THE season’s modern and contemporary art sales begin today at London’s major auction houses: Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips. But predictions are gloomy. Presale estimates at all three houses shows a fall of 26 per cent since last year. The total presale estimate is £355 million, a big fall on last year’s £461 million, according to Artnet. That’s despite the number of lots going up.
It’s a fresh blow for collectors, dealers and gallerists who have feared for a while that London’s place in the art world is slipping. Earlier this year European fair Masterpiece, and Olympia, which sells antiques as well as art, cancelled their annual London shows.
Art historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor says while top end works are selling, the “middle level” is suffering, with art more likely to stay in Paris. “Brexit is slowly strangling the London art market”, he told us.
Earlier this year European fair Masterpiece, and Olympia, which sells antiques as well as art, cancelled their annual London shows.
Walker won’t be held back by crash
Newsreader and presenter Dan Walker was knocked off his bike last week in a crash. He was seriously injured and took time off from his job at Channel 5, saying he was “glad to be alive” and that his helmet had saved him. But the ex-Strictly man isn’t letting it stop him. We’re told he will still present the RTS Television awards in Mayfair tomorrow. Talk about getting back on your bike.
Villiers reading advice
Moments after his press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, Rishi Sunak posted easy-to-understand graphics explaining his Northern Ireland deal online. Were the intended recipients voters or MPs? Ex-Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers said yesterday: “I’ve learned from slightly bitter experience that it’s good to read it before you decide whether it’s a good deal or not”. Tories take note.
Hancock’s NFT support
Last night Matt Hancock was at the NFT Gallery in Mayfair with Oleg Mishchenko and Iryna Korobkina, a Ukrainian couple who have been staying in his West Suffolk home since last year. Oleg is selling 15 NFTs depicting Ukraine before the war, raising money for humanitarian efforts. Hancock says he is “honoured” and “incredibly proud” of the couple.
Rishi gets a bounce
With his Brexit deal winning plaudits, the Prime Minister is feeling a slight bounce. A poll by ConHome of Tory members asking about their satisfaction levels has Rishi Sunak up a little bit on last month. He’s still not doing well, sitting towards the bottom of the Cabinet leaderboard, but it’s a start.
Mirren in Beverly Hills
In LA yesterday, Dame Helen Mirren was at a photocall with Rachel Zegler and Lucy Liu for their new film Shazam! Fury of the Gods. It’s a DC Comics outing about teens who can turn into superheroes.
