The three-day sale of the magnificent Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé at the Grand Palais, offered by Christie’s in association with Pierre Bergé & Associates auctioneers, realised in total €373,935,500 / £332,802,595 / $483,835,144. A remarkable 95.5% of lots sold by lot, and 93% sold by value. This historic sale set a world record for the most valuable private collection sold at auction, was the highest grossing sale in Europe on record, and set multiple world records for Impressionist and Modern Art, 20th Century Decorative Arts, Silver, Sculpture and Works of Art. One of the most exceptional and significant collections of art in private hands, it generated unprecedented interest from bidders throughout the world and pre-sale estimates for both the sale as a whole and the individual works, were significantly exceeded.

Highlights of these exceptional and rare works of art, each with impeccable provenance, captured the attention of international collectors as they were exhibited by Christie’s, in association with Pierre Bergé and Associates, in New York, London, Brussels and Paris in the last four months. The spectacular public exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this unique curated collection of art and to experience the evocative atmosphere of Yves Saint Laurent’s apartment at rue de Babylone, was viewed by over 30,000 visitors over 3 days (21-23 February), and over 1500 people gathered for each of the sales, held in a specially built saleroom, the largest in Christie’s history.

The top lot of the sale was Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose, 1911 by Henri Matisse, which sold for €35.9 million / £31.9 million / $46.4 million. 16 works of art sold for over €5 million and 61 works of art sold for over €1 million. Numerous world auction records were set in each sale, and in almost every part of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s Collection, a tribute to their discerning eye for provenance and museum quality.

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This will be the eighth year The Armory Show has commissioned an artist to define the image of the fair and a pivotal moment in the history of the show. The eleventh edition of the fair will introduce The Armory Show – Modern, a new section on Pier 92 dedicated to dealers specializing in Modern and secondary market works, while its celebrated contemporary program continues on Pier 94.

According to Executive Director Katelijne De Backer, “Ewan Gibbs is the ideal artist to represent both sections of The Armory Show 2009. His meticulous, meditative drawings reference early Modern movements like Pointilism while remaining firmly contemporary. And his choice of New York as a subject is clearly close to our heart, as the city’s support of the arts is a vital part of our fair’s success.”

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Engineering and art researchers have used advanced computer modelling to help preserve old works of art. Researchers at the University of Warwick and The Courtauld Institute of Art worked together on the project which shows the creative side of engineering. The results of the study including canvases, model structures and the unusual images of the ‘strain maps’ produced during testing and computation will go on show in an exhibition entitled Tensioned Fabrics in art and architecture in the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House, London WC2, from 4 to 18 March 2009 following its debut at the International Digital Laboratory, a new multi-disciplinary research centre run by WMG at the University of Warwick.

The project is based on work done by the research team led by Professor Wanda Lewis of Warwick’s School of Engineering who model the stresses and strains experienced by tensioned fabric enclosures such as the Millennium Dome. The project is in collaboration with Dr Christina Young of the Conservation and Technology Department at The Courtauld Institute who specialises in measuring the physical behaviour of fabric supports such as the canvases of paintings.

Professor Lewis said: “We have developed a sophisticated computer modelling package that predicts the shape of fabric enclosures very accurately. This aspect of design affects the aesthetics, durability and function of these structures. I realised that we can apply the same modelling principles to predict the behaviour of artists’ canvas which is simply a different material and structure.”

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Once again we talk with the artists of meseon community. Today, we know more about Joseph Jahn (personal website) and his artwork. Enjoy it!!

Joseph Jahn: "Art is the expression of man at his finest. A magic expression of the consciousness of the world. My own art is simply myself on canvas."

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