Going Green: Environmentally Conscious Artists

Edward Burtynsky, Dandora Landfill #3 Plastics Recycling (Anthropocene series), 2016, Archival pigment print

Environmental art addresses the urgent need to save our planet

Earth Day is an annual phenomenon that is more relevant than ever. Global warming, rising sea levels and rampant pollution are hot topics that are at the forefront of contemporary consciousness on a worldwide scale. As a powerful tool used for social commentary, it is no wonder that art is being employed as a vehicle to confront the mounting collective concern for our planet. To celebrate Earth Day this year, we are highlighting three artists who have made environmentalism a priority in their artistic endeavours.

Robin Rosenberg

Edward Burtynsky, Salt Pan #13, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India (Salt Pans series), 2016, Archival pigment print

Edward Burtynksy is a renowned Canadian photographer whose artistic career is devoted to depicting a planet ravaged by humanity. He documents colossal manmade structures including oil rigs, quarries, dams, mines and factories using a unique photographic practice. He takes photos from the aerial vantage point of a helicopter equipped with a small floor opening through which he positions his camera’s lens. The result are stunningly haunting images with a sublime aesthetic quality that address the severe global consequences of human activity and the environmental toll of mass industrialization.

Related Posts
Valentine’s Day: Artists in Love
Paintings of Pooches: National Dog Day 2018
Armory Show 2018 Highlights

Cracking Art, Milan installation, 2018

An Italian based group started by six individuals, Cracking Art is a contemporary art movement that promotes a strong environmental commitment. Plastic is the group’s chosen medium which is used to create an array of brightly colored, hollow animal sculptures including bunnies, snails, meercats, penguins and turtles that are scattered throughout their many public installations. Importantly, they exclusively use recycled plastic, customarily destroying and re-using materials from old sculptures to create new ones. The group’s emphasis on recycling removes plastic from its toxic role in nature and promotes the importance of sustainability.

Jérôme Fortin, Untitled (Marines series), 2002-2012, Plastic bottles mounted ton panel, 36 inches diameter

Jérôme Fortin is a Montreal based artist who addresses the theme of pollution in his oeuvre. The Marines, for example, is a series Fortin developed which encompasses gathering found plastic bottles collected from daily walks along the shoreline and re-purposing them into artistic tondos. He meticulously cuts and colours the found bottles then densely layers them in a way that mimics wave motions. The bottlenecks indicate the number of bottles that go into each artwork.

If any of these artists are of interest to you, please contact us for availability and prices.

Finds From the Fair: Miami Basel 2018

While the jaw-dropping masterpieces at Art Basel are impressive, the fair also contains great accessible pieces fit for any budget.

Another Art Basel has come and gone, the elite fair where art collectors and enthusiasts flock to Miami where an incalculable amount of artwork is displayed at the main convention, as well as at a slew of satellite fairs. While it is always a delight to encounter great masterpieces in the flesh, such as Mark Rothko’s 1955 canvas that reportedly sold for $50 million, we have rounded up some great finds from the fair that won’t necessarily break the bank. See below some of our top picks of artwork ranging from $2,500-$75,000.

Related Posts
Armory Show 2018 Highlights
Miami Basel: Through the Eyes of a Dealer
Paintings of Pooches: National Dog Day 2018

Please contact us for enquiries.

Reclining Tahitian Women painting by Vik Muniz

Vik Muniz, Repro: Glyptoteket (Reclining Tahitian Women, Gauguin), 2018, Digital C-print, Edition of 6, 43.5 x 68.5 inches AND 74.5 x 119.25 inches

Etching by Richard Serra named Finally Finished

Richard Serra, Finally Finished IV, 2018, Etching, Edition of 44, 76.5 x 60 inches

Cantilever Pool House oil painting by Andy Burgess

Andy Burgess, Cantilever Pool House, 2016, Oil on canvas, 49 x 52 inches

Yellow and Red Poppies shaped aluminum by Donald Sultan

Donald Sultan, Yellow and Red Poppies, 2018, Shaped aluminum with powder coat on polished aluminum base, Edition of 12, 24.5 x 24 x 3.5 inches

The Hamptons Veduta print by Jean-Francois Rauzier

Jean-Francois Rauzier, The Hamptons Veduta, 2018, C-print, Edition of 8, 58 x 98 inches

Si Three Acrylic Painting by Dan Christenses

Dan Christensen, Si, Three, 2003, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 40 inches

Jello wave goodbye artwork by Lucy Sparrow

Lucy Sparrow, Say Jello, Wave Goodbye, Felt, acrylic and thread in Perspex, Edition of 20, 16.5 x 19.5 x 3 inches

Coloured pencil crayon artwork by Meaghan Hyckie

Meaghan Hyckie, UFO-76, 2018, Coloured pencil crayon, 12.75 x 16.75 inches

Auction Records: Artists who Live to See their Success

Does the pervasive image of the impoverished and struggling artist endure in today’s hot contemporary art market?

Anyone who has studied or discussed Art History is familiar with the starving artist trope – the idea of the artist who is rejected by his or her contemporaries, only to rise to fame posthumously. Vincent Van Gogh is a prime example, as he is one of the world’s most revered artists, yet only sold one painting during his lifetime.

The dismal image of the struggling and tortured artist quickly dissolves when surveying auction records for living artists. In fact, there is buzz that a new record will be established this week on November 15th during Christie’s evening sale in New York. David Hockney’s monumental canvas, “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” (1972) is poised to become the most valuable work by a living artist ever sold at auction, with an estimated hammer price of $80 million. The current record is held by Jeff Koons, whose ten foot high stainless steel Orange Balloon Dog sold for $58.4 million in 2013. Gerard Richter, Ed Ruscha, Jasper Johns, Christopher Wool and Damien Hirst are only a handful of the many other artists who have achieved great success and managed to live to see it.

Related Posts
Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor
ARTspiration: Appropriation in Art
Canadian Art and the International Art Market

Whether or not Hockney smashes Koons’ already impressive record, it is still exciting to witness the astronomical numbers living contemporary artists can fetch at auction. Click here to view the other lots in Christie’s upcoming Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale.

balloon dog a mirror polished stainless steel with transparent color coating by Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Orange), 1994-2000, Mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating, 121 x 143 x 45 inches. Auction price realized: USD $58,405,000

gerard richter painting Abstraktes Bild

Gerard Richter, Abstraktes Bild, 1986, Oil on canvas, 118 x 98 inches. Auction price realized: GBP £30,389,000

Encaustic on silk flag canvas artwork by Jasper Johns

Jasper Johns, FLAG, 1983, Encaustic on silk flag canvas, 11.5 x 17.5 inches, Auction price realized: USD $36,005,000