By Irina Aleksander 2/24/09 4:58pm

The Russians Did Save the Art Market!

The auction of Yves Saint Laurent‘s art collection in Paris last night brought in an astounding $262 million, according to Bloomberg. In fact, the sale set records for works of seven of the major artists, including Henri Matisse’s 1911 still life of cowslips in a vase titled Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose, Read More

By Mario Naves 12/18/07 4:07pm

Art as Antagonism

The Museum of Modern Art posits that Lucian Freud’s etchings are as integral to his art as the paintings, but its exhibition title, “The Painter’s Etchings,” intimates that Freud’s real priority is working on canvas.

We’re encouraged to compare and contrast the 21 paintings on display with around 100 prints. How is Freud’s vision Read More

By Mario Naves 2/24/03 12:00am

Talent at the End of the Line: Perfecting Abstract Equipoise

One measure of an artwork’s vitality is its capacity to suggest new possibilities. The artist may not be aware of the forward momentum his work will generate, and it’s rarely the viewer’s primary concern. Picasso and Braque may have had an inkling, when they invented Cubism, that they were putting a ball in motion; whether Read More

By Hilton Kramer 4/24/00 12:00am

Mud and Fog on Canvas: Kossoff and Lucian Freud

Has anyone ever made a study of the influence of London fog and air pollution on the evolution of modern English painting? Remember the once-famous lines from T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”?

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the Read More