Trail for Selling Fake Art

The trial of four people accused of selling fake artworks from the fictional "Werner Jägers collection" began this week in Cologne, promising to bring to light new details of the nefarious operation that ensnared actor and art aficionado Steve Martin and other international collectors. The case, concerning one of the most audacious forgery rings in recent times, revolves around 44 forgeries that the quartet sold as original works by artists including Heinrich Campendonk, Max Pechstein, Fernand Léger, and Max Ernst — to the tune of between $20 million and $50 million.

According to the BBC, German prosecutors plan to call over 160 witnesses over 40 days at trial. Judgment Read more here...

Cryptic: The Use of Allegory in Contemporary Art with a Master Class from Goya

Cryptic: The Use of Allegory in Contemporary Art with a Master Class from Goya May 20–August 14, 2011
Summer 2011 Exhibition at The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
3750 Washington Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition called Cryptic: The Use of Allegory in Contemporary Art, with a Master Class from Goya. This exhibition will feature the work of six contemporary artists—Folkert de Jong, Hiraki Sawa, Allison Schulnik, Dana Schutz, Javier Tellez, and Erika Wanenmacher—paired with works by Spanish master Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. Organized by CAM and curated by Santa Fe-based independent curator Laura Steward, the exhibition will run from May 20 through August 14, 2011, and be accompanied by a CAM-produced publication and series of diverse public programs.

Cryptic explores the way contemporary artists make use of allegory—a figurative mode of representation conveying meaning other than the literal—in a wide variety of media. The juxtaposition of recent works with examples from two series of prints by Goya, the Caprichos and the Disparates (also known as the Proverbs), is intended to prompt consideration of how artists over the years have "encrypted" difficult, uncomfortable, and often socio-politically loaded meanings within allegory and continue to do so in the present day. Particularly in light of recent global events, this exhibition offers a timely exploration of the role that contemporary artists play as commentators on the world around us.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828) created masterpieces in painting in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is recognized today as both the last of the great old masters and the first "modern" artist. He is celebrated variously for work ranging from disturbingly unflinching depictions of the horrors and tragedies of the Napoleonic wars to the wildly imaginative and richly allegorical engravings featured in Cryptic.

Folkert de Jong (Dutch, b. 1972) is best-known for large-scale figurative sculptures rendered in polyurethane foam and paint that offer a biting, yet coded, critique of social mores, war, and religion in a manner not dissimilar to Goya's work made 200 years prior.

The video works of Hiraki Sawa (Japanese, b. 1977) have the quality of a daydream, infusing everyday scenes with uncanny, magical traces that prompt viewers to consider the numerous poetic meanings of quotidian phenomena. In Trail (2004), for example, silhouettes of exotic animals and even a Ferris wheel infiltrate non-descript domestic interiors such as bathroom sinks and window sills as an allegory for the extraordinary things that might underpin seemingly ordinary situations.

Allison Schulnik's (American, b. 1978) strange, agitated paintings reflect her background in animation, but privilege the sculptural aspect of paint through their densely impastoed surfaces. Her gothic, figurative works, such as a bizarre and mesmeric still-life with flowers—a classic symbol of the fleetingness of life—suggest the more sinister and foreboding aspects of contemporary life.

Dana Schutz (American, b. 1976) is one of the leading figurative painters to emerge in the past decade, and is represented in this exhibition with various works, including one of the "Self-Eaters" of the mid-2000s. She has described these works as allegories of self-sufficiency, particularly in painting itself.

Javier Tellez's (Venezuelan, b. 1969) video Letter from the Blind for the Use of Those Who See (2007) recalls the ancient Indian allegory of six blind men variously describing an elephant by filming six actual blind New Yorkers as they encounter a live elephant for the first time. Tellez turns the typical reading of the old allegory—that a single point of view is insufficient to understand something—on its head, and reveals instead the value and complexity of an individual experience.

Finally, Erika Wanenmacher (American, b. 1955) makes a sincere use of witchcraft in works across various media. Like many artists throughout history, she uses allegory in a metaphysical sense, prompting consideration of the way art offers an understanding of the world that transcends the logical, the physical, and the material.

Interestingly enough this is exactly what Salvador Dali did when he created his version of Goya's Los Caprichios, both series available at Galerie Michael for amazing values.

Original Blog: http: 2 buildings 1 blog

What's Happening in Today's Art Market:

Modern Masters

Matisse Picasso Miro Leger

Even with the current financial situation at hand, Modern Masters are holding their own extremely well, even setting new world record highs. Henri Matisse's Le coucous, tapis bleu et rose, 1911 shown first, set a new record high for the artist in February 2009 for $46.4 million originally estimated at 15.5 – 23.3 million. Pablo Picasso's Deux Personnages -Marie Therese et sa soeur lisant, 1934 sold in November of 2008 an original oil sold for $18 million at auction (shown 2nd). Earlier this year (2009) Juan Miro's Femmes et oiseaux dans la nuit, 1968 sold in February for $2.7 million at auction. Also in February of this year Ferdinand Leger's oil paining La tasse de the, 1921 sold at a new world record high for the artist in for $14.8 million (last image). At this point in time it is safe to say that Modern Masters are the choice in art and will continue to hold strong values, proving the current economic reversal as these works are highly sought after and historically significant. Two aspects a collector can always count on when it comes to secure areas in which to back our dollars. More information on this subject: "Sale of the Century", "Chrsties YSL Auction Raisses $477 Million",

Due to the Excessive Prices of Paintings: Prints and Drawings are the New First Tier

Classic Collecting Scenario
Maximum Quality + Minimum Price = Price Growth

Factors Driving the Market

Museums (70 New museums opening) on a collecting spree for Modern Masters

Recent YSL Auction set a number of world records in this bad financial climate
Excess of money on the sidelines looking for blue chip material

Quality, gold standard art has strong demand for limited supply
Excellent investment for the future and superb hedge against coming inflation

Top Quality Prints are Area of Choice

Will always have future value
Enjoyable in the home
Meets the Classic Formula: Minimum Supply and Maximum Demand
Top quality prints have tremendous price growth in current market

Recommended Modern Masters Graphics at Galerie Michael

Picasso Miro Chagall Dali

Check out our website to view our Modern Master Collections