Damien describes his style as “very liberal and spontaneous, I like to see the outcomes of different paintings according to my mood and surrounding.”  Looking through his gallery, one can see that he does not feel tied down to one single technique.  Whether he splatters paint in the manner of action painting or paints more deliberately, his work is always energetic and usually bursting with color.

Damien Bérullier Tuccimei, Acupuncture to Extasy, 450€

Damien Bérullier Tuccimei, Le Spectacle, 450€

Acupuncture to Extasy and Le Spectacle both show examples of his expressive abstract painting with very different styles.  The first contains more subdued colors in an acrylic painting we might imagine was done vigorously, with scribbles and scattered patches of color, while Le Spectacle uses more highly saturated blocks of brilliant color bordered by thick black outlines.

Damien Bérullier Tuccimei, Dessus, Dessous, Dessus, 500€

In Dessus Dessous Dessus, Damien uses only three colors, which he layers « above, below, above » one another in an exciting way.  This abstract acrylic painting shows yet another technique.  In Magrille, we see a playful spin on René Magritte’s classic Surrealist painting The Son of Man.  The acrylic painting is shielded by iron wires which Damien commonly uses in his work.

Damien Bérullier Tuccimei, Magrille, 650€

Damien’s acrylic paintings are lighthearted with an element of seriousness, and he is certainly serious about his work.  As he affirms, “I need to paint and create as there is nothing that makes me feel more passionate and complete,” his statement is clearly evident throughout his fruitful and creative work.

Ryan Cronin, Taste Sweet Revenge, 2800€

In Cronin’s balanced compositions, he arranges his images against opaque backgrounds and uses black and white with bold, mostly primary colors.  Taste Sweet Revenge, picturing five cent chewing gum, and Wiffle Ball are particularly reminiscent of pop art paintings.  Wiffle Ball certainly pops out –a canvas in black, white, and red, with a giant wiffle ball filling the square, with the hand-lettering “Wiffle ball” and “baseball size” written beneath the image.  His black and white painting, Night Crawlers, exemplifies his works with basic symbols and images.

Ryan Cronin, Wiffle Ball, 2800€

Cronin’s paintings encourage free association.  His square canvases are often light and entertaining to look at, but he also presents unexpected images, words, and relationships between them.  His works are humorous and whimsical, and many are seemingly innocent while others sometimes a bit dark.   Just Do It, for example, juxtaposes a well-known slogan with an unexpected element.

Ryan Cronin, Just Do It, 2800€

As a contemporary artist, Cronin has a clearly developed modern style.  Cronin’s works are an escape from reality and at all at once serious and simply fun to look at.

Ryan Cronin, Night Crawlers, 2800€

Pablo Picasso, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, 1932

The large work pictures a nude figure, identified as Picasso’s muse and Mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter with an image of Picasso himself in the backdrop.  Frances and Sidney Brody purchased Nude, Green Leaves and Bust for $17,000 in 1950.  On Tuesday evening, as bidding began at $58 million, eight bidders fought for the work until two bidders battled it out when it reached $88 million –a competition which took the final price to the world record of $106,482,500.

The important Brody collection as a whole brought in a record $224,177,500 as the highest total for a single-owner sale at Christie’s New York.  All 27 lots from the Brody Collection were sold.  Part of the sale’s earnings will be given to benefit the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens where Mrs. Brody volunteered in San Marino, California.  Other highlights from the Brody’s important collection included Matisse, Braque, Renoir, and Giacometti’s Grande tête mince, which went for $53,282,500.

Alberto Giacometti, Grand Tête Mince, 1955

Frances Brody and her husband Sidney had a passion for collecting and advocating the arts, in particular Mrs. Brody who served on the UCLA Arts Council for years, after helping to found it in the 1950s.  This extraordinary sale represents their strong involvement in the art world and zeal for contemporary art.

The entire series of Impressionist and Modern Art Sales brought in $360 million, outdoing the estimate for these May sales of $283 million.  The tremendous results speak volumes for the art market, and not too bad for Christie’s, either.

Ulrik Poniatowski, The Power of the Elements, €950

The Power of the Elements best represents his canvases in pointillism.  The four elements are layered in loose horizontal stripes across the canvas with a fiery sky and blue flame-like waves encompassing black, gray and white wind and earth patterns.  It is as if the fire and water contain the earth and wind, and yet each of the four is powerful in and of itself, as Poniatowski skillfully has composed a pattern and style for each one.  The red and orange fire tones used in the top layer take sweeping, striped forms, blending into the black, white and gray cut-out patterned wind below, which rests upon the zigzag figures of the earth, and finally bright blue waves take the bottom layer of the canvas.  The four elements not only contrast each other but also seem to fit together like puzzle pieces, both in their distinct patterns and in their all being composed of pointillist dots.  A strong sense of movement runs throughout the canvas.

Ulrik Poniatowski, The Pink and Almond Alphabet, €650

Just as intricate, The Pink and Almond Alphabet shows what Poniatowski calls his “Alphabet Inconscient” –unconscious alphabet style in which he repeatedly fills his canvas with patterns resembling letters, closely woven together.  In this one, pink tones stand out against a bright fluorescent green background.  The work entrances as each shape is the slightest bit different and manifests itself as an unconscious exercise of the artist and his pen.

Ulrik Poniatowski, The Great Apple, €450

Poniatowski also paints compositions based on different subjects, such as The Great Apple, which is a bright canvas full of symbols to represent New York City, including high rise buildings, lights, money signs, musical notes, and a subway train sweeping down from the top right corner of the canvas.  The jumbled images and varied, often fluorescent, colors make for a lively and playful composition.

Ulrik Poniatowski, Angels Pistols, €1200

Ulrik Poniatowski’s work in Posca with loud colors, intricate patterns, pointillism, and urban art themes all come together for his distinct modern style.  Poniatowski clearly has a talent for this medium, and his unique style and technique will surely bring him tremendous success as he brings his exciting canvases to the contemporary art market.

This month, Ulrik will be showing his work at Galerie Artisyou in the Paris Marais district.  On display from 8 May through 5 June.  11 Rue Thorigny 75003 Paris.

Amylee, Norma, 2010

Amylee’s bright color palette changes with the seasons, as if her works of art were part of the fashion world, or perhaps a highly developed fashion illustration for the season.  Her style is influenced by Pop Art, as she integrates pop culture as well as reinterprets vintage textiles.  In Norma, from Amylee’s collection “Rockabilly Circus,” she mixes the three patterns of floral print, checks, and leopard print, which might ordinarily contrast each other negatively, but she employs an intelligent color palette of complementary orange and violet tones along with black and white to create a balanced composition of a stunning, vintage model.

Amylee, Glam Circus, 2010

Amylee enjoys trying new things in her work, and her array of interests play together beautifully as she bounces ideas off of various styles and art forms.  Amylee’s eye for color speaks to her talent in fashion design, and she experiments with colors and patterns to create dazzling canvases.

Pictures captured from a bird’s eye view are common in his work, which provide interesting angles and composition.  Much of his work incorporates elements of nature, and certain natural facets often stand out within the black and white photographs.  Cutter of Bonzai is a nice example of both of these themes in Olivier’s work, as part of a tree divides the scene while it frames the man in action.  The aerial viewpoint in this photograph is very effective and makes for a lovely composition.

Olivier de Chappedelaine, Cutter of Bonzai, €450

Olivier actively uses the internet as a tool for his photography.  On a daily basis, he feels free to photograph anything that inspires him, and uses his photography blogs as a forum for his photographic experimentation.  He started his photo journal in 2004, and in this “photolog” he posts a black and white photograph each day.  He uses his “photoblog” as a visual laboratory to experiment with his digital photography in color.

Olivier de Chappedelaine, The Start, €450

Olivier’s most recent exhibition is entitled “A la découverte de la Chine,” within the third “Printemps de la Photographie” in Romorantin, France.  Several of the works featured in his Artsetter gallery such as The Start and Woman and Baby were all part of this exhibition.

Olivier de Chappedelaine is completely immersed in the world of photography, and his prolific body work reveals his dedication to his art.

Most of Crichton’s special collection will be sold at auction at Christie’s in New York, where the works will be on view through April 13, as well as the week leading up to the post-war and contemporary art sale.  The sale will take place on May 11^th and 12^th.

Michael Crichton was a passionate art collector, and he not only thoroughly researched the artists he collected, but he was also friends with many of these artists.

Crichton was particularly close to Jasper Johns, from whom he acquired the famous work “Flag” in 1974.  Crichton wrote the Whitney catalog for Jasper Johns’ retrospective in 1977, and this document, and its later editions, marked Michael Crichton as the ultimate source on the artist.  The iconic “Flag” will be grouped in a special presentation of Jasper Johns’ artwork, and is estimated to bring in $10,000,000 to $15,000,000, but will likely go for much more.

Jasper Johns, Flag, 1960-1966.

To be sold at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art sale,

New York, May 11-12, 2010.

Caleen Ladki, Two Woman, 2009, €780

After living in Saudi Arabia, her move to a climate like London influenced her work tremendously, and Ladki’s expressionist art is emotional.   “Riyadh is a very enclosed society. There are no cinemas. No beaches. Restaurants are segregated and you have to wear an abaya covering yourself when you go out. This was a big influence on my work,” she explains.  It seems the drastic change inspired Ladki to create based on her everyday reactions, and it translates quite effectively in her expressionist art.

Caleen Ladki, Exploding Coral, 2009, €500

Ladki’s work is also inspired by her favorite artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Shiele, both in expressionist style and subject matter.  She often layers paint and also tends “to squeeze the paint straight onto the canvas and work like that rather than thinking things through for hours.”  Ladki’s work is vibrant and spontaneous.  “I never work on a painting for more than a day. Since my paintings reflect my emotions, I feel it’s necessary to the work that I paint and finish my idea that same moment to capture the true essence of the emotion.”

Ladki’s artwork has changed since she began studying textile design two years ago, and she now tends to work with textures and abstract paintings, whereas she used to focus on the body and self portraits.  Both styles have the movement and energetic quality of expressionist art.  Ladki’s fresh and original painting will no doubt have great success as it emerges in the contemporary art scene.

Caleen Ladki, Girl with Arm Band, 2009, €1000

Adrien Belgrand, Sno Shack, 2450€

Influenced by David Hockney, Adrien Belgrand uses a vibrant palette reminiscent of the Pop Art style.  With an exposed frame, with the presence or absence of human figures and a geometric sharpness of contours, Belgrand revitalizes the genre.  His personal touch is quite apparent.  Objects and architectural elements are simplified, with color appearing overexposed to sunlight, which gives the impression of complete flatness in the manner of Pop Art.

Adrien Belgrand, Tunnel, 1650€

A fascinating body of work for its uniqueness, Belgrand gives himself a temporality, as we can see time passing with his serial work.  Viewing his paintings, you might encounter street scenes, a series of kiosks, or country highways of California.  A rising artist in the contemporary art world, Belgrand’s success is only increasing.  His new Pop Art style has been welcomed all over Europe, as he auctions in Drouot and his works have already been bought by collectors from art galleries in England, Germany, and Italy.

Adrien Belgrand, Candy Apples, 2450€

Sarah McTernen, To the Skies, 50€

To the Skies shows an airplane from behind, in an interesting point of view, as it looks into a turquoise sky dotted with clouds and pink smoke.  Red and white stripes on the wing lead the eye to the green-blue hues beyond, as if it wishes to join the clouds.

Sarah McTernen, Sanding Patterns, 50€

Her use of digital photography gives her many options as to the final result of her work, and her choices keep the viewer wanting to know more.  Particularly in her abstract photography, Sarah makes banal subjects quite appealing to the eye.  Sanding Patterns shows a small portion of a 1969 Mustang, focusing in on scraped away multiple layers of paint.  Sarah takes photographs from unique angles and skillfully works with lighting to find the personality in ordinary everyday things.

Sarah McTernen, Downward Guitar

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