vip in the city

Ice, ice baby

On the way to my party at The Sea Grill, I peeked in on the skaters at the Rockefeller Center rink. Autumn in New York was finally settling in, making it much more appropriate weather for skating than the last time I was here. Reminds me that I really want to try to get to The Pond at Bryant Park this year.

It’s not every day that one comes across a giant blue diamond on the street. Specifically, it was Jeff Koons’ eight by seven foot sculpture, “Blue Diamond” (2005) sitting outside of Christie’s Auction house. Part of the artist’s famed “Celebration” series, which he began in 1994, the blue “diamond” is in fact made of polished steel and chromium, and is one of a series of five; Koons’ red, pink and green diamonds are in private hands, while a yellow version is currently in production. The eye-catching sculpture was displayed in advance of Christie’s Post-War And Contemporary Art auction on November 13 where it was sold to Gagosian Gallery for $11.8 million. Despite more than doubling Koons’ previous sale record of $5.6 million, the amount still came in somewhat under pre-sale expectations, which had ranged from $12 million to $20 million. (To put this in perspective, last month an actual flawless 6.04 carat blue diamond became the most expensive gemstone in the world [per carat] when it was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong for $8.3 million.)

The next day, the “Blue Diamond”‘s record was obliterated by the sale of Koons’ stainless steel “Hanging Heart (Magenta/Gold)” for $23,561,000, including commission, at Christie’s uptown archrival, Sotheby’s.

It’s been a good season for Koons; his big silver “Rabbit” balloon debuted at this year’s Thanksgiving Day parade a couple of weeks later. He still has nothing on Damien Hirst, though, who in August 2007 sold his much publicized/mocked diamond-encrusted platinum skull for $100 million to an investment group (which included himself).

How appropriate that Andy Warhol’s iconic portrait of Elizabeth Taylor–a woman renowned for her love of fine gems, among them the 33.19 carat Krupp Diamond and the 69.42 carat Taylor-Burton Diamond–would overlook Koons’ giant jewel.

Tags: auction, Christie's, diamond, ice, Jeff Koons, rink, Rockefeller Center, skating, Sotheby's