There's a longer history here than you might realize.

This commentary by Marion Maneker is available to AMMpro subscribers. (The first month of AMMpro is free and subscribers are welcome to sign up for the first month and cancel before they are billed.)

Peter Brant’s Clarification

We heard from Peter Brant’s lawyers today who took exception with the New York Times’s characterization of his having “served three months for tax evasion.” According to Brant’s lawyers,

• “The crime of tax evasion is a serious felony and implies the tax payer did not pay taxes that were owing. Mr. Brant’s guilty plea related to the misdemeanor of failing to keep proper tax records and contained no element that he evaded or failed to pay his taxes.”

Aboriginals Come to New York

Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Summer Celebration 1991 ($300-500k)

Sotheby’s announcement today that it would move the Aboriginal art auctions from London to New York this Fall has more than one interesting backstory. The first is the internationalization of the Aboriginal art market; second, we’re seeing the continuation of Sotheby’s efforts to promote new names out of collecting categories to greater visibility; and, third, we’re beginning to see the stirrings of what kind of strategies Sotheby’s massive new exhibition space might enable.

Many saw the Washington Post article on Steve Martin’s exhibition of Aboriginal artists at Gagosian that opened on May 3rd. In Sebastian Smee’s story, Martin shares his enthusiasm for Aboriginal art which was kindled by a near-accidental encounter through Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn’s gallery, Salon 94. Martin bought from Rohatyn and then started learning as much as he could, buying a couple of dozen more works along the way.

“You go in with no education and you’re on eBay, you know, looking at things,” Martin says. “And then you start to educate yourself.”

Steve Martin is looking for art on eBay, really?