Daqian smashes Picasso.

 

Recognize this painting? I didn't. In fact I've misspelled the artists name every time I've written it.
The artis is Zhang Daqian and if prices paid for art are any indication of popularity, he is the Big Man On Campus. Move over Picasso.
The French research company Artprice has released the details regarding prices paid for art at auctions in 2011.
1. Zhang Daqian: $506.7 million
2. Qi Baishi: $445.1 million
3. Andy Warhol: $324.8 million
4. Pablo Picasso: $311.6 million
Wow. Some staggering results. In all, $11 billion was spent on art last year. Chinese dealers and collectors are buying a lot of Chinese art. Chinese art comprised 39% of the total market. The U.S. made up 25%. Artprice follows 450,000 artists.
Picasso had been number one on the list since 1997, except for 2007, Warhol took the top spot that year.
The painting above is Lotus and Mandarin Ducks by Zhang Daqian.
(via bloomberg.com)

Stolen Picasso in SF.

 

Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman) was stolen from the Weinstein Gallery on Tuesday at 11:41am.
The well dressed fellow, casually walked in, snatched the drawing, walked out of the Gallery, hopped into a cab, and was off.

The piece was on sale for $200,000 and hung between pieces by Chagall and Dali. The other pieces were not touched. While Picasso gave many of his works the title "Tête de Femme," this one was part of the collection he left to his driver.

The stolen Tête de Femme is 8 1/4"x10 5/8" and was drawn in 1965.

Here's a pic of the culprit. Wouldn't it be funny if he erased Picasso's work like Rauschenberg's Erased deKooning, and then returned the piece to the gallery?