The George Lindemann Journal by George Lindemann

The Munch Museum/The Munch-Ellingsen Group/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.  This version of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” dated 1895, will be up for sale at Sothebys in May

"It has adorned everything from mugs and t-shirts to key chains, anti-George Bush campaign buttons, inflatable dolls and iPad covers. Now a version of Edvard Munch’s celebrated painting “The Scream’’ will be up for sale at Sotheby’s in New York on May 2nd, the auction house announced on Tuesday morning. Officials there estimate it could bring more than $80 million." -- Carol Vogel for the NY Times (2/21/2012)

As economy weighs on European collectors, confident Americans are big buyers

"Confident American bidders lifted the sales to a combined $713 million, with Christie's $457 million total topping Sotheby's roughly $256 million. Overall, the results easily topped the houses' low estimates of $413 million."

Long after the Art Basel Miami Beach crowds have left South Florida, the art fairs continue.

A Colossus in Clay Speaks a Generation’s Message -- By RANDY KENNEDY (February 14, 2012)

The fourth floor of the New Museum was in ruins. It was almost impossible to walk without stepping on a piece of wood or a pile of rubble, and a fog of dust hung so thickly in the air that it had begun seeping into other parts of the building through the vents.

"The Faith Ringgold Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling was to be part of a new development on 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue and include affordable housing. The building was to be designed by the British architect David Adjaye — who was commissioned for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington — and include a performance space, a library, a store and a cafe."

The current art market can be summed up in a single word: volatile.

"The upshot: Dealers say that while the art market has bounced back from the days of recession, collectors are still unpredictable and can be easily spooked, particularly if they think a top-billed work doesn't merit its blockbuster asking price."

 Always difficult when a longstanding leader retires....

"Some board members, major donors and dancers are questioning the earlier-than-expected retirement of Edward Villella, artistic director of the Miami City Ballet." (The Miami Herald)

"As you plunge into Alarma! BOYFRIENDS, the Norwegian artist/author/polemicist Bjarne Melgaard’s fantasy novella of gore, sex, death and dismemberment, you will likely purse your lips in disgust, but, at the same time, catch yourself laughing inside: laughing at the insanity and the perverse pleasure of it all. When finished with the book, you’ll finally be able to put it down, at which point you’ll glance around to make sure no one’s looking, then shove the dirty little volume under a pile of legitimate literature. Or perhaps you’ll dump it where it belongs, in the trash. It’s worse than porn; it’s the kind of thing no one should catch you thoroughly enjoying."