Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting ’Untitled’ sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby’s flagship post-war and contemporary art sale in New York on May 18, 2017, setting a new auction record for the US artist. — AFP Photo Viet Nam News NEW YORK — Japanese billionaire bought a Basquiat masterpiece for US$110.5 million in New York yesterday, setting a new auction record for the 20th century great nearly 30 years after his death, Sotheby’s said. The 1982 Untitled of a skull-like head in oil-stick, acrylic and spray paint on a giant canvas was the star lot of the auction season this May, which wraps today with more than $1 billion in sales. Sotheby’s said it was snapped up by the same Japanese entrepreneur, 41-year-old Yusaku Maezawa, who set the previous Jean-Michel Basquiat auction record last year, dropping $57.3 million on a self-portrait. The $110.5 million price tag was a record for any US artist at auction and the highest at auction … [Read more...] about Auction record for Basquiat at $110.5 mn in New York
New york giants record
Brancusi bronze sells for $57mn in New York
The sculpture of a sleeping woman’s head -- La muse endormie -- by a pioneer of modernism, Constantin Brancusi, sold for US$57.37 million in New York on Monday. — Photo harpersbazaararabia.com Viet Nam News NEW YORK — A bronze sold for US$57.37 million in New York on Monday, setting a new auction record for Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi and fetching more than twice its lowest pre-sale estimate, Christie’s said. The sculpture of a sleeping woman’s head -- La muse endormie -- by a pioneer of modernism sold after nine minutes of bidding at Christie’s impressionist and modern art sale, kicking off a week of high-profile art auctions expected to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars. The 1913 sculpture, cast by an artist who spent most of his working career in Paris, was snapped up by an anonymous bidder having been valued pre-sale at $25-35 million, the auction house said. The second top selling lot was a Picasso portrait of his … [Read more...] about Brancusi bronze sells for $57mn in New York
Bob Dylan guitar under New York hammer for $500,000
Bob Dylan's electric guitar, on which he performed a career-defining set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, is going under the hammer in New York for $500,000. Christie's expects the guitar to fetch $300,000 to $500,000, and the lyrics $3,000 to $30,000. The three-song electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island saw a 24-year-old Dylan evolve from folk-protest singer into an enigmatic rock legend. Rolling Stone described it as one of the most notable events in music history, but his folk fans were furious. "I did this very crazy thing," Dylan said at the time. "I didn't know what was going to happen, but they certainly booed, I'll tell you that. You could hear it all over the place." The guitar and lyrics are in the possession of a daughter of the pilot who flew the private jet used by Dylan and his band in the months after the performance. In 2011, it was submitted to US television program "History Detectives" and verified as genuine. The guitar, which was … [Read more...] about Bob Dylan guitar under New York hammer for $500,000
Smashing pumpkin records in New York
New York is smashing records as it turns the world's largest pumpkin into the centerpiece of a haunted garden sculpted entirely out of the fruit for Halloween. It and other whoppers grown in Canada and the United States will be transformed into a "Haunted Pumpkin Garden" along with carnivorous plants and other unearthly creatures. Master pumpkin carver Ray Villafane told AFP he would be working round the clock to create the display, which last year was dismantled early due to Hurricane Sandy. "It's the biggest pumpkin event here in the US," said the 44-year-old former school teacher, who went professional as a pumpkin carver seven years ago. "We get to carve the biggest pumpkins in the world. You can't get much better here in New York City, my home town." Villafane dismissed some complaints that the world-record pumpkin is ugly, saying its deep creases were perfect for being turned into a hive for pumpkin wasps. The New York Botantical Garden in the Bronx expects around 15,000 … [Read more...] about Smashing pumpkin records in New York
New York residents delight in winter wonderland
Excited residents woke to a winter wonderland in New York on Sunday, shrieking with delight as they rode sleds in the sunshine after the second biggest snowfall in city records. NEW YORK: Excited residents woke to a winter wonderland in New York on Sunday (Jan 24), shrieking with delight as they rode sleds in the sunshine after the second biggest snowfall in city records. Thousands of families poured into the city's parks, where children flung themselves onto toboggans, engaged in snowball fights and parents introduced toddlers to the first major snow of their lives. Intrepid dog walkers and the occasional jogger were the first to take to the streets, but as the sun got stronger and New Yorkers finished shovelling their sidewalks, the parks filled up. "We love it, absolutely love it," laughed Bernie Sheary from Australia, out with his New Zealander wife and their 18-month-old daughter Chloe, who waddled across the sparkling snow chasing puppies. "We're going to play around in … [Read more...] about New York residents delight in winter wonderland