peter brant

Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant Change Their Mind About Divorce

Last time we checked in with Victoria's Secret model Stephanie Seymour and her billionaire husband, publishing mogul and art lover, Peter Brant they were in the midst of an increasingly acrimonious divorce. Allegations of spying and bad parenting abounded as the pair battled over both their children and their art collection. They have been married for 15 years and have three children. But what could have been a costly and bitter battle seems to have ended. The pair withdrew divorce complaints on Monday in Connecticut ending a battle that had both a family and an estimated $500 million at stake.

The NY Post reports on the scene which had the pair kissing and making up and putting on a display of unity in front of the judge. They signed a handwritten statement at the court house, the divorce was dissolved and the two drove off in a car together, happily ever after...

Tags: peter brant, Stephanie Seymour

Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant Muddle Through Messy Divorce

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Victoria's Secret model Stephanie Seymour and her billionaire husband, publishing mogul and art lover, Peter Brant are in the midst of an increasingly acrimonious divorce. The NY Post has all the dishy details of their recent custody hearing in Stamford, Connecticut. The pair are battling over custody of their three children. Brant has accused Seymour of being an unfit mother and Seymour was ordered to appear before the judge after missing a mandatory drug test in March, opting instead for a vacation in St. Barth with two of her children. Brant and Seymour had each agreed to submit to tests per the terms of their split.

Seymour says Brant has used a nanny in Seymour's Greenwich home to spy on her after the couple separated. The nanny quit working for Seymour last year only to pop up in Brant's employ later. A hearing on Seymour's alleged drinking and drug use is scheduled for August 6.

Seymour has been a model since she was 16, appearing in Sports Illustrated and in Guns N' Roses videos as well as being a Victoria's Secret angel and a muse for artists and working at Brant's Interview magazine. Brant's life recently became art in an installation, "Abstract Slavery" by Swiss artist Urs Fischer at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center. The piece includes a library and sitting room based on Brant's mansion and a a wax statue of Brant, lit like a candle, melts away in each room.

Tags: divorce, interview magazine, peter brant, Stephanie Seymour

Art Basel Attracts Abramovich, Kilmer, Millions

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

The exclusive opening of Art Basel – for the most serious buyers – had the desired effect. The most famous art show in the world attracted the likes of art collector Roman Abramovich (however much it may be at the behest of his squeeze) and fetched some major sales, including $15 million for a sculpture by Pablo Picasso.

So, who joined Abramovich in scratching the art itch ... one that's been hard to scratch since the art market collapsed in 2008? Well, Val Kilmer, Peter Brant and Laurence Graff were among the elite.

Prices haven't returned to 2007 levels, noted art dealer Nicholas Maclean to Bloomberg News, but he added that the top stuff is selling well. This doesn't exactly defy common sense, of course. There are 303 galleries at Art Basel this year, and they're all hoping to ride this wave.

A Christie's International auction in Paris the day before Art Basel started set the tone for the affair. A sculpture by Amedeo Modigliani moved for $53 million, setting a record for the French auction market.

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Tags: amadeo modigliani, art auction, art auctions, art basel, art market, auction house, auction houses, christies, ChristiesAuctionHouse, laurence graff, modligiani, peter brant, roman abramovich, val kilmer

Art Basel Is Fun Again

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Art Basel was fun again this year. After a recession-stained climate last year led to toned down partying, collectors and dealers (and everyone else) was back in style this time around. According to the Wall Street Journal, it seemed like everyone was throwing a party this year, with the likes of Larry Gagosian and Lance Armstrong getting in on the action. And, the parties didn't suck. Hosts went all out -- with live music and other attractions -- to separate themselves from the competition. Some even tried something new, with the words "Everybody has a Damien Hirst" uttered.

Of course, there were enough celebrities in supply to ensure that every host had one to boast about. Scott Stapp, lead singer of Creed, and Russell Simmons, for example, were present at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel. Simmons is a committed collector of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Barbara Krueger and was in town to raise money for his charity, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

An after-party hosted by Julian Schnabel's art dealer son, Vito, attracted some big names, as well. Peter Brant, an art collector who recently tried to move "Brother Sausage" by Basquiat at auction, was there, along with Abby Rosen.

Yet, there were more intimate dinners and cocktail parties than in past years, according to Art Basel regulars. A few corporate sponsors still made the plunge, including UBS, NetJets and Cartier.

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Basquiat and Warhol Fail Christie's

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Christie's tried in New York with a 1983 piece by Jean-Michel Basquiat and didn't succeed. The auction house may have been too aggressive in estimating the 16-foot piece at $9 million. That's what's tough about the art market right now. There are signs of recovery, and it can be tempting to push for higher prices. Unfortunately, it's easy to get a bit excited. The painting had the highest estimate at the auction. The piece with the second highest presale estimate, a piece by Andy Warhol, met a similar fate.

The Basquiat piece, "Brother Sausage," was offered anonymously by a buyer later revealed by Bloomberg News to be Peter Brant, an art collector based in Connecticut. The piece may be a casualty of his divorce from model Stephanie Seymour. Well, it won't be financing post-marital discord and could remain a contested asset for a while.

Warhol's "Tunafish Disaster" was projected to move for up to $8 million and, like the Basquiat painting, didn't receive any bids. Art dealer Robert Mnuchin of L&M Arts was stuck taking it home.

Yet, some works beat the odds in an auction that raked in $74.2 million, within the presale range of $61.5 million to $88 million. Nonetheless, this was the lowest result we've seen from a Christie's New York contemporary art effort since May 2003 and down 81 percent from the top of the market two and a half years ago.

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Tags: andy warhol, AndyWarhol, art, art auction, art auctions, art collecting, art collection, art collector, art dealer, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, ArtCollector, ArtDealer, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, auction, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, basquiat, christies, connecticut, contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, jasper johns, JasperJohns, jean michel basquiat, JeanMichelBasquiat, jeff koons, JeffKoons, manhattan, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, new york, new york new york, NewYork, NewYorkNewYork, peter brant, PeterBrant, taschen, warhol