By the time Orville Bulman painted ‘Avant Garde’ in 1977 he had sold more than 2,000 paintings. The 30- by 16-inch oil on canvas is estimated at $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions.DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Orville Bulman, the self-taught Grand Rapids and Palm Beach artist, sold more than 2,000 works in his lifetime. Five of his paintings will be sold close to their source on Aug. 18 by Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auction. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
“He painted here in the winters and still has a strong following in Palm Beach. He certainly has a different look,” said auctioneer Chris Hood, adding that the consignor acquired the paintings directly from the artist, who died in 1978.
Bulman was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1904. The son of a successful inventor, Bulman helped run the family business in the 1920s and 1930s before pursuing a career in art. He began spending winters in Palm Beach around 1946 after suffering recurring neck injuries. Bulman often traveled the Deep South to paint African-American inspired genre scenes.
“These poignant paintings of the segregated South (especially the Florida scenes) brought national attention to his art,” states a short biography on the Web site: www.orvillebulman.com.
During the 1950s Bulman focused his attention on Haiti and its people, whom he admired for their style. As his fame spread in the 1960s and ’70s, Bulman continued to develop a whimsical style and produced colorful and fantastical paintings of jungle animals.
One such example is a 1976 oil on canvas of a lion on a beach with two island women. The 16- by 18-inch oil on canvas has a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. A 1977 oil on canvas titled Avant Garde depicts a giraffe in a jungle setting. The 30- by 16-inch painting has a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.
Early in Bulman’s art career, he and his wife, Jean, established a foundation that has helped artists and art museums. The Grand Rapids Art Museum was able to purchase a painting by Picasso because of the couple’s generosity.
A collection from a Fort Lauderdale estate of more than 30 works by Latvian and Russian artists will be sold at the auction. Several are by modernist Janis Ferdinands Tidemanis (Latvian, 1897-1964). Having studied art in New York and Cleveland, Tidemanis is known for his city scenes. An example to be sold at the auction is a colorful and expressive scene of figures on a city street. The oil on board is 33 by 40 inches and has a $5,000-$10,000 estimate.
“Some of his paintings have brought good money in the past, although they might be a little soft right now,” said Hood.
Fifty pieces of fine estate jewelry will be offered, including 11 lots of Tiffany. One Tiffany highlight is an 18-karat gold, tanzanite and diamond brooch having a palm tree mounting. It carries a $7,500-$10,000 estimate.
A heavily decorated 20th-century silver urn marked “Made in Italy” and “800.” The 22-inch-high urn has a $1,500-$2,000. A pair of 22-inch-high Meissen vases bears a crossed swords mark and a $2,000-$2,500 estimate.
The auction will begin Tuesday at 6 p.m. Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auction is located at 2925 S. Federal Highway in Delray Beach. For details contact the auction house at 561-278-8996.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
The Bergman seal is impressed on the bottom of this Vienna bronze polychromed figure of an Arab on Oriental rug. It has a $700-$1,000 estimate. Image courtesy Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions. Janis Ferdinands Tidemanis’ painting of multiple figures on a street is one of more than 30 works of Latvian/Russian art at Bill Hood & Sons’ auction Aug. 18. Image courtesy Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions. Tiffany & Co. sold this 18-karat tanzanite and diamond brooch in the early 1990s. It has a $7.500-$10,000 estimate. Image courtesy Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions. Orville Bulman painted ‘Les Voila Partis,’ Lion at Beach, in 1976, two years before he died. The estimate on the 16- by 18-inch oil on canvas is $12,000-$18,000. Image courtesy Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions. The pair of Meissen vases has old repairs around the bases and crossed swords marks. They are 22 inches high and estimated at $2,000-$2,500.
American National Buick barber shop chair for children, used in 1920s, marked “Koken Co. Chicago.” Estimate $12,000-$15,000.
VINELAND, N.J. (ACNI) – The March 2009 auction debut of the Donald Kaufman Collection set a new house record for Bertoia’s at $4.2 million. Collectors who enjoyed the blue-chip offerings in the March sessions will find a similar second helping awaits at Kaufman Part II, slated for Sept. 25-26, 2009 at Bertoia Auctions’ gallery in Vineland, New Jersey. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, and more than 1,100 lots will be offered with no reserve, including European tin, American cast iron, pressed steel and pedal cars; biscuit tins, postwar Japanese cars and prewar Japanese airplanes.
The sale features a panoramic array of toys by Marklin, the premier name in early to mid-20th century toy production. The bounty includes roadsters, sedans and other auto lines, as well as an example of the toy considered the ultimate in Marklin design: the 1890s live-steam-powered fire pumper. Like most Marklin rarities, the pumper “comes with a platinum price tag,” said Bertoia Auctions’ co-founder and owner, Jeanne Bertoia. “It’s estimated at $40,000 to $60,000.”
In addition to Marklin, the sale will feature many beautiful early-20th-century luxury vehicles by other great designers of that era, such as Carette and Bing. Several of the European cars retain their original boxes, which “adds the exclamation point to the rarity factor,” said Bertoia. French and English cars taking a prominent place in the spotlight, as well. A key piece is a top of the line Bignan blue boat-tail Rolls-Royce roadster.
British and Continental vehicular biscuit and sweets tins wrote their own ticket, price wise, in the first Kaufman sale, and many other outstanding examples await bidders in the September sessions. Leading the group are a boxed Crawford’s red Rolls-Royce limo, a Fry’s Chocolate crane with box, an Italian-made Delser touring bus, ships, racers, large sedans, airplanes and delivery trucks. Joining them is a complete set of six (American) lithographed-tin Mayo’s Cut Plug Tobacco character roly polys.
Another red-hot category in the spring offering was racecars. Many more will be revving their engines come September, several with their original boxes. The field includes Gordon Bennet-style racers, as well as others by Gunthermann and Kingsbury. “I think the racecars are going to knock people out,” said Michael Bertoia, who designed the auction catalog. “They’re as good as, or better than, the selection in the first sale.”
Next up will be a grouping of autos by Distler and Fischer, and some large-scale circa-1905-1910 French and German cars. Also, 10 different models of pre-war Japanese autos will be auctioned. As any specialist collector would attest, that’s a sizable number within this narrow subcategory of collecting.
The futuristic category is led by an Atom Jet Car with a colorful box that may be the only one of its type in existence. Additionally, there will be a selection of 17 Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon toys, including a boxed Police Patrol, helmets, guns, pistols and holsters.
As a teaser of what may be expected when the comic character portion of the Kaufman Collection is auctioned at Bertoia’s next year, the September sessions include a spectacular rarity – the only known boxed example of Tippco’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a motorcycle.
A dream assemblage of cast-iron toys includes a very rare red-version Hubley Indian motorcycle delivery van with a factory paper label that says “Flower Shoppe.” Ex Covert Hegarty collection, it is expected to make $40,000-$50,000 on auction day. Additionally, the Kaufman Collection features one of the finest known specialty groupings of Vindex samples, including sedans, coupes, stake trucks and a Fokker airplane.
The cast-iron category continues with transportation and work vehicles; moving vans, airplanes, luxury autos and novelties, like the scarce Hubley Seahorse speedboat with “ocean waves” cast into the design. The collection boasts the only known Dent cement mixer and arguably the nicest known examples of a boxed Arcade White No. 6 bus and Arcade Mack 6 bus.
A huge section of pressed steel awaits collectors, including many outstanding productions by Kingsbury, a brand known for accuracy of scale and detail. Much of the pressed steel is boxed – an unusual bonus. Some of the rarest pieces have a factory pedigree, having come from the Buddy ‘L’ corporate archive. Within the category are more than 100 examples of large-scale pressed steel by Buddy ‘L,’ Sturditoy, American National, Toledo and Keystone. Additionally, there is a prized assortment of old store stock by Smith-Miller, and several Metalcraft trucks, some featuring Art Deco styling and side-panel advertising.
Kaufman Part II will feature nearly 50 pedal cars, highlighted by a handful of museum-quality designs in wood and pressed steel and including a few rare English productions. “Don has the really good ones from the most collectible period of 1905 to 1940s,” said Bertoia’s specialist Rich Bertoia. “Early pedal cars in all-original condition are very seldom seen in the public marketplace, so a collection like this one really brings out the collectors. They know it’s a now-or-never buying situation.”
Donald Kaufman, a co-founder of KB Toys who sold his interest in the company in 1981, is considered a pioneer in the toy hobby, having started his collection nearly 59 years ago. His collection of approximately 10,000 toys is being auctioned exclusively by Bertoia’s in a series of semiannual sales over the next two years or so.
Auction Details:
Bertoia’s auction of the Donald Kaufman Collection – Part II will start at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. All items will be offered without reserve. Internet live bidding will be available throughout the sale via LiveAuctioneers.com. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Postwar Atom Jet racer by Yonezawa, 26½ inches long with futuristic styling and extremely rare original box that may be the only one in existence displaying this particular design variation. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Circa-1905 Torpedo clockwork car attributed to French manufacturer Pinard. Hand-painted tin, folding canvas top, plush canvas-lined seats with button-tufted look, solo headlamp. Estimate $6,000-$8,000. Tippco tin clockwork Mickey and Minnie Mouse on Motorcycle, early 1930s, the only known example with its original pictorial box. Estimate $40,000-$50,000. Circa-1930s Hubley Flower Shoppe Indian motorcycle delivery van, cast iron, with original factory paint in red as opposed to the more frequently seen blue. Attributed as a private-label production. Retains original paper label marked “Flower Shoppe Inc.” Ex Covert Hegarty Collection. Estimate $35,000-$45,000. Clockwork lithographed tin Buck Rogers Rocket Ship and Rex Mars Rocket Fighter, both by Marx and retaining their original boxes. Each estimated at $1,000-$1,200. Newspaper delivery station wagon, Bandai Japan, friction, 9½ inches long with opening doors, original box. Estimate $250-$350. William Crawford & Sons circa-1925 Rolls-Royce biscuit tin with hinged roof that lifts open, 11¼ inches long, comes with original box. Estimate $4,000-$5,000. Bignan (Nain Bleu, France) boat-tail tinplate luxury auto, 18 inches long, clockwork driven with spoke wheels, mounted spare and numerous quality details. Estimate $10,000-$12,000. 1956 Ford flower delivery station wagon, 11½ inches long, original decals, original box. Estimate $1,000-$1,200.
1984-1985 Michael Jordan rookie Chicago Bulls game-used and autographed road jersey, possibly the first NBA jersey every issued to Jordan. Pristine provenance, photo match with team letter. Reserve: $25,000.
WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. (ACNI) – Grey Flannel Auctions of Westhampton Beach, N.Y., has announced details of its Sept. 12, 2009 Fourth Annual Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Auction and other special events associated with the 2009 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
More than 70 returning Hall of Famers are expected to attend the three-day festivities honoring the Class of 2009, who will be inducted in an evening ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Those to be inducted are (alphabetically): Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Jerry Sloan, C. Vivian Stringer and John Stockton.
Grey Flannel Auctions will host the weekend’s opening event on Sept. 10, an invitation-only dinner for Hall of Famers, inductees and VIPs at the Hall of Fame’s Center Court. The highlight of the dinner will be the presentation of an extraordinary gift to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – the jersey that hardwood legend and Hall of Famer “Pistol” Pete Maravich (1947-1988) wore when he set the all-time NCAA Division I scoring record in 1970 – a distinction that remains on the books, unchallenged, to this day. The historical jersey is the property of collector David Miller, who will present it to honored guests Jackie and Josh Maravich, Pete’s widow and younger son. In turn, Jackie and Josh will formally present the jersey to the Hall of Fame, where it will remain in perpetuity.
On Saturday morning, Sept. 12, 2009, Grey Flannel will conduct a 250-lot auction of vintage basketball-related memorabilia at the Mohegan Sun casino and resort in Uncasville, Conn., approximately 70 miles from Springfield. Internet live bidding will provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
“This will undoubtedly be the finest and most exciting basketball auction we’ve ever produced,” said Grey Flannel Auctions’ president Richard E. Russek. “The items in this sale are so extraordinary that we aren’t even putting estimates on them. The fans will know the reserve amount on each item, and they will decide what the values should be.”
Two of the top lots to be auctioned are closely linked to 2009 Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan, and are iconic mementos of both his earliest and last days as a headline-grabbing superstar with the Chicago Bulls. A 1984-85 game-used and autographed Chicago Bulls rookie jersey – possibly the first NBA jersey ever issued to Jordan – is accompanied by a team letter and photo match. It carries a reserve of $25,000.
The second key lot with a Jordan connection is the actual complete backboard from the June 14, 1998 NBA Finals Game no. 6. In that unforgettable game that pitted the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz, Michael Jordan took his last shot as a Bulls player, and in so doing, clinched the game and the championship for his team. The iconic backboard is entered in the sale with a $25,000 reserve.
A highly important Wilt Chamberlain Western Conference All-Star Game-used uniform with pristine provenance will be offered with a $25,000 reserve, while a 1955 Bob Pettit Milwaukee Hawks NBA All-Star Game-used rookie jersey, autographed by Pettit and accompanied by a Pettit LOA (letter of authenticity), has a $20,000 reserve.
A scarce 1972-73 Dave DeBusschere game-used New York Knicks road jersey from a Knicks championship season comes with a DeBusschere LOA – reserve: $10,000. Another rarity carrying a $10,000 reserve is the 1967-68 Nate Thurmond Golden State Warriors game-used and autographed road jersey. It comes with a Nate Thurmond LOA.
Luke Jackson’s 1970-71 Philadelphia 76ers game-used home jersey, Stew Johnson’s Pittsburgh Condors 1971-72 game-used road uniform, and Lee Davis’ game-used home jersey from the San Diego Conquistadors’ 1974-75 season all exhibit rare and desirable early styling. A stellar jewelry lot to be auctioned is Don Buse’s 1972-73 Indiana Pacers ABA World Championship ring.
Several premier articles in the sale pertain to the inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith. Within this prized selection are the earliest known photograph of Naismith, and his personal passport. Each will be offered with a reserve of $2,500.
Grey Flannel’s Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 auction will commence at 10:30 a.m., Eastern Time, in the Brothertown Room of Mohegan Sun casino and resort, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, CT 06382. Internet live bidding will be available through www.LiveAuctioneers.com as the auction is taking place. View the fully illustrated electronic catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.GreyFlannelAuctions.com.
For questions regarding any item in the auction, call 631-288-7800, ext. 223; or e-mail gfcsports@aol.com.
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About Grey Flannel & Grey Flannel Auctions:
Grey Flannel was founded in New York in 1989 by Richard Russek and Andy Imperato. With its respected team of experts and long-established friendships with athletes and their families, Grey Flannel rose to become the world’s foremost authenticator and dealer of game-used jerseys. In 1994, Grey Flannel became the official appraisers and authenticators for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1998, the firm was hired by Sotheby’s to authenticate the Barry Halper Uniform Collection, which rivaled in scope even that of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1999, Grey Flannel entered the auction arena, and since then has auctioned some of the most important sports memorabilia ever to reach the public marketplace, including Babe Ruth’s 1932 “Called Shot” uniform, which sold for more than $1 million.
Wilt Chamberlain Western Conference All-Star Game-used home uniform with pristine provenance. Reserve: $25,000. Dave DeBusschere N.Y. Knicks game-used road jersey from championship season, with letter of authenticity. Reserve: $10,000. 1967-1968 Nate Thurmond Golden State Warriors game-used and autographed road jersey, with Thurmond letter of authenticity. Reserve: $10,000. Actual complete backboard and rim from the June 14, 1998 NBA Finals Game no. 6 (Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz) in which Michael Jordan took his last shot as a Chicago Bulls player and won both the game and championship for his team. Reserve: $25,000 reserve. Don Buse’s 1972-1973 Indiana Pacers ABA World Championship ring, with Buse letter of authenticity. Reserve: $5,000. 1970-1971 Luke Jackson Philadelphia 76ers game-used home jersey of incredibly rare style, with impeccable provenance. Reserve: $1,000. 1955 Bob Pettit rookie Milwaukee Hawks NBA All-Star Game-used and autographed jersey, with Pettit letter of authenticity. Reserve: $20,000. 1971-1972 Stew Johnson Pittsburgh Condors game-used road uniform, very rare style, from team that was active for only two years. Reserve: $2,500. 1974-1975 Lee Davis San Diego Conquistadors game-used home jersey, rare style, with Davis letter of authenticity. Reserve: $2,500.
Mona Lisa, or La Giaconda, painted 1503-1505 by Leonardo da Vinci.PARIS – The Louvre Museum says a Russian visitor hurled an empty terra cotta mug at the Mona Lisa.
A museum spokesman says the canvas of the Da Vinci masterpiece, painted 1503-1505, was undamaged in the attack last week, although the mug shattered.
He said Tuesday small cracks appeared in the glass protecting the museum’s most popular possession, but they will soon be fixed.
The painting’s security alarms went off immediately and police whisked the woman away, while viewing of the painting continued as usual. The spokesman is not authorized to be named according to museum policy.
Paris police said the woman was taken to a psychiatric ward after the incident, but wouldn’t say any more about who she is or why she targeted the painting.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A former art dealer accused of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars stands trial next month in federal court in Rhode Island.
Jury selection starts Sept. 2 for Rocco DeSimone, who allegedly duped an inventor and investors by claiming he had access to deep-pocketed business connections.
DeSimone was convicted in 2005 of evading taxes after he sold a painting by the impressionist Claude Monet.
He then escaped from a minimum security federal prison in New Jersey and traveled to Boston and New York before surrendering.
His lawyer has said he is innocent of the new charges.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Monk’s Mound, a Pre-Columbian Mississippian culture earthwork, located at the Cahokia site near Collinsville, Illinois. The concrete staircase is modern, but it is built along the approximate course of the original wooden stairs. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (AP) – A University of Illinois archaeologist has written a book offering insight on ancient people along the Mississippi River.
Exhibits at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near Collinsville have shown ancient peoples as hunters, fishers and pottery makers.
But Tim Pauketat’s new book highlights a darker side, saying it appears they also practiced large-scale human sacrifices.
The book is called Cahokia: Ancient America’s Great City on the Mississippi. It’s based on study of artifacts from an excavation of the mounds from 1967 to 1971.
Cahokia was among the most complex societies of prehistoric North America. It’s believed to have been inhabited from 700 to 1400 A.D.
The more than 2,000 acres in have been designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts are claiming victory in their effort to restore the architect’s last standing hotel, a northern Iowa landmark that has fallen apart over the past few decades.
The Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, designed by Wright and completed in 1910, has been used as a hotel, apartments and even a strip club. It fell further into neglect while city officials searched unsuccessfully for a way to maintain the historic structure. Now, a private group has taken over the effort.
“It certainly has been an eyesore, it has had a very, very checkered history over past 40 to 50 years,” said Ann MacGregor, executive director of Wright on the Park Inc., the group behind a planned $18 million restoration.
The hotel is the last remaining of six designed by Wright after the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo was demolished in 1968. The Park Inn Hotel will have 20 suites when it reopens to the public in early 2011, MacGregor said.
The restoration has caused discord in the city that was home to The Music Man creator Meredith Willson. His boyhood home has been made into a museum, and there’s a life-sized replica of The Music Man movie set in downtown Mason City.
Some wonder why the hotel designed by Wright, considered by many to be America’s greatest architect, hasn’t had the same support.
“There are naysayers for this project … who don’t appreciate or understand the architectural, historical nature of this property,” MacGregor said. “They question what it will do for downtown Mason City.”
Market analysis shows there is demand for such a tourist destination, and a hotel management company based in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, has been hired to ensure things operate smoothly, she said.
Former Mason City Mayor Jean Marinos, who serves as president of Wright on the Park’s board, also believes the hotel will help economic development. The group plans to invite presidential candidates to the hotel during the Iowa caucuses and hopefully host a televised debate.
“Five years from now, when this hotel is up and running, we’ll really have some great opportunities in the downtown for small businesses to come in,” Marinos said.
The hotel made national headlines in 2004 when the City Council put an ad on eBay to sell it for $10 million to anyone who promised to restore it. When that failed, Wright on the Park stepped in, and the city signed over the deed.
“It wasn’t that they didn’t want (the restoration) done,” Marinos said, “it was just they didn’t want the city to do it.”
Wright enthusiasts have been in a race for funding. The state of Iowa came through with about $8.2 million through its Vision Iowa program, and various federal and state historic grants and donations will pay for much of the work. There’s only about $2 million left to be raised.
“I think we’ve moved mountains in a relatively short period of time,” MacGregor said.
Alaina Santizo, the program manager for Vision Iowa, said state officials believe the project will draw tourists from across the country.
“This historic gem will be restored to its original splendor, while providing modern amenities that will appeal to today’s travelers,” she said in a statement.
Born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, Wright was part of the Prairie School, a residential architectural movement that started in Chicago and spread through the Midwest. He came to Mason City in 1908 after two local attorneys hired him to build new law offices and sandwich them between a hotel and a bank for added revenue. Wright also built a private residence in Mason City called the Stockman House that’s now a museum.
Bruce Pfeiffer, director of archives for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona, said the Park Inn Hotel is interesting because it includes bank and law offices, but it’s been “very badly mutilated over the years.”
“It’s such a remarkable building, it should definitely be preserved back into its original condition,” he said. “I think a lot of people would be outraged if anybody ever thought of demolishing it.”
Film director Lucille Carra created a one-hour documentary called The Last Wright that is being released on DVD this month in North America and Australia. The film traces 100 years of the economic and social history in Mason City, with special attention to the hotel’s fate.
“Frank Lloyd Wright is the greatest architect probably in the world, and if his building can be in such bad shape, what does that say about us as a culture?” Carra said in a telephone interview from New York. “What does it say about us as Americans preserving what we have?”
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On the Net:
Wright on the Park: http://www.wrightonthepark.org/
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-CS-08-09-09 2021EDT
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
Image courtesy of Wright on the Park. Image courtesy of Wright on the Park.
Click here to view Bill Hood and Sons Arts & Antiques Auctions’ complete catalog.
