Kayley Loveridge, Author at Arts & Collections

Fine art fakes have cost buyers millions for centuries; following recent allegations of forgery in the art world, protecting art investments has never been so important. Before the stunning Leonardo da Vinci painting Salvator Mundi (c.1490) obliterated auction sale records in 2017 (with a staggering $450 million, for those that don’t already know), much controversy had erupted among experts and the media surrounding its authenticity. Critics asserted that the pose of the painting’s subject, Christ,...

Art Trends

Are Victorian Antiques Seeing a Resurgence?

Kayley Loveridge

Unlike many alternative assets including fine wine and art, antique sales—in particular, Victorian antiques—have a precarious history at auction. The Victorian age, which constitutes the period in which Queen Victoria reigned England from 1837-1901, was a particularly special time in Britain’s rich history. Much of the social, political and economic policies that exist today can be attributed to the Victorians, who implemented major reforms to better improve education, industry, countrywide infrastructure and technology under the...

Collections

The Art of Collecting…Tiffany Lamps

Kayley Loveridge

Dripping with exuberance, the Tiffany lamp’s iridescent, cascading lead stained glass designs are synonymous with the striking Art Nouveau movement of the early 20th century. The world is well acquainted with the classic, timeless jewellery staples of Tiffany & Co., founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany—but what of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the diamond titan’s son and founder of Tiffany Studios? The exquisite, tinkling designs of the famously ethereal Tiffany lamps were the brainchild of this Tiffany...

Luxury Travel

A Weekend in Dubai

Kayley Loveridge

It may seem like a small city nestled neatly on the Persian Gulf coast, but since stumbling on a rich oil reserve in 1966, Dubai’s presence on the world stage has been anything but. Home to the tallest building in the world (the Burj Khalifa, at 828 metres); the world’s only seven-star hyper-luxury hotel (the Burj Al Arab); and internationally recognised for its gleaming skyline, this young Emirati state’s ostentatious display of wealth and ‘bigger-and-better-than-you’...

Collections

A Toast to 2018: Fine Wine

Kayley Loveridge

Leading London wine merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd offer expert insight into investing in one of the luxury market’s most tangible assets in 2018: fine wine. 2017 saw robust returns at auction for wine sellers—despite the potentially destructive impact of Brexit on most U.K. investment markets. Auction house Christie’s’ top-selling lot in 2017 was a 12-bottle case of the wine world’s revered Romanée-Conti from a 1988 vintage, raking in £198,000. Meanwhile, a single bottle of...

Modern Collectables

A Luxury Hand-me-down

Kayley Loveridge

One of the world’s most sought-after luxury assets has seen a surge in second-hand sales in recent years. The luxury watch market is unique in terms of its investment opportunity: huge monetary returns are highly unlikely and expensive timepieces often depreciate in value. That’s not to say that an investment isn’t worthwhile, though. In April 2017, the Sotheby’s Watches auction in London achieved a stunning grand total of £2,258,000. The highest achiever of the night...

Art Focus

Painting Women Back in the Picture

Kayley Loveridge

Throughout history, women artists have created some of the most powerful, vivid, liberating and subversive works of art ever made, yet their creations have been wildly understudied in comparison to their male contemporaries. In 2015, four women artists were counted among the top 50 bestselling artists across Sotheby’s and Christie’s—that’s a tiny eight percent. Just as dispiritingly, a mere 35 percent of the collection on display at London’s Tate Modern can be accredited to women. For...

Art Focus

Discovering Impressionism

Kayley Loveridge

The first inklings of what would become known as Impressionism began in France in the early 1860s with Édouard Manet—the collective’s ‘founding father’. Manet’s work was rejected for display at Paris’ annual art show—the official exhibition supported by the French government—at the Paris Salon in 1863. His work was deemed to be a radical breakaway from the conservative realist painting style of the time, but the rejection of his painting—along with thousands of others—caused a public...

Collections

Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi Sold for $450m

Kayley Loveridge

Rare Leonardo da Vinci painting Salvator Mundi (c.1500) sold at a Christie’s New York auction on 15 November for an astounding $450.3 million. The work shattered world records, almost doubling the price of any painting ever sold at auction, despite circulating doubts about its authenticity. Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who sold the painting, had bought it in a private sale back in 2013 for $127.5 million. Auctioneer and global president of Christie’s, Jussi Pylkkanen opened...

Art Trends

Chinese Art: A Worthwhile Investment

Kayley Loveridge

Record-breaking auction sales of Chinese artefacts prove that the Chinese art market is flourishing, we look at where to begin when investing. This March, the Asian Art Week auction by Christie’s in New York secured the highest total ever for an auction series, fetching a grand total of $332,783,188. This staggering historic achievement emphasizes the depth of the ancient Chinese art market across all categories including painting, calligraphy and ceramics. A Fangzun late Shang Dynasty (13th-11th century BC) bronze...

Older Posts

Kayley Loveridge, Author at Arts & Collections

Spotting Fine Art Fakes

Are Victorian Antiques Seeing a Resurgence?

The Art of Collecting…Tiffany Lamps

A Weekend in Dubai

A Toast to 2018: Fine Wine

A Luxury Hand-me-down

Painting Women Back in the Picture

Discovering Impressionism

Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi Sold for $450m

Chinese Art: A Worthwhile Investment

Silver + Form at Turner Contemporary

Anniversary Exhibition of Barbara Hepworth String Sculptures

Maison Parisienne at PAD London

George Harrison Beatles Futurama Guitar For Auction

The Ancient Art of Making Models