Bonhams' Urban art auction – beyond expectation

The art auction market has been around for years, certainly a lot more than street art has been but yet, this emerging form of art seems to be on everybody’s lips and wallet indeed.

Bonhams’ auction, which just happened, has definitely showed us that. The bidding was fierce, the desire to own pieces from street artists, a must. The total sale from this Urban Art Sale at Bonham’s New Bond Street reached 455,760 GBP, with almost half of the works selling above their high estimates.

Here are some of the best sales

Banksy
‘Save or Delete Jungle Book’, 2001. This piece was originally made for Greenpeace
Sold for £78,000

Banksy - Jungle book

Ben Eine
Circus A-Z’, 2010
stencil spray paint and glitter on canvas
Sold for £6,600

Ben Eine - Circus

Futura 2000
Untitled, a performance piece created live on the Clash’s ‘Combat Rock’ tour, circa 1983
Sold for £38,400

Futura 2000 - Untitled

via Hang-Up

Meet Sluggo, the character made of chalk

If you are from Michigan, we may have stumbled upon Sluggo, a rather alien looking green thing. Ann Arbor – Michigan is where Sluggo lives and chalk is what he is made of. Locals seems to have accepted him since he moved to the town back in 2008, some even say that he is some sort of celebrity now…

He has built a reputation as a semi-subterranean creature, architecturally flexible staff and a soft spot for the flying pigs” says its creator, David Zinn.

Like Sluggo on Facebook, yes it is on Facebook.

Sluggo by Davis Zinn

An Old Spanish Church Transformed by Street Artist Okuda

A truly amazing project: a historic church in the Spanish city of llanera was transformed into a skate-park earlier this year by La Iglesia Skate.

The venue called Kaos Temple underwent a radical and colourful transformation at the hands of street-artist Okuda San Miguel.

We previously reported on this artist and pointed out his recognizable style of bright and isometric paintings. The result is astonishing and gives another dimension to the church. We included a few shots of the finished work below.

La Iglesia skate | Art-PieImage credit: Red Bull Media

La Iglesia skate | Art-Pie

Image credits: La Iglesia Skate

Okuda | Art-Pie

Image credits: okudart

llnara church | Art-Pie

Edward Akrout ‘First Impression’ show at Hoxton hotel

Edward AkroutBest known for his roles in high profile TV series and films including; Mr. Selfridge, Midsomer Murders and The Borgias, actor Edward Akrout has kept his talent as an artist hidden from the public eye.

This was until recently, when he presented his debut solo exhibition at Café Royal in March to an enthusiastic crowd of gallerists, collectors and VIPs.

A big step in the art world

Akrout admits that even though he is capable of handling the daily rejection and criticism he faces as an actor, the idea of showing his art to the world terrified him. This autumn Akrout will exhibit a suite of new drawings and paintings titled ‘First Impression’ at The Hoxton, Shoreditch, offering visitors an insight into the world of Edward Akrout.

Emotions and studies in France

There is an unmistakable connection between Akrout’s two chosen disciplines, for as an actor his job is to inhabit different emotional states, and as an artist he has an uncanny ability to capture in only a few strokes of the brush or pen, the fleeting emotions and personality traits of characters he comes across on his travels in London, Paris and New York.

Born to a Franco-British mother and Tunisian father, 32-year-old Akrout grew up in France, studying philosophy at The Sorbonne and theatre at Le Cours Florent in Paris, and then spending time at the National Institute in Bucharest. He left Paris for London when offered a place at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Akrout’s philosophical and theatrical training is evident in his expressive, psychological studies of the eclectic characters he encounters.

'Blue Man' by Edward Akrout | Art-Pie

WHAT – ‘First Impression’ by Edward Akrout
WHERE – The Hoxton, 81 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HU | United Kingdom
WHEN – 2 Oct 2015 — 1 Jan 2016

First seen on WSIMAG

Conor Harrington hit East London

Despite the dodgy weather in what’s supposed to now be spring, some of our favourite artists haven’t been deterred and continue to get up with some excellent work appearing in recent weeks.

No one fits that description more than Art Pie favourite Conor Harrington who added this stunning portrait to the East London streets.

This piece follows on from the Irish artist’s work at the recent Wide Walls Paint Jam in Mallorca where another exquisite black and white piece was added.

Conor Harrington hit East London | Art-PieConor Harrington hit East London | Art-Pie

Conor Harrington hit East London | Art-Pie

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS