January 2010 - Page 4 of 12 - Auction Central News

Couple increases pledge to Michigan State Univ. art museum by $2M

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A couple who gave their money and names to Michigan State University’s planned art museum are kicking in an extra $2 million toward its growing cost.

Michigan State says Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad and his wife Edythe have raised their pledge to $28 million.

The school said Wednesday it has raised about $33 million for the museum but says the estimated cost has risen to $40 million to $45 million from the original $30 million.

University trustees voted in December to build the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. The school plans to break ground March 16 and open the museum in early 2012.

London-based architect Zaha Hadid won an international design competition for the museum in January 2008.

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On the Net: http://www.broadmuseum.msu.edu

AP-WS-01-21-10 0836EST

Bankrupt Canadian auction house Ritchie’s now a mere memory

TORONTO (ACNI) – Visitors to the Web site for Canadian auction house Ritchie’s will find that the company’s last connection to the sector it once dominated no longer exists. A notice on the company’s site, www.ritchies.com, confirms that a bankruptcy order was issued against Ritchie’s Inc. on Oct. 26, 2009, with Grant Thornton Limited of Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto, shown as the court-appointed trustee.

Once known for its multimillion-dollar art sales held in conjunction with Sotheby’s, Ritchie’s had been in financial trouble since last summer, at least. Sotheby’s ended its 8-year association with Ritchie’s after the latter company failed to meet a deadline for payment to consignors. But it was their landlord, Hildegard Hammer, who petitioned the Canadian Superior Court to force Ritchie’s into bankruptcy, claiming she was owed $131,000 in back rent.

Following published reports of staff upheaval, a seemingly closed gallery and “nervous consignors,” Auction Central News spoke to the owner and CEO of Ritchie’s Auctioneers, Ira Hopmeyer, in August of 2009. At the time, Hopmeyer rubbished media reports, describing them as “sour grapes,” and “misconstrued information from sore losers…”Hopmeyer, who bought Ritchie’s Auctioneers 16 years ago, said he took the initiative to assume control at the auction house after certain events took place that he says occurred without his knowledge.

Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper had reported on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, that a small contingent of consignors had congregated in Ritchie’s parking lot the day before, hoping to collect either unsold items or money owed to them by the auction house. Instead, the Globe and Mail newspaper said, they found an unattended gallery and a sign on the door advising that the company was on “summer holiday” until Aug. 17. The sign also indicated that the auction scheduled for that day had been postponed.

Further, the article stated that 27 employees had been laid off for financial reasons and that the company’s president and chief operating officer, Stephen Ranger, had resigned.

At that time, Hopmeyer told Auction Central News, “Yes, former management laid off some staff, and yes, Ranger resigned previous to the layoffs. He had tried to increase his stake in the company and made an offer that was not accepted. He then made a second offer for a lesser share that was accepted, but he later reneged…He wanted [the increased stake] for nothing. I’m not interested in giving it away.”

In an Aug. 13, 2009 blog posting attributed to Stephen Ranger, Ritchie’s former president wrote in part: “The central problem was a liquidity issue that I as a former minority shareholder had no control over, none…Anyone out there who actually believes that I didn’t try repeatedly to fix this situation should examine the logic. Why would someone with as much time, energy and commitment to this business leave if I hadn’t exhausted every avenue to try and make it right? There have been no underhanded machinations here. Everyone knows at this point that I tried repeatedly to buy this business, to fix it, to salvage it, but ultimately could not.”

Hopmeyer – who acted as interim president from 1999 until “2004 or 2005” – said he had considered Ranger to have been “very competent with the auction part” of Ritchie’s operation, “but not the business part.”

On Aug. 3, Hopmeyer stepped in to assume the executive management reins at Ritchie’s. He said a trimmed-down team of “loyal employees” had been reinstated to pick up where they left off before the shakeout.

“The overhead had gotten out of control,” Hopmeyer said in that same interview. “We’re not a New York or London auction house. There will be no more fancy cocktail parties, flying around the country or paying outside consultants exorbitant amounts of money…”

Hopmeyer said that in an effort to maintain transparency and allay misapprehensions, he had been posting updates on Ritchie’s Web site. The final posting, according to The Canadian Press in an Oct. 28, 2009 online article, was “a terse message to consignors and secured and unsecured creditors.”

Those who believe they may have a claim against Ritchie’s can contact the trustee, Grant Thornton Limited, by calling 416-366-0100. Additional information may be found on Grant Thornton’s Web site: http://www.grantthornton.ca.

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Five Georgia art museums form partnership

ATLANTA (AP) – Five art museums in Georgia say they have formed a partnership to share their resources and collections.

The five are the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Albany Museum of Art, The Columbus Museum, the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens and the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah.

Participants say the during a three-year pilot initiative, the museums will draw on each other’s resources for exhibitions and loans of individual objects, professional development workshops and consultations and collection storage.

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AP-CS-01-21-10 1003EST

Moisture threatening Gettysburg Cyclorama painting

Detail of The Battle of Gettysburg as seen on the Gettysburg Cyclorama. Image courtesy of The Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) – Water is dripping onto the massive Cyclorama painting at Gettysburg National Military Park’s new $103 million visitor center.

Spokeswoman Katie Lawhon says the problem is merely “condensation” that occurs at various times of the year, but minutes from a park staff meeting say the roof of the new visitor’s center is leaking.

An internal report says the Cyclorama might have to be shut down for two to three months to fix the leak, but Lawhon says she can’t say if or when the park plans to shut down the painting.

The 124-year-old painting is 377 feet long and 42 feet high and depicts various aspects of the battle in a panoramic setting. The painting was restored as part of a five-year, $16 million project completed in 2008.

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Information from: Gettysburg Times,

http://www.gettysburgtimes.com

AP-ES-01-21-10 0725EST

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Overhead view of the Gettysburg Cyclorama in its entirety. Image courtesy of The Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation.

Int’l Society of Appraisers to mark 30th year in Toronto, April 30-May 3

TORONTO – The International Society of Appraisers (ISA) will host a conference in Toronto from April 30-May 3, 2010, with museum tours and seminars conducted by noted authorities in the fields of fine art, antiques and residential contents; and gems and jewelry. The conference, titled Assets 2010, will mark the group’s 30th birthday.

Conference coordinator Kathryn Minard, ISA, CAPP, and conference co-chairs Irene Szylinger and Catherine Williams, together with Gems & Jewelry program coordinator Jim Poag, have arranged a lineup of credentialed powerhouse presenters for each session, a duo of dynamic keynote speakers, Robert Ramsay and David Ben; and scheduled tours of such important venues as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics. Additional visits are planned to the Bata Shoe Museum, the Textile Museum of Canada, Corona Jewelry Company, the Stephen Bulger Gallery and a private residence housing the Jamieson Tribal Art collection.

Minard said an emphasis has been placed on making the conference both affordable and flexible. ISA has arranged generously discounted rates for participants at the host hotel, the Park Hyatt Toronto in downtown Ontario. It is close to public transportation and is surrounded by a wide variety of eating establishments for all tastes and budgets.

While the conference will have three distinct sections, participants will be encouraged to use an a la carte method of choosing among the sessions to create a focused agenda for themselves.

The Fine Art program will feature sessions on the art market, contemporary photography, Inuit art, authentication, insurance appraisals, cross-border appraisals and report writing. Presenters will include Nicholas Metivier, owner of Nicholas Metivier Gallery; private art dealer Chris Varley of Christopher Varley Fine Art; freelance curator, writer and lecturer Patterson Sims; auctioneer Robert Heffel of Heffel Fine Art; Doina Popescu, curator of The Black Star Photography Collection, Ryerson University; Pat Feheley, associate professor at the School of Image Arts, Ryerson University; Vivian Ebersman and Ann-Louise Seago of AXA Art Insurance headquartered in New York; Peter Paul Biro, Art Access & Research Limited; Marie-Claude Corbeil from the Canadian Conservation Institute; Cathy Peters, ISA, CAPP; and Cross Border Appraisal presenters Leon Castner, ISA, CAPP; Kathryn Minard, ISA, CAPP; Norman Hurst, ISA, CAPP; and Sonia Lismer from the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.

The Antiques and Residential Contents program will feature sessions on hallmarks, quilts, Victorian, style and design, paperweights, insurance appraisals, appraising pop culture, cross border appraisals and report writing. Presenters include some of the same presenters in the Fine Art program plus Bill Whetstone and Danusia Nikelwicz of the Hallmark Research Institute; Brian Musselewhite, assistant curator of the Royal Ontario Museum; Judy Lyons, ISA, AM, CPPAG of the American Quilters Association; and Lee Dunbar, a collection management specialist with Leila Dunbar Appraisals and Consulting.

The Gems & Jewelry session adds costume jewelry expert Carole Tanenbaum; Dave Sawatzky from Korite International, the Calgary-based maker of Ammolite jewelry; Ravi Poddar, representing Ontario-based Byrex Gems; John Borzak, author of the Rolex Report; and Paul Cassarino, ISA, CASPP, presenter of the report-writing workshop.

The cost to attend starts at $575 for ISA members with super-saver early registration (through Jan. 31, 2020). Rates are slightly higher after that. Special rates are available for single-day events and for spouses/guests. The tours and events are also very reasonably priced. To register online, go to http://www.assets2010.org.

Site of the course is the Park Hyatt Toronto, 4 Avenue Road, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2E8 Canada, tel. 416-925-1234. A group discount rate is available through ISA for accommodations at the hotel. Hotel registration is available online at the above address. For more information contact the International Society of Appraisers, 737 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 312-981-6778 or e-mail isa@isa-appraisers.org. Visit them online at www.isa-appraisers.org.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Click here to view Skinner’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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.

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

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.

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On the Net:

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

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.

AP-CS-01-20-10 1021EST

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