Contemporary art defies the market…

The art market is proving its extraordinary capacity for surprise. After the very disappointing Impressionist & Modern sales in New York, the outlook for the Contemporary and Post-War Art sales was not particularly good

FIAC 2011 – Notes from the fair

The 38th edition of the FIAC just ended. Nearly 21 countries represented, 168 galleries, close to 70 000 visitors… the 2011 FIAC was a tremendous success.

Art Taipei / 26 - 29 August 2011

Now in its 18th year, Art Taipei is the oldest art fair in Asia. This year it opens on 26 August, presenting 124 galleries at the World Trade Center of Taipei.

Contemporary Photography

Every fortnight Artprice posts a theme-based auction ranking. This week's TOP identifies the ten best auction results generated in the Contemporary photography segment.

Richard Prince – No copyright

Richard Prince draws on the culture of his age, as Andy Warhol did previously.

Prestige sales in New York produce mixed results

Although generally considered safer (and less volatile) investments, the Modern Masters failed to generate the estimated results at Christie’s and Sotheby’s May sales in New York, generating a combined total of just $285.65m from their Impressionist & Modern Art sessions.

Top 10: Women Power!

Every fortnight Artprice posts a theme-based auction ranking. This week, the focus is on women artists. The ten best auction results in 2010 for works by Contemporary female artists.

Contemporary Art sales in February: a bold selection with records expected

The big Contemporary Art sales begin just a few days after the Impressionist & Modern Art sales in London.

The grand return of Cindy Sherman

If the major international Contemporary art fairs are anything to go by, Cindy Sherman’s international reputation appears to have gained considerable momentum this autumn.

Autumn sales 2010: return of competition!

The New York November 2010 sales doubled the revenue total from the same sales in 2009.

The top 10 best auction results for Photography

Every fortnight Artprice provides you with a new or updated ranking in its Alternate-Friday Top Series. The theme of today's TOP article is the Top 10 auction results recorded in photography.

Ahead of the May sales

Ahead of the major Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary art sales in May, collectors have been making their annual pilgrimages to art fairs around the world. During March and April, those interested in Contemporary art have been particularly attracted to the Armory Show, Art Paris, Art Tokyo, Art Brussels, Cige, etc.

The highs and lows of contemporary artists

As expected, auction revenue figures for contemporary artists in 2009 contracted quite substantially (divided by 14 in the case of Damien Hirst, and by 3 in the case of Jeff Koons). However, for all that, the market is not in bad condition. The loss of the speculative element has essentially allowed prices to settle back to 2004 levels.

Fine art photography market – New York results

Between 30 March and 2 April 2009, Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips de Pury & Company once again tested the Fine Art Photography market in New York. Over the last decade, Fine Art photography has proved to be one of the most profitable segments of the art market with prices more than doubling between January 1998 and January 2008 according to the price index calculated by Artprice

Modern photography in the spotlight at Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips

From 26 to 28 April, nearly a thousand photographs will be offered at the photography auctions held successively at Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips de Pury. The highlight of these auctions will - as always - be the sale of a large number of quality modern prints.

Contemporary photography: +35% in 2004

In the mid-1990s, paintings were the only medium in the art market that investors considered of any speculative interest. But recently, with growing demand and a wave of artistic renewal, other creative formats have proved as, or more, lucrative than paintings. The photography market has been expanding rapidly for the past five years and is today one of the art world’s fastest-growth segments.

Highly attractive photography auctions

After a sluggish 2003, the photography market is now booming once again. With prestigious sales to take place at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips in the next few weeks, Artprice has taken stock of one of the art world’s most dynamic segments.

Contemporary photographers rise in the east

A wave of enthusiasm among younger generation collectors has driven contemporary photography prices up by 92% in less than six years, an annual growth rate of more than 12.7%. This kind of speculative rally used to be the preserve of big name German and US photographers, but in the last few months the market seems to have been led by less renowned artists of other nationalities.

Contemporary photography: prices surge in this more selective and transparent market

In a market segment which attracts young collectors hammer prices rise and fall in line with sales. Despite being a particularly unstable market, contemporary photographers have commanded steadily rising prices in recent years. But prices are still influenced by economic swings and speculation. The talent of these artists is not yet rooted in art history or in the market. Selection is particularly tough.