded government bailouts, has been loaning works from its corporate collection to dozens of art museums worldwide since 2007. Charlotte, North Carolina's Mint Museum of Art will be exhibiting 60 of the bank's major American contemporary artworks in a $60 million new building beginning October 1. The scope and value of the BofA's collection has not been disclosed. A few of the highlights scheduled for the Mint are Frank Stella's "Damascus Gate," Ed Ruscha's "Clock Speed," and works by San Francisco-associated artists Wayne ...

American paintings, works on paper, and sculpture take center stage in Manhattan from May 17 to 26 in a series of major auctions and special events at leading art galleries. The dizzying array of art-centric festivities involves cocktail receptions, special exhibitions, three auctions, two dozen gallery open houses, and a pair of important fundraisers.  Thousands of works of art will be available for sale. View our Itinerary below to help plan logistics. Plus, a Slideshow offers a sneak peek of what's ahead. Even though these sales are focused on 18th- to mid-20th century art, the week ...

The three most-read press releases on ARTFIXdaily, published in the ArtWire section between September 1 and December 31, 2009, highlighted museum exhibitions: 1. Art and Illusions, Masterpieces of Trompe-l'loeil from Antiquity to the Present. On view through January 24, 2010, this major exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, explores the art of optical illusion with 140 artworks. From Roman antiquity to Old Masters to present-day painters, artists whose work masterfully "fools the eye" seems to perenially delight viewers. 2. Paintings by Jay Connaway on view at Portland Museum of ...

Tucked away for decades in the private collections of the artist's descendants, many of the best large-scale oil paintings by Clark Voorhees (1871-1933) are now re-emerging in an exhibition at New York City's Hawthorne Fine Art. The Light Lies Softly: the Impressionist Art of Clark Greenwood Voorhees, on view from December 15, 2009 through February 27, 2010, will showcase about thirty-two of the artist's finest landscapes depicting New England, Bermuda, and Newport, Rhode Island. There are 23 works for sale, with prices ranging from $6,500 up to $110,000. Jennifer C. Krieger, managing ...

Written by sporting art dealer Stephen O'Brien Jr. and ARTFIXdaily publisher Julie Carlson Wildfeuer, The Art of Aiden Lassell Ripley documents the artist's progression and growth, from his initial rise as an Impressionist to Realist depictions of his outdoor passions that continue to shape sporting art today. Over three years in the making, this is the most comprehensive book to date on the Massachusetts artist, chronicling paintings from his early life and work, illustrations and murals, landscapes and cityscapes, scenes of the South and his well-known sporting art. The ...

The exhilarating rise of Georgia O'Keeffe's fame, fashioned by her tumultuous love life and a quest for indepedence, is colorfully presented in a new biopic of the American painter on Lifetime Television this Saturday. Perhaps one of the most successful and recognized women artists of all time, O'Keeffe is aptly portrayed by actress Joan Allen, an executive producer of the film. The Canadian Press reports: ..."Georgia O'Keeffe" provides a telling glimpse through the framework of her love affair, collaboration and emotional tug-of-war with photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Oscar winner Jeremy ...

This fall marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's historic journey from Holland to New York. In commemoration of this early settler's voyage, a number of spectacular New York exhibitions are celebrating Dutch art. From Sept. 10 to Nov. 29, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is showing one of the most popular and well-known works by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632—1675): "The Milkmaid." This special loan from the Rijksmuseum marks the first time that the painting has traveled to the United States since it was exhibited at the 1939 World's Fair. Five other Vermeers and other Dutch works ...

Private collections are yielding some rare and coveted dolls to the auction market this year. An art doll from an Italian private collection provoked a heated paddle battle at Theriault's July 12 sale while the Richard Wright Collection at Skinner's will offer up many more supreme examples of doll-making this October. On the eve of France's Bastille Day, Theriault's hammered down the gorgeously-outfitted French art doll for a world record price of $263,000. The previous record was $215,000 for a similar model sold in 2003. Made in Paris by artist Albert Marque circa 1914, the doll came from ...

Inflation may be lurking around the corner...so what are stock market-skittish Americans considering as investments? Oil, gold, and great art---assets which some experts consider positioned to perform well in the next market upswing. For aesthetically-inclined investors, The Collectors Fund is a novel approach to both enjoying art in the home and diversifying a financial portfolio. With a minimum $120,000 investment, members buy-in to the two-year-old art fund. It's a long-term play with a bit of instant gratification. Members bid (using votes derived from the level of their investment) on ...