Designer Harry Allen crafted his resin cast gold finished piggy bank as part of his series, Reality. And in our current economic climate, everyone wants to look more penny pincher than spendthrift, whether you are truly concerned about your investments or have conscientiously decided to be a happy person just one-Birkin-fewer. With this piece on a shelf somewhere, your frugal side makes its subtle yet cheeky appearance and your charitable side does too: Allen will donate 5% of proceeds to The Humane Society. Available in gold or chrome finish at Moss online for $195.Your New Designer Piggy Bank
Designer Harry Allen crafted his resin cast gold finished piggy bank as part of his series, Reality. And in our current economic climate, everyone wants to look more penny pincher than spendthrift, whether you are truly concerned about your investments or have conscientiously decided to be a happy person just one-Birkin-fewer. With this piece on a shelf somewhere, your frugal side makes its subtle yet cheeky appearance and your charitable side does too: Allen will donate 5% of proceeds to The Humane Society. Available in gold or chrome finish at Moss online for $195.Yacht "A" Picks Up Some Monet
Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's long-awaited yacht is getting some pricey decoration. The wildly distinctive yacht, known simply as "A" named after Melnichenko's wife Aleksandra, was designed by Philippe Starck. The Times Online reports that the $400 million megayacht recently motored to Norway to pick up three Monet paintings. It is believed that Melnichenko chose Norway to avoid EU import taxes.
The 390-foot ship was built by Blohm & Voss and features details including a glass roof looking up into one of the two swimming pools. It has six guest cabins but room for 42 staff members.
Check out more pictures of this incredible yacht at Monaco Eye.
Shepard Fairey Barack Obama Painting Auctioned For Charity
When contemporary art cult fave Shepard Fairey started "campaigning" for Barack Obama, he created original collages assembling inspiring portraits of Obama above titles like HOPE, PROGRESS and CHANGE. We saw them silkscreened on tee shirts worn by the likes of Ryan Phillippe that soon became impossible to get, selling for thousands on eBay. Now for the true connoisseur -- of politics and art -- the rare opportunity exists to bid on one of the original three pieces, OBAMA HOPE. Currently at $60,000, the piece is being auctioned by Westport, CT-based CharityBuzz, which will donate profits to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, providing access to the arts to disadvantaged urban youth. CharityBuzz will accept bids until July 24, but if you miss this potentially revolutionary piece of art, you can at least order the sticker version online at Sticker Robot. Big spender yours truly just snagged ten of them.San Diego Condo Tower Splashes Out On Public Art
The Sapphire Tower condominium project in downtown San Diego takes a unique approach to attracting attention by using public art. While most public art is at the base of a structure, the Sapphire Tower's Borgonovo sculpture will stretch 80 feet from tip to tail. The design from artist Betsy Schulz is a modern metal and glass structure with two different textured glass colors set as the shimmering gemstones. Borgonovo will be made of two-tiered mesh, aluminum panels, textured and laminated blue and clear glass, and blue-LED string lights to illuminate the glass at night. Borgonovo is one of two major art pieces being installed at Sapphire Tower both designed by Schultz and costing just under a half a million dollars total.
Sapphire Tower is a 32-story project located on the southwest corner of Kettner Boulevard and A Street in downtown San Diego. The project will include 97 units in one and two bedroom, loft and penthouse layouts. Building amenities include a pool, hot tub, sundeck and gym. The building is set to be finished by the end of the year and prices start in the $600,00s with penthouses starting at $2.5 million.
Damien Hirst for Vertu?
Prolific and controversial artist Damien Hirst is no stranger to commerce. He has created a line for Levi's and sells his own bracelets, paint kits and other items. But his next rumored collaboration is intriguing. Fashion Week Daily reports that Hirst may be working with Vertu on a new luxury phone. Vertu has created lines with car brands and jewelers but they haven't worked with an artist yet. Certainly Hirst, who once covered a skull in diamonds, is no stranger to bedazzlement so the two should get on perfectly. Gallery: The World of Damien Hirst
Bacon, Basquiat, Prince and Warhol Star in Sotheby's Sale
Not to be outdone by archrival Christie's, Sotheby's is staging its own major Contemporary Art auction in London on July 1st. With total pre-sale estimates topping $130 million, the event is being billed as "the highest value summer sale of contemporary art ever held by Sotheby's in Europe." The untitled Jean-Michel Basquiat painting belonging to Irish rockers U2 that my colleague Deidre Woollard mentioned earlier this month is a top draw in the auction, with an estimate of $8 - $12 million. Other highlights include two important works by Francis Bacon: Figure Turning, painted 1962, est. $20 - $30 million, and Study for Head of George Dyer, painted in 1967, est. at over $16 million. Rounding out the other notable big-ticket items are Richard Prince's Overseas Nurse, 2002, est. at $8 - $12 million - more than the current Prince auction record; and Andy Warhol's 1964 Large Campbell's Soup Can (pictured right), est. $5 - $7 million. Also of interest: tennis great John McEnroe is selling his 1986 Warhol portrait with ex Tatum O'Neal, est. only $500,000 - $700,000. See the gallery for images.
Gallery: Sotheby's Summer Sale
Monet Painting Sells For Over $80 Million
I'm no art critic, which is perhaps why I'm a little mystified by the astronomical sale of Le Bassin aux Nympheas by Claude Monet for £40,921,250, ($80,451,178) at a recent sale at Christie's London. This new sale obliterates the record set at Christie's New York in May by Monet's "Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil" which went for $41.181 million.
Le Bassin aux Nymphéas was fought for by three bidders, two on the telephone and one woman at the front of the room. The Guardian reports that at one point the woman bidder asked for more time but she eventually had the winning bid. The painting is one of Monet's large-scale Nymphéas which led to his Grandes décorations, the frieze now in the Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris. Dated 1919, when Monet signed the picture and sold it with three sister-works, Le bassin aux nymphéas is one of the tiny handful of pictures from this period that he sold.
As the Guardian article mentioned, quoting art expert Charles Dupplin, right now the art market is an interesting spot. Records are being smashed all over the place while the middle section of the market appears to be sagging. This mimics in some ways the state of the entire luxury market which has remained robust at the ultra high end but has shown serious weakness in the lower and middle ranges.
Richard Prince Opens First Major UK Solo Show
Artist, bibliophile, collector and Louis Vuitton collaborator Richard Prince's first major solo show at a UK public institution opens in London at the Serpentine Gallery on Thursday. Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs threw a posh pre-opening party for the artist. Running through Sept. 7, the exhibition, called Continuation, picks up where Prince's major Guggenheim retrospective of last year left off. The Serpentine show however will "mirror the installation of Prince's work in his own buildings," especially his compound in upstate New York, complete with studio furniture. Also on display will be his sculptures in the form of muscle car hoods, flip-flops and concrete highway barriers. Last month, a painting from Prince's Nurse series similar to the one pictured here from the new show sold at Christie's for $7 million, while LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault cited the Vuitton bags Prince designed as one of the company's prime profit makers.
[via Men.Style]
Gallery: Richard Prince at the Serpentine
Rare Never Exhibited Bacon on Offer at Christie's
A rare Francis Bacon triptych that has never before been seen in public and has never been offered at auction is expected to fetch over $20 million during Christie's Contemporary Art Sales in London at the end of the month. Painted in Paris in 1975, Three Studies for a Self Portrait (above) is similar in character to the Bacon triptych that sold for $28 million at Christie's last month. Also starring in the sales on June 30 through July 1: Lucian Freud's Naked Potrait with Reflection, one of the most important works by the artist ever to be offered at auction, est. $20 million - $30 million; Jeff Koons' Balloon Flower (Magenta), 1995-2000, the most important Koons work ever offered at auction in Europe, est. about $25 million; Andy Warhol's Nine Multicolored Marilyns, est. $5 million - $7 million; and Jean-Michel Basquiat's Trunk, painted in 1982, est. $2 - $3 million.
Gallery: Christie's Summer Sale
Pricey Origami Ready to Rev Your Engine
If you are car crazy, engine excited, and art-inclined you might enjoy this amazing take-home creation of V-12 Four Stroke Engine made origami style. It took two years to design such an incredible project that you can assemble at home...of course, a lesson or two in precise folding may be a smart investment before you attempt this complex model. Including 1978 pieces, CD-ROM and paper instructions sent or printed from a PDF, the origami art structure kit can be purchased at either $64.99 or $89.99, but the completed masterpiece will cost you $35,000! If you've got the time, and don't want to spend a good portion of your child's college fund on a paper project, you may want to opt for the less expensive, DIY kit. In any case, the finished product is stunning and its moveable parts mimic that of a true engine.
Gallery: V12 Four Stroke Origami Engine
Damien Hirst's Golden Calf
Compared to his diamond-covered skull, Damien Hirst's latest work for sale, a bull in formaldehyde, with a head crowned by a solid-gold disc, and hooves and horns cast in 18-karat gold is practically a deal. The Golden Calf will be auctioned off at Sotheby's in New York in September and is estimated to bring in $16 to $24 million. The calf comes in a gold-plated stainless steel and glass box. The monumental piece is part of Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, a major auction of new works by Hirst, on September 15 and 16. The auction will include formaldehyde sculptures, new paintings, new cabinets and preparatory drawings,
Gallery: The World of Damien Hirst
U2 To Auction Off Famous Artwork
Celebrities often buy and sell art, (as Hugh Grant did last year when he parted with his Warhol) but it's rarer that the painting belongs to a band. The piece above, a powerful painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat belonging to rock band U2, will be auctioned July 1 at Sotheby's London. Untitled (Pecho/Oreja), completed in 1983, is estimated to sell for £4-6 million ($7.775-11.662 million) but could go higher.
U2 bassist Adam Clayton first spotted the painting, which is acrylic, oil stick and paper collage on canvas, and the band bought it way back in 1989, a year after Basqiat's untimely death. It has hung in their Dublin studio ever since. The painting, which was begun when Basquiat was just 22 features some of his popular motifs including the stylized, skull-like face, the small crown and his use of words and scrawled lines to invoke an urgent chaos. BBC News reports that the current auction record for a Basquiat work stands at $14.6 million.
The 1984 Fishbowl by Danny Cheung
I came across this gem while browsing pictures of unique children's rooms. Named The 1984 Fishbowl, this revamped design by Danny Cheung putts a modern twist on the age old glass fish bowl. It's quirky shape is eye catching, the windows are made of magnified glass providing a detailed look at your goldfish, while the opaque walls provide refuge. I love the retro look of this funky little fish bowl, it would make a stylish addition to any room, and I imagine kids would go nuts for it. Available online for $430.More Fire Glass Studio Jars
These hand-crafted jars come in such vivid lollipop-like colors they seem almost lickable. They are created by Elizabeth Lyons of More Fire Glass Studio and have inflated stoppers that give them the look of game pieces. Each one measures 19" x 8", they come in green, orange, or ruby and sell for $775 each.
More Fire Glass Studio is located in Rochester, New York and they also offer classes in making glass beads, jewelry and more.
$15,000 Kenny Scharf Surfboard
I have never surfed in my life but if I was rich enough I might consider buying this $15,000 surfboard because it's just so pretty! It's part of a collection that is the result of a collaboration between designer Elie Tahara and artist Kenny Scharf. I love the yellow and red color combo (the collection also comes in a scheme of seafoam green and purple) and the pattern is an interesting mix of floral, science, and space objects. The Kenny Scharf collection is available now exclusively in Elie Tahari's boutiques in Soho and East Hampton New York.
