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A folio botanical engraving of an artichoke by Basilius Besler made $3,150 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2019. Image courtesy of Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books and LiveAuctioneers.

Basilus Besler’s illustrations marry science and art

June 2, 2023

NEW YORK — People have long brought the natural world into…

Maud Lewis: Canada’s answer to Grandma Moses

May 30, 2023

NEW YORK — Maud Dowley Lewis (1903-70) spent all her life…

Masters of the Universe toys: fueled by ’80s nostalgia

May 26, 2023

NEW YORK — He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was one…

A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table and six single-board Conoid dining chairs achieved $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

Mira Nakashima: worthy successor to father George

May 23, 2023

NEW YORK — When renowned architect, furniture-maker and woodworker…

This Carlos Cortes faux bois garden bench achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Vogt Auction Texas and LiveAuctioneers.

Sitting pretty: garden furniture with vintage charm

May 19, 2023

NEW YORK — Outdoor spaces have long been a key feature of…

A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.

Chiura Obata’s art deftly bridges Japan and California

May 16, 2023

NEW YORK — Japanese-born painter Chiura Obata (1885–1975)…

This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

Eileen Gray’s sleek modernist designs retain their power

May 12, 2023

NEW YORK — Furniture design underwent a radical shift between…

A circa-1880 ormolu-mounted Sevres box, signed by Alphonse Giroux, achieved $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021. Image courtesy of Louvre Antique Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

Decorative Sevres boxes open a world of possibilities

May 9, 2023

NEW YORK — One can never have too many boxes, especially…

Upcoming Auctions

Jean Royere Sculpture suite, the sofa estimated at $300,000-$500,000 and the pair of armchairs together estimated at $300,000-$500,000. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. 2023

June 5, 2023

20th/21st century design superstars featured at Christie’s, June 8

NEW YORK – On Thursday, June 8, Christie’s will present…

Wurlitzer Model 71 tabletop jukebox on an original Wurlitzer model 810 stand, estimated at CA$14,000-$16,000

June 5, 2023

Wurlitzer tabletop jukebox ready to entertain at Miller & Miller, June 9-10

Marcel Breuer Wassily armchair, estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Rago/Wright

June 5, 2023

Wright’s June 7 Living In Design auction a showcase for Boyd collection

Nimbus 2001 racing broom prop, belonging to the Draco Malfoy character in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,’ estimated at $70,000-$90,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

June 3, 2023

Bonhams salutes Hollywood: Then and Now with June 6 auction

Detail of William Adolphe Bouguereau’s ‘Bergere (Shepherdess),’ estimated at $500,000-$700,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com

June 3, 2023

Heritage to offer Bouguereau with distinguished provenance, June 9

Pair of circa-1880s Italian Baroque throne chairs with figural carvings, estimated at $35,000-$42,000

June 3, 2023

Jasper52 offers Exquisite Decorative Arts & Furniture, June 6

June 2, 2023

Quinn’s June 9 Fine & Decorative Arts auction led by marine painting with intriguing provenance

Thomas Baines, ‘The Victoria Falls from the South West,’ estimated at £150,000-£250,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

June 2, 2023

Thomas Baines’ Africa paintings are top draws at Bonhams, June 8

Auction Results

I. Reiss 14K gold and diamond pave cuff bracelet, hammer price of $1,900

June 5, 2023

Jewelry auction achieves 100% sell-through rate at Rivich

CHICAGO – On May 21, Rivich Auction held its Diamond Life…

Detail of Gertrude Abercrombie’s ‘Giraffe and Moon,’ $182,700, from the May 19 American Art sale. Image courtesy of Hindman

June 5, 2023

Hindman American and European Art sales deliver combined $2.5M total

Detail of Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe, $39,060

June 3, 2023

Buddha figure, Qing court robe ruled at Sarasota Estate Auction

Dale Chihuly Macchia Bowl Basket, $5,227

June 2, 2023

Chihuly, Buccellati and Bosendorfer piano all hit the right notes at Michaan’s

Art Deco pendant by Cartier, $100,800

June 1, 2023

Luxe Cartier designs led an exciting jewelry lineup at Hindman

Edgar Alwin Payne, ‘Fishing Boats West Coast Of France,’ $59,375. Image courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers

May 31, 2023

Edgar Alwin Payne harbor scene glides to top-lot status at John Moran

Detail of massive Japanese dragon-form incense burner featuring almost 45 pounds of nearly pure silver, $250,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com

May 31, 2023

Huge Japanese silver incense burner pushes Heritage sale to $1.5M

Circa-1820 Quebec armoire with strong alligatored yellow paint that earned it family nickname Armoire Crocodile, CA$29,500

May 30, 2023

Folk furnishings from single-owner collection boosted day’s total at Miller & Miller

The Nobska Lighthouse in Falmouth, Mass. on Cape Cod, photographed in May 2018. It is one of six lighthouses that the U.S. government, via the General Services Administration, is offering at no cost to nonprofits, government agencies, educational organizations and other entities that are willing to care for them and make them available to the public. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Gregg Squeglia. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

June 5, 2023

Ten lighthouses available for free or to the highest bidder

BOSTON (AP) – Ten lighthouses that for generations have…

Johannes Vermeer, Dutch (active Delft, 1632 – 1675), ‘The Guitar Player (Lady with a Guitar),’ around 1670–1720. Oil on canvas, Philadelphia Museum of Art, John G. Johnson collection, 1917, cat. 497. Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

June 3, 2023

Rijksmuseum Vermeer show prompts Philly museum to reassess its ‘Lady with a Guitar’

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother,’ 1871. Oil on canvas, RMN-Grand Palais, Art Resource NY. Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

June 1, 2023

Whistler’s mother portrait returns to Philly after 142 years for special show

Somen (full-face mask), signed: Hoei shichi kanoetora reki hachigatsu kichinichi Buko ni oite Myochin Munenaga nijuhachisai kore saku (made by Myochin Ki no Munenaga at the age of twenty-eight on an auspicious day of the eighth month of Hoei [1710] in Edo), Edo period, 1710, iron. © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photo: Brad Flowers.

June 1, 2023

Samurai armor exhibition opens June 23 at High Museum

June 1, 2023

Palm Beach art dealer sentenced to 27 months; sold counterfeit Warhols, Basquiats

Carl Klewicke (1835–1913), original design quilt, Corning, New York, circa 1907. Pieced silk, faille, taffeta and satin, 60 by 72 1/2in. American Folk Art Museum, New York, Museum purchase, 2012.1.1. Image courtesy American Folk Art Museum. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.

May 31, 2023

Stories told in stitchery at Folk Art Museum’s quilt exhibit

Red lacquer-painted library in the Manhattan co-op owned for decades by the late Barbara Walters. The property has just gone on the market, listed at $19.75 million. Photo by Donna Dotan, courtesy of TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

May 30, 2023

Barbara Walters’ longtime Manhattan co-op listed for $19.75M

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman at the 1958 Academy Awards. Photo by Darlene Hammond – Hulton Archive – Getty Images. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s

May 29, 2023

Here’s what’s coming in the Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward auction series

Columns & International

June 3, 2023

Gallery Report: Ted Williams, Uncle Sam and a prize pumpkin made headlines in May

ATLANTA – At the beginning of each month, ACN columnist Ken…

May 2, 2023

Gallery Report: Maud Lewis work was a showstopper at Miller & Miller

April 1, 2023

Gallery Report: Lynn Chadwick’s Winged Figures hit lofty heights at Doyle

March 3, 2023

Gallery Report: Alphonse Mucha’s ‘Seasons’ suite triumphs at Everard

February 1, 2023

Gallery Report: 1921 Martiros Saryan mountain landscape climbs to $40K

January 3, 2023

Gallery Report: Auction sector wraps 2022 with exceptional results

December 1, 2022

Gallery Report: Vibrant untitled Lynne Drexler painting wins $450K

November 1, 2022

Gallery Report: Le Pho painting blooms at Hindman

Style Century Magazine by ACN

Authoritative feature articles from the industry’s best writers, available exclusively on Auction Central News

READ STYLE CENTURY MAGAZINE

'Gianni Colombo: The Body and the Space 1959-1980,' exhibition view at Robilant+Voena, London, Oct. 2 – Nov. 20, 2015. Courtesy Robilant+Voena — Art Market Italy: Gianni Colombo
January 14, 2016/by 8178pwpadmin

Nelson Atkins 68-1_Chinese-FoldingArmchaire — Chinese huanghuali furniture: precious wood, elegant design
December 30, 2015/by Tom Hoepf

Alberto Giacometti, "Place", 1948-1949, Bronze, 21 × 63.5 × 44 cm, Emanuel Hoffmann-Stiftung, Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel, © Succession Alberto Giacometti / 2015, ProLitteris, Zurich, Foto: Martin P. Bühler, Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel On show at "Future Present", from Jun.13, 2015 to Jan.31, 2016 — Alberto Giacometti: Redefining the human figure
December 18, 2015/by Tom Hoepf

This Special Order Horseshoe 35cm Shiny Electric Blue Birkin in Porosus Crocodile, the most desirable material, brought $81,250 at a 2015 Heritage New York Valentine Signature Auction. Courtesy Heritage Auctions — Hermes: Handbags with a distinguished history
October 14, 2015/by 8178pwpadmin

Neustadt Poinsettia Detail — Tiffany glass continues to make lighting magical
September 24, 2015/by Tom Hoepf

Uniques 6-15 Lot 24 — Piero Fornasetti: Inspired jester of the decorative arts
September 8, 2015/by Tom Hoepf

ponti-105088.001-v4 — Gio Ponti: Grand thinker of Italian design
August 12, 2015/by 8178pwpadmin

President Joseph R. Biden has appointed Mel Buchanan, RosaMary curator of decorative arts and design at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. She is one of 13 people appointed to the committee by President Biden. Image courtesy of NOMA

May 31, 2023

President Biden appoints NOMA curator to White House committee

NEW ORLEANS – On Friday, April 14, President Joseph R.…

May 26, 2023

Scottsdale museum appoints Todd Bankofier CEO and executive director

Hindman has appointed Elizabeth Marshman its new director of trusts, estates and private clients in its Palm Beach, Fla. sale room. Image courtesy of Hindman

May 12, 2023

Hindman strengthens Palm Beach team with appointment of Elizabeth Marshman

May 5, 2023

Sarah Stoltzfus appointed director of sales at Morphy Auctions

Hindman has hired Aaron Cator as senior specialist of Post War & Contemporary art in its New York office. Courtesy Hindman

April 27, 2023

Hindman hires Aaron Cator as senior specialist, post-war & contemporary art

April 14, 2023

In Memoriam: British antiques expert and author Judith Miller

Signed photograph of British fashion designer Mary Quant, which sold for €360 (about $400) plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Quant died April 13 at the age of 93. Image courtesy of International Autograph Auctions Europe S.L. and LiveAuctioneers

April 13, 2023

In Memoriam: Mary Quant, 93, designer who epitomized Swinging 60s

April 11, 2023

Keith Collins artworks on display at Mullin Automotive Museum

Chuck Close’s ‘Georgia Fingerprint I’ will be auctioned at Myers Fine Art on April 30. Image provided by Myers Fine Art

April 26, 2023

How Tampa’s Graphicstudio became the printmaking matrix for 20th-century art legends

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Paris, London, New York City,…

The rarer the stamp, the more attention it wins at auction. This encased merchant key 5 cent postage stamp featuring Thomas Jefferson was issued by B.F. Miles in Peoria, Illinois circa 1862. It brought $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2022. Image courtesy of Early American History Auctions and LiveAuctioneers

April 7, 2023

How to start a stamp collection knowledgeably

January 9, 2023

Velvet: an interior design favorite that never went away

January 6, 2023

Pictorial trays helped Coca-Cola build a powerful soda brand

Detail of a 19th-century Continental macro-mosaic of a prominently haloed St. John Bosco, which realized $1,600 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Akiba Antiques and LiveAuctioneers

December 23, 2022

Ring of reverence: a history of the halo in art

This set of German-made American Revolutionary War toy soldiers, hand-painted and having engraved features, sold for $375 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2020. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers

December 20, 2022

For centuries, toy soldiers have carried on the fight

In this December 2022 photo, collector Dwight Cleveland holds a lobby card from his extensive collection. He has entered an agreement with Dartmouth College to digitize his silent movie-era lobby cards for preservation and publication. Image courtesy of Dwight Cleveland.

December 17, 2022

Silent films to encore in Dartmouth-backed lobby card project

A Mughal Empire gold pendant inlaid with kundan-set green glass, white topaz and rubies sold for $2,500 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Artemis Gallery and LiveAuctioneers

November 30, 2022

Mughal Empire artisans raised arts of Asia to new heights