Luxury News from InsideLux – The Daily Luxury News Authority

The Artist Damien Hirst, depicts a serious theme when being creative and that is death. Hirst is known for his preserved animals, including a shark, tiger, cow and sheep. Whilst the work he produces struggles to define the stereotypical ‘luxury item’ , it does however, possess that magical and wondorous aura. In terms of wealth, his 14 foot Tiger Shark piece was extremely popular, and it’s sale in 2004 declared him one of the most expensive living artists. Hirst’s most luxurious piece was The Golden Calf which consisted of  gold hooves and horns reaching 18 carats, sold for 10.3 million.  His recent auction of his entire exhibition called Beautiful inside my head forever raised a staggering £111 million. Who would have thought animals soaked in formaldehyde were luxurious items!. Ultimately, his work isn’t for the faint hearted, it is extremely successful and is clearly in demand.

Golden Hoooves and Horns worth 18 Carats.

Christie’s International will host the Second Yves Saint Laurent art sale in collaboration with the late designer’s partner Pierre Berge. The first sale also hosted by Christie’s at the Grand Palais in Paris in February was the highest ever achieved at an auction for a private art collection fetching 342.5 million Euros.
The second sale will comprise of almost 1,200 pieces from the couple’s coastal retreat, Chateau Gabriel at Benerville near Deauville in Normandy. As well as modern art and Old Master pictures and drawings by artists including Picasso, Fernand Leger and Miro, the sale in Paris will include furniture and various Art Deco objects that decorated the of Saint Laurent’s chateau.

The Second Yves Saint Laurent art sale will be held between 17and 19 of November this year at Christie’s Paris auction rooms and proceeds from the sale will benefit HIV research and the fight against Aids

Everyone loves a good ol’ swap, so it is exciting to hear the plans revealed, that from the 1st-14th September, 2009, the Exchange Room will be open  in London. The idea was founded by the artist Ian Bruce and close friend Tom Daly, whereby Ian Bruce’s Art work is to be exchanged for the cost of the exhibition itself. Corporations and fellow artists are trading expenses for the production of the exhibition such as galleries, food and travel,  for Art by Ian Bruce. Who doesnt want to be involved in swapping in a glamorous setting and dignified manner. There is no denying the exclusivity of  the exhibition, the worth of goods being traded and the luxurious quality of Artwork.

Ian Bruce’s work.

Memorabilia of The late King of Pop is everywhere to be seen on the high street, upon market stalls, on auction websites such as Ebay, and even as prizes to be won within arcade machines. But Andy Warhol’s latest green portrait of Michael Jackson is slightly more difficult to purchase. It is on show at the British Music Experience exhibition, located at the O2 centre, to commemorate the place where Jackson was to perform for the last time. It was unveiled on the 5th August, 2009, for fans and the public to admire, as it is arranged to return to New York where it will be auctioned with a starting bid of $800,000.

Architecture has always understandably been associated with the construction of buildings. Buildings that attract tourists from around the world bring people in with interesting features that seem to be unimaginable in structure.

Stepping out the box and taking risks to modernize far into the future is what sets a single building apart from billions of others. Attempting to apply this concept to the all important shoe design market, Marloes ten Bhomer gives us a shoe so far advanced most may not understand the optimal revolution of them.

Representing minimalism at its best is this black shoe with the heel completely to the side, and support remarkably in front of the ankle. These are not yet out for commercial sale but when they are, do you dare?

In the spirit of the BBC’s Hunter S. Thompson Documentary that was shown last night (26.07.09) narrated by Jonny Depp this post is a showcase of Ralph Steadman’s work. All of these limited edtion prints are available to buy, so for your very own slice of Gonzo style vist Ralph’s website. Read the rest of this entry »

Lillian Bassman, at the height of her success was one of the most renowned photographers of the 1940’s -60’s, and at a time when male photographers dominated, her provocative, perhaps feminist work often caused controversy.  Her images were printed in magazines such as Harpers Bazaar and always created a stir due to their content.  Her inspiration was found in adult sexuality, so when the new youth generation of Mods and Hippies took over culture and fashion, she lost her passion.  She burnt all her negatives and left her art behind.

Now, years after she rediscovered her love for photography, the art world seems to be suddenly embracing her images once again as exhibitions and books (Lillian Bassman: Women, Abrams publishing) are being produced across both the U.S and Europe. The exhibitions will not only show original work, but will also display how Bassman has salvaged her lost photographs by experimenting with printing techniques and digital enhancement.

Documentary filmmaker, Frederick Wiseman has returned with his second dance documentary, after his first, `Ballet’ achieved stunning success at its release over a decade ago back in 1995.

“La Danse — Le Ballet de l’Opera de Paris,” documents the Paris based company as they set up a production and sees Wiseman explore all aspects of the process from costume fittings to lighting, right through until  the inevitable live performance.  He also shadows a group of the principal dancers as they rehearse and perform sequences from Ballet’s such as “Genus” by Wayne McGregor, “Le Songe de Medée” by Angelin Preljocaj, “La Maison de Bernarda” by Mats Ek, “Paquita” by Pierre Lacotte, “Casse Noisette” by Rudolph Nureyev, “Orphée and Eurydice” by Pina Bausch and “Romeo and Juliette” by Sasha Waltz.  This is an intimate documentary that displays both the beautiful discipline of Ballet and the signature style that Wiseman so often uses: the talking head and the narrator.

more.

Running for 160 minutes, “La Danse” will premiere in Europe in October and Novemeber in the U.S.

Iconic British Photographer Rankin will soon unveil his new exhibition `Rankin Live’ at London’s Brick Lane Gallery, Old Truman Brewery.  The collection will showcase two series of works which explore both his past and future career.

The first series labeled `Rankin Retrospective’ will take viewers on a journey re visiting some of the artist’s most famous images of celebrity, erotica and editorial fashion: the work that has made him the master he is perceived.  Read the rest of this entry »

A late “musketeer” painting by Pablo Picasso sold for 7 million pounds ($11.5 million) at Sotheby’s last night as buyers looked for value in the contracted auction market for Impressionist art.

The 1969 work dates to a period late in Picasso’s life when he was obsessed with floppy-hatted swashbucklers and their Casanova lifestyles.

In this version, Picasso’s doppelganger stands before a velvety red backdrop in a yellow jacket. He holds a sword as if posing for an Old Master portrait.

Amid the current ailing art market, Picasso is proving to be a reliable master at auction, even when his subject matter veers into the absur