🔥 Art Basel’s Oscars + Pablo Benzo

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HEY Y’ALL!

Thanks for all the great feedback on the Otis Quaicoe piece I shared last day!

🔥 ICYMI – Catchs from the Last Week:

1. Otis Quaicoe, Sheena Skipper, 2020 - priced at at £17,500

2. André Butzer, Untitled, 2022 - priced at £130,000

3. Okokume, Florecer, 2020 - priced at at £10,500

Today we’ve got a Pablo Benzo that feels like Bauhaus on acid—priced right with indie cred rising. Plus, Christie's trips, and Delhi deals implode

But first…

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Here’s what a collector shared with me this week:

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-Today’s Catch-

Pablo Benzo

💭 My 2 Cents: This little gem by Pablo Benzo feels like dream-walking with a glass of fine scotch. It’s got that soft, twisted spatial vibe Benzo’s known for—think surrealism meets Bauhaus. Frankly, I’m not shocked it’s going for four grand, given the man’s rising cult status in the indie collector circles.

🔑 Key Numbers: This piece is 50 cm x 40 cm, painted in 2021. The listed price is £4,000, which aligns with what we’ve seen for similarly sized Benzo canvases lately. No crazy auction spikes yet, but private sales seem to climb steadily, inching up from around £3,000 not too long ago.

🧠 Why It’s a Smart Pick: Demand for Benzo is ticking upward without the manic flipping you see around bigger names. He’s anchored by solid gallery support (Kornfeld in Berlin), and collectors aren’t dumping these works at auction. This means less volatility and a healthy chance of gradual appreciation. Plus, the style is timelessly weird—no risk of going “out.”

-In a Minute-

🔥 Words I Like: blitz, sucker, games

Sketchy Delhi Deals

Christie’s just pulled a $21.3M flex at their Post-War auction, led by Helen Frankenthaler’s Concerto—a small canvas that somehow bullied its way to $2.1M. Dealers are still side-eyeing that result, wondering if someone got suckered or if Frankenthaler just became the market’s new obsession. Meanwhile, a bunch of blue-chip big names—Grotjahn, Murakami, Ai Weiwei—failed to move, leaving speculators sweating like bankers at bonus time.

But sketchiness is universal, my friends. Over at India Art Fair, four supposed Modernist gems got abruptly pulled from a BMW-sponsored lounge because—surprise!—they smelled faker than a Delhi street-market Rolex. Collectors tempted by discount "masterpieces" better remember: if it looks too good, you're probably the sucker.

Speaking of suckers, artists burned by last year’s ultra-contemporary meltdown are finally clapping back. Amani Lewis and Allison Zuckerman, poster children for the speculative crash, just dropped Artists First Collective—a project designed to stop flippers cold.

Their message to fast-money collectors: if you want to play games, be ready to hold your new art for at least three years, no exceptions. Ouch.

Cross-category mashups pairing Old Masters with today’s rising stars remain buzzy, but wallets aren’t fully convinced. Sure, Jesse Mockrin’s neo-Baroque paintings are charming critics, but crossover collectors remain rarer than dealers admit. Keep an eye here, though—these shows can still spark sudden spikes for overlooked names.

Meanwhile, Art Basel is rolling out shiny new awards, handing medals to artists, curators, and even—brace yourself—art critics. Seems like Basel wants the Oscars' glam without the movies. Jury-picked favorites get announced in June; brace yourself for a PR blitz heavier than your hangover after Art Week.

-Whenever You Are Ready-

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See you soon!

-Alvaro (@theartmarketguy)

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Disclaimer

Not financial advice. Frame&Flame is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions.