Art Brushes Up

Like the Dow Jones, the art market is also hitting new postcrash highs. Sales peaked in ’07 when Christie’s and Sotheby’s sold $11.3 billion of art. That total fell to $4.8 in ’09 but jumped to $9.8 in ’10. And last May a Picasso sold for $106.5 million the most ever paid at auction for a work of art. Not surprisingly, Asia is playing a key role in the recovery. Auctioneers say large canvasses and bright colors are selling best