Focus on: art and design

Design Miami/Basel celebrates its fifth anniversary this year with a record number of exhibiting galleries. This year the fresh perspective of four young designers were revealed through the fair's 'W Hotels Designer of the Future Award' which recognises emerging designers whose work reflects exceptional innovation and beauty in limited edition designs.

Exhibiting galleries in this years' 41^st edition of Art Basel were greeted by flocks of collectors in search of the next great work of art.

Over the past ten years the landscape of design has shifted radically since the new millennium.

Art market history was made at Christie's New York on 4 May 2010 when a Picasso, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, sold for $106,482,500 (₤70,278,450 €81,991,525), setting a new world record for any work of art sold at auction.

One of the most significant features of the decade just past was the meteoric rise of the Asian art market which subsequently saw the region developed itself as a hub for biennales and art fairs; the most recent and significant of which being the Hong Kong Art Fair (ART HK).

Lucian Freud's first exhibition in France since 1987 showcases fifty large scale works around the theme of the artist's studio and groups together all periods and genres (portraits, landscapes, still lifes) of Freud's artistic career thus far.

Between 21 and 23 April Sotheby's and Christie's offered 600 lots of Russian art in New York.

Maarten Baas, a Netherlands based designer has received international acclaim with his hand made furniture and in 2009 was awarded Design Miami 2009 'Designer of the Year'.

In mid-March every year, tens of thousands of collectors from around the globe descend on Maastricht, the Netherlands' oldest city, for the ten day long European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF). 

Internationally acclaimed US video artist Bill Viola has been commissioned to create two altarpieces for St Paul's Cathedral, London.

The Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale took place on 11 February at Christie’s in London and realised £39,149,500 / $61,073,220 / €44,278,085 selling 90% by lot and 96% by value.

Reflecting on the decade just past, one of the most significant features was the meteoric rise of  the Asian art market which saw international art institutions, galleries and auction houses shift into the uncharted albeit thriving, Asian market.

A guide to design and art exhibitions and events around the world during 2010.

HSBC Private Bank confirms its commitment to design by launching The Connection Collection, a private collection of limited edition design to grow out of HSBC Private Bank commissions.