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Emma Fordyce McRae: expert painter of confident women

February 3, 2023

NEW YORK — Born in Vienna, Emma Fordyce MacRae (1887-1974)…

Richard Marquis’s Flattened Teapot, a 1999 work from his Tea Pot series, constructed hot with murrini and incalmo, achieved $15,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2015. Image courtesy of Habatat Galleries and LiveAuctioneers

Spilling the tea on fanciful, sculptural studio teapots

January 31, 2023

NEW YORK – Starting in the 1970s, post-modern studio artists,…

A large sunflower-like costume jewelry brooch, unsigned but verified as a work by Schreiner, achieved $1,900 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2022. Image courtesy of Soulis Auctions and LiveAuctioneers

Vintage costume jewelry earns respect and hefty bids

January 27, 2023

NEW YORK — Costume jewelry was once looked down upon as substandard.…

A circa-1985 example of Frank Gehry’s Fish lamp achieved $65,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021. Image courtesy of Hindman and LiveAuctioneers.

Frank Gehry’s wizardry extends to jewelry and home goods

January 24, 2023

NEW YORK — Architect and designer Frank Gehry (Canadian and…

Rabbits in art: revered as good-luck symbols for centuries

January 20, 2023

NEW YORK — The Chinese New Year will begin Sunday, Janury…

A custom-made hoverboard used for effects shots in ‘Back to the Future: Part II’ achieved $70,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2022. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Movie props let you own tangible pieces of beloved films

January 17, 2023

NEW YORK — Some of the most well-known movie props are in…

Jens Risom: one of modern design’s great Danes

January 13, 2023

NEW YORK — Jens Risom (1916-2016) was one of the earliest…

A Cartier Art Deco emerald and diamond platinum wristwatch achieved $50,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2018. Image courtesy of Fortuna Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

Image courtesy of Fortuna Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

Art Deco watches: ‘timeless’ designs of the Jazz Age

January 10, 2023

NEW YORK — The Art Deco era was short, lasting from about…

Upcoming Auctions

Green, white and tan printed caftan, estimated at $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. 2023

February 2, 2023

Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley’s collection strikes a pose at Christie’s, Feb. 16

NEW YORK – Christie’s will present the collection of…

Letter signed by General George Washington four days before the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War, estimated at $50,000-$70,000

February 2, 2023

Presidential signatures and letters enliven RR Auction’s Feb. 8 event

Muhammad Ali’s game-worn MacGregor boxing shorts from his final fight in 1981, estimated at £15,000-£20,000 (about $18,500-$24,700). Image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

February 1, 2023

Trunks Muhammad Ali wore in final fight headline at Chiswick, Feb. 14

Art Deco Pailin natural blue sapphire and diamond evening ring set in platinum, with GIA report, estimated at $25-$1,000

February 1, 2023

Jewelry, watches and other must-haves await at EstateofMind, Feb. 11

Maitre verrier covered art glass box by Kyohei Fujita, estimated at $2,500-$3,500

February 1, 2023

From art boxes to antique science books, Roland’s Feb. 4 auction delivers

Gold friendship ring artist Winslow Homer gave to Helena de Kay, estimated at $2,000-$4,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

January 31, 2023

Estate of prominent Gilded Age couple yields treasures for Heritage sale, Feb. 10

Gertrude Abercrombie, ‘The Mysterious Stranger (Man, House, and Lady),’ estimated at $60,000-$80,000. Image courtesy of Hindman

January 31, 2023

Surreal or magically real? Hindman explores both art genres, Feb. 10

January 30, 2023

Bonhams’ Connoisseur’s Library sale returns Feb. 7-8

Auction Results

Morphy Auctions image

February 2, 2023

Unopened 1952 Topps baseball ‘brick’ slams in winning bid of $873,300

DENVER, Pa. – The most buzzworthy item in the opening session…

Detail of a cutaway model of a 1962 Vickers VC-10 BOAC jet plane, one of only two known to exist, CA$18,880

January 31, 2023

Babe Ruth card, rare jet plane model took off at Miller & Miller sale

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld velvet dress from the Autumn-Winter 1988-1989 collection, entirely embroidered by Lesage with Tudor patterns, €56,700 (about $61,000). Image courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. 2023

January 30, 2023

Fashionistas played for keeps at Christie’s sold-out haute couture auction

Green Vladimir Kagan Omnibus sofa, $22,680. Image courtesy of Freeman’s

January 28, 2023

Designer Vladimir Kagan’s personal collection 100% sold at Freeman’s

Eric Sloane, ‘Storm Over Walpi,’ $5,227

January 28, 2023

Landscapes, skyscapes and ship’s binoculars made waves at Michaan’s

January 26, 2023

Cohen & Cohen Chinese Export porcelain sale achieves $1.7M at Bonhams

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Leo Messi edition wristwatch in stainless steel, £31,200 (about $38,500). Image courtesy of Fellows

January 25, 2023

Lionel Messi Audemars Piguet limited edition watch a top seller at Fellows

Silver medal won by Soviet ice hockey player Sergei Starikov when the USSR beat Sweden in the contest for second place at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, $86,136

January 24, 2023

1980 Winter Olympic medal won by USSR hockey player skates to $86K at RR

Xanti (Alexander) Schawinsky, Illy Caffe, 1934. Lithograph on paper, 55 1/8 by 39 1/2in (140 by 100.3cm). Merrill C. Berman collection

February 2, 2023

Center for Italian Modern Art lauds Italian commercial posters

NEW YORK – The Center for Italian Modern Art (CIMA) will…

Sarah Zapata, ‘A little domestic waste IV,’ 2017. Natural and synthetic fiber, hand-woven fabric, steel, cement, and coiled rope

February 2, 2023

Museum of Arts and Design presents ‘Craft Front & Center’

Gustave Caillebotte’s ‘A Boating Party,’ painted in 1877-78. The Musee d’Orsay in Paris unveiled the work on January 30, which it acquired thanks to a $47 million donation from the luxury goods company LMVH. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit ArtDaily.com. Because the work of art is in the public domain, Wikimedia Commons regards faithful photographic reproductions, such as this one, to belong to the public domain as well.

February 1, 2023

LVMH gift enables France to acquire Caillebotte masterpiece for Musee d’Orsay

The Neues (New) Museum in Berlin, Germany, photographed in August 2016. It is home to the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, where research on hundreds of human skulls collected from the former colony of German East Africa was conducted in hopes of better pinpointing their origins. The Berlin museum authority said it would soon return the skulls to the African countries where they belong. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Fred Romero. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

January 31, 2023

Berlin museums ready to return skulls from former German colony in Africa

American Airlines Boeing 2707 SST model aircraft, circa 1970. Scale 1:72, plastic, metal, paint. Collection of Anthony J. Lawler, L2022.1702.002

January 30, 2023

SFO Museum’s SST show lauds revolutionary airplane’s legacy

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM’s Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO (left), and Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd (right) examine the Witch Trial documents from 1692. Image courtesy of PEM. Photo by Kathy Tarantola.

January 30, 2023

Hundreds of Salem Witch Trials documents get new home

The Fernandez Lopez Building Expansion, part of the Museum of Pontevedra in Pontevedra, Spain, photographed in April 2012. On January 25, the museum returned to Poland two paintings that Nazi German forces stole from the country during World War II. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit juantiagues. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic license.

January 28, 2023

Spanish museum returns two Nazi-looted paintings to Poland

Allagash sunset. Image courtesy of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands

January 28, 2023

Maine invites applicants for summer visiting artist program

Columns & International

February 1, 2023

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

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

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

October 4, 2022

Gallery Report: Alice Baber painting sets record at John Moran

September 1, 2022

Gallery Report: Green Goblin action figure scampers off with $76K at Hake’s

August 3, 2022

Gallery Report: Tiffany Poppy lamp flourishes at Morphy’s

July 2, 2022

Gallery Report: Historic 17-star flag flies to $46K at Morphy’s

Style Century Magazine by ACN

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

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'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

Motown songwriting legend Barrett Strong, photographed by John Mathew Smith. Strong died on January 29 at the age of 81. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit to Smith and www.celebrity-photos.com. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

February 1, 2023

In Memoriam: Barrett Strong, Motown founding artist known for ‘Money,’ 81

NEW YORK (AP) – Barrett Strong, one of Motown’s founding…

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has appointed Dr. Asma Naeem its new director. She had been interim co-director since June 2022, and will be the museum’s 11th director and the first person of color to helm it. Image courtesy of the BMA

January 31, 2023

Baltimore Museum of Art appoints new director: Dr. Asma Naeem

Mira Lehr, nationally acclaimed eco-feminist artist who earned the title of godmother of Miami’s art scene, died January 24 at the age of 88. Photo credit Nick Garcia

January 30, 2023

In Memoriam: Mira Lehr, eco-feminist artist and Miami art-scene legend, 88

Shelburne Museum associate curator of Native American art Victoria Sunnergren. She is the first to hold this post at the museum. Image courtesy of Shelburne Museum

January 28, 2023

Shelburne Museum establishes curator of Native American art

January 20, 2023

Co-chairs announced for 2023 Met Ball honoring Karl Lagerfeld

Potter & Potter Auctions has selected Aron Packer as director and specialist of its recently created Fine and Outsider Art department. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter

January 20, 2023

Potter & Potter taps Aron Packer for Fine and Outsider Art department

January 17, 2023

In Memoriam: Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, 95

January 11, 2023

Hindman promotes Alyssa D. Quinlan to CEO

January 9, 2023

Velvet: an interior design favorite that never went away

NEW YORK – It was all over the fashion runways. Women’s…

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

June 8, 2022

Exhibits honor Peanuts creator Charles Schulz’s centenary

Phil and Joan Castle made the discovery of their lives in October 2018, when they swept their metal detectors over what proved to be a so-called “purse hoard” of 14th-century British gold coins. Image courtesy of Noonans

May 19, 2022

British metal detectorists make the find of their lives: medieval gold coins