HomeAuthor

Maria Mellor, Author at Arts & Collections

Patron of the Arts

You may have heard of Leonardo da Vinci, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Tracey Emin, but what of the art patrons who supported and financed their careers? Art is a famously difficult industry in which to gain wealth quickly. The trope of the ‘struggling artist’ exists for a reason—it’s hard for creatives to find the time to perfect their style and build their skillset whilst also supporting themselves financially. Most of the greatest painters of all...

A History of the Colour Orange

When you think of orange, what springs to mind? For many eastern cultures, it is perceived as a sacred hue. In the western world, it is a polarising colour—you either love it or you hate it. Like red, orange is bold and striking. For some, it makes a statement; others think it garish. From ancient Egyptian art to 12th century icons, paintings with orange pigment have permeated world culture for hundreds of years. Arts &...

Bangkok: City of Culture

Explore the thriving Thai city of Bangkok with Arts & Collections.  Thailand is a known travel destination for both gap year backpackers and luxury high-fliers alike. With stretches of gorgeous white sand beaches and a tropical climate Britain can only dream of having, the country offers travellers an immersive experience. Tourists can choose to explore both the rural and urban aspects of the country; Thailand’s mix of busy cities and rugged forests provide a spectrum...

This is Me: Creating the Look of The Greatest Showman

Arts & Collections speaks to costume designer Ellen Mirojnick about her work on The Greatest Showman, one of the year’s best-performing blockbusters Ellen Mirojnick has worked on many great films: What Women Want (1999), Basic Instinct (1992) and Wall Street (1987) to name a few. She won an Emmy for the costume design of Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra (2013) and is now being celebrated for her work on one of the most successful films...

Winston Churchill: The Artist Behind the Politician

Winston Churchill was, undeniably, a man of many talents. He led the UK through World War II and was a noted historian and prolific writer. In addition to these many skills, he also had a love of painting. His work—although viewed as amateurish during his time—is well crafted and comparable to the great impressionists. It wasn’t until he was 40 years old that Winston Churchill started painting in any serious capacity. He started off with...

John Piper Exhibition at Tate Liverpool

An exhibition showcasing the work of John Piper will be shown at Tate Liverpool, celebrating one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. It aims to examine John Piper’s role in British modernism while displaying his innovative work in a variety of mediums. John Piper was born in Surrey in 1903. From a young age he would travel by bike around the countryside, painting and sketching local landmarks and landscapes. He produced work...

A History of the Colour Green

The colour green is the most common we see on earth. If you take a step back, you’ll see that our planet is a swirl of green and blue. Take a closer look and you’ll even find little green plants growing between the cracks in the pavement. Thanks to the green chemical chlorophyll, most plants on earth are green in some aspect. The bounty of green evolution has to offer means that even animals take...

Schumacher’s Ferrari Breaks World Auction Record

Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari, the Monaco Grand Prix-winning F2001 racecar, sold for a staggering $7.5 million at a recent Sotheby’s auction in New York. The world record sale for a modern-era Formula One car was achieved after a tense six-minute battle between eight bidders. A momentous occasion curated by RM Sotheby’s, Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari is the first vehicle that has been offered at a Sotheby’s art auction. Initially estimated at $4 million, the racecar is best...

Moustachioed Mona Lisa Earns High at Auction

The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world and, therefore, also one of the most reproduced. Arguably, the most famous modern reproduction is L.H.O.O.Q.—the Mona Lisa of Mona Lisa reinterpretations. The piece by Marcel Duchamp was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $750,000 last month. Duchamp’s work with the Mona Lisa started in 1919. In his first production of L.H.O.O.Q. he added a moustache and goatee to a Mona Lisa...

£13.6m Total for Middle East & India Auction Week

In a week of Sotheby’s auctions, art from the Middle East & India sold for a total of £13.6 million. Across four different sales, over 600 lots were sold—61 percent of which went for prices above their pre-sale high estimates. The top lot of the week was Bhupen Khakhar’s painting De-Luxe Tailors (1972) from his Tradesmen series. The pre-sale estimate was £250,000-£300,000, however an anonymous buyer snapped it up for a whopping £1,112,750. This broke...

Unique in its broad international coverage of both arts and cultural events, Arts & Collections covers fine art from antiquity to modern times, auction records, a special sale preview by Sotheby’s, as well as market trends that inform collectors of the world’s finest items.

© 2023 Arts & Collections - All Rights Reserved