Author: Iris

The most expensive private art collections in the world belong to a mix of royal families, wealthy investors, and influential art enthusiasts. Some of the most valuable collections include: 1. The British Royal Collection – Estimated Value: $10+ billion The British Royal Collection is one of the largest and most valuable art collections in the world, featuring thousands of paintings, sculptures, and rare artifacts. It includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. 2. The Louvre Museum, France – Estimated Value: $45+ billion Though not privately owned, the Louvre houses the world’s most valuable collection, including the Mona Lisa and thousands of priceless artworks spanning centuries. 3. Qatar’s…

Laure Poyet, an artist who embraces the philosophy of L’Art Organique, or Organic Art, invites us into a realm where art isn’t just observed but experienced. With a mantra of “Don’t think about art; do it!”, Poyet’s journey as a painter is one of surrender to the canvas, where creativity flows organically without the constraints of conventional norms. Poyet’s artistic journey wasn’t a conscious choice but rather a calling that chose her. Her life revolves around this art form, devoid of ulterior motives or commercial pursuits. For her, art isn’t bound by rigid academic standards or external perceptions. Instead, it’s…

Maridee Hays is an artist whose journey spans decades, marked by deep connections to the California art scene. Born and raised in Sacramento, she earned her MA under the guidance of Joseph Rafael at CSUS Sacramento during a time when the region was alive with creative energy. Her career has included both regional and international exhibitions, and she was honored with a solo show at the Crocker Art Museum in the early 1970s under the name Maridee Hays Abbey. Over the years, she has received recognition from respected artists such as Wayne Thiebaud, Carlos Villa, and Joan Moment. Her work…

Stephanie Visser’s work exists in a space where the seen and unseen meet. Her paintings aren’t just about form, color, or technique—they are about something deeper, something felt rather than explicitly understood. She approaches art as a portal, a way to explore the vastness beyond what we perceive. Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s words, “Behind all seen things lies something vaster; everything is but a path, a portal or a window opening on something other than itself,” Visser builds layers of meaning into her paintings. Working primarily with acrylic mixed media, she constructs each piece with washes of color, textures, and subtle…

Keith McHugh’s art is a deep dive into the essence of existence, a way of peeling back the layers of reality to reveal something raw and undeniable. His work isn’t about mere aesthetics—it’s about truth, purpose, and the energy that runs through all things. Self-taught and unbound by convention, McHugh moves fluidly between painting, sculpture, writing, and even the construction of mobiles and puppets. Each medium becomes a tool for expression, a different way to communicate the ideas that fuel his creative journey. Gathering Power: A Reflection on Being One of McHugh’s defining works, Gathering Power, encapsulates his approach to both…

ArtCasey LesserGertrude Abercrombie, Queen and Owl in Tree, 1954. Illinois State Museum Purchase. Courtesy of the Illinois State Museum and the Estate of Gertrude Abercrombie.“Seems like Gertrude was kind of trouble,” said a teenaged girl to her friend as they sat gazing at a series of paintings at the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Gertrude Abercrombie retrospective “The Whole World Is a Mystery.” The show, on view through June 1st (before traveling on to the Colby College Museum of Art this July), focuses on 85 paintings and the late American Surrealist’s unconventional life—her vibrant Chicago salons of the 1940s and ’50s;…

Kathleen Theriault is an artist whose abstract paintings explore the deep relationship between place and the essential elements of art: line, value, shape, color, and texture. Her process is organic and intuitive, beginning with no preconceived image and evolving as she interacts with her materials. “Mexican Terrain” 15”x22” oil and cold wax on Arches Oil paper   Theriault approaches each canvas with openness, letting go of rigid expectations. She plays with paint and collage elements, allowing the interaction between mediums to shape the direction of the work. This method keeps her process fluid, ensuring that each piece remains fresh and unexpected.…

Andréa Lobel is an artist based in the Netherlands. Educated partially at the Academy for Photography and the School of Arts and Design, Lobel has developed a unique artistic voice that seeks not just to capture images, but to converse with the viewer through a silent, yet incredibly potent, visual language. Photography, as a medium, often straddles the fine line between reality and interpretation. For Lobel, the choice to engage in black and white photography is both a technique and a statement. Stripping color from life, Lobel seeks to remove any distractions from the viewer, focusing solely on the essence…

Aaron de Groft, family and CEO of Orlando Museum of Art and former museum director, has agreed to file a lawsuit against each other, suggesting a fake set of Jean Mitchell Baschiat The end of a multi-year legal dispute in the suite at Jean-Mich-Michel Basquiating. As stated in his itu sue, De Groft died of a “temporary illness” last month. He was the leader of the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) in 2021, but his tenure was raided by the 2022 FBI “Heroes and Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat )”, which later revealed what he called the FBI affidavit. Key figures in…

Libuša Němcová, a Swiss artist originally from Košice, Slovakia, has taken a path that blends resilience, dedication, and creativity. Like many, she set aside her childhood passion for drawing as the realities of adult life took over. Working as a 24-hour home help abroad, she managed the practicalities of daily existence while quietly holding onto a love for art. It wasn’t until her second marriage, a period of transformation and self-discovery, that she found the courage to return to creativity. With her children becoming independent, she finally had the space to focus on her artistic pursuits. Moving to Switzerland in…