Art2Bank

“In the past, my work has been about the city, industrial landscape and the (in)visibility of infrastructure. My landscapes are unpeopled, but with evidence of human activity....”

Source: Nic Lyons

“The painting I have submitted is called, "Niagara". It is 6 feet by 9 feet painted with acrylic on canvass. It should be hung with leather straps tied to nailed spikes like ...”

Source: Ola Stensland

“HI I ASHISH GHOSH a sculptor from India am extremely pleased to tell you that I am participating 3 major art event in Beijing Olympic 2008. 1, Beiji...”

Source: Ashish Ghosh

“Ensemble Robot is an organization of artists, engineers, computer programmers, and composers, working together to design and create sonically and visually beautiful robotic mu...”

Source: Ensemble Robot

Damien Hirst's Sotheby's auction, London, 15 and 16th September

This highly controversial and ground-breaking auction of works by Damien Hirst will be taking place at Sotheby's, New Bond Street in mid-September. The theme Beautiful Inside My Head Forever includes a whole new body of work that covers the complete range of Hirst’s output and more.

Beautiful Inside My Head Forever will include 223 lots and is expected to realise a sum in excess of £65 million. The estimates will range from around £15,000-20,000 (for a range of new drawings) up to the £8,000,000-12,000,000 estimate attached to The Golden Calf – the monumental and arresting centre-piece of the sale.

'Most insiders say that only at the topmost end of the market, where sales at auction are guaranteed by the artist's fame, could the middleman become an anachronism -- and that just a handful of artists, such as Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, have the kind of fame it takes. Dealers still have a crucial role to play....' The Wall Street Journal.

Retrospective of Gilbert & George, Brooklyn Museum, NY, Oct 3 - Jan 11

This is the final venue of the international tour of the first retrospective of more than twenty years of art by the highly acclaimed artists Gilbert & George. The show comprises more than ninety pictures produced since 1970, among them more than a dozen that will only be seen at this Brooklyn Museum presentation.

Corporate acquisitions significant contribution to growth within the Contemporary art market...

Microsoft owns 4000+ works of art, according to CNN June 2007, their curator and New York gallery owner Michael Klein spend $1.2 million on acquisitions for the company last year alone. Other leading corporate collectors include UBS and the Progressive Corporation. Market leader, Deutsche Bank own 50,000+ works of art, valued at approximately £75 million. This can be seen as strong evidence of arts investment value to these corporations and to those wishing to invest in art. These serious collectors pour considerable investment into research of emerging artists and expert curatorship, so can become a useful guide to the new discerning investor on possible direction to take.

Although these corporations insist their investments are not specifically for financial gain, even in light of corporate tax incentives, the Mei/ Moses Indices of art's performance shows 20th century Impressionists and American Paintings to have consistently outperformed the S&P500, since 1950. A unique potential here of ever-increasing demand with a corresponding limited supply. Contemporary art is thought to have been even more lucrative when purchased wisely. These indices also show how art has a low correlation with the US stock market, thus having the ability to reduce risk, therefore having good potential for those investors wishing to diversify.

Patronage & Investment