Author Archives: Dr. EMS

Disappearing Leonardo: Quick Take on the Salvator Mundi downgrade

There was much speculation that the buyer(s) may have questioned the attribution even immediately after purchasing and might have felt embarrassment over spending almost half a billion dollars on something that probably wasn’t worth it. Then the recent downgrade of the Gulf Mundi in the exhibition catalog by the Prado seems to confirm judgment that the work is not an authentic original.

If it’s a workshop piece instead of an original then its value is probably in the realm of about $1.5 million dollars.

Destroy the Dots: NFTs revisited

As someone who teaches art history, specifically modern and contemporary art, it’s not uncommon for me to get a lot of questions about art’s value and the art market. For a wide variety of reasons, people seem much more intensely interested in why post-war abstraction and contemporary installation works sell for millions of dollars thanContinue reading “Destroy the Dots: NFTs revisited”

Local Individuals: Epoch Gallery Wenzhou Exhibition Review

There was an overall theme in the exhibtion that was slowly divulged to me as I walked through, especially in the upstairs gallery. Things are not what they seem in this show, the allure of surfaces is revealed to be something entirely different, more complex, the closer one looks, more is unveiled.

Burning the Banksy: NFTs and the transmutation of authenticity

Recently, Christie’s auction house sold a piece of digital artwork by Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) for over $69 million. The interesting thing about the work, entitled EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS, beyond its aesthetic and mode of production, for me, is that the item sold is not a physical manifestation of the piece, nor is itContinue reading “Burning the Banksy: NFTs and the transmutation of authenticity”

Quick Look- Breathing Space: Art in Hong Kong

I had the ability to travel to the Asia Society in Hong Kong to see their exhibition, Breathing Space– Contemporary Art from Hong Kong.  This is a quick overview of what’s there.  First off, the Asia Society is absolutely beautiful, with stunning views of the city.  It’s located right next to the British Consulate General’s office.  TheContinue reading “Quick Look- Breathing Space: Art in Hong Kong”

A Poem as Lovely as a Tree: A diversion in Lishui

A group of my colleagues and I went on a day excursion to Lushui. The mountains and rivers were breathtaking. But for now I’d like to share a few photos of some the amazing trees I saw while there.  And for good measure, a couple poems on this, the first day of Spring… I thinkContinue reading “A Poem as Lovely as a Tree: A diversion in Lishui”

Worth a 1000 words: “Painting/Language” (绘话) at the Epoch Art Museum (年代美术馆 )

[In Kang Lei’s series] the traces of previous encounters mark the surface of the present. The lines of these encounters either enhance or take away from the immediacy of the now, past and present are always, in our mind’s eye, bounded together into one image.

Finding meaning, collecting data

Hello Everyone,  I’m gearing up for some new content this spring.  But I’d really appreciate some feedback on the type of content you think you’d most enjoy having.  Please take a 1/2 second to take my super simple polls so I can get an idea what kind of media people are looking for.  I’m hopingContinue reading “Finding meaning, collecting data”

ArtsUndone: China Edition

Where have I been?!?  Why hasn’t the site been updated in so long? Well, a lot of things happen over the course of a year.  Long story, super short:  I now live and work in Zhejiang Province, China.  I hope to get to the Shanghai Biennial next month, and start this project up again withContinue reading “ArtsUndone: China Edition”