“Embarrassingly ‘twee’” Design for Kensington Palace Axed

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s Planning Council rejected a design last week for a new entrance to Kensington Palace.  Daniel Moylan of the Council described the design as ““decoratively overelaborate and almost embarrassingly ‘twee’  ”.  What’s incredibly interesting is that the design was supported by the Prince of Wales’ architecture charity, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment.  Prince Charles has often been accused of interfering in architecture projects around London that do not fit his aesthetic views, so this is a turn of the tables for him.

Art Basel 39: Wrap Up

Once again, I apologize for not having updated over the weekend. There are some places in this world where internet does not exist, the house I stayed at for the weekend being one of them.

So, a summary of the eventful week in Basel:

• American buyers were not prevalent thanks to the weak dollar. However, dealers commented on the number of Russian buyers. And American dealers reported selling to more Europeans thanks to the lack of Americans.
• Roman Abramovich purchased a Giacometti bronze entitle “Femme de Venise I” (1956) for $14 million from Krugier.
• Dealers brought good quality pieces to show and reported that buyers were interested in blue-chip artists.
• As auction prices soar, many collectors commented on the reasonable prices in the primary market.
• Works did not fly off the walls as soon as the vernissage opened, as has been the trend for the past few years. Instead, sales were paced and carefully considered, though still strong.
• The print galleries reported good sales, especially those who branched out into editioned sculptures.
• Brad Pitt dropped close to $1 million at Design Miami/Basel, with Mr. Abramovich following close behind. The two were seen chatting in the VIP lounge of the fair. In other star news, Sofia Coppola and Owen Wilson were at the vernissage of Art Basel 39.
• Takashi Murakami was spotted all around Basel in the limited time he was there. From Art Unlimited at the main fair to the Volta Fair to a dinner held in his honor. He was particularly interested in adding to his contemporary art collection, mentioning an interest in works by Anselm Reyle and German art of the 1980s.

Art Basel 39: Satellite Fairs

At the Design Miami/Basel fair, Brad Pitt has racked up a bill of nearly $1 million. Mr. Pitt’s purchases range from designs by Ron Arand to Max Lamb. Roman Abramovich isn’t far behind Mr. Pitt in terms of money spent at the design fair, having bought 12 works of vintage Danish furniture by Poul Kjaerholm at the Galerie Philippe Denys (Bruxelles) stand. Mr. Denys said that both Mr. Pitt and Mr. Abramovich were interested in historic design pieces. The two collectors were also seen chatting in the VIP lounge.

SCOPE is in a new venue for it’s return to Basel. The 60,000 sq. ft. glass pavilion on the Rhine holds exhibition space for 85 galleries from around the world. This year SCOPE is presenting “By All Means”, a showcase of emerging Indian artists curated by Thomas Erben.