Art Basel news stories on Newser

Pitt Drops $1M for Painting

John Johnson — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:13:49 CDT

Brad Pitt played the role of big-time art collector today at the Art Basel fair in Switzerland. Pitt spent about $1 million on a 9-foot painting by Neo Rauch, the Wall Street Journal reports. The 1998 racetrack painting, Etappe , "depicts a swirling view of a driver behind a red, Formula...

Economy Shadows Miami Art Fair

Jason Farago — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:30:00 CST

The art world descends on Miami this week for Art Basel Miami Beach, America's biggest art fair. But last night's VIP opening had none of the crazed buying of recent years, when collectors ran through the aisles in the first minutes like frenzied Wal-Mart shoppers. "It's obvious the economy is...

Art Basel: Brisk Sales, but No Frenzy

Jason Farago — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:55:00 CDT

Art Basel, the world's most prestigious (and most expensive) art fair, opened Tuesday in Switzerland amid grumbles that works for sale were of middling quality and overpriced. "Now there are just too many art fairs," said a director of PaceWildenstein, one of New York's biggest galleries. As the New York...

In Miami, High Prices Make Buyers Hesitate

Jason Farago — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:06:11 CST

Art Basel Miami Beach opens to the public today, but yesterday's VIP preview saw the now-traditional mad dash of collectors to snatch up works. Many people attending the preview were complaining about high prices, the Miami Herald reports—not least at those galleries that are pricing work in euros. Despite...

Museum Looks Picture-Perfect Online

Heather McPherson — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:28:51 CDT

Dresden’s Old Masters Picture gallery is the first museum to create an online clone, now appearing in all its glory—down to the trash cans and fountains—as a location in the virtual reality game Second Life . The building’s 750 paintings have been reproduced digitally, as have the 37,000...