The Wall Street bull gets a handmade sweater.
Because it’s got to be an especially cold January if you’re in Manhattan and made of metal.
Posts Tagged ‘art’
Sweater Weather
Thursday, January 6th, 2011If Spider-Man had been our first president…
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
Lenin! Get your Lenin heeeere!
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
This is probably not what he was going for when he commissioned all these pictures and sculptures of himself.
The Hungarian government is auctioning off a bunch of Lenin memorabilia to help pay for cleanup of the massive wave of toxic waste that flooded Budapest this October.
Some bourgeois bidders are just picking up kitschy decoration for their homes, but others appear to be having a little Communist-bloc nostalgia.
“When I was young, I didn’t really look deeply into the faults of the system,” says Mr. Torok, a real-estate entrepreneur who says that his business is struggling amid the economic downturn. “I lived a calm, secure life where bread cost 3.5 forints and everyone had a job.”
Hmm.
Capitalists Compete For A Piece Of Lenin
Thursday, December 9th, 2010This is probably not what he imagined when he commissioned all those paintings and sculptures of himself.
- The Hungarian government is auctioning off a bunch of Lenin memorabilia to help pay for cleanup of the massive wave of toxic waste that flooded Budapest this October.
- Ads for the auction featured a picture of Lenin being struck on the head by the hammer from the communist hammer-and-sickle logo, along with the words “Never Again.”
- Some bourgeois bidders are just picking up kitschy decoration for their homes, but others appear to be having a little communist-bloc nostalgia (see quote below).
Facts & Figures
- Communism collapsed in Hungary more than 20 years ago
- A small ceramic bust of Lenin sold to a 22-year-old for $1,000
- The auction was held at a former warehouse of the Hungarian secret police
Best Quote
“When I was young, I didn’t really look deeply into the faults of the system. I lived a calm, secure life where bread cost 3.5 forints and everyone had a job.” – Gyorgy Torok, a real-estate entrepreneur struggling in the current economic climate
Studying You Studying Art
Monday, August 23rd, 2010In an attempt to improve their offerings, museums have begun a program of patron espionage…
- Nowadays, museums are supposed to be interactive and engaging. So museums are following their visitors around, trying to figure out which exhibits they like, which placards are confusing, and how useful the museum maps really are.
- Exhibit evaluation can also be tied to a museum’s public funding, a fact that may be contributing to the visitor observation trend sweeping the nation.
- In the 1920s, during some of the first observation studies, researchers noted things like length of time spent at each exhibit and the direction they were most likely to turn in upon entering a gallery (right).
Facts & Figures
- The Detroit Institute of Arts used covert observation (among other feedback collection techniques) to redesign its galleries in 2007.
- Museums can dedicate as much as 10% of a program’s budget to the evaluation of its success
- The Science Museum of Minnesota spends $900,000 each year evaluating programs with its staff of 12.
Best Quote
“Whichever way you do it, a significant portion of your visitors find the map upside down.” – Judy Koke, Deputy Director of Education and Public Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario, which is entered from the north side
Caio Fonseca On Painting, Collecting, And Going Your Own Way
Monday, March 29th, 2010Caio Fonseca is a painter and a New Yorker. For years he’s been traveling the world, learning and perfecting his art – you can see the results in the Metropolitan Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, The Whitney, and the Smithsonian (to name a few). Caio was kind enough to make a TILEcast with us one afternoon. We think you’ll like it:
>>TILE brings you exclusive interviews from people doing great things in SPEND, GROW, and GIVE. To view more, click on TILEcasts in the TILE Library.
Have a burning question or someone you’d like to see interviewed? Let us know – just Ask TILE!
Investments in Art Roaring Back
Friday, November 13th, 2009Huge sales continue to beat expectations as collectors and investors start to buy art again.
- Pieces by Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Alice Neal were among large lots sold for prices that have not been seen since before the recession.
- Large auction houses like Sotheby’s or Christie’s host auctions and then take a percentage of the sale price of every lot.
- Auction houses lowered expectations by 50-75% so that when they make large sales, it looks as if the numbers are better than they actually are. Still, selling a large amount of high-priced art is impressive, regardless of the recession.
Facts & Figures
- Warhol’s 1962 “200 One Dollar Bills” sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $43.8 million. The seller originally paid $385,000 for the piece in 1986.
- The Sotheby’s auction totaled $134.4 million against the company’s earlier/ estimate of $97.7 million.
- Sotheby’s highest auction total was $362 million in May of 2008.
Best Quote
“The art vacation is over. Art has come back more than stocks or housing.” – Jack Tilton, New York Art Dealer
Art Auction Draws Attention From Investors of All Types
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009A batch of prestigious works of art that once hung proudly in the corporate headquarters of Lehman Brothers find new homes at auction in Philadelphia.
- The works were sold for a total of $1.35 million in order to help repay Lehman creditors.
- The sale lasted six hours and most pieces sold for significantly more than their presale high estimates.
- The Lehman name attracted art collectors and investors that were looking for a piece of history.
Facts & Figures
- 283 pieces were sold at more than double their projected total of $760, 800
- Lehman owes $250 billion to its creditors
- The top lot was Roy Lichtenstein’s Statue of Liberty print (1982) for $49,000, estimated presale at $25,000
Best Quote
“I think there was a certain amount of trophy hunting. What’s not to like? It’s nice boardroom art, presented nicely, ready to go up on the walls. People laced it up.” – Alasdair Nichol, Vice Chairman and Auctioneer of Freeman’s Auctioneers in Philadelphia