Mark Rothko news stories on Newser

Modern Art Auction Shatters Records

Kevin Spak — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:46:27 CDT

The modern art market is boiling hot right now. For evidence, take a gander at the results from last night's Christie's auction, which saw a Mark Rothko painting sell for nearly $87 million, shattering the gallery's $35 million to $40 million estimate. The sale is a record not just for...

Obamas' Art Collection: Modern, Aggressive

Jason Farago — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:52:00 CDT

Barack and Michelle Obama, working with curators at the White House and DC museums, have borrowed 47 artworks for their walls, and their selections are far more modern and discerning than their predecessors', writes Blake Gopnik. The Washington Post critic is impressed by the "surprisingly sober, even dour" choices they...

Madoff's Money Man Sells Rothkos for $310M

Jason Farago — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:53:22 CDT

Ezra Merkin, the financier who pumped billions of his clients' money into Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, is selling more than 10 paintings by Mark Rothko and two sculptures by Alberto Giacometti for $310 million, reports the Wall Street Journal . Some of the proceeds may go to his defrauded investors, who...

Strapped Art Market Preps for Auctions

Matt Cantor — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:21:01 CDT

After a 7-year boom, art auction houses are struggling as collectors hit hard by the recession close their wallets. Sotheby’s predicts it will pull in $179 million to $256 million at spring sales, compared to $742 million a year ago. As the spring events approach, auctioneers are employing an array...

Art Continues to Buck Ragged Economy

Jason Farago — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:21:25 CDT

Christie's auction of contemporary art in New York belied an economic downturn, the Times reports, with paintings, sculpture, and even a house fetching handsome prices. Two works drew particular attention: a portrait of a 280-pound nude woman by Lucian Freud, which sold for $33.6 million, and a house in...

$72M Sale Shatters Warhol Record

M. Morris — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:33:21 CDT

An Andy Warhol painting sold for $71.7 million last night at Christie's, more than quadrupling the previous record price for a work by the pop artist. The price for "Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)," part of Warhol's "Death and Disaster" series, more than doubled the presale estimate...

Rothko Fetches $73 Million

Sarah Levy — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:18:10 CDT

Sotheby’s sold a Mark Rothko painting last night for $72.84 million, a record price for a piece of art created after World War II and a signal of a new boom in the market. Seller David Rockefeller bought the 7-foot-tall "White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender)," an early example...