Art ORIGIO 

Combining art historical theory and market analytics to decode trends in the global art world

Recent Articles:

Borrowing Against Beauty: The New Era of Art Credit  

The Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report recorded a 12% decline in the global art market in 2024, a downturn that has accelerated the use of art-backed lending. This decline parallels the increasing size of the art-backed loan market, which is expected to increase by 20%, from $40 billion to $50 billion by 2027 (Deloitte Private and ArtTactic Art Report). The spike in loans is due to collectors’ reluctance to sell at low prices and adhere to the sentiment of the market. These loans are a…

by Grace Malley

Female Artists Set major records in 2025

Pieces of Pain Sell 2025 was an extraordinary year for female artists. If time has gotten in the way of keeping track, here is some intel. Two female artists with origins from the Global South have hit major accomplishments: Frida Kahlo and Marlene Dumas.  At a Christie’s auction in May 2025, Marlene Dumas’s Miss January (1997) fetched an $11.5 million hammer price, a number well within the estimate. The 71-year-old South African painter, who resides in Amsterdam, has had staggering sales…

by Grace Malley

Arthur Jafa moma exhibition: Reflections on systems of space

Located on the first floor of MoMA is the exhibition Less is Morbid curated by Arthur Jafa. The artist selected a diverse web of works from the MoMA collection, in addition to two works from outside of it. The works, varying in medium, size, and movement, weave together a grand narrative that extends beyond the frame. At first glance, I was intrigued by the diverse selection of paintings and sculptures decorating the tall white walls. There was a clear direction in the color of…

by Grace Malley

From God to Commodity: Mao Zedong in Contemporary Art

Mao Zedong stands as one of the most visually reproduced political figures in the 21st century. From the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 through the Cultural revolution (1966 – 1976), Mao’s face saturated public and private life: monumental portraits in Tiananmen Square, mass produced propaganda posters, and the Omnipresent Little Red Book which inscribed Mao aphorisms for daily use. Mao’s authority was not sustained solely through political power or ideological doctrine but through a carefully orchestrated visual regime in…

by Grace Malley

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