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The auction house Sotheby’s reported on its turnover for 2017: the auctions brought in 13.1% more than last year.
Affairs on the art market in general and the auction house Sotheby’s in particular is again on the rise. The turnover of the auction house increased by 13.1% compared to the previous year and reached $ 4.1 billion. This house is largely due to buyers from Asia: they left about $ 1.6 billion at auction.

The most expensive lot auction Sotheby’s in 2017 was the painting “Untitled” by Jean-Michel Basquiat, for which Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa paid $ 110.5 million.

At the auction in Hong Kong was set a record for diamonds and jewelry: the jeweler Chou Tai Fook bought a huge diamond “Pink Star” for $ 71.2 million There is also a new record for Chinese pottery: a small bowl era of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) went for $ 37.7 million.

Another record: the total revenue from the evening auction of Impressionism and Modernism and Surrealism in London was $ 240.8 million. The hero of the evening was Gustav Klimt. His canvas “Blooming Garden” in 1907 was sold for $ 59.3 million – so much for the artist’s landscapes have never been paid.

The main contribution to the final amount was made in the November auction in New York, where the works of impressionism, modernism and modern art were sold for $ 724 million. A drop was added and Russian auction with a record for painting by Nikolai Feshin at $ 4.9 million. The most expensive work of the old the master became the canvas of Joseph Wright of Derby, a British caravagist of the 18th century, depicting a scene with a model and artists in the light of candles – it went for $ 9.7 million.

The main rival of Sotheby’s auction house Christie’s traditionally reports on its results in January. However, there is no doubt that he will be the leader of the price race in 2017, as it was sold at the auction Christie’s “Savior of the World” Leonardo for an amount that is unlikely to be exceeded in the near future – $ 450.3 million.

Frescoes, which can belong to the brush of the great Italian painter Raphael Santi (1483 – 1520), were found in the Vatican Museum in the Hall of Constantine during the restoration. It’s about two female figures in the Hall of Constantine, written more than 500 years ago.

The room of Constantine, telling the story of the “adoption of Christianity” by the Roman emperor Constantine in 312 AD, is the last of the so-called Raphael stans, rooms of the former papal apartments whose walls were painted by the Pope Julius II in 1508 (simultaneously with the painting the vault of the Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo).
The fact is that the frescoes of the last largest hall began in 1519, and Raphael died suddenly in 1520 at the age of 37. It is believed that the painter personally did not work there, and the completion of the order was completed by his pupils who used other techniques.
“We knew about these two figures before, but only now we managed to study them in detail with the newest technologies available today,” the press service of the Vatican Museum said. They clarified that in the Hall of Constantine are restoration works, which allow more detailed study of the frescoes.
“Based on some historical sources and receiving the latest information about these two figures, the researchers can assume that they were drawn by Raphael himself, but as it happens in such cases, one can never say anything with certainty.” The hypothesis remains a hypothesis, although, very probable “.

Restoration of the Raphael stanza began several years ago and will be completely completed in 2022. At the same time, visits to this part of the museum did not stop for a day. The walls where the restorers work, often at night, alternately are covered with impenetrable panels.

With the feast of St. Nicholas, dear our connoisseurs !!!
We all once were children and we still like, like children, to receive tasty and sweet gifts under the pillow. After all, we ourselves have been well behaved this year))). One of these gifts can be a tasty work – “Marmalade. Lemon slices ” artist Natalia Martyniuk.

15.12.2017

FACES technology will help scientists in the study of works of art and establish their authorship along with radiography and other instruments. The project will be presented in April next year at the New York Museum Frick Collection.

Next year on the museum’s website Frick Collection will be available a tool that uses face recognition software of unknown models in portraits. Users will be able to upload photos and use Art and Computerized Evaluation Systems (FACES) to search for the database. The project was launched by scientists from the University of California at Riverside (UCR) with the financial support of the National Foundation for the Support of the Humanities.

FACES uses the same technology that governments use to track down terrorists. The tool will be available on the website of the Reference Arts Library, which is part of the New York Museum. “I hope that scientists will use this tool along with radiography and other technologies,” says Konrad Rudolf, professor of art at UCR. He emphasizes that the task of this technology is not to replace the expert’s view, but to help him in the research.

Unlike the earlier version of FACES, which measured the distance between anthropometric points on the face, “version 2.0” uses deep neural networks that take into account a larger number of points and more subtly and in detail analyze complex, nonlinear visual information. “True, artistic liberties, characteristic of portraits created by painters, will never allow us to use universal technology for all works,” Rudolf notes. At the moment, the museum has already explored portraits of many famous personalities, including William Shakespeare and Robert Devereaux, a favorite of Elizabeth I. But, according to Rudolph, the potential of software is not limited to portraits. It can be used to establish authorship of works in other spheres of art. The project will be presented in April 2018 at a symposium in the Frick Collection.

11.12.2017

The Abu Dhabi Louvre wrote a very simple message on Twitter: “The Savior of the World” of da Vinci will be brought to #LouvreAbuDhabi. ”

To make sure the readers did not doubt the seriousness of the tweet, the official account of the museum in Twitter posted messages in three languages: English, Arabic and French. Shocking art news were also posted on the Facebook page (though only in Arabic). This is an extremely crafty way to release so much news. The next step in the long, twisted story of the mysterious (and somewhat disputed) paintings of Leonardo was the subject of intense speculation, since its sale with Christie’s two weeks ago to the undercover buyer made her the most expensive picture of all time. The record for the Louvre was reported by the auction house Christie, adding: “Congratulations -” Savior of the World “goes to his new home @LouvreAbuDhabi.” It is unknown whether Christie’s really had information that the Louvre Abu Dhabi would become a “new home” for this work. Answering a question about the news, the official representative of the auction house said: “We are very glad that the work will be again in a public place. We do not have additional information. ” The Brunswick Group, the official PR-company of Louvre Abu Dhabi, told the online publication that it can not yet provide official confirmation. Neither the Louvre nor the Louvre Abu Dhabi did not answer the question when they were asked to provide additional information about social media messages. Last week, Louvre’s director Jean-Luc Martinez inspired rumors in the world of art, saying that he is looking forward to the “Savior of the World” hanging next to “Mona Lisa”. However, a museum official recently told reporters: “The Louvre is currently working on a list of credits for Leonardo da Vinci’s 2019 exhibition. It’s too early to say which pictures will be included in the list. ” Interesting is the fact that the opening of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi was last month, at random coincidence, just a few days before the sale became famous paintings. This is one of the loudest parts of the cultural district of Sa’idid and is part of a 30-year agreement between Abu Dhabi and the French government.

Source: http://art-news.com.ua/yzvestnaia-kartyna-da-vynchy-otpravylas-v-luvr-abu-daby-18030.html
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