Sellers of fine artworks by European Old Masters have spent the past several years trying to enliven the genre for a new audience. Have their efforts begun to pay off? And how have those efforts correlated with developments in the market for Contemporary artwork, especially for Contemporary artwork that engages with styles, themes, and motifs in classical European art? 

We set out to contextualize auction data with strategic trends concerning Old Master works and Old Master-influenced artwork amid commercial galleries, art fairs, auction houses, and museums. Specifically, we investigated: 

• Contemporizing the Old Masters – Campaigns to reframe European Old Masters alongside the art of our time become conspicuous in multiple sectors of the art market by the middle of the 2010s.
• The Other Side of the Story: Living Artists Inspired by the Old Masters – A broader view of the art industry raises the possibility that restricting our view to only the actual European Old Masters may underestimate these classical artists’ impact on the recent art market.  

While the data and the anecdotal evidence cannot offer firm conclusions, we outline their complex relationships for readers to assess for themselves the layered interplay between the markets for European Old Masters and their successors from the mid-20th century to the present. 

(Methodology – Morgan Stanley collaborated with Artnet News using the Artnet Price Database to survey the state of the global fine art auction market for European Old Masters since 2018, as illustrated in the charts herein. All price data is drawn from the Artnet Price Database and includes the buyer’s premium unless otherwise expressly noted. Artnet defines the “European Old Master” genre as follows: fine artworks created by European artists born between 1250 and 1820. Lots with an identified artist must carry a minimum estimate of $500, and lots with a modifier—such as “school of,” “circle of,” “follower of”—must carry a minimum estimate of $2,000. We then examined auction data for a selection of artists in the Contemporary (defined as artists born from 1945 through 1974) and Ultra-Contemporary (defined as artists born in 1975 or later) genres whose practices are visibly influenced by classical European art.) 

Contemporizing the Old Masters 

Art fairs juxtapose Contemporary and Old Master art  

Long regarded as the premier commercial fair for Old Master works, antiquities, and furniture, The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) has been working for years to expand its reach by deepening its focus on Modern and Contemporary artworks.¹ In 2015, TEFAF experimented by staging a focused exhibition of eight Contemporary artworks amid its traditionally focused fair in Maastricht.² The fair’s organizers returned to the concept in 2016, hosting a show of seven living artists exploring the theme of pain.³ TEFAF has since gone on to open a second annual fair in New York that leans heavily into mixing the classical mandate of its flagship fair in Maastricht with dozens of galleries focused on artists who lived and worked from the 19th century to the present.⁴ Before the announcement of its permanent closure in early 2023, the most recent editions of the Masterpiece London fair had moved in a similar direction, blending everything from dinosaur fossils and rare minerals to classical and Contemporary art.⁵ 

Major commercial galleries have been making the classic-to-Contemporary connection, too 

In the fall of 2018, David Zwirner worked with Old Master dealer Nicholas Hall to stage “Endless Enigma: Eight Centuries of Fantastic Art,” a show that curated more than 90 works by artists spanning eras and genres; featured artists ranged from Hieronymous Bosch, Francisco de Goya, and Gustave Moreau to Francis Alÿs, Michaël Borremans, and Lisa Yuskavage, among others.⁶ In December 2022, as a part of Master Drawings New York, Sprüth Magers dedicated its Upper East Side space to exhibiting the work of living artist Karen Kilimnik alongside Renaissance paintings, works on paper, and sculptures dating from the 17th to 19th centuries.⁷ 

European Old Master Paintings in auction houses’ Impressionist, Modern and Postwar & Contemporary evening sales 

It is noteworthy that, shortly after TEFAF began curating recent artwork into its classical mandate, the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction was not only an Old Master painting but rather an Old Master painting sold as a part of a Christie’s New York evening sale of Postwar and Contemporary art: Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, acquired for more than $450 million in November 2017.⁸ Intrigue around the whereabouts of the painting, which has not been seen in public since the Christie’s sale, has become a source of gossip in the art industry in succeeding years, sparking numerous news articles, books, and documentaries.

We found that the momentum to collapse genres has continued in recent and upcoming auctions. Similar to Christie’s placement of Salvator Mundi in a Postwar and Contemporary auction, Sotheby’s included Peter Paul Rubens’s Portrait of a Man as Mars in its May 16, 2023 Modern evening sale in New York, where the painting sold for a hammer price of $22.5 million against an estimate of $20 million to $30 million.⁹ 

Earlier, in November 2019, Sotheby’s also engineered a collaboration between Italian Old Master dealer Fabrizio Moretti (of Galleria Moretti) and drummer Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes, pairing the two for a three-day installation of Old Master works titled “Fabrizio Moretti x Fabrizio Moretti: In Passing.”¹⁰ The concept saw the art-dealing Moretti selecting 20 paintings and sculptures of the era displayed in a labyrinthine setup at Sotheby’s New York headquarters in advance of a live auction in December 2019. At Christie’s, recently refreshed marketing tactics have also included robust international pre-sale tours and no-reserve auctions to appeal to both established and emerging collectors alike, as in the case of the white glove sale of European Old Masters from the collection of J.E. Safra on January 25, 2023.¹¹

A spotlight on European Old Master women artists at auction 

We found that in other instances, linking artists across eras has taken a more socially conscious direction by bringing attention to European Old Master artists who also happened to be women. The May 3, 2023 Old Master sale at the Vienna, Austria, headquarters of Dorotheum auction house included a grouping of works marketed as “Daughters of Art: Women Artists in the Era of Old Masters.”¹² It included Fede Galizia, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Orsola Maddalena Caccia. The Galizia painting, titled Judith with the head of Holofernes (ca. 1610–15) and estimated at €200,000 to €300,000, more than doubled its estimate after fees, selling for a premium-inclusive €624,000.¹³  

Christie’s led its Old Masters Paintings and Sculptures auction in Paris on June 15 with La Nature
morte au vase d’albâtre (1783) by the late 18th-to-early-19th century French artist Anne Vallayer-Coster. It fetched a record-setting €2.58 million ($2.8 million) before fees after being estimated to sell for between €600,000 and €1,000,000. Also featured in the sale were four works by Enlightenment-era painter Angelica Kauffman. In our view, it is difficult to imagine a major auction house touting these long-overlooked women artists in an Old Master sale a decade ago, but the decision looks much less surprising within the context of the way that art sellers, collectors, institutions, and scholars have shifted their focus over the last several years.  

European Old Masters find new life in museums 

We found that works by artists from historically unheralded demographics also excited bidders without extra fanfare. Consider Juan de Pareja, the mixed-race, enslaved assistant to Diego Velázquez. In 2019, a work by Pareja, titled Dog With a Candle and Lilies (early 1660s), carried a high estimate of just $9,000 at Pandolfini Casa d’Aste in Florence but sold for more than 30 times that—selling for almost $271,000. In 2020, the painting was acquired by the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields using part of a $20 million fund devoted to strengthening the institution’s holdings of work by BIPOC artists, an initiative begun in response to allegations by museum staff of a toxic, discriminatory work culture. 

Institutions, particularly in the U.S., have intensified their efforts to champion works by artists of color across eras since the inception of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests following the 2020 death of George Floyd.¹⁴ Old Master dealer Robert Simon defined this as “a broad movement” of which “American museums are at the forefront.”¹⁵ 

The trend has continued into the present at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In April of 2023, the Met opened “Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter,” an exhibition linking Pareja’s practice to the 20th century Black American artists who launched the Harlem Renaissance.¹⁶ 

Just how effective have these attempts to reframe and reinvigorate the European Old Master genre been in recent years? We begin below by considering full-year auction results. 

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

2022 represented a five-year high in total sales in the genre, reaching $691.8 million worldwide, a 5.8 percent year-over-year increase in value. 

Compared to the other four most recent full years on record, however, auctions of European Old Masters in 2022 did not constitute a peak in lots sold, lots offered, or sell-through rate. All three metrics peaked in 2021, and 2022’s results in each were only slightly above their counterparts in 2019. Evidence suggests that the 2021 surge in these statistics resulted from a surplus of works held back from auction during the pandemic-restricted 2020 sales slate finally coming to market in the first full year of recovery. (Lots sold, lots offered, and sell-through rate also peaked in 2021 in the Impressionist and Modern and Postwar and Contemporary genres, according to the Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics.) 

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

The biggest difference in 2022 came in the top price bracket: $229.2 million worth of European Old Master works sold for more than $10 million each. That total was nearly $100 million more than the previous high in 2021, when buyers paid $129.8 million for such trophy lots.  

The top three lots by sale price in the genre were all by Sandro Botticelli, together totaling more than $186 million. The leader was Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel, which brought in nearly $92.2 million at Sotheby’s Master Paintings and Sculptures Part I evening sale in January. Following it were the artist’s Madonna of the Magnificat, sold for about $48.5 million in the evening auction of the late Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen, and Man of Sorrows, sold for $45.4 million in the same Sotheby’s auction as the top lot. 

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

From the perspective of regional markets, the U.S. led the global auction trade in European Old Master sales in 2022. American houses brought $296.1 million worth of sales in the genre, the highest total achieved by any regional market since 2018. The U.K., the U.S.’s only competition for the top-selling regional market over the past five years, brought less than half that amount in 2022 ($141.9 million). One major determining factor was the regional split on top-selling lots. Of the 15 priciest European Old Master works sold at auction in 2022, seven were offered in the U.S. (including the top four), versus six in the U.K., none of which were higher than seventh by value—the priciest was a Rembrandt self-portrait from 1632 that brought £14.5 million. 

The other major regional market story of last year was France, which generated $139.7 million worth of European Old Master sales, up nearly 82 percent by value year over year. Powering the surge were the fifth- and sixth-highest-priced lots in the genre in 2022: a Chardin still life of strawberries that fetched €24.4 million in an auction of Old Master and 19th Century works at Artcurial, and a rediscovered Michelangelo drawing, dubbed A nude man (after Masaccio) and two figures behind him, that was offered in a rare single-lot evening sale at Christie’s Paris and was bought for almost €23.2 million. 

With the full-year auction results as a reference point, it is worth asking whether focusing on only the most recent quarter in the auction market (relative to the equivalent period in previous years) creates a different sense of the European Old Master market. 

Examining Recency and Seasonality

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

Overall, we see a similar pattern in first quarter auction results for European Old Masters since 2018 as in full-year results for European Old Masters since 2018. The number of lots sold and lots offered, as well as the sell-through rate, all stayed roughly within the same historical bounds during the first quarter of each of the past six years, yet total sales peaked in the most recent period on record. 

Total sales in Q1 of 2023 reached $211.3 million, an increase of more than $21 million (roughly 11 percent by value) from the previous pinnacle in the first quarter of 2021. However, it’s worth noting that from 2016 to 2022 Christie’s held only drawings sales of Old Masters in New York during Q1, shifting auctions of Old Master paintings to its more broadly themed ‘Classic Week’ during the second quarters of this period, and only returning to a schedule aligned with Sotheby’s January European Old Masters sales in Q1 of 2023. Comparative analysis on a quarterly basis may therefore not tell the whole or most nuanced tale. 

Is the uptick in total sales, then, a new trend reflecting a renewed interest in European Old Masters, or is the intergenerational wealth transfer uncovering trophy works of art not seen or available in decades? 

The Other Side of the Story: Living Artists Inspired by the Old Masters 

Contemporary artists earn fame for their Contemporary takes on the European Old Masters in the mid-2000s  

British artist Glenn Brown received his first solo gallery exhibition in 1995, at Karsten Schubert in London, but he began exhibiting with Gagosian in 2004, the same year that he was the subject of a solo exhibition at London’s Serpentine Gallery.¹⁷ His work first appeared at auction in 2000, yet it was not until 2005 when his auction lots collectively generated more than $1 million in a single year. (The actual sales total was roughly $1.8 million.) He has brought more than $1 million in annual auction sales 13 times since 2005, including an apex of nearly $15.9 million in 2013. In the fall of 2022, Brown also opened a private museum in London that curates his own works alongside those of some of his favorite historical artists.¹⁸

American artist John Currin charted a similar path. He was the subject of a steady string of solo exhibitions in galleries starting in 1989, and also joined Gagosian, in 2006.¹⁹ His works were already an auction fixture by 2000, but bidders pushed his lots into the seven figures for the first time in 2004, when his work brought more than $2.5 million under the hammer. He too has achieved more than $1 million at auction in 12 more of the succeeding years, with his auction market peaking by value at $14.4 million in 2013. 

Neither Brown nor Currin was the first Contemporary artist to reinterpret the European Old Masters, but we found that even one of their forebears needed to wait until the 21st century to incite high-level demand at auction. Total annual auction sales of works by Black American artist Barkley L. Hendricks (1945–2017) took until 2017 to cross into the seven figures; lots by the artist brought nearly $2.6 million that year, and even more in each of the three following years, including a peak of almost $9.4 million in 2020. A single portrait by Hendricks of his fellow artist Stanley Whitney sold for $6.1 million against estimates of $5 million to $7 million in Christie’s evening auction of works from the estate of Gerald Fineberg on May 17, 2023, setting a new artist auction record. 

Ultra-Contemporary artists in dialogue with European Old Masters

We found that, coincidentally or not, the market has also gravitated toward a younger generations of artists putting their own visual spin on European Old Masters in more recent years. Kehinde Wiley was selected by President Barack Obama in October 2017 to paint his official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery, a commission that brought Wiley’s use of Old Master motifs to depict Black subjects to a new level of public awareness; attendance at the National Portrait Gallery increased by more than 300 percent when the work went on view in 2018 (along with Contemporary artist Amy Sherald’s portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama).²⁰ While Wiley’s work first appeared at auction in 2005, it took until 2018—the same year that the Obama portrait was unveiled—for the artist to surpass $1 million in annual auction sales. However, he has done so in every full year since. 

Even fresher to the market is Salman Toor (b. 1983), who received stellar reviews for his first institutional solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art from November 2020 through April 2021. New York Times critic Roberta Smith saw references to François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Jean-Antoine Watteau.²¹ Toor’s auction debut was in 2020, and his works have never brought less than $2 million at auction in any year since; five lots by Toor made more than $1.4 million in just the first quarter of 2023. 

Old vs. Neo Female Masters 

Canadian-born artist Anna Weyant has had a meteoric rise: from a solo show at downtown New York gallery 56 Henry in fall 2019, to a solo show at the Los Angeles headquarters of blue-chip international allery Blum and Poe in spring 2021, to becoming the youngest artist then on the roster of Gagosian prior to her solo exhibition at one of the mega-gallery’s Chelsea spaces in the fall of 2022.²² Nineteen auction lots by Weyant together made almost $9.7 million in 2022, after the first two of her works to reach the auction block sold for a combined $65,220 the previous year. 

Pretty Little Thing, a 2019 painting by 31-year-old Flora Yukhnovich (and only her third work to ever come to auction), rocketed 14 times over its $80,000 high estimate to sell for $1.2 million at a Phillips Contemporary art day sale in June 2021.²³ Her abstracted, Rococo-inspired style has been described as looking “a bit like if Fragonard and Soutine had a child (and then sent that child to the Museum of Ice Cream or Disney World).”²⁴ In January 2021, she joined London’s Victoria Miro gallery, one of the most highly regarded international dealerships.²⁵ Through the first quarter of 2023, 36 of her works had collectively generated more than $24.8 million at auction since 2021. 

Ewa Juszkiewicz “confronts the stereotypical perception of a woman’s beauty in classical European painting,” according to the artist’s website.²⁶ Although she has yet to be the subject of a solo exhibition by a U.S., British, or western European gallery as of May 2023, her work has been included in group shows at blue-chip international dealers including Almine Rech and Gagosian (both in 2019), as well as at major international art fairs such as Frieze New York (2017 and 2018) and regional fairs such as Milan’s Artissima (2018) and Spain’s Arco Madrid (2019).²⁷ Juszkiewicz’s auction sales totaled nearly $3.2 million in 2021, the year her work debuted under the hammer—then nearly doubled that volume the following year, achieving more than $6.3 million from the auction of 21 works in 2022. 

Below we compare these results to the auction performance of actual European women artists from the Old Master era. Do the results bear out an interest in gender equity, and does the market reflect a recalibration of the art historical canon?  

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

For works by European Old Master women, there does seem to have been a post-Covid bump in lots sold when comparing first quarter auction results from the past six years (from 11 each in 2018 and 2019, to between 14 and 17 each in 2021–2023), keeping in mind the shifting auction schedule, but also an uptick in sell-through rate (from under 60 percent each in 2018 and 2019, to between 75 percent and 82 percent in 2021–2023).   

However, little substantial growth has emerged in either the number of lots offered from such women artists or their total auction sales in the first quarter over this period. The 24 lots offered in Q1 of 2022 and the 22 lots offered in Q1 of 2023 are only slightly more than the 21 lots offered in Q1 of 2018. Total auction sales of works by European Old Master women in the first quarter peaked in 2019, at nearly $11.8 million. Only the $9.4 million worth of such sales in Q1 of 2022 approached that figure recently, while the first quarter totals in 2023 (less than $2.2 million) and 2021 (less than $2.4 million) both underperformed the equivalent total in 2018 ($2.6 million). 

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

Q1 of 2023 did not represent an apex in any price bracket for works by European Old Master women, which is not surprising based on the total sales figures, the first quarter auction schedule at Christie’s in New York notwithstanding. No works at all sold for between $1 million and $10 million during the first three months of this year—only the second time, along with 2020, that this has happened in the past six years. The first quarter of 2019 marked the high point in the sample for both total sales of works priced between $1 million and $10 million ($9.6 million in aggregate) and of works priced between $100,000 and $1 million ($2.1 million in aggregate).  

Perhaps surprising is that only six European Old Master women have sold more than $1 million worth of artwork in aggregate at auction during the first quarters of the past six years. The leader by value is Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, who totaled more than $8.1 million through the sale of 14 works during the sample period. Artemisia Gentileschi ranks second, having brought more than $6.9 million through the sale of five lots. Italian artist Fede Galizia rounds out the top three after selling just two works for a grand total of almost $4.5 million. The other three women to cross the seven-figure mark from the Old Master genre are France’s Anne Vallayer-Coster ($3.1 million), the Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch (nearly $2.6 million), and Louise Moillon ($1.8 million). 

Source: Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics

The U.S. has far and away been the leader in sales of works by European Old Master women over the first quarter in the past six years, notably, despite the absence of Old Master painting sales being held Q1 2018-2022 at Christie’s in New York. American auction houses have sold between $1.2 million and $11.5 million worth of such works in the first quarter of every year since 2018. The only other regional market to sell more than $295,000 worth of such lots in the first quarter of any of the last six years is France, which posted just under $2.4 million in 2022. Only six other regional markets sold any lots at all by European Old Master women during the sample period. 

Of the 15 most expensive works by such artists to sell at auction in the first quarter of any year since 2018, 14 were sold in New York. The lone exception is Louise Moillon’s Nature morte à la coupe de fraises, panier de cerises, branche de groseilles à maquereaux (1631), which brought nearly €1.7 million at French auction house Aguttes in March 2022.  

And yet, several living female artists under age 40 who incorporate Old Master themes already outsold most actual European Old Master women in the first quarter of 2023. Juszkiewicz ($1.8 million) and Yukhnovich ($1.7 million) outperformed all but the top six European Old Master women in the first three months of this year. Weyant ($767,000) outsold all but the top seven such historical artists.

It is possible the narrow supply of works by female Old Masters is partly responsible for this disparity in a genre largely reliant on re/discovery or re/attribution. But are collectors bidding up works by young women artists influenced by their classical forebears to fill a void left by historical circumstance, or is the energy around these Ultra-Contemporary artists being funneled back onto the few examples of works by women in the Old Master era? Based on our analysis, the path is uncertain. Data and anecdote provide no definitive answers to date but do offer plenty of food for thought. 

Artnet Price Database: Artnet Price Database: From Michelangelo drawings to Warhol paintings, Le Corbusier chairs to Banksy prints, you will find over 14 million color-illustrated art auction records dating back to 1985. Artnet covers more than 1,800 auction houses and 385,000 artists, and every lot is vetted by Artnet’s team of multilingual specialists. Whether you are appraising a collection, researching an artist’s market history, or pricing an artwork for sale, the Price Database provides assistance to determine the value of art. 

Disclosures: This material was published June 2023 and has been prepared for informational purposes only. Charts and graphs were published by ArtNet News in the Artnet Intelligence Report Spring 2022. The information and data in the material has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”). Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. 

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Award to Support Arts Education Programs

COHOES, N.Y., June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — At Park Playhouse/Playhouse Stage Company’s 35th anniversary gala, Spectrum presented a $10,000 award as part of the Stand for the Arts Awards initiative in partnership with Ovation TV. The initiative aims to recognize local arts, cultural, and educational organizations in the community. Since its inception in 2017, Ovation TV and Spectrum have awarded a total of $600,000 in 60 awards, providing support towards arts education. 

“Our partnership with Ovation TV will enable these organizations to continue to serve as vital arts and cultural resources in their communities – which complements our focus on investing in and strengthening the towns and cities we serve,” said Adam Falk, Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs for Charter Communications, Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand of Internet, TV, Mobile and Voice services. “We congratulate this year’s Stand For The Arts honoree Park Playhouse/Playhouse Stage Company for its commitment to supporting the Capital Region artists and expanding access to high-quality arts education, exhibits, concerts and performances.”

Park Playhouse/Playhouse Stage Company will use its 2022-2023 Stand For The Arts funding to support the agency’s mission of providing the highest quality arts education programs to everyone in the Capital Region of New York. Playhouse Stage Company produces free theatre in an outdoor setting at Park Playhouse, mounting high quality, affordable productions at the historic Cohoes Music Hall.

“Making the arts accessible to all Capital Region residents and guests, without exception, is at the heart of what Playhouse Stage Company does. Our free, outdoor productions at Albany’s Park Playhouse allow tens of thousands of guests to enjoy a live performing arts event each summer, bringing our diverse community together to experience the magic of theatre. Our organization is thrilled and humbled to be recognized for our accessible programming with The Stand for the Arts Award this season,” said Owen Smith, Producing Artistic Director, Playhouse Stage Company. “Ovation TV and Spectrum bring the arts into people’s homes every day through their televised programming, and it is an honor to receive this award from organizations that share our goal of connecting all Americans to the performing arts without exclusion.” 

“Park Playhouse has helped make the arts accessible to each of our residents in Albany’s crown jewel, Washington Park, for the last 35 years,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “This award of $10,000 from Ovation TV and Spectrum will help support these efforts and help ensure Park Playhouse can continue to enrich the lives of the thousands of visitors for years to come.”

Park Playhouse/Playhouse Stage Company is one of 10 organizations receiving support in Spectrum markets across the country. Select arts organizations are awarded $10,000 Stand For The Arts contributions based on the following criteria: support of creatives and artists via community-driven programming; as advocates for equity and access to the arts; and for providing accessible spaces for creative expression.

“As a longtime supporter of the arts and arts education, I’m proud to celebrate this award from a partnership that continues to deliver critical support for the arts across our communities,” said Congressman Paul Tonko. “Access to the performing arts helps build self-confidence and communication skills, and I’m thrilled that this donation will allow Park Playhouse to continue its mission of making the arts accessible to all who visit and call our Capital Region home. My thanks to Spectrum and Ovation TV for their commitment to the arts and to families across our region.”

“Free Park Playhouse musicals in Washington Park and shows at the historic Cohoes Musical Hall are fun, must-see summertime activities, whether you live in Albany County or if you’re just visiting. Beyond that, the Playhouse Stage Company is a tremendous contributor to the culture and vibrancy of the Capital Region, and has been for the last 35 years,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “I want to thank Spectrum and Ovation TV for this generous contribution to this organization that will allow them to continue providing quality arts education programs to our community.”

“We are pleased to continue our work with Spectrum as we enter a sixth year of our Stand For The Arts initiative partnership,” stated Sol Doten, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution and Partner Marketing for Ovation TV. “It remains our priority to champion community-driven arts organizations as they support artists and creatives on a local level.”

More information about Stand For The Arts and the Stand For The Arts Awards is available at:  www.standforthearts.com.

About Spectrum
Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 32 million customers in 41 states. Over an advanced communications network, the company offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet®, TV, Mobile and Voice.

For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business® delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach® delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. The company also distributes award-winning news coverage and sports programming to its customers through Spectrum Networks. More information about Charter can be found at corporate.charter.com.

About OVATION TV America’s Premier Arts Network
As an independent television, production, and digital media company, OVATION TV has an unparalleled commitment to the arts, culture, and captivating entertainment. Showcasing a lineup of critically acclaimed premium dramas, specials, documentaries, and iconic films, OVATION TV salutes innovative storytelling with popular programming that includes Inside the Actors Studio, Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Arts Engines, The Fall, Midsomer Murders, The Art Of, Celebrity Conversations, and The Sound of New York. Ovation also powers JOURNY, the dedicated streaming service where art, culture, and travel intersect. The company has provided more than $15M in contributions and in-kind support to arts institutions and arts education. Its signature advocacy platform, STAND FOR THE ARTS, includes a coalition of over 150 arts organizations, cultural institutions, and arts leaders throughout the country raising awareness about art’s positive impact, protecting access for everyone, and encouraging action on behalf of the arts. OVATION TV is available on major providers via cable, satellite and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DIRECTV, Charter/Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, as well as on demand.  You can follow OVATION TV on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, OvationTV.com, and through our App,OVATION NOW.

SOURCE Ovation

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Hyundai Motor America and its Asian American marketing agency of record, TEN Advertising, launched their new campaign featuring the all-electric vehicle models, IONIQ 5 and the all-new IONIQ 6. The “Hot Place” campaign for the IONIQ was developed to achieve resonance with Asian American audiences, enticing them to pursue a vision of the upcoming EV era by showcasing a new everyday life, powered by electric vehicles.

As a response to Asian American consumers’ eco-friendly consciousness and high interest and acceptance in advanced electric vehicle technologies, the “Hot Place” campaign dramatically illustrates how the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, Hyundai’s all-electric vehicles with premium design quality, outstanding EV performance, and innovative technology and safety features, can enrich consumers’ lives through the unexpected happenings in their daily lives. Through this campaign, Hyundai aims to convey that the IONIQ assumes a proactive role in enhancing every aspect of Asian American consumers’ EV experiences, positioning itself as a leading brand in the era of electric vehicles.

“Working again with our partners at TEN Advertising, we bring the EV experience to life in our new IONIQ Asian American creative campaign,” said Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. “It’s your journey is all about being people-forward, and when we lean into that, we start to leverage and communicate authentically with different groups of people, specifically the Korean, Chinese, and the Asian community at large.”

Indicating a trendy location that has gained popularity, “Hot Place” shows how the IONIQ electric vehicles help a family maintain a joyful and happy daily life even in an unexpected power outage and illustrates the concept of creating a “Hot Place” within the neighborhood. This campaign is the result of an in-depth analysis of the IONIQ products, and a thorough exploration of consumers’ lifestyles and market insights. For this project, TEN Advertising partnered with award-winning director YK from South Korea’s Space Monster Contents, known for his outstanding creativity.

The “Hot Place” campaign includes video and digital assets that will be disseminated on a variety of media platforms to amplify the creative’s emotional resonance, as well as innovative vehicle features such as ultra-fast charging and the Vehicle-to-Load reverse charging function. There are 30- and 60-second versions of the spot available to broadcast, and additional assets for social media channels. In addition, TEN Advertising has planned an integrated campaign centered around the “Hot Place” campaign, including PR and experiential components, to educate consumers about electric vehicles, authentically communicate Hyundai’s messaging of an electrified lifestyle, and promote the all-new IONIQ 6.

TEN Advertising

TEN Advertising is an independent, Asian and female-owned and operated full-service agency that offers marketing and advertising services to clients who are in need of reaching and connecting with the fastest growing Asian American consumer in the United States. Since TEN Advertising was founded in 2010 by Karen Park, a veteran of Asian American Marketing for 28 years, the agency has committed to supporting the success of its clients in the Asian American market and elevating the position of Asian American consumers as an invaluable market segment that deserves thoughtful communication and carefully planned outreach. TEN Advertising has accomplished these goals by guiding its clients with cultural intelligence and market insights, all while simultaneously interpreting their brand messages–and voices–accurately in culturally relevant ways.

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America focuses on ‘Progress for Humanity’ and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 830 dealers sold more than 724,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok

Campaign Credits
Client:  Hyundai Motor America
Brand:  Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 6
Agency:  TEN Advertising
Creative Director:  Misun Ahn
Sr. Copywriter:  C.K. Han
Art Director: Junhee Kim, Joanne Kim
Group Account Director:  Hoonju Choi
Account Director: Keimi Ju, Johny Liu, Andy Cho
Senior Account Executive: Wayne Lin, Lauren Kwon, Christine Lee, Irene Park, Emma Ling
Account Executive: Crystal Kim
Production Company:  Space Monster Contents
Director: YK
Director of Photography: Alexander Alexandrov

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Lux Speed, an industry leading fiber optic internet service provider, is pleased to announce the expansion of its C-Suite with the hire of Jennie Rios as Chief Marketing Officer. Rios comes to Lux Speed with two decades of industry experience. Rios’ mission is to continue Lux Speed’s world class customer experience, while expanding the company’s fiber optic footprint. Rios is excited about the opportunity to be part of Lux Speed’s rapid growth and expansion. “I decided to join Lux Speed’s Senior Leadership because I admire the culture of teamwork and commitment to excellence that is imbued at the company”, said Rios.

“I’m proud to have Jennie join our leadership team at Lux Speed. Her skills and talent are a perfect fit for our company as we continue to experience accelerated growth”, stated Michael Bertamini, Lux Speed’s Chief Executive Officer.

Rios is an alumnus of Palm Beach State College. During her tenure in the Multi-Dwelling Unit internet access industry, Rios has had more than 50 patents attributed to her work.

About Lux Speed

Lux Speed is a bulk internet service provider working with Homeowner Associations, Condo Owner Associations and Property Management Companies to deliver light speed fiber-to-the-home by utilizing state-of-the-art technology. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale Florida, Lux Speed services the contiguous United States and is the fastest growing internet service provider in 23 states.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Lux Speed

On June 26, City Community Development staff presented a draft of the Public Art Master Plan to the Planning Board for review. Once finalized, the Plan will guide the City’s efforts to support public art, aiming to ensure that it is meaningfully integrated into the community. The presentation focused on the Plan’s recommendations, five-year work plan, and public art location opportunities.

Public Art Master Plan recommendations

The Plan is developing during a time when Public Art Commission (PAC) members are interested in amplifying their work, local creatives seek opportunities, and the community wants to see more public art. City staff are eager to provide opportunities but are constrained by variable contributions to the Public Art Fund. The Fund is only financed when developers choose to contribute to it to meet their public art obligations instead of installing project-site artwork.

Draft recommendations include developing the following:

1. Opportunities for Alameda artists, culture bearers, and creatives to professionally connect.
2. Opportunities for locals to develop skills and be involved in creating public art.
3. A list of prioritized sites for public art.
4. Opportunities for the community to be involved in and invest in public art.
5. A mix of artworks in theme, form, and interactivity, ensuring that public art is accessible to people of all abilities.
6. An action plan for cultural equity, diversity, and inclusion in public art.

These recommendations align with the PAC’s mission and establish priorities.

Five-year plan

Draft recommendations for the next five years are as follows:

• Year One: Build resources to assist artists, developers, community members, City staff, and the PAC. Examples include developing procedures for artists to pitch public art ideas, professional development opportunities to help local artists build public art skills, and a resource toolkit for developers and PAC members.
• Year Two: Develop a grant program, including applications to create cultural arts, arts programming, and physical artworks, and explore ways to create consistency in grant opportunities year over year.
• Year Three: Prioritize sites for physical artworks based upon upcoming public and private development projects, available public locations, and areas where public art does not yet exist.
• Year Four: Develop advocacy, marketing, and visibility of the public art program by continuing to build on the City’s public art website and developing a plan to sustain public engagement.
• Year Five: Develop a deaccessioning policy and process.

Locations for public art

The draft plan suggests two methods for discerning sites for artworks. The first is identifying municipal development projects, such as the planned roundabout at Clement Avenue/Tilden Way. The second is to partner with the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) to identify park sites. For instance, “Gateway to California” was installed in Jean Sweeney Open Space Park, and “Beken” was installed in the Seaplane Lagoon Promenade.

Board comments

Planning Board member Ronald Curtis asked what the PAC expected the public to take away from the art being presented. Looking at the City’s current art, he said he couldn’t figure out the cultural significance, goal, or intended audience. Development Manager Walker Toma answered that the intention is for the art to be applicable to all groups and not focused on a specific demographic.

Similarly, Vice President Hanson Hom opined that art can educate about history or local culture, and he would like to see more of this type of art that serves more than one purpose. City Planner Allen Tai responded that there used to be an ordinance requiring Alameda public art to have historical or maritime themes. However, the City removed this language to allow for a greater variety of art.

Board member Xiomara Cisneros said she would like the site selection process to be better articulated, particularly in terms of how art will be distributed throughout the community. Board member Asheshh Saheba said he would like clarification on when ARPD can independently approve art in its parks and when the PAC needs to get involved.

Next steps

Based on the comments received, Staff will now revise and present the Public Art Master Plan to the Recreation and Park Commission before bringing the final plan back to the PAC for approval in July. If approved, staff will bring the Plan before City Council for final approval in September 2023.

Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.

PIQUA — There’s no doubt that the Piqua Arts Council has experienced significant growth over the past few years, despite some of the challenges that businesses, non-profits and organizations have faced due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning as an organization of an executive director, a Board of Trustees and a handful of event committees and volunteers, PAC has been due for a personnel increase. In 2021, the staff expanded with the addition of Marketing Director Lily Stewart and on June 5 of this year, MiMi Ryan joined the PAC team as their new Program Director.

With over 15 years of event planning experience, Ryan came to the Arts Council as a professional wedding planner. One of her joys has been her unique opportunity in planning weddings and other events from the tops of the Rocky Mountains to the sandy beaches of the Atlantic Coast. Ryan has a special love for events and art, having planned over 425 live events from weddings to live music events, fundraisers, art shows, corporate events, tea parties and more. Her passion, attention to detail and drive for excellence has already been apparent in the short time that she has been with the Arts Council.

Ryan is responsible for the coordination and execution of PAC’s community events and programming. Currently, the Arts Council offers 12 annual programs that will produce 22 events for 2023. MiMi had a hand in this year’s Rock Piqua last Saturday, June 17, which was one of the most successful yet.

“MiMi’s personality and enthusiasm will be an incredible asset to PAC,” said Piqua Arts Council Executive Director Jordan Knepper. “With her background we expect great things out of her and look forward to her putting her own touches on our events.”

Ryan’s focus has shifted to the Arts Council’s first ever Pastel Workshop with Jill Stefani Wagner in July, along with the new event: Art 4 Everyone | 4 KIDS. More information about these events can be found here: www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org.

If anyone ever told Can Sun not to play with his food, it’s a good thing he didn’t listen. The London-based Chinese artist meticulously carves red apples into geometric cross-sections and linking chains, sometimes adding accoutrements like brass hinges. Delicate slices are puzzled together to form circles or the skin carefully removed to reveal interlocking, rope-like shapes, as if the apple is caught in a net.

“I had a really tough childhood. For a long period, humour has been a way to protect my self-esteem,” Sun tells Colossal, sharing that he chose to focus on apples because the unexpected arises from the ordinary. “My work tries to break the audience’s logical expectations, which makes the audience wonder if the world is absurd. The more everyday the object, the greater shock when the audience sees its different forms.”

Sun enjoys playfully reinterpreting all sorts of everyday objects into uncanny artworks, like a wearable temporary sculpture made from dandelions that mimics brass knuckles. His work will be included in group exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai this July and August, and you can follow updates on Instagram. (via BoingBoing)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article How Do You Like Them Apples? Can Sun’s Playful Sculptures Emerge from Bright Red Fruit appeared first on Colossal.

Starting tomorrow, July 1, and continuing for three days through July 3, some 155 juried artists and craftspeople will offer their wares for sale at the annual Berkshires Arts Festival at Ski Butternut. “We seek out the best American craftspeople. They come from all over the country,” says Richard Rothbard of American Art Marketing which has been producing this festival for 22 years now.  “We have a community of artists who have been doing this show for years. The vans start pulling in a day or two before the show starts, and it’s like old home week.  Artists are happy to see each other and once the show starts they look forward to seeing their loyal patrons who come every year to see what’s new.”

One artist who will be new this year is Matin Malikzada, and we venture to say that no one has journeyed longer or farther to come to this Festival than he has. A seventh-generation potter from Afghanistan, Malikzada, wife and four children escaped the Taliban and arrived in New Milford, Conn., in March of 2022, through the auspices of New Milford Refugee Resettlement.

“He is working in Connecticut,” says Rothbard, “so we consider him now as an American artist.  His work is so good we would have welcomed him no matter where he came from, but, knowing his story, we were particularly eager to support him.”

To some extent, Malikzada’s skill as a potter comes from being born in the right place and into the right family.  He comes from Istalif, a collection of villages about 35 miles north of Kabul. Blessed with rich clay deposits and clean running water, Istafil became internationally known for its handmade glazed pottery. Over hundreds of years, Istafil potters developed a unique turquoise glaze made from ishkar plants found in northern Afghanistan. Malikzada’s father and grandfather headed the local artisans’ guild in Istalif, and young Malikzada started helping out in his father’s workshop at age seven.

But, Malikzada exhibited extraordinary talent from an early age and now, at age 38, he has built an international reputation, in part due to the number of foreign travelers who would come from Kabul to Istalif to buy pottery and in part due to the support of Turquoise Mountain, a nonprofit non-governmental organization founded by the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, in 2006 to support and revive traditional crafts in Afghanistan. Malikzada headed Turquoise Mountain’s ceramics department in Kabul; through it, his work has been displayed in Buckingham Palace in London, at the Smithsonian in Washington, the Japan International Museum in Tokyo, the Islamic National Museum in Doha, Qatar, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, among other places.

How has the move to the United States affected his art?  “At first it was very difficult,” says Malikzada. “In Afghanistan, I had a wonderful situation.  I dug up the clay myself in the mountains. I made my own glazes from the local ishkar plants.  I also had my own kiln that I had built myself.  When I arrived in New Milford, I didn’t have any of these things. But a lot of people helped me.”

These people included important Litchfield county potter Guy Wolff and Jason Roberts at the Village Center for the Arts in New Milford who gave him clay, loaned him materials like an electric pottery wheel, and let him fire his pots in their kilns.

But the transition was not easy. “I had no experience with an electric wheel”, says Malikzada. “I was like a kid just starting out, learning all over again.” And then there was the issue of glazes. “I was accustomed to working only with all-natural glazes.  Last year I tried to import ishkar plants from Afghanistan, but they were too heavy to ship and too expensive. In 2012 I wrote a book about traditional pottery.  I am an expert in traditional pottery, but I had no practical experience with chemicals. But I started to experiment. I wanted to reproduce my signature turquoise glaze.  I made more than 400 experiments with chemical glazes.  I wrote all the results down in a notebook, and then the notebook disappeared.  Maybe one of my kids threw it in the trash by mistake. So, I started over.

“I am happy to say that I have found the right combinations.  I have been able to create something very close to my original turquoise—very close and very nice.  I have also created very good glazes in jade, amber, cream, gold and cobalt blue.

“I have also learned to use an electric wheel, but I still want a kick wheel. After all, I have more than 26 years’ experience on a kick wheel. Before I moved here, I visited the United States three times in 2016 and 2017 at the invitation of the Smithsonian where I gave demonstrations in the Sackler Gallery.  They found me a kick wheel to work on, so I know they exist here.  If I don’t find one, I will make one next year.  I am looking for a mechanic who can make it for me.  And then I hope also to make my own kiln.

“At first when I came here, I was working full time at Timbercraft Carpentry Company in New Milford.  I could only work on my pottery after work starting at 4:00 p.m. Now I am able to sell my pottery, and so I can work on it full time. My wife helps me. I have a web site, and local galleries are carrying my work.  I am happy to come to the Berkshire Arts Festival this weekend, and I will be at shows in Rhinebeck and Goshen later this summer.  And I have been invited to do a workshop in Washington, D.C. in September.

“This has been an exciting journey.  One thing my father always said to me was ‘Matin, think positive.’ He was right.  I have been thinking positive, and things are working out. “

Here are some samples of Malikzad’s success with new glazes on the electric wheel.

Malaysia has been making strides in its globalisation efforts as of late. In recent times, we have witnessed tech and data giants such as Tesla and Amazon Web Services moving into the country and Microsoft and Google announcing plans to set up on its shores. Additionally, in the media industry, Malaysian adland players have garnered recognition as they climbed up the rungs of the ladder to represent the country on a global level such as when McDonald’s appointed Eugene Lee as its international chief marketing officer.

As the country steps up its position on the global stage, A+M has also recognised the growth of Malaysian visual artists who have been approached by leading global brands to collaborate with them.

For instance, in January this year, Netflix collaborated with Malaysian papercutting artist Eten Teo to create a piece of cultural artwork to celebrate Lunar New Year for Netflix viewers across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The final artwork even remained a mainstay on Netflix screens for the duration of the holiday. Teo’s papercut piece marked the first time a physical artwork has been digitised to be featured on a local moment on Netflix, which is a specially-curated collection of titles that celebrates seasonal moments or social events that are important to local audiences. 

Don’t miss: Malaysian papercutting artist catches Netflix’s attention for CNY artwork

However, while these artists are being given recognition by global platforms and brands for their skills in visual art, it is also a problem when artists are forced to limit their creativity to fit global briefs, curbing their unique styles and voices that make their work special to begin with.

When A+M reached out, Teo mentioned that he chooses to collaborate with other companies, his main consideration is to look at their requirements. He believes that it is actually favourable for companies’ briefs to be strict because it saves unnecessary time lost in discussion and allows for faster completion of work, adding that generally, not every task allows for enough autonomy to express personal style.

He said:

Autonomy is not the most important aspect for me. The main goal is to implement a brand’s original requirements effectively, which is why they approach me.

For Jazlynn Cheah, an illustrator who has worked with brands such as cosmetics company Lush, the reputation of the company matters most. “I thoroughly examine factors such as the organisation’s financial stability, growth trajectory, and long-term prospects to ascertain its reliability and stability. Additionally, as a freelance illustrator, I highly value job flexibility, as it allows me to allocate sufficient time to deliver projects with the highest level of quality,” she said. 

The importance of autonomy

Cheah’s experiences with companies have allowed her to freely explore the boundaries of her art which, according to her, has allowed her to value her creativity and provide flexibility while meeting campaign requirements. 

“However, I acknowledge that some companies may tend to be a little stricter on the briefs for the sake of consistency. “

She added:

Although this may impose limits on creativity, I strongly believe that as an artist, it is really important to have open communication with accompany to express ideas and negotiate where possible to find a middle ground.

Moreover, she noted that it is really important for artists to find ways to infuse their own personal voices in their own works while still meeting the company’s needs. 

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