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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Could it be possible to acquire unique works by one of the world's most recognisable and renowned artists for less than $10,000? David Shrigley might be the art world's best-kept open secret. Find out why with Nordic Art Partners.

This episode takes you deep into the whimsical world and highly developed market of one of Britain's most beloved contemporary artists, whose childlike drawings paired with deadpan humor have earned him global acclaim while remaining refreshingly affordable. Host Jeppe Curth and art expert Nicholas Robinson explore how Shrigley's deceptively simple aesthetic—colorful, seemingly casual drawings with witty text observations—has captivated audiences from both gallery walls and public monuments.

What makes Shrigley truly remarkable is the striking disconnect between his impressive credentials and his artwork's accessibility. Despite being nominated for the Turner Prize, receiving an OBE, creating London's famous Fourth Plinth commission, and having work in collections at MoMA, Tate, and Centre Pompidou, large unique Shrigley works can be acquired for under €15,000. This paradox of prestigious recognition and affordable pricing creates a rare opportunity for new collectors to own pieces by a globally significant artist without the intimidating expenditure typically required for such.

Beyond his artistic practice, we discover Shrigley's advocacy for integrating art into education—championing the evolution from STEM to STEAM—mirroring his democratic approach to making meaningful art available to broader audiences. Whether you're drawn to his humorous animal characters with profound observations or his simple yet universal messages, Shrigley's work offers something increasingly rare: museum-caliber art that brings daily joy without requiring extraordinary wealth.

Ready to start collecting or simply curious about this unique artistic voice? Join us for an enlightening conversation about an artist who proves that significant art doesn't always come with a significant price tag.

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Join us to learn how Josef Albers' revolutionary approach to colour theory fundamentally changed how we understand visual perception in art. Through relentless experimentation and disciplined investigation, he transformed simple geometric forms into profound studies of how chromatic relationships interact, influence, and transform one another when colours are placed in proximity to other colours.

Born in Prussia in 1888, Albers' remarkable journey took him from the revolutionary Bauhaus in Germany to Black Mountain College in North Carolina and finally to Yale University—leaving an indelible mark on art education at each institution. His teaching philosophy was elegantly simple: "I have not taught painting because it cannot be taught. I have taught seeing." This approach influenced generations of important American artists, including Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, and Eva Hesse.

While Albers created significant works throughout his career—from innovative glass pieces at the Bauhaus to architectural-inspired "Adobe" paintings—his monumental "Homage to the Square" series represents his definitive achievement. Created between 1950 and his death in 1976, these meticulously executed paintings feature three or four nested squares in different colors, applied with a palette knife directly from the tube onto Masonite boards. Each painting documents a specific color relationship, with Albers noting the exact pigments on the reverse of every panel.

For collectors, Albers presents a fascinating opportunity. Despite being represented in every major museum worldwide and receiving the first-ever solo exhibition for a living artist at the Metropolitan Museum in 1971, his market shows remarkable value discrepancies. While larger works command $2-3 million, smaller examples offering similar visual impact can still be acquired for $230,000-850,000. With an impressive 83.3% sell-through rate at auction and over 70% of lots exceeding high estimates in recent years, Albers represents a blue-chip investment with both cultural significance and growth potential.

Explore how this towering figure of modernism can enhance your collection while providing a solid foundation for understanding color theory in 20th-century art. Contact Nordic Art Partners today for expert guidance on acquiring works by this essential artist whose influence continues to resonate throughout contemporary art and design.

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In the late 1960s and early 70s, Lynda Benglis dissolved the boundaries between painting and sculpture through fearless experimentation, creating revolutionary works that sought to capture and freeze her gestures. The American artist, born in 1941 in Louisiana but Greek by heritage, developed her distinctive visual language after moving to New York in the 1960s, where she quickly integrated into, and made her own name in, one of the most dynamic and diverse creative decades of the C20th.

She pioneered new approaches to materiality, beginning with beeswax reliefs shaped with blowtorches before creating her breakthrough "Pours" series—vibrant puddles of pigmented polyurethane poured directly onto gallery floors, where they would flow together and freeze into psychedelic sculptural forms. As she famously stated, "I wasn't breaking away from painting, but trying to redefine what it was."

Beyond her artistic innovations, Benglis boldly challenged the gender politics of the art world. Her provocative 1974 Artforum advertisement directly confronted the male-dominated power structures of the industry. This image, which she arranged to publish after editors rejected it, has since been cited by The New York Times as one of the 25 works that defined art of the contemporary modern period.

Her market has experienced dramatic acceleration only recently, despite her longstanding reputation and consistent presence in major museums worldwide. From her early wax works, through her pours and knots, to her signature pleated metallic sculptures, Benglis captures what she calls "an implosion or the beginning of an explosion of energy." Her auction record jumped from $245,000 in 2021 to $1.1 million in 2022, suggesting collectors are finally recognizing what art historians have long understood—that Benglis represents a rare combination of historical significance, formal innovation, and market potential.

Want to learn more about collecting significant artists like Lynda Benglis? Visit nordicartpartners.com for expert guidance on building meaningful collections with confidence.

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Join us, Nordic Art Partners, as we discuss the compelling work and career of American painter Joan Snyder. Discover key biographical details of her formative years, the limited role of art in her upbringing and how her determined approach to evolving her own formal visual language shaped her artistic development. We discuss a wide array of her formative influences, ranging from Van Gogh, through German Expressionism to Jackson Pollock; antecedents that she recognises as helping her to develop her singular and celebrated aesthetic. 

Against the vibrant backdrop of the 1970s women's art movement, where scrutiny of traditional gender roles and the early evolution of sexual politics facilitated burgeoning careers of Snyder and her many , accomplished peers. Through a daring blend of materiality and motif, learn how Snyder's work challenged the accepted conventions of abstract painting, championed a female sensibility and facilitated a meteoric rise in the reception and critical appreciation of her breakthrough.

As always, we seek to place her work and achievements in a context relevant to the market and her place, both perceived and actual, within it. Despite her groundbreaking contributions, her work remains undervalued when set against similarly lauded contemporaries. With new opportunities under her current representation, we consider the next steps for this vibrant and productive 84 year old titan of American painting, expecting increasing prominence within the art historical canon.

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In this episode of The Collectors’ Edge join us, Nordic Art Partners, for a discussion about the work and career of Miriam Cahn, the audacious Swiss painter whose figurative works are amongst the rawest and most expressive of the entire contemporary art milieu. From her formative years in Basel to her education at the Schule for Gestaltung, Cahn has always been an agent of activism and protest, where her bold and unremitting stance led her to reject traditional painting for decades in protest at the art world's male dominance. When she returned to the canvas in the mid 1990s, she continued to defy fashion, taste and expectations with her powerful and challenging themes, forming a reputation as one of the most uniquely uncompromising figures in the entire art world.
 
With a body of work consisting of over 45 years of artistic innovation, Cahn's work is now celebrated globally, resonating particularly within the context of the MeToo movement due to its profound engagement with sexual politics. Our episode explores the increase in her renown, her almost unparalleled institutional recognition over the past decade, and how her singularity of vision and aesthetic marks her as amongst the most powerful of voices. No episode would be complete without a discussion about the artist’s place within today’s art market, and how Cahn’s soaring reputation amongst museums and collectors has led to a remarkable and consistently high performing secondary market at auction. Join us as we celebrate the unique and jarringly powerful work of Miriam Cahn.

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In this episode from Nordic Art Partners, discover the work and career of Ron Gorchov, an enigmatic figure who pioneered major innovations in painterly abstraction in the late 1960s. We recount his early biography, beginning in the 1950s; a classic rites of passage story of a bohemian artist in post-war New York, a city teeming with life and a magnet for artists who flocked in droves to the tenement apartments of downtown looking to make their mark on the most fertile time and place of the mid-twentieth century. Following a conventional artistic education in Chicago, mentored by John Graham, Mark Rothko and other luminaries of the downtown scene, Gorchov quickly made his mark in his adopted city, garnering early success and some measure of acclaim with his early works, related to both Surrealism and Abstraction and aesthetically linked to many of the Abstract Expressionists of the New York School. Balancing roles as a lifeguard and swimming instructor, his relentless dedication helped him overcome financial struggles and carve out the beginnings of a promising career as a professional artist.

After a decade of development and consistent exposure, the late 1960s bore witness to his greatest achievement, the development of a uniquely shaped canvas. Both convex and concave at the same time, and resembling a shield or saddle, this revolution of the painted object/surface was to innovate a unique painting/sculptural hybrid and forever became his defining legacy. His career would attain new heights and his achievements would be widely celebrated, before the despondency of dwindling interest and relative obscurity, a difficult time which would endure for the best part of two decades.

The early years of the C21st would bring a renaissance. Learn how in later life his singular achievements were again celebrated and finding new audiences. Through the advocacy and support of Vito Schnabel, as well as from several other key prestigious international galleries in important global markets, Gorchov’s work would find its way back to public consciousness and provide a heartening vindication for the now elderly painter. 

Now deceased, Gorchov’s work is beginning to find its place as a seminal achievement of experimental painting. His work is known far and wide, celebrated by collectors and institutions alike and supported by an ever-deepening market, these special paintings are instantly recognisable by their unique forms. 

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From the inception of his art career in 1968, Knoebel's work has been consistently driven by a quest to pare painting (and art generally) back to its absolute essentials. From an interest in readily available, humble materials to the manner in which colours can relate to other colours to create works of meditative intensity, his is an art that has always tried to distil and simplify, rather than become more complex. 

Our art expert, Nicholas Robinson, and your host Jeppe Curth guide us through Knoebel's life and career, from his family's dramatic exodus from post-war Communist East Germany to the West, to his education at the Werkundschule in Darmstadt where he learned from the legendary 'preliminary class' formulated by Mohly-Nagy at the Bauhaus some 40 years earlier, to his final studies at the legendary Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf.  Learn how his art production has retained remarkable consistency, from his very first major work, 1968's Raum 19, made under the mentorship of Joseph Beuys, to today's serial bodies of work that occupy themselves with the very same concerns of material, line, form and colour. Knoebel has influenced several generations of artists in the manner he has developed (and lived up to) these highly personal and literal notions of 'minimalism'. Now one of the senior statesmen amongst the art world's non-objective practitioners, his sheer artistic integrity and consistency enables us to trace his lineage all the way back to the founding antecedents of Mandarin and Malevich.

Further details of this episode focus on how his work has both captivated the art market and cemented his place in art history. We explore the history and trajectory of his place in today's behemoth art market, sampling a large data set to make a case for an altogether different kind of consistency: that of market value and growth over a sustained period of time. Once again, The Collector's Edge enables listeners to gain insights into Knoebel's enduring legacy and the market dynamics that continue to elevate the significance of his contributions to 20th-century abstract art.

Episode Artwork: Imi Knoebel, Anima Mundi 31-5, 2023, Acrylic on Aluminum,  In 5 parts (Each: 37 x 29 x 5.8cm), (Detail). Image courtesy, Nordic Art Partners, ©Imi Knoebel 

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In this episode of The Collectors’ Edge we discuss the work and career of Austrian painter Martha Jungwirth. Join us in this insightful episode to learn how her dynamic and textured paintings have earned her widespread acclaim, relatively late in life. Hosted, as always, by Nordic Art Partners' Jeppe Curth and Nicholas Robinson, we take you on a journey through Jungwirth’s evolution—from her early days in Vienna at the Academy of Applied Arts, the prestigious prize wins as a student that signalled her early promise, to her present day career which includes significant critial and commercial success and full retrospective survey shows at leading international museums.

We investigate the formative influences of the art world of the 1970s and the prevailing trends that formed the contextual backdrop of her early working life. Discover her painting methodologies, her unique approach to exploring colour, her oscillation between abstraction and figuration and why her innovative use of heavy paper and has become a signature element of her work.

As always, we take a closer look at Jungwirth’s standing and reputation and how this is reflected by the global art market of today. It is clear that her works are becoming increasingly coveted by collectors and museums alike but what trends are driving her market, and what might be coming next for this pioneering artist? With her work commanding significant attention at major exhibitions and auctions, we’ll discuss the growing demand for her expressive, textured paintings and why Martha Jungwirth is a name every serious art collector should be watching.

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In the lastest episode of The Collectors’ Edge from Nordic Art Partners we discuss the life, work and career of Friedrich Kunath, a celebrated German artist now based in Los Angeles. From his early experiences in pre-unification, Communist East Germany to the pinnacle of today’s art world, we discuss what makes Kunath’s work distinctive and unique and just why it has an incredible breadth of appeal to a wide range of tastes and geographic markets. 

A departure from the category of artists we often explore, Kunath is not a historic artist deserving of a reappraisal by the market, but a fully established mid-career artist following a stable but consistently improving trajectory. We learn about his formative influences under the tuition of Walter Dahn at Braunschweig University in the early 90s, his forays into the underground nightlife scene of turn of the millenium Berlin and, eventually, his full commitment to the life of an artist. Known for his ability to synthesise a wide range of visual and cutural influences, from the highest levels of classical landscape painting to the simplest and most common manifestations of pop culture, we discuss in detail the characteristics of Kunath’s paintings, the themes he explores and the unique blend of painterly skill and lyrical humour he applies to them. Distinguished by powerful feelings of wistful yearning, nostalgia and self-deprecating wit, we look into the ways Kunath’s cultural anthroplogy embraces both melancholia and euphoria and, in doing so, encompasses the full register of the human experience.

As an artist who has honed and refined his craft to incredible levels of technical excellence, we discuss the current market status it has brought him and the highly credible galleries around the world that support, sustain and manage so well this position he has achieved both within the industry and wider cultural landscape. But what comes next for Kunath? After twenty years of evolution and improvement—of steadily building his body of work, his reputation and the insitutional regard for his work, is there to be a next step? We speculate as to what his career might need now, and the implications it may have for his pricing, value and place within a wider market context. Prepare to be captivated by one of the most compelling and poetic visual universes in today’s contemporary art scene and informed as to why collecting his work could be among the shrewdest acquisition choices any art buyer could make. 

Episode Artwork: Friedrich Kunath, We We Will Be Modern Until We Die, 2023, Oil on canvas, 90 x 120cm (Detail), Image courtesy Travesio Cuatro, Madrid, © Friedrich Kunath

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