"Hanging Fire" is the first major exhibit of contemporary Pakistani art to be shown in America. The international showing means a lot to the people of Pakistan, says Melissa Chiu, who is the director of the Asia Society Museum, where the exhibit is being held. Artist are doing well in Pakistan, even though many foreigners believe that free expression is not allowed in the country. As Salima Hashmi, the curator of the show, says, "The contemporary artist symbolizes a strong hope for Pakistan." Join discussion...

On February 11, 2009, at Christie's Post-War and COntemporary Art Evening Sale, 31 works of art that have been created in the past 60 years or so will be auctioned off. This is important because many of these famous works of art have been in the hands of private collectors for many years, so this is the first time they have been up for auction in a very long time. Works by such authors as Francis Bacon, Jeff Koons, Alberto Burri, and many others will be auctioned off at this highly anticipated event. The most popular piece in the auction is entitled. "Man in Blue VI". It was created by Francis Bacon in 1954. Bacon in internationally known for his paintings of popes. It is expected that this piece of art will auction off for approximately £4,000,000 to £6,000,000. Another popular work of art that is going to be auctioned off is called the "Combustione plastica". It was created by Alberto Burri in 1956. It is made out of plastic, and was helped designed and created with the assistance of fire. It will be auctioned for approximately £800,000 to £1,200,000. Finally, another popular piece that will be auctioned is called "Monkeys (Ladder)" and was created by Jeff Koons in 2003. It was created using oil on canvas and is around 9 feet tall. For the first time, this artwork will be auctioned off. It is expected to be auctioned for approximately £1.4 million to £2 million. Clearly, many popular selections of art will be auctioned off at this event. Many pieces are so special because they are rarely auctioned, and therefore are also very valuable. Others, collectors are trying to procure, because as like this last painting, some have never been seen before. Clearly this will be a big event for many art investors around the world. Join discussion...

This article is primarily about Eli Broad, famous art collector and philanthropist, who, in sequence with his earlier donation to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to aid in building a new building, the $56 million Broad Contemporary building, is planning to once again show his gigantic art collection. This time, though, according to this article, he is going to build his own museum. This also raises the question 'why is there such a lack of support from Hollywood bigwigs for the arts?' Some museums in L.A., including the Museum of Contemporary Art, have seen a dip in membership revenue over the last few months. Other questions follow, like 'why the decrease in interest in the arts?' Only time will tell. Join discussion...

Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, the new president of the Pontifical Council for Culture is on amission to revive a relationship between the Vatican and contemporary artists. “For a century now there has been a divorce between art and faith,” Ravasi said. “The basic idea is to return to a dialogue on biblical and religious themes between the Church and the great artists of our time—artists such as Bill Viola, Anish Kapoor, and Jannis Kounellis.” The first showing of new Vatican contemporary artworks will probably be in Venice. “Venice is a showcase for all the big countries in the world, and the Holy See would like to be there with them,” Ravasi said. “We are trying to get the best of international artists on our side, to create new works with a religious or spiritual theme.” Join discussion...

The Museum of Modern Art in New York recently bought 28 Chinese Contemporary photographs from 11 different artists. This collection was worth over 200,000 dollars. Larry Warsh, the buyer of the photographs from the artists, sold 28 of them to MoMA out of his collection of over 500 at a 30 to 40 percent discount. However, MoMA is not the first to board the Chinese Art train. Recently, the Guggenheim purchased two spectacular works of Chinese Contemporary photography. Join discussion...

The great artist Damien Hirst revealed that he is putting his diamond covered skull up for auction if he fails to sell it to a privat buyer. It is worth $50 Milloin amd is said to be the most expensive piece of contemporary art ever made. The skull dates back to the 18th century with new teeth added on(costing $14 Million) and is entirely covered in 8,601 jewels. They even go into the nasal passages! Join discussion...

The National Museum of China is planning to build a new museum next to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. The new museum will contain contemporary and modern art from the National Museum as well as new exhibitions developed with international partners. The National Museum will remain, although Chinese government leaders want a change, therefore the new museum will be built quickly. Join discussion...

This article is about the controversy over the morals and ethics of art--certain artists taking their art to extreme levels that may be too much for society to handle. For example, one person made sculptures of human feces and one woman even drew a star on her stomach with a razor and whipped herself while lying on a crucifix of ice. Join discussion...

During the week of May 29 in Rural Buenos Aires, an art fair will be held called ArteBA. Year after year, thousands of visitors get the opportunity to see impeccable selections of art presented by some of the best galleries in the region. ArteBA is internationally known as a market for Latin American Art, and with 16 complete editions, the visual arts event is the leader in the local media. The week of the ArteBA Fair of Contemporary Art will generate an intense flow of activities, exhibitions, and side events throughout Buenos Aires. Brittney W. Join discussion...

People are worried that the buying of Indian art might be damaging to contemporary artists and galleries. Indian contemporary works are ranked three points higher at an 8 out 10 on the ArtTactic Specualtion barometer than more established modern Indian works. On November 25th around 231 million dollars of art, including Chinese and Indian art, will be sold by Christie's International. Many contemporary artists have a high confidence, a few of them also appearing on the undervalued artists list. Becuase prices in the contemporary Indian art market are continuing to rise, its confidence remains higher than that of the modern art market, where prices have been steadily declining. The Indian art survey began in May and should be published twice a year in the future. Join discussion...