Join us, Nordic Art Partners, as we discuss the life and work of Danish artist, Per Kirkeby, a trained geologist whose obsessive focus on the timeless weight of geology ensured that he never quite left the field. We explore how he turned his profound understanding and appreciation for sedimentation and erosion into a unique visual language—layered canvases evoking the physical foundations of our natural world, brick structures that tell of mans' temporal relationship to the earth, and tactile bronzes hold the marks of time. In the episode we unpack how a quiet, analytical approach set him apart from more romantic strains of neo‑expressionism and why his earthbound palette still feels fresh, relevant and prescient to curators and collectors.

We discuss the early experiments influenced by pop and fluxus; the blackboard works shaped by Joseph Beuys’s performative thinking; and the mature landscapes that cemented his international standing, from Venice Biennale exposure to major retrospectives at Louisiana, Tate Modern, and beyond. His iconic brick sculptures get their due here—arches, walls, steps, colonnades and niches built in industrial brick, inspired by Mayan forms and the soaring majesty of Grundtvigs Church—while smaller bronzes bring geological pressure and fracture into the palm of the hand.

For collectors, we bring specific insight about the market for his various works. Expect gallery asking prices in the mid six figures for large, mature paintings, with auction highs concentrated around his signature 'geological paintings' made from the late‑70s to early‑2000s.. Germany leads demand, followed by Denmark and the UK, supported by institutions and a broad collector base. We outline what quality looks like—balanced earthy colour, layered impasto, clear structural drawing—and why smaller, emblematic canvases can be the smart buy. We also compare his valuation to peers like Kiefer and Polke and explain why the gap signals opportunity rather than a ceiling.

If you care about Nordic art, modern painting, undervalued masters with incredible credentials, or simply want to collect with confidence, this comprehensive episode offers a practical roadmap grounded in both aesthetics and insightful data. Subscribe for more market‑savvy art stories, share with a collector friend, and leave a review to tell us which Kirkeby period you rate most.

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Your eyes think her canvases are moving. That’s the spell Bridget Riley's works cast. Join Nordic Art Partners to understand her unique methodology—brick by brick, line by line; from black-and-white checks to colour-saturated diagonals that make the picture plane come to life with extraordinary movement. We share the formative moments that shaped her practice, from early training at Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art to a revelatory encounter with Seurat’s Pointillism, convincing her that in the most dynamic works, perception of color is mixed in the eye and not on the artist's palette.

We chart the leap from stark monochrome veils, grids, and waves to the chromatic sophistication of the late 1960s and 1970s—Cataract, Chart, and the Egyptian palette works—before stepping into the 1980s diagonals and the 1990s curves that expanded her visual grammar. Along the way, we explore why The Responsive Eye at MoMA made her a global name, how Venice amplified her reputational apogee, and why major museums keep returning to her with deep, rigorous surveys. This isn’t just a timeline; it’s a look at how a methodical studio process and acute optical thinking reshaped what a painting can do to a viewer.

Then we turn the lens to the market. With representation by David Zwirner and Max Hetzler, Riley’s primary prices reflect blue-chip confidence, while secondary results show decades of steady growth, robust sell-through, and repeat-sale gains. We compare early monochromes, colour waves, and the 1980s–90s diagonals, outlining where scarcity, art-historical significance, and visual power converge. The takeaway is clear: as institutions keep spotlighting her achievements and supply stays tight, the case for long-term value strengthens.

If you enjoyed this deep dive into the art and economics of optical painting, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves modern and contemporary art, and leave a quick review so others can find us.

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The boundaries between fine art and craft have blurred dramatically over recent decades, and few artists embody this shift more powerfully than Sheila Hicks. At 90 years old, this Nebraska-born, Paris-based artist has spent over six decades transforming how we understand textile as an artistic medium.

Stepping into Hicks' world means discovering an artist whose work combines modernist color theory (learned directly from Josef Albers at Yale in the 1950s) with techniques gleaned from indigenous weaving traditions across the globe. Generally speaking, her pieces hang on walls like paintings or sculptural reliefs, with color blocks that shimmer and transform as light plays across their textured surfaces. Some bulge with sculptural dimensionality; others form monumental columns that completely transform architectural spaces. What unites them all is an extraordinary sensitivity to color, material, and form that makes them immediately recognizable as her work.

What's particularly fascinating about Hicks' career is how she's consistently existed in multiple worlds simultaneously. From her earliest exhibitions in the 1960s, she moved fluidly between fine art museums and design contexts, never limiting herself to one category, seeking and finding opportunity in both. This boundary-crossing approach feels remarkably contemporary, yet she pioneered it decades before it became fashionable. Her works now reside in virtually every major museum collection worldwide—from MoMA and the Whitney to the Tate and Centre Pompidou—evidence of her profound influence.

For collectors, Hicks offers a rare opportunity: work by a historically significant artist whose prices (typically €100,000-300,000) remain reasonable compared to many contemporaries with far less impressive credentials. Whether you're drawn to her intimate "minime" pieces or larger tapestry works, collecting Hicks means acquiring something that transcends categories and speaks a truly universal visual language. Discover why museums, critics, and collectors worldwide are celebrating this extraordinary artist whose vision has permanently changed how we see textile in contemporary art.

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