A case of communism meets capitalism with this fantastic Goodbye Lenin print by the Barcelona-based artist Peret.
Your eyes don't deceive you - that's Russian revolutionary Lenin super-imposed on an illustration of Mickey Mouse - to cries of 'sacrilege' from both sides of the political divide no doubt.
It's a three-colour screenprint, sized at 78 x 60cm and in an edition of just 50. Yours for £150.
Find out more at the Nelly Duff website
Described recently as one of today's 'most influential street artists', Shepard Fairey is man to invest in - and this large Obey poster is a reasonably-priced introduction to the man and his work.
Obey is a running theme in Fairey's work, used here to dramatic effect with a bold facial outline. The poster is a 97 x 64cm lithographic print, signed by the author and unframed, although there's no mention of an edition.
Which is probably why the price is within most people's budgets - £45.
We've featured Supermandolini on numerous occasions over at Retro To Go, but we think the Supermandolini Shooting Target artwork and jewellery is perhaps more suited over here.
It's certainly worthy of your attention, with a choice of poster or wide canvas print, both limited to just 100 with the framed canvas sized at 120 x 65cm and the poster at 70 x 45cm.
Alternatively, you can go for the same design as a necklace of earrings, both made of black gloss acrylic, with the necklace coming with a silver finish chain with lobster clasp. Prices are 16 Euros for the poster, 190 Euros for the canvas, 18.50 Euros for the necklace and 20 Euros for the earrings.
Find out more at the Supermandolini website
Never mind your guests admiring your art collection - how about them admiring your own art? And you can easily make your own with the Cubist Torso construction kit.
As the name suggests, this is art in kit form - put the pieces together according to the instructions and onto the wooden base plate and you create a cubist-style torso for all to admire. But ignore the instructions and you can create something both cubist and surreal, but above all, something original.
Virtually everything you need is included in the kit, which comes in a rather smart wooden box. It sells for just £26.
Find out more at the TwentyTwentyOne website
Olympus has introduced a limited edition of its Mju 1020 camera, sold with three unique skins by Romanian artist Matei Apostolescu. One of the skins is pictured above - the other are similarly bold.
Just 5,000 of these 10.1 megapixel cameras available, each featuring 7x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD screen, 23 scene modes, Dual Image Stabilisation (to cut down on blurred shots), Face Detection (for better people shots), a panoramic function and movie recording with sound.
These are supposed to be available now, although we haven't found a stockist as yet. Might be worth checking with your local camera specialist.
Not being a US citizen, I don't get a vote in the upcoming election. But that doesn't stop me appreciating these Obey US election campaign prints.
They're the work of Shepard Fairey under the Obey banner. There are three posters in the range (the third is a variation of the Obama print), all sized at 24 x 36 inches. No prizes for guessing who the artist is supporting, but even if you don't feel the same about Barack Obama, that Vote image is an all-round winner.
All are available to order in strictly limited numbers (350 of each with just one per person) from the Obey site from Wednesday January 30th, priced at $50 (£25) each. Proceeds will go to fund a large poster campaign in the US.
Urban art is no longer an underground phenomenon, it's packed with big names and big price tags - and there will be both on display at the Urban Art auction at Bonhams.
Taking place at the New Bond Street salesrooms on Tuesday 5th February 2008, the auction will feature the likes of Banksy, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Antony Micallef, Adam Neate, Faile, Paul Insect, Space Invader, Swoon, D*Face and Jamie Hewlett, not to mention stencil spray painting and flyposting for the first time in an auction room.
Highlights in the sale include the Banksy 'Laugh Now' (stencil spray paint on canvas), estimated between £40,000 and 60,000, the Banksy 'Kate Moss', screenprint (pictured above - £20,000-30,000), Banksy 'Di-Faced Tenners' screenprint (£5,000-7,000), Paul Insect 'Elvis' oil on canvas (£5,000-8,000), Faile 'London 12' stencil spray paint on wooden palette (£3,000-5,000) and Keith Haring 'Pop VI' screenprint (£1,500-2,000).
If you want to browse the lots, check out the Bonhams website.
Looking to invest in the contemporary art market, but not sure where to start? You should make a point of visiting ARTfutures 2008 at Bloomberg SPACE, where a hand-picked selection of work will be available to buy, all at the affordable end of the market.
Leading up to the annual exhibition (now in its 24th year), the Contemporary Art Society team visits studios and exhibitions all over the country, showcasing the pick of artists (100 in total), with 1,000 new works available to buy at prices from £500 to £5,000.
If that still sounds daunting, help is at hand with independent advisors available to guide you along the way with free advice and consultations to get the most from your budget. The show runs from 6th - 12th March 2008. See the website for a full list of artists displaying at ARTfutures 2008.
ARTfutures 2008
Bloomberg SPACE, 50 Finsbury Square
London, EC2A 1HD
T: 020 7330 7959
Over at the newly-launched Tam Tam Studio online store is a range of very stylish music-based prints, the work of Italian graphic designer Gianni Rossi.
The original posters were produced for the American market, although whether these were themed around gigs, as opposed to produced for gigs isn't clear. Either way, they're incredibly eye-catching, with this 1930s-inspired Ladytron print and the White Stripes playing card design the pick of the bunch.
All prints are on art paper, limited editions and are all signed by the designer. Prices are between 35 and 45 Euros.
View the full range at the Tam Tam Studio website
Fancy some serious investment in contemporary art? Well, right now on eBay is an original Banksy street painting - and it could be yours if you meet the reserve or pay the 'Buy It Now' price of £1 million.
There's another problem too - the painting is on an external of a house located at 274D Portobello Road in London, so once you've bought your painting, you'll need to remove it and replace it at your home, a process that could cost up to £5,000. And just in case you're worried about its authenticity, it does come with confirmation from Sotheby's about its legitimacy.
If none of that has put you off, you have until 14th January to get a bid in. As I type, the current bid is £10,000.
Following on from the success of Illustration Now!, Taschen has launched the imaginatively-titled Illustration Now Volume Two.
The latest volume picks out a new selection of 150 of the best illustrators around today, mixing established names with new talent from 25 different countries. And there's a range of styles too, from traditional and retro to cutting-edge, along with discussions on today's world of illustration and of course, loads and loads of images.
If you love design, work as an illustrator or just want some inspiration, it's worth a look. Yours for officially for £24.99, although you can get it discounted from Amazon for £17.49.
Looking for a collectable piece of artwork for under £50? You should invest in the Pretty Taxing range of artist-designed tax discs, produced by the people behind the Art Car Boot Fair.
All (but one) are limited edition pieces, with the circular artwork and the certificate printed on the highest grade, archival quality 100% cotton rag Somerset art paper. Both the circular tax disc artwork and the certificate are hand numbered with the edition number and come in a rather cool presentation box. For anyone outside the UK, tax discs are circular pieces of paper fixed to car windscreens, showing that road tax has been paid for that vehicle - these art-based tax discs work in conjunction with the official discs to add some style to your vehicle.
Continue reading "Pretty Taxing - leading names from the art world customise the tax disc" »
