Art in demand: Crypto, Picassos at strangest auction week in memory

At Sotheby's, a work by Banksy, Love is in the Air, estimated from $3 mn to $5 mn, can also be paid for in Ether or Bitcoin

For the first time in 14 months, the auction calendar is behaving as it used to before Covid-19, as rivals Christie’s and Sotheby’s gear up for a week of marquee evening and day sales in New York. The events will begin on May 11 and end on May 14.
 
The phrases “masterpiece” and “museum-quality” are once again straining from overuse by auction specialists, and Sotheby’s will even allow in-person bidders, though in a highly limited capacity.
 
But even though the calendar looks like it used to and auction house specialists are sounding the same notes, the makeup of