Clark Cierlak art auction Jan. 24 is truly mixed media

Picasso’s fascination with bullfighting is reflected in this painted and glazed earthenware charger titled 'Picador.' One of an edition of 50, it has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.
Picasso’s fascination with bullfighting is reflected in this painted and glazed earthenware charger titled 'Picador.' One of an edition of 50, it has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.
Picasso’s fascination with bullfighting is reflected in this painted and glazed earthenware charger titled ‘Picador.’ One of an edition of 50, it has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. – Clark Cierlak Fine Art will present a diverse collection of contemporary art at auction Jan. 24. In addition to paintings there will be two Picasso chargers, several lots of Daum glass and a stone assemblage sculpture by Woods Davy. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

A painted and glazed earthenware charger designed by Pablo Picasso in 1959 is titled Picador. One of an editor of 50, it bears Empriente Originale de Picasso and Madoura Plein Feu stamps underneath. The 16 1/2-inch charger has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate.

The second piece of Picasso pottery is a also a 16 1/2-inch charger, this one titled Tormented Faun’s Face. This 1956 edition, one of 100, also has the Empriente Originale de Picasso and Madoura Plein Feu stamps and is inscribed “C110” underneath. It has a $3,000-$4,000 estimate.

Canadian glass artist Donald Robertson made the largest piece of contemporary Daum glass in the auction. The etched and case glass vase, 16 inches tall by 14 inches wide, is decorated with aquatic designs and signed by the artist. It is also inscribed “80/125.” Except for a few small chips at the base, the vase is in good condition and has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

A sculpture assembled from smooth stones by Woods Davy (American, b. 1949) is from his Cantata series. The work is 28 inches tall, 27 inches wide and 16 inches deep. It is expected to crack $6,000-$7,000.

Paintings in he sale are as diverse. Jean Michel Folon (Belgian, 1934-2005) is represented by five lots, including two abstract watercolors on paper. One titled Perdu, 12 inches by 9 inches, has a $4,000-$8,000 estimate.

Russian Sergei Rimoshevski (Rimeshevsky) (b. 1964) is represented by Girl With Porcupine, an oil painting on canvas, 27 1/2 inches by 23 3/4 inches. It is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

For Latin American art collectors there is a first state lithograph by Francisco Zuniga (Costa Rican, 1912-1998) of a mother and small child. From an edition of 45, the 1982 print is 23 inches by 19 inches. It has a $1,500-$2,000 estimate.

An 18- by 14-inch oil painting on board of Girl With Geraniums by Julian Robles (American, b. 1933) has a $2,500-$3,500 estimate.

Also to be offered are Pre-Columbian and Etruscan artifacts.

The 331-lot auction will be conducted at Cierlak’s gallery at 14452 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific.

For details phone 818-783-3052.

To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Clark Cierlak Fine Arts’ complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Contemporary glass artist Donald Robertson designed this cased glass vase for Daum in France. The 16-inch tall vase is signed by the artist and has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.
Contemporary glass artist Donald Robertson designed this cased glass vase for Daum in France. The 16-inch tall vase is signed by the artist and has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.

Woods Davy’s stone assemblage sculpture appears to defy gravity. The Cantamar series work, which has a $6,000-$7,000 estimate, stands 28 inches high by 27 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.
Woods Davy’s stone assemblage sculpture appears to defy gravity. The Cantamar series work, which has a $6,000-$7,000 estimate, stands 28 inches high by 27 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.

‘Girl With Porcupine,’ an oil on canvas by Sergei Rimoshevski (Rimeshevsky) (Russian, b. 1964) has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. It measures 27 1/2 inches by 23 3/4 inches. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.
‘Girl With Porcupine,’ an oil on canvas by Sergei Rimoshevski (Rimeshevsky) (Russian, b. 1964) has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. It measures 27 1/2 inches by 23 3/4 inches. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.

Several works by Belgium’s Jean Michel Folon (1934-2005) will be in Cierlak’s auction including this watercolor on paper titled 'Perdu.' The framed 12- by 9-inch work has a $4,000-$8,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.
Several works by Belgium’s Jean Michel Folon (1934-2005) will be in Cierlak’s auction including this watercolor on paper titled ‘Perdu.’ The framed 12- by 9-inch work has a $4,000-$8,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Art.

EBay 4Q profit jumps with Skype sale

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – EBay Inc. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit more than tripled, largely because of the sale of its Skype telecommunications business.

The company also saw growth in its PayPal payments business and a holiday shopping season that was healthier than the year before.

EBay, which runs online auctions and e-commerce sites, earned $1.36 billion, or $1.02 per share, in the quarter that ended in December. That compares with $367 million, or 29 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

When excluding one-time items, eBay earned 44 cents per share – 4 cents more than analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected.

Revenue rose 16 percent to $2.37 billion, beating analyst estimates.

EBay sold Skype in November and reported a gain of $1.4 billion from Skype in the quarter.

In after-hours trading following the release of results, eBay gained 77 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $23 after closing earlier down $1.03, or 4.4 percent, at $22.23.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-01-20-10 1643EST

 

Rediscovered O’Keeffe painting in Skinner’s Jan. 29 art auction

Considered lost since the mid-1950s, Georgia O’Keefe’s ‘Alligator Pear in White Dish’ sold for $225,150. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Alligator Pear in White Dish by Georgia O’Keefe. Included in her catalogue raisonne, Volume II, and considered lost since the mid-1950s when it was purchased by a Cape Cod collector. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000.
Alligator Pear in White Dish by Georgia O’Keefe. Included in her catalogue raisonne, Volume II, and considered lost since the mid-1950s when it was purchased by a Cape Cod collector. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000.

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. will launch its 2010 season with a strong sale of American and European paintings and prints on Jan. 29, commencing at noon Eastern Time in the company’s Boston gallery. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for the sale, which features many artworks from private collections, some unseen for decades.

One of the sale’s highlights is Georgia O’Keeffe Alligator Pear in White Dish, 1921. Included in her catalogue raisonne, volume II, and evidenced by a photograph her husband Alfred Stieglitz took, the painting had been considered lost since the mid-1950s when it was last known to have been purchased by a Cape Cod collector. The painting is representative of O’Keeffe’s early work, depicting “nature in her simplest appearance,” and is indicative of O’Keeffe’s artistic relationship with modernist painter Arthur Dove. Alligator Pear in White Dish is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Another anticipated gem of the Jan. 29 sale and veiled from public view since the 1960s is an Arnaldo Pomodoro sculpture, Rotante primo sezionale n. 1 (Rotating First Section No. 1). Coming to Skinner from the collection of Melvin B. Nessel of Boston, founder of the Fenton Show Corporation of Cambridge, Mass., the work is one of two artist’s proofs outside the edition of two. This three-dimensional sphere was something of a transitional piece for Pomodoro; the disintegration of form is more geometrical than in the other works. The Pomodoro is conservatively estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

One more featured treasure is a long-hidden-away Yves Tanguy titled Sans Titre. From the estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (née Braman) Grasso, the piece is illustrative of Tanguy’s early American work, similar to the art he produced in Europe, but with a more saturated palette. Sans Titre is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.

Robin Starr, Director of American & European Paintings & Prints at Skinner, commented: “We have worked hard to heighten the quality of the works we’re offering. Many of the lots included here are true masterpieces and are fresh to the market, as well.”

A few additional offerings of note include Alexander Calder’s Germination, estimated at $40,000-$60,000; Jesus Rafael Soto’s Struttura, also from the Nessel collection and estimated at $30,000-$40,000; and Arab Horsemen by Adolf Schreyer, under glass and in impeccable condition, estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

For information on any lot in the sale, call Skinner at 508-970-3000.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

# # #

Click here to view Skinner’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Arab Horseman by Adolf Schreyer, an artist known for his equine depictions. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000.

Germination by Alexander Calder. Acquired from the artist by Nicholas Guppy, London; thence to Obelisk Gallery, Boston; thence to the collection of Melvin B. Nessel of Boston, founder of the Fenton Show Corporation of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000.
Germination by Alexander Calder. Acquired from the artist by Nicholas Guppy, London; thence to Obelisk Gallery, Boston; thence to the collection of Melvin B. Nessel of Boston, founder of the Fenton Show Corporation of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000.

Rotante primo sezionale n. 1 (Rotating First Section No. 1) by Arnaldo Pomodoro, from the collection of Melvin B. Nessel of Boston, one of two artist proofs outside the edition of two. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000.
Rotante primo sezionale n. 1 (Rotating First Section No. 1) by Arnaldo Pomodoro, from the collection of Melvin B. Nessel of Boston, one of two artist proofs outside the edition of two. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000.

Struttura, 1968, by Jesus Rafael Soto (Venezuelan, 1923-2005), painted wood, steel and nylon. Provenance: Collection of Melvin B. Nessel, Boston. Estimate $30,000-$40,000.
Struttura, 1968, by Jesus Rafael Soto (Venezuelan, 1923-2005), painted wood, steel and nylon. Provenance: Collection of Melvin B. Nessel, Boston. Estimate $30,000-$40,000.

Arts industry faces major slump after much growth

The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science closed Jan. 5 because of financial losses. It was established in 1984 and house in the historic 1922 Fresno Bee Building. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science closed Jan. 5 because of financial losses. It was established in 1984 and house in the historic 1922 Fresno Bee Building. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science closed Jan. 5 because of financial losses. It was established in 1984 and house in the historic 1922 Fresno Bee Building. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of arts organizations in the U.S. grew by thousands over the last decade, but they now face greater competition for smaller audiences and charity dollars, according to a national study of the industry’s plight.

The first National Arts Index released Wednesday by the group Americans for the Arts shows the country’s artists and arts businesses fell into their biggest slump in more than a decade in 2008. It looks at 76 indicators, including music royalties, Broadway ticket sales, museum visits, philanthropy and the number of college art majors.

The index registered an overall 4.2 percent decline for the arts sector from 2007 to 2008, though researchers say the problems began brewing much earlier.

“The issues that arts organizations are facing right now aren’t simply a function of the economic downturn,” said Robert Lynch, president of the group. “You can really see the arts have been losing market share in areas of private philanthropy fairly steadily for a decade now.”

Other arts groups have failed to prepare for the lean times or adapt to changing audiences, he said. The index comprises four years of research and will be updated each year in October to assist arts managers with their planning.

The study is based on government and private sector data covering finances, employment numbers, educational statistics and consumer spending.

Among the key findings:

  • The number of nonprofit arts groups grew from 73,000 to 104,000 since 1998. Still, one out of three failed to break even on their budgets, even in the best economic years.
  • The arts follow the country’s business cycle and depend on billions of dollars in consumer spending. Researchers predict the arts “may not ‘hit bottom’ until 2011” when a rebound will begin.
  • Public participation in the arts is increasing on the Internet, at ethnically and culturally specific organizations and at home as people create their own art. Attendance at mainstream arts organizations is in a steady decline.
  • Arts and cultural groups are losing market share of philanthropy to other charitable causes, including international, environmental and disaster relief.
  • Demand for arts education is up as more college-bound high school seniors are completing four years of arts and music, and the number of college art degrees conferred annually has grown by 45,000 over the past decade.

The lobbying group, which presses for more government funding for the arts each year, had predicted last year that the nation’s current economic slump could put as many as 10,000 arts organizations out of business. Some have closed their doors, but the numbers haven’t been so severe.

“That is because nonprofit arts organizations in particular are not bottom-line-driven but mission-driven and will do what it takes to survive,” Lynch said.

___

On the Net:

Americans for the Arts: http://www.americansforthearts.org/

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP-CS-01-20-10 0823EST

Man sentenced, fined in Illinois stolen artifacts case

BENTON, Ill. (AP) – A southern Illinois man accused of removing thousands of artifacts from a national wildlife refuge has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation.

A federal judge in Benton also ordered Leslie Jones to perform 500 hours of community service and pay the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge more than $150,000.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the case involves a prehistoric archaeological site. The agency says Jones removed more than 13,000 artifacts including pottery, clay figures, tools and more than 200 pieces of human skeletal remains in January 2007.

Later that month, police and wildlife and natural resource officials seized the artifacts from Jones’ home.

In pleading guilty in October, Jones admitted selling some artifacts to collectors.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP-CS-01-20-10 1021EST

 

 

Panel to discuss legal aspects of cultural artifacts

Three large Blue Gem Mine turquoise cabochons highlight this Navajo bracelet crafted circa 1940. It is from the Challis L. Thiessen Collection. Image courtesy of Arch Thiessen
Three large Blue Gem Mine turquoise cabochons highlight this Navajo bracelet crafted circa 1940. It is from the Challis L. Thiessen Collection. Image courtesy of Arch Thiessen
Three large Blue Gem Mine turquoise cabochons highlight this Navajo bracelet crafted circa 1940. It is from the Challis L. Thiessen Collection. Image courtesy of Arch Thiessen

SAN FRANCISCO – A panel discussion titled Collectors, Dealers, Museums & the Law, a highlight of Arte du Monde Week, will take place Feb. 11 beginning at noon Pacific at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael.

The panel features members of the judicial, academic, law enforcement and art dealer communities. Aimed toward collectors, dealers and the general public, the purpose of the discussion is to increase awareness of cultural property laws as well as the legal responsibilities of collectors, dealers and museums.

This discussion is sponsored by the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association and coincides with the San Francisco Bay Area Arte du Monde /Tribal Arts Weekend.

Panelists include:

  • Kate Fitz Gibbon is a Santa Fe, N.M., attorney specializing in cultural patrimony issues. She is the author of Who Owns the Past? Cultural Policy, Cultural Property, and the Law published by Rutgers University Press. She served on the Cultural Property Advisory Committee to the U.S. President from 2000 to 2003.
  • Steven F. Gruel is a former federal prosecutor from the Northern District of California. In addition to serving as chief of the Major Crime Section, he received numerous awards for his work from U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Directors Louis Freeh and Robert Mueller. In 2005 he started his own law firm concentrating on criminal defense and business litigation.
  • Mark Johnson is a Los Angeles Tribal Art dealer considered one of the principal specialists in the United States on the Tribal Arts of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. He is the official advisor on Indonesian Tribal Art for the Mingei International Museum in San Diego.
  • A U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service law enforcement officer.

Admission to the panel discussion is free, but space is limited. For reservations, call (415) 925-3717 and leave a message.

The panel discussion will take place in the Exhibit Hall of the Marin Civic Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael, Calif. The event is part of the of the Arte du Monde/Tribal Arts Weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Weekend (actually two weekends) is anchored by three major art shows that attract a local, national and international audience of approximately 15,000. More than 400 top international galleries and dealers participate each year in the shows.

Participating art fairs are:

  • San Francisco Arts of Pacific Asia Show, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, opening night preview Feb. 4, Feb. 5-7;
  • San Francisco Tribal & Textile Arts Show, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, opening night preview Feb. 11, Feb. 12-14;
  • Marin Show: Art of the Americas, Exhibit Hall, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael, opening night preview Feb. 12, Feb. 13-14.

On Tribal Arts Weekend (Feb. 12-14) visitors will be admitted to both the San Francisco Tribal & Textile Arts Show and the Marin Show: Art of the Americas with the purchase of one ticket ($15) at either show. Tickets are available at the door.

For details visit the Web site www.artedumondesf.com.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE