Francis Bacon, "Three Studies of Lucian Freud"
- Christie’s Contemporary Auction totaled a record $691.6 million with 91% of lots sold. Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud proved to be the big ticket of the evening, selling at $142.4 million, an all-time record for a work of art at auction. This beats last spring’s $119.9 million paid for a pastel of Edvard Munch’s The Scream at Sotheby’s New York. Josh Baer asked around to find out why the lot was moved from 32 to the 8 position. Speculation: Frees up money underbidder money and the seller wanted to know how much money he/she had to spend on other items. Baer reports that Acquavella purchased the work. If they weren’t bidding for a client, we now know what to expect to see in their Art Basel booth this December. [Josh Baer]
- Jerry Saltz is complaining that museums can’t afford to buy art at auction anymore. My take? The public can’t afford to attend museums anymore either; the loss to public happened a long time ago. [Vulture]
- Spin unleashes an issue on Art Pop. So far, they’ve got an interview with Yoko Ono up, a seven decade timeline of music crashing the gallery, and a cover story that proposes that pop stars use the art world to further legitimize their brand to fans, and the art world uses these performers to sell art. I was the art world consultant for this issue, so I’m looking forward to seeing all the features roll out. [Spin]
- Speaking of Spin, I spent a good deal of time on their site last night looking at the “20 best” K-pop songs. The actual best song is Nu Abo by f(x) and takes the number 12 position. [Spin]
- Getting a fine art degree isn’t the dead end you think. According to the Wall Street Journal most graduates end up making more than social workers. The median income is $42,000 a year. [The Wall Street Journal]
- Ian David Moss, thinks creative placemaking has some issues in the grant world. People don’t yet have clear ideas about what “making a difference” means. A thoughtful piece that uses the failures of the project Underpants Gnomes, as a jumping off point. [Create Equity]
- Amelie von Wulffen at Meyer Kainer. [Contemporary Art Daily]
