bubble

Like the broader art sector the prices of drawings rose through the bubble and fell during the financial crisis. According to Artprice, however, drawings resisted much of the insanity on the way up and was thus protected on the way down. By the art market peak, this medium picked up a price increase of only 27 percent, compared to 93 percent of contemporary art from 2002 through 2008. Since the broad market decline, drawings have fallen only 11 percent, while the global art index plummeted 36 percent (as of October 2009). Last year, the number of drawing sold actually increased by 10 percent, standing out in a dismal art market.

Old Master drawings have brought new life to the sector, particularly thesale of Raphael's "Head of a muse," which sold for £26 million at Christie's last December, setting a world record. The Chinese market is helping the sector along, as well, with the copious capital it brings to the market.

June auction revenues were off 70 percent in London this year, due in large part to job cuts and an unwillingness to guarantee lots. Even the occasional sign of hope had to be taken with a grain of salt, as lower expectations tended to magnify this year's results falsely.

Together, Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips de Pury pulled in $269.4 million in this summer's sales – off 70 percent from a year ago. In addition to the mechanical drivers of lost jobs and guarantees, the auction houses haven't had an easy time bringing high-profile, high-value pieces to market. Every event in London this summer unloaded at least two-thirds of its inventory, and success rates rose to above 88 percent at the Sotheby's and Christie's events this past June, but lingering in the background is the notion that 2009, at this point, is nothing like 2008.

To some, the current art slump is reminiscent of the early 1990s, in which a bubble in Impressionist art pricing precipitated a general decline, and nobody could get a realistic sense of a piece's value. The market took several years to recover, but it has since passed the levels of nearly 20 years ago. The Impressionists are down 68 percent this year, roughly in line with global trends, with the contemporary market off approximately 73 percent. New York fared no better than London, with contemporary sales at Sotheby's down 75 percent and Christies off 72 percent.

It's called simply "Bubble," and although it's a pretty thing at first glance it's not particularly obvious what it's purpose is exactly. What does a bubble do? Well apparently this one is meant to sit on.

Even after hearing it I don't quite get it -- it looks a little uncomfortable to sit on because it's made of plexiglass-like material, so that shape is what your bum gets. But they are super cute, especially in a little group. They come in blue, yellow, red, or clear, and your choice of round (shown) or cylindrical, and cost £99.


Via Lussorian

The Blow Table Lamp: Here an otherwise fairly unremarkable table lamp gets a stylish and artsy upgrade simply by sticking it inside a glass bubble. What is it about glass domes that make whatever is inside so much more interesting? This lamp has a modern and functional appeal, and comes in a few different styles and sizes. And the best part about table lamps, their flexibility, remains intact -- you can control the position and angle of the lamp by moving an attached magnet that sits on the outside of the bubble. Crafty crafty! By Studio Italia Design, $1200+

I suppose that the purpose of an inflatable bar is so that you don't have to commit a lot of room to storing a more solid piece of furniture year-round when you really only need something to use every few months. Bubble Miami makes inflatable bars, buffets and coffee tables in a number of different sizes, shapes and colors. They can hold a substantial amount of weight, certainly enough for the bottles, glasses and any hors d'oeuvres that you might put on them, and are quite sturdy, too. The company both sells and rents the units, but you'll have to call for pricing information and to find the one that will best suit your needs.

[via cribcandy]