Investigations

In-depth reporting and analysis exploring the art world, its markets, and the stories behind the headlines.

Exclusive interview with Sandy Copeman, founder of the World’s Finest scale models company – The Amalgam Collection | Part 1

Ferraris, Bugattis, McLarens, GT40s, Formula 1s, Superyachts and even Spitfire planes – they’ve got ‘em all and in scale. The World Art News presents to you Part One of our Exclusive Interview with Sandy Copeman, the founder of the Amalgam Collection – the finest scale models company in the World!

It’s loaded with stunning photography of the most exotic sportscars and how they are made. The detail and craftsmanship of these models is so precise you’ll have trouble telling them apart from the real deal.

These works of fine automotive art are sought-after by celebrities, luxury brands, galleries, and museums such as the Louvre, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, and many others. The Amalgam Collection is an amazing place where Art meets Auto, creating spectacular automotive artworks that every automobile enthusiast and art connoisseur must see.

Who is Yuri Tarasov

Yuri Tarasov was one of the strongest painters in the Soviet Union, Russia and Lithuania. While his talent had no borders, Yuri’s fantastic vision and ability to show the true classic Russian art school with a touch of modern European trends made his paintings highly controversial in the Soviet society. As the son of the Head of the Supreme Council of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, he had an opportunity to become one of the best-know artists in the USSR, but Yuri never wanted fame or money, strongly believing that great art must bring recognition and not the other way around. Ignoring the opportunities life gave him, committed only to his art and his family, Yuri Tarasov, nevertheless, became one of the top artists in the entire Soviet Union. The recognition that he so carefully avoided inevitably came to him after each and every one of his exhibitions. His art spoke for itself.

The Most Expensive Sword in the World – $100 Million Samurai Tachi

Close-up of a tachi hilt and guard with the graphic text “The most expensive sword in the world” and “$100,000,000”.

This Tachi sword belonged to one of the most famous warlords in Japanese history – the great Fukushima Masanori (1561–1624).

He is known as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake for his actions in the Battle of Shizugatake, where he had the honor of first blood.

Throughout his life, he fought in many campaigns, including the Battle of Ch’ungju during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592.

The sword is currently in the Tamoikin Art Fund and is considered to be one of their most valuable assets. It has been appraised at over $105 million and was featured in the prestigious Forbes 400.

Who is Czeslaw Znamierowski

Czeslaw Znamierowski

Czeslaw Znamierowski was a renowned Soviet Lithuanian painter whose large body of work spanned from the 1920s until the 1970s. During his fifty-year career, he painted over 1,400 landscapes, drew over 800 sketches, and completed over 3,000 artworks. His work is particularly regarded for its featuring of stunning landscapes, some of which cover canvases larger than 8 feet by 4 feet. Due to his affiliation with socialist political movements in Russia, Znamierowski and his work have demonstrated a growing appeal to collectors in foreign markets who hold similar political affinities, particularly China, where his work is reported to have sold for as high as $120,000.

How to Make Art a Career: The Three Golden Questions to Ask Yourself

Survivor by Annamaria Johansson, a painting of a spotted big cat resting beside a tree trunk.

Take steps. Small steps. If you want a career to be long-lasting you don’t want to force something to grow. Building a career is just like growing a plant. It needs to be planted in good soil and taken care of while it’s still small and unknown to the world. It has to get love and the right nutrition to be able to function and to live up to its potential as a bigger plant. 

Do not rush. I can’t emphasize this enough. Yes, you need to throw yourself out there and be willing to do things that scare you, but you should never compromise with your own health – mental, physical or spiritual – nor should you lower your morals or let go of your integrity in order to get to where you want to go. This needs to be intact and if you are a solid artist your career will take off in the time you are ready for it. 

AMALGAM COLLECTION: Fashioning The World’s Finest Scale Models

Amalgam Collection

The world’s leading retailers are proud to offer these extraordinary pieces of model art, including MR PORTER and the SKP store in Beijing. Ralph Lauren commissioned 1:8 models of the 17 most important cars in his collection, that were displayed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2011 during the exhibition ‘The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection’. These models, and now a collection at 1:18 scale, continue to be available to buy at the flagship Ralph Lauren stores worldwide. Watchmaker Richard Mille commissioned several 1:5 scale models of cars from his collection, which contains some of the rarest and most significant vintage race cars.

How To Discover Yourself As An Artist

Transfiguration by Annamaria Johansson, a painted child looking through a chain-link fence.

Art is an expression that needs to be allowed to flow freely. Don’t try to figure out how to do the best piece of art to fit in, do your thing. This is not about being accepted or evaluated. Some people will love you and some won’t. It’s as simple as that and you don’t need anyone’s approval to create the way you create. If you have your motives clear, have written your goals and take action one step at a time then you are doing more than 90% of the population. Most people just think and don’t believe and therefore don’t take action. That is not you. Because you are reading this I know you have a message to deliver, a piece of art that needs to be created and shared with the world.

$133 Million in Loans: Exclusive Interview with an Art Banker, Thomas González – Part 2

Thomas González

Thomas González has always had a passion for art. Today, he arranges art loans and has committed himself to the art loan business. He has developed a trusted cadre of financial partners, responsible for successfully brokering art loans above $133 million. We, at The World Art News, have had the pleasure of interviewing Thomas to learn the ins and outs of being an art banker. In this two-part series, you will discover his secrets to running a successful art loans business. This time, in Part 2 of our exclusive interview, Thomas González will talk about the differences between the art and financial worlds, share with us how art loans change lives, and tell our readers how to get started as an investor in the global art market.

Interview with an Art Banker, Thomas González – $133 Million in Loans | Part 1

Thomas González

Thomas González always had a passion for art. So today, he arranges art loans and has committed himself to the art loan business.

He has developed a trusted cadre of financial partners, responsible for successfully brokering art loans above 100 Million Euros.

We, at The World Art News, have had the pleasure of interviewing Thomas to learn the ins and outs of being an art banker.

In this exclusive two-part series you will discover his secrets to running a successful art loans business. Let’s begin!

“I can tell you that loans up to $25 Million aren’t a problem for us.”

Czeslaw Znamierowski: Multicultural Artist from the Soviet Union

“For him there were no boundaries between nationalities. He readily made friends with the natives of any country…. He was no stranger to Latvians, Lithuanians, Jews, Tatars, Karaites, Russians. He was ready to help everyone if possible.”

At a time of great division in the Eastern European community a lesson in multiculturalism, unity and brotherhood can be learned from an unusual person, a Soviet Lithuanian artist Czeslaw Znamierowski (23 May 1890 – 9 August 1977). He was born in Imperial Russia on Latvian territory into a Polish family. At the age of 32 he became a citizen of the Soviet Union and soon after moved permanently to Lithuania, where he lived until his last day.