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Thomas N. Armstrong III, Museum Chief Who Once Led the Whitney, Dies at 78

Thomas N. Armstrong III, who greatly expanded the Whitney Museum of American Art’s holdings when he was its director in the 1970s and ’80s but whose ambitious plans for a museum addition aroused a firestorm of opposition that led to his dismissal, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 78.

New York Times…

Schiele and Picasso Draw Interest at London Auctions

LONDON — A colorful cityscape by Egon Schiele being sold by the Leopold Museum in Vienna brought $40.1 million at a sale of Impressionist and modern art at Sotheby’s here on Wednesday night, yet another sign that taste this season is veering toward the 20th century.

New York Times…

A Resurgence in Art Buying Over the Web

Roland Sledge, a 65-year-old lawyer for an oil and gas company in Houston, is no art world habitué. He began collecting prints and works on paper a little more than a decade ago, focusing on Abstract Expressionism, and has done some business with small New York galleries, “though I mostly just stumbled into things that …

Dissident Chinese Artist Is Released

BEIJING — The Chinese legal authorities released the dissident artist Ai Weiwei on Wednesday after a three-month detention, apparently ending a prosecution that had become a focal point of criticism of China’s eroding human rights record.

New York Times…

Robert Miller, Gallerist Who Championed Women Artists, Dies at 72

NEW YORK— Robert Miller, whose eponymous gallery has worked with such legendary artists as Andy Warhol, Louise Bourgeois, and Georgia O’Keeffe, died on June 22, his gallery announced today. He was 72. Miller’s career was defined by his commitment to great women and gay artists, including Eva Hesse, Robert Mapplethorpe, Diane Arbus, Joan Mitchell, Patti …

German Artists Sparked a Buying Blitz at Sotheby’s Record $174 Million London Contemporary Sale

LONDON— Packed with a rare-to-market trove of postwar German art from a prominent private collection, Sotheby’s achieved the highest tally for any contemporary art sale in London to date, realizing £108,803,550 ($174,129,201). The stunning result exceeded the high end of the £74-105 million pre-sale expectations, with all but nine of the 88 lots finding buyers …

Spooky Long-Lost Da Vinci Painting Hailed as $200 Million Masterpiece

An eerie painting of Christ holding a glass orb in one hand and making a benediction with the other, all the while leveling an otherworldly stare at the viewer, has been authenticated as a long-lost Leonardo da Vinci portrait, putting it “up there with any artistic discovery of the last 100 years,” according to ARTnews. …

Cy Twombly, Reclusive Legend of Modernist Painting, Dies at 83

American artist Cy Twombly, known for his large-scale, calligraphic scribble paintings, has died in Rome after several days of hospitalization. He was 83. The celebrated painter had been battling cancer for a number of years and died on Tuesday, according to a statement from Gagosian Gallery, which represents the artist. Still actively collaborating on forthcoming …

Hidden persuaders

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They don’t figure in the lists of top collectors, yet they spend millions every year at auction …

MoMa PS 1 Plans 9/11 Exhibition

Images of 9/11 are embedded in our visual memory: the airplanes flying into the twin towers; the towers crumbling; the fleeing people; the stark Manhattan skyline when it was over.

New York Times…