Cheney Appraisal Services

10/18/2023

Interesting talk last night from Maggie Taft on her new book, “The Rise of Danish Design in Postwar America, The Chieftain and the Chair.” Maggie speaks to how political, economic and cultural forces in Denmark led to a new Danish Modern design with sleek, clean lines, and organic materials. And how it was marketed and adopted within the American market.

10/13/2023

In traveling through Sicily saw several wonderful architectural examples of Sicily's 2500 years of cultural influences including Greek, Byzantine, Arabic, Norman, and Spanish.

09/24/2023

Rules effecting art creation are evolving:

US copyright review board ruled that “if all of a work’s ‘traditional elements of authorship’ were produced by a machine, the work lacks human authorship, and the Office will not register it”.

Judge Beryl Howell did acknowledge that humanity is “approaching new frontiers in copyright” where artists will use AI as a tool to create new work.

US ruling on works created through artificial intelligence gives boost to creative workers fighting for livelihoods

07/23/2022

Claes Oldenburg dies at 93. You can see examples of Oldenburg art at MOMA
such as Two Cheeseburgers, with Everything (Dual Hamburgers)
1962; Medium: Burlap soaked in plaster, painted with enamel; Dimensions:
7 x 14 3/4 x 8 5/8" (17.8 x 37.5 x 21.8 cm)

07/23/2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/18/arts/claes-oldenburg-dead.html

Taking ordinary objects like hamburgers and household items, he sculpted them in unfamiliar, often imposing dimensions — what he called his “Colossal Monuments.”

09/29/2020

The original selfie painted by the German master, Albrecht Dürer, in 1500.

Oil on panel, 26.4" x 19.3", Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Now it seems self-evident that pictures can represent who you “really” are. That conviction began with Albrecht Dürer, five centuries ago.

02/29/2020

Over 700 works from 1550-1750 showcasing scientific and artistic knowledge and skills.
Exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

08/24/2019

Good article; covers important details in authenticating and dating works of art such as verifying signatures, artists' brush strokes, examing bottom of bronze sculptures for casting processes; reviewing types of paper used in prints; and provenance and exhibition history.

From craquelure to patina, watermarks to brushstrokes… Our specialists on what they’re looking for when someone brings a work of art into Christie’s

05/03/2019

Kathleen A. Foster delivered an interesting talk on the use of pastels from the 18th-20th century. An overview of the pros and cons of the medium was discussed:

Pros:

Pure pigment (minimum binder) = pure color
No discoloration over time
Soft
Absorbs and reflects light well
Fast to work with; drawing and coloring at the same time
Easy to learn
Portable
Cheap
Odorless
Sell less expensively to collectors

Cons:

Fragile – easily disturbed
Requires glass over it
Changes color if you try to restore it
Anyone can use it; promotes mediocrity; still need to draw well.

The examples she presented were all from accomplished artists and superb draftsmen who were seeking new and innovative mediums to experiment and express themselves. Here are a few of my favorites.

04/07/2019

Enjoying the watercolors at the AWS show with Lisa Miller and Susan Davison.
The American Watercolor Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious art societies in the world. Their 152nd Annual International runs through Sunday, April 21st.

03/17/2019

Asia Week March 13-23, 2019; Dealers featuring more contemporary art this year along with traditional Asian works.

11/13/2018

"Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" by David Hockney sells for $90.3 Million at Christie’s, a new record for work by a living artist (November 15, 2018). The Hockney’s seller was Joe Lewis, the British billionaire known for making big bets on both currency and art.

The previous record was Jeff Koons’ 12 foot sculpture "Balloon Dog". The giant stainless steel sculpture sold for $58.4 million (£36.8m) at an auction at Christie’s in New York November 12, 2013.

The high for any living European artist is Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (1986) sold for £30.4 million ($46.3 million), February 10, 2015.

10/26/2018

You are invited to a photography exhibit where I will be participating in a show of creative photographs taken in NYC.
The opening reception is November 20, 12:00-3:00 PM
New York Public Library Kips Bay Branch
Refreshments will be served! Hope to see you there!
Linda 📷

09/09/2018

Nancy Miller’s art opening; two works: Undersea Garden III and V, acrylic on canvas board.

09/05/2018

"Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imaginations" is one of the most popular exhibits in the MET's history.

It is the highest attendance ever recorded for the Costume Institute and third highest for the MET overall, just behind "The Vatican Collections" in 1983 and "Mona Lisa" in 1963. The MET's most attended show is "Treasures of Tutankhamun" which drew over 1,360,957 visitors.

"Heavenly Bodies" is the largest show the MET has ever put together including 25 galleries and the Cloisters. See artnet news: https://artnt.cm/2NqqW9J

05/25/2018

"Art Investigation: Microanalysis", a lecture by Jennifer L. Mass, Ph.D.;
Dr. Mass explains how scientific and connoisseurship analysis was used to determine the reasons for color changes and flaking in famous works of art by Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. She answers key questions such as, "Is this degradation from paint manufacturing problems or photo-oxidation (environmental considerations)?"

05/16/2018

Fun exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick through August 4th.

04/19/2018

Great watercolor demonstration by Joel Popadics, AWS.

03/10/2018

Outstanding display of Thangkas at the Asia Society, “Unknown Tibet, the Tucci Expeditions and Buddhist Painting” through May 20, 2018.
This work depicts Tsongkhapa, painted 18th Century; Tradition: Gelug, pigments on cloth. Remarkable fine and detailed renderings of people, architecture and nature. Based on woodblock series. Tucci purchased it at Kyi Monastery in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.

02/14/2018

Michelangelo (1475-1564) known as IL DIVINO (The Divine One)
Genius as a draftsman and master of anatomy; known as sculptor, painter, and architect.
This extraordinary MET exhibit included more than 200 works from 48 collections.

11/18/2017

New auction record!

04/02/2017

Enjoying the photographs at AIPAD on Pier 94 today.

01/24/2017

Is Fashion Art?

Read about the centuries long debate on whether fashion is considered art. And see some of the fashion that sparked that debate.

11/03/2016

It's print week in NYC!

With exhibitions and art fairs going on all over the city, New York Print Fair has plenty offer, and artnet News has your go-to guide.

11/03/2016

Nice overview of Japanese woodblock prints

These prints of the

06/29/2016

For the Love of Art: Degas and the Monotype

The Cheney Appraisal blog was created to share our passion for art with you. We will be covering fine and decorative art exhibitions, sales, shows and collections from around the world with an emphasis on artists' techniques and styles. Enjoy!

03/20/2016

03/16/2016

Claude Monet: Capturing a Fleeting Moment - talk by Kathyn Calley Galitz. A few highlights: the MET has 40 Monet paintings (not all on display); Monet first debuted as a marine painter in 1866 - see The Green Wave bottom right; Monet painted the same landscapes different times of day - serial approach was used 1883-1885 - see two works depicting the arches at Manneporte on the Normandy coast; Monet began his haystack series in 1888 and called them the envelope - enveloping all things within a composition with the same light.

03/09/2016

Outsider or folk art - some rooted in community tradition and craft, some a more contemporary expression; all based on feeling over fashion.

11/12/2015

Amedeo Modigliani’s “Nu Couché” (1917-18) sold for $170.4 million with fees at Christie’s New York on November 9, 2015.
It was the second-highest price paid for an artwork at auction.

The seller of the Modigliani, Laura Mattioli Rossi, the daughter of the Italian collector Gianni Mattioli, was guaranteed at least a $100 million minimum price.

The buyer was Liu Yiqian, a former Chinese taxi driver turned billionaire art collector. Bidding by telephone, Mr. Liu, 52, was one of six people competing for Modigliani’s 1917-18 canvas, “Nu Couché,” during the auction. The final price of $170.4 million with fees was well above the previous auction record of $70.7 million for a work by Modigliani. With Mr. Liu’s winning bid, the painting became the 10th work of art to reach the elite nine-figure club for works sold at auction. (Robin Pogrebin and Scott Reyburn, Nov. 9, 2015, New York Times)