Art & Collecting
Design for Life
Regularly updated dispatches with pictures from the Design Miami/Basel fair, sponsored by HSBC Private Bank, where high design meets high society, and from Art Basel 40. Plus: A gallery of the best of Art Basel.
NYT: Art dealer charged with stealing $88 million
A noted Upper East Side art dealer has been indicted on charges he stole $88 million from investors and collectors who consigned artwork to him and said they were cheated out of the sale proceeds or never saw the pieces again, according to a person briefed on the case.
NYT: Using art as collateral is the new strategy
Last fall, Annie Leibovitz, the photographer, borrowed $5 million from a company called Art Capital Group. In December, she borrowed $10.5 million more from the same firm. As collateral, among other items, she used town houses she owns in Greenwich Village, a country house, and something else: the rights to all of her photographs.
Art and Collecting Special
Spear's third annual art and collecting special ranges from the smallest of autographs to the largest of publishing empires, from the mechanics of classic cars to the methods of art theft.
That's Amore
Andrei Navrozov meets Celeste Dell’Anna — an interior designer who won’t get into bed with a client unless he’s sure they’ll still love him in the morning
Hey, Joao
At once utterly European and steeped in the modes and manners of modern America, Portuguese artist João Louro coolly inhabits two worlds, says Anthony Haden-Guest
The Art of Nonsense
The notion of droit de suite, or ‘right of resale’, may look OK on paper, but in practice it is a nightmare for everyone in the art business, says Josh Spero
High-Maintenance Women
Classic cars are demanding mistresses. Don’t do the buyin’ unless you can do the time, says Jeremy Leasor
Lock Up Your Demoiselles
Art thieves thrive in times of economic hardship. Ooh, the sneaky little villains! Hanging’s not good enough for ’em, says Ivan Lindsay
Publish and Be Damned Successful
Josh Spero talks art, life and erotica with Benedikt Taschen, whose publishing empire, like the books he prints, has expanded to gargantuan proportions
Unbillable Hours
Our specialists solve your HNW problems (gratis!)
Q
I am growing increasingly worried about the effect of inflation on my portfolio, following the recent announcement that the CPI has risen sharply to 3.5%. What is the likelihood of significant inflation in the coming year and what strategies should I put in place to plan for this?
A
Firstly, it is important to note that inflation and deflation can co-exist within an economy. The CPI only indicates the net inflation/deflation. However, investors need to know what parts of the economy are inflating and what parts are deflating as this decides whether there is net wealth creation or net wealth destruction.
Spear's Wire
The Hedgehog
Spear's Spiky Undercover Agent Dishes the Gossip
