A house in the Boriange where Vincent Van Gogh once lodged has fallen into disrepair and local authorities are making a bid to save it.  The plan is for a complete restoration opening up the house to visitors from 2015.

‘The Art Newspaper‘ reported that the municipality of Colfontaine has begun proceeding to compulsory purchase the property that Van Gogh lived in around 1878/1879 when he lived in abject poverty.  The house overlooks the Marcasse Colliery where Van Gogh reportedly spent six hours under ground with a miner, writing back to his brother that it was a “sombre place, and at first sight everything around it has something dismal and deathly about it.”

Read the full article here.

The amazing success story of Lancashire artist Michael Ashcroft continues!  This week it was confirmed that gallery favourite Michael Ashcroft has had a number of paintings selected by the Royal Institute of Oil Painters for exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.

Living locally to the gallery in Lancashire, Hepplestone Fine Art are delighted to be able to showcase the work of such an exciting young artist who is riding high from his acceptance into the Manchester Academy of Fine Art in early 2011.

This important milestone in Michael Ashcroft’s career confirms the quality of his original paintings and his unique eye for subject matter and mastery of colour.  Hopefully it will also provide the opportunity for more and more art collectors to enjoy and appreciate his work.

Current original paintings available to buy can be viewed by clicking here.

The art market looked towards the FIAC fair in Paris this week for confidence as leading European collectors headed out in force.

It was reported that a 1993 Damien Hirst piece entitled ‘Where Will it End’ sold for $2.8 million and was not the only million dollar plus piece to sell at the Grand Palais fair this week.

Bloomberg reported that “rich collectors from around the world are looking for works by established names as dependable investments as economies falter” and were boosted by the apparent confidence shown by the leading collectors.  The full article can be viewed here.