A: Is for Anarchy in Art!

The art world must be singing "For these times they are a changing". The way the art world works is galleries nurture artists until they become big enough names to trade at auction. This September François Pinault, the owner of Christie’s is opening an art gallery in the same building as the famous auction house, cutting out the middleman and the art world is in an uproar. Collectors have already toured the gallery, including, and already paid a record $86.3 million for a Francis Bacon. It started last year when they bought a London gallery named Haunch, which represents some reputable names. A smart move in a declining economy. The dealers fought back freezing Haunch out of the Frieze and Art Basel art fairs. This actually turns out to be a complicated proposition as last month found a request for a Clyfford Still for sale and on loaned to Haunch’s first New York show. Christie’s originally announced that Haunch employees could not bid because of conflicts of interest or issues of market manipulation. Later a co-founder was spotted bidding on a Jeff Koons.

Sotheby’s not to be outdone by it's rival rival secured new works by Damien Hirst. The sale is dubbed "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever," and is set for Sept. 15-16th in London. Sotheby’s is making the most out of the coup, with the auction of "The Golden Calf", a bull preserved in a tank of formaldehyde -- a classic Hirst trope, this time with the twist that the animal is fitted with a solid gold halo and hooves and horns cast in 18-carat gold. The work is estimated at 16-24 million. As for the rest of the new works his popular butterfly, pill and cancer motifs, as well as a suite of preparatory drawings, are up for sale and all of them were created in the last two years. Hirst not to be put in the middle states, "I never want to stop working with my galleries, This is different. The world’s changing, ultimately I need to see where this road leads. Hirst dealers Larry Gagosian said. "He can certainly count on us to be in the room with paddle in hand." Hmm so many ways to take that.

On another note: The Museum of the City of New York presents "Campaigning for President: New York and the American Election," now until Nov. 4th. Selections from the museum’s holdings of 1,250,000 buttons, banners, posters, hats and other presidential campaign materials will be on display. Many of the items suggest electoral dirty tricks didn’t begin with Carl Rove. Highlights include: a "mechanical nose-thumber" produced for James Garfield’s campaign, A "Robert Kennedy for President" paper dress and an African-American doll embodying accusations that William McKinley had fathered an illegitimate black child. Organized by museum curators Sarah Henry and Thomas Mellinsthis is sure to enlighten on the political front. To see more log onto www.mcny.org

whether it is controversial take overs or the unveiling of political unrest art depicts the times and that is a F.A.C.T.