Artist Erica Rutherford dies                                                                12^th April 08

Well-known painter and printmaker Erica Rutherford, died this Friday. Ms. Rutherford, one of Canada's most accomplished artists, had works in many corporate and public collections world-wide, notably Canada Council's Art Bank, the Arts Council of Great Britain, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Indianapolis Museum of Art and Museo d'Arte Contemporano in Madrid, Spain.

The Guardian- The Prince Edward Island                                      Read more...

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=125515&sc=98

'Big Sue' set to fetch big bucks and top record                                                          13^th April 08

Celebrated 85 year old painter Lucian Freud's Benefits Supervisor Sleeping painted in 1995 is tipped to break Jeff Koons' record last November for Hanging Heart. This abundantly, gloriously fleshy painting is predicted to become the most expensive painting by a living artist sold at auction. .

The Age- Australia                                                                     Read more...

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/big-sue-set-to-fetch-big-bucks-and-top-record/2008/04/12/1207856921236.html

Aventura Mall Unveils Four New Works by World-Renowned Contemporary Artists                                    11^th April 08

AVENTURA, Fla.- The dynamic cultural initiative of Turnberry Associates, Turnberry for the Arts Collection, that combines contemporary art and education at the company's shopping centre Aventura Mall, unveils four new artworks in its Mall this month. The sculptures are Walking Figure by Donald Baechler, Eye Benches by Louise Bourgeois, Back of a Snowman, by Gary Hume, and Florida's Soul, by Jaume Plensa. These works are on permanent display along with other major works by world-renowned contemporary artists already on view.

The company's philosophy of bringing contemporary art into the accessible setting of the mall, the company hope to enhance the experiences of their visitors by expanding the traditional boundaries of where art is found.                            Read more...

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080411005544&newsLang=en

Contemporary Art Sale at Bonham's New York in May                                                                      11^th April 08

Collectors of contemporary works of art are eagerly anticipating Bonhams' inaugural New York sale of Contemporary Art on May 13, 2008. On offer will be outstanding works by many of today's most highly regarded artists, including Mel Ramos, Elaine Sturtevant, a vibrant pigment wall sculpture by Indian artist Anish Kapoor, a very early stand-alone red and black painting of four monkeys bearing signs which read: "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge." by Banksy, Anton Henning, Andy Warhol and an important piece by arguably the most widely recognized living female artist Judy Chicago ...                        Read more...

http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Bonhams-NY.html

Rival Bidders Push London Islamic, Indian-Art Sales to Record                   11th April 08

A record 37.3 million pounds ($73.5 million) of sales this week in London, more than double the 16 million-pound estimate, showed Islamic and Indian art to be among the fastest-growing areas in the auction market. The fee-inclusive totals of 11.8 million pounds, 21.5 million pounds and 4 million pounds achieved at Christie's International, Sotheby's and Bonhams respectively were all new highs for the auction houses, press officers said in e-mailed statements. Sotheby's April 9 sale grossed more in a single day than the 20 million pounds of sales the company had for Islamic art in the whole of 2007, according to figures given by the auction house in an e-mail. more than 20 times their lower estimates, Sothebys and Christies said. ``It's a volatile, immature market that loves the salerooms,'' said London-based Islamic art dealer Sam Fogg. ``There are a lot of new buyers from the Middle East who are prepared to pay crazy prices for certain things.''                     Read more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=avSySO0qKSJE&refer=muse

The aura around Indian art                                                                  10^th April

A look at how the Indian market has reached its current high. The embodiment of a nation's culture is implicit in its art and this set the stage for Indian art to make a grand entrance into the global arena. With government policies restricting the flexibility of dealing with antiques, it was inevitable that all the buying and selling would focus on contemporary art. The rise of India as an emerging market due to the government's implementation of policies promoting liberalisation and privatisation in the 1990's and the corresponding increase in nationalistic fervour created the circumstances for an Indian artist to set a world record. Growth of the art market since 2000 has been attributed to increasing media attention and publicity within and outside India and how the Indian auction houses are dominant in moulding the reputation of a number of artists.                      Read more...

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/04/06/stories/2008040650020100.htm

HONG KONG Auctions                                                                       10^th April 08

Based on the strong results from this year's first major international auctions of contemporary Chinese art, the category continues to establish itself as one of the world's most potent. Total sales at Sotheby's Hong Kong on April 9 brought in HK$403,042,750 (US$51,734,568), exceeding the high estimate of HK$362.9 million (about US$46.5 million), a record breaking result for contemporary Chinese art for the house. More than 85% of the 235 lots were sold. Sotheby head of contemporary Chinese art, said that the market is "gaining in sophistication as collectors move beyond paintings and sculpture to compete in categories such as video and installation works." Numerous works from the Stellar Collection were on sale, previously assembled by Manhattan dealer Michael Goedhuis and sold in August. Some notable artists including Cai Guo-Qiang, Zeng Fanzhi, Ai Weiwei, Zhang Xiaogang, and Xu Bing. Numerous auction records were achieved.... Read more...

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/27319/hong-kong-auctions-prove-chinese-contemporarys-potency/

Embracing Chinese art- the Ethics                                                    9^th April

A mixed response to Jonathan Jones' comment, that engaging with Chinese art shows willingness 'to cement cultural ties with oppressive regimes' and a bowing down to the "most powerful bully in the playground". Gluckman describes how censorship governs artists in Tibet and China, and it's part of them and their art practice. However disallowing artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work within the UK will deny them lifelines of communication, income and respect. She highlights the support mechanisms and networks created through the contemporary art world - galleries, non-profit organisations, workshops and institutions - create platforms for comment, debate and friendship. If we do as Jones suggests how will that make us more informed about China's culture and society, and be better able to engage with its cultural community? She doubts it...Read more...

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/art/2008/04/embracing_chinese_art.html