What Recession? Giacometti Sets All Time Auction Record

Alberto Giacometti's bronze sculpture L'homme qui marche I set a new world record for fetching the highest price ever paid for a work of art at auction, selling for $104.3 million at Sotheby's on February 3. [Credit: AP/Anthony Devlin]

LONDON — After eight minutes of "fast and furious" bidding, a new world record was set at Sotheby's London on Wednesday. An anonymous phone buyer successfully outbid at least nine other potential collectors in the battle for a rare work of art by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. When it was all over, the once hushed room burst into applause.

The six-foot-tall Giacometti bronze sculpture L'homme qui marche I ("Walking Man I")  sold for a record $104.3 million - the highest price ever paid for a work of art at auction (including the buyer's premium cost). The hammer price achieved was roughly four times the Sotheby's pre-sale estimates. Pablo Picasso's Garcon a la Pipe (Boy With a Pipe), which fetched $104.2 million in 2004, previously held the record.

The life-size Giacometti sculpture was conceived in 1960 and cast a year later. The piece was sold by Commerzbank AG, which inherited the work when it took over Dresdner Bank in 2009.

Other highlights from the Sotheby's sale were Gustav Klimt's Church in Cassone (Landscape with Cypresses), which sold for $43.2 million; Paul Cézanne's Pichet et fruits sur une table, which went for $18.9 million; and Henri Matisse's Femme couchée, which fetched $7 million.

"We are thrilled to have sold these great works...and that they have been recognized for the masterpieces that they are," said Melanie Clore, co-chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art at the auction house.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

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What Recession? Giacometti Sets All Time Auction Record

It's the Year of the Tiger and the Thrill of the Size

A Tawainese man has carved what he says is the tiniest tiger sculpture in the world; it was created to celebrate the Chinese year of the tiger, which begins Feb. 14, 2010. [Credit: Reuters]

TAIPEI — According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the year of the Tiger will begin on Feb. 14, 2010 - and sculptor Chen Forng-shean is already celebrating. The 54-year-old artist from Taiwan spent four hours a day for three months carving a tiny tiger sculpture that's smaller than a grain of rice. The tiger is so small, in fact, that it's tiny enough to pass through the eye of a needle; it measures just one millimeter (.04 inches) in height and just over one millimeter in length.

Chen, who has been sculpting as a hobby for more than thirty years, carved the object from resin and claims it is the world's tiniest tiger sculpture. It took him ten attempts before he achieved the finished product, which is fully visible only through a magnifying glass.

"If the hands shake a little bit, the work would jump away and disappear," Chen explained to Reuters. "For this tiger, the toughest part is because it is three-dimensional. It can be looked at from any angle and still seem very lively. Coloring is also very hard," he added.

The tiger sculpture is estimated to be worth $94,000, but Chen says it's not for sale.

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It's the Year of the Tiger and the Thrill of the Size

100 Santa Claus Sculptures Come to (a Beach) Town

100 sculptures on Puri beach set world record for most Santa Claus images in sand.

PURI BEACH, INDIA — After working for nearly 48 hours, internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik and 20 of his students achieved world record status on Christmas eve. Patnaik and his dedicated team of "elves" successfully carved 100 sand sculptures of Santa Claus on the Puri beach in India, finishing just in time for Christmas.

The seaside resort of Puri overlooks the Bay of Bengal and is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage places in India, a sacred venue for an endless number of those coming to pay homage to the Hindu deity Jagannath. “Puri is the place where sand art started in the 14th Century and the tourist inflow into Puri is another reason why I chose the awareness about global warming by carving images of Santa Claus,” Patnaik said.

Patnaik's environmental message "Save Earth from Global Warming" was carved directly into one of the Santa sculptures. "The popularity of Santa is growing by the year among children," Patnaik explained. "The message on global warming through Santa is especially for them as they alone can convince elders to exercise restraint and avert the looming disaster for earth from global warming."

The 33-year-old Patnaik has participated in more than 40 international sand sculpture festivals and competitions and won several prizes. In 2006 he created the world's longest Santa Claus in sand that measured 100-feet, and last year he sculpted the tallest Santa in sand that stood 35-feet high.
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100 Santa Claus Sculptures Come to (a Beach) Town

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 22 - Nov. 29

■ Intrigued Art Collector Discovers Galileo's Relics | ROME (11/22/09) — Relics taken from the "Father of Modern Science," Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), have been rediscovered and will go on display sometime next spring.  Experts have examined the provenance of three items - two fingers and a tooth - found inside an 18th-century container and determined the specimens indeed belonged to Galileo... More >

 

■ Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall to Play Nude Diana in Titian Painting | EDINBURGH (11/23/09) — Actress Kim Cattrall, best known for her role as Samantha Jones on Sex and the City, announced that she will pose nude once again in the name of art. This is the second time the English-born Cattrall has volunteered her body to raise funds to keep classic Renaissance paintings on display in the U.K... More >

 

■ Study Shows Artists Remain Inspired Despite Recession Challenges | NEW YORK, NY (11/24/09) — The results of an art survey, released Tuesday, indicate that despite being hit hard by the economic recession, artists remain optimistic about their importance in society. In fact, 89% of those who participated in the Artists and Economic Recession Survey believe they play a special role in helping strengthen their communities during these tough times. 75% of those polled believe that overall this is an inspiring time to be in an artistic profession... More >

 

■ Giant Finger Painting Sets World Record | HONG KONG (11/27/09) — As American children were celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, around 3,300 students were setting a Guinness World Record in China. The children created a giant finger painting carrying the anti-drug slogan, "Not Now, Not Ever, Say No to Drugs"... More >

■ Surreal or Cubist? The Science of Objective Art Classification | KYOTO (11/28/09) — Have you ever wondered which characteristics of a painting classify it as a certain artistic genre? How do we know a Picasso piece conforms to the properties of Cubism, and what makes Dali art Surreal? Placing artwork into its proper genre is a pretty subjective task, but researchers in Japan are working to make the work of art historians a bit more scientific... More >

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 22 - Nov. 29

Giant Finger Painting Sets World Record

HONG KONG — As American children were celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, around 3,300 students were setting a Guinness World Record in China. The children created a giant finger painting carrying the anti-drug slogan, "Not Now, Not Ever, Say No to Drugs."

Measuring nearly 23,000 square feet, the oversized painting is part of a series of large-scale anti-drug publicity and education activities launched by the Western Police District, the Narcotics Division and the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN).

The kids received a Guinness World Record Certificate and made a pledge to continue their commitment to fighting drug abuse. The finger painting will be reproduced as banners and displayed at all immigration checkpoints, public amenities, non-governmental organizations and schools.

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[Photo: Children surround their Guinness World Record setting anti-drug finger painting, courtesy Xinhuanet]

Giant Finger Painting Sets World Record

Artist's Michael Jackson Mosaic Wins World Record

TIRANA, ALBANIA — He's already done it three times before, using 500,000 nails, 1 million toothpicks and 300,000 corks, respectively, but this time around record-breaking artist Saimir Strati has created the world's largest mosaic using paintbrushes. Strati, an Albanian artist, used 230,000 black and brown paintbrushes to create a gigantic portrait of the late pop icon Michael Jackson.

The dedicated Strati labored for sixteen hours a day, all while listening to the sounds of his inspiration and muse - Michael Jackson. "All the time I was being guided by his music and made a silent deal with him to help me find the secrets of his great singing," Strati said in an interview.

Crowds cheered Friday as Strati presented his artwork to Guinness World Record judges in Tirana's main Skanderbeg square. "I have measured the mosaic and this is a new Guinness World Record," Guinness adjudicator Andrea Banfi announced to the crowd. The paintbrush mosaic measures approximately 33 x 8.5 feet and was placed on the side of a truck so it could be shared with townspeople throughout Albania.

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Read More - Albanian Makes Record Michael Jackson Mosaic | Reuters
[Photo: Saimir Strati poses with his mosaic of Michael Jackson, courtesy Reuters]

Artist's Michael Jackson Mosaic Wins World Record