February 2, 2010 - Auction Central News

Cowan’s Auctions forms partnership with two top ceramics scholars

Left to right: Mark Del Vecchio, Wes Cowan, Garth Clark. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions.

CINCINNATI – Wes Cowan, president and principal auctioneer of Cowan’s Auctions, and Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio, both of Clark + Del Vecchio Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M/, have announced a partnership to bring modern and contemporary ceramics to the international art market through focused, selective and scholarly semiannual auctions. LiveAuctioneers.com provides Internet live bidding for all Cowan’s sales.

The planned 20th-century and Contemporary Ceramics auctions will blend Cowan’s stellar reputation as an auction house with Clark and Del Vecchio’s impeccable credentials as writers, critics, historians, curators and consultants to leading museums, as well as 30 year’s experience as top ceramics dealers. The first of the new auctions, scheduled together with a daylong seminar on the ceramics marketplace, will take place sometime in the fall.

“The decision to have this happen outside New York was guided by two factors,” Clark said. “We did not want to live in the shadows of the New York modern and contemporary art sales and we needed a venue with historical connections to ceramic art. In 1876 Cincinnati became the birthplace of modern ceramic art in America. What could be more apropos?”

The auctions will be focused around studio pottery and ceramic sculpture from 1918 to the present, but will not include art pottery.

“We’re very excited about this unique opportunity,” said Cowan. “We’ve all been thinking about an auction venue focusing exclusively on 20th-century studio and other ceramics, which has never been done before. It’s the perfect storm. Cowan’s has the reputation for honesty and integrity that Garth and Mark have been looking for in an auction house, and from my standpoint, I’ve rounded up the foremost scholars on the subject.”

Consignments for the inaugural auction will be accepted through August, with generous terms offered.

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About Cowan’s Auctions, Inc.

As one of the nation’s leading auction houses with sales approaching $20 million, Cowan’s has been helping individuals and institutions build important collections for more than a decade. The company’s four divisions of American History, American Indian and Western Art, American and European Fine and Decorative Art, and Historic Firearms & Early Militaria hold semiannual cataloged sales that routinely set records for rare offerings.

Through its extensive mailing list of more than 33,000 collectors, dealers and institutional clients, each Cowan’s auction typically attracts more than 1,000 bidders from across the globe. To learn more about Cowan’s visit our website at www.cowans.com.

About Clark + Del Vecchio

Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio founded Garth Clark Gallery in Los Angeles in 1981 and opened a second space in New York in 1983, at 24 West 57th Street. They were soon established as the preeminent international dealers in 20th-century ceramics and have organized eight major international symposia on ceramic history and criticism, published numerous books and catalogs and received a number of prestigious awards, both lifetime achievement and honorary doctorates. In addition Clark was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London, and was the only practicing dealer to receive the College Art Association’s Mather Award for distinguished achievement in art journalism. They now live in Santa Fe and work as private dealers. They are in the process of organizing two traveling exhibitions, Christine Nofchissey McHorse and Diego Romero. Clark is in the process of finishing two books (his 52nd and 53rd), Lucio Fontana Ceramics and Homage To R. Mutt: Writing on Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain since 1917. To learn more about Clark + Del Vecchio visit www.clarkdel.com.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Rare Tiffany art pottery vase tops Rago’s $3 million auction

This Tiffany pottery vase kicked off Rago’s Early 20th Century Design auction, selling for $50,020. The rare cabbage-shaped vase, which measured 8 1/2 inches by 8 inches, was a flea market find. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – A rare Tiffany art pottery vase – discovered at a New York City flea market – sold for $50,020 to open Rago Arts and Auction Center’s 20th Century Design Weekend, Jan. 16-17. The two-day auction totaled $3.28 million inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

The Louis Comfort Tiffany cabbage-shaped vase in mottled polychrome matte glaze more than doubled the high estimate. The circa 1900 vase turned up at the 23rd Street Flea Market in New York City recently, literally falling off a truck into the arms of a dealer, who bought it immediately.

“It is the best example of Tiffany pottery – when both glaze and form are considered – to come to market in three decades,” said Rago. The same form sold five years ago at a Christie’s sale, but the glaze was not as good. A better form, the fern basket, has been in the market, but again the glaze was not at this level, noted Rago.

“Solid property priced conservatively continues to draw attention and generate bidding. The auction wasn’t crazy, as the Modern was in 2007/2008 or settled, as the Early 20th Century market has been. It was active and spirited, and there were few weak spots,” said Rago. “I’m particularly pleased with the performance on Sunday by designers like Parzinger and Adnet and with the glass – a market we’ve worked very hard to build.”

The Early 20th Century sale on Saturday was notable for the Tiffany, the lamps, the furniture and the European pottery, said Rago.

Every piece of Stickley furniture and metalwork sold, totaling $303,700 against a low estimate of $217,850. Included was a Gustav Stickley plant stand with a Grueby tile top that sold for $17,080.

A Rookwood Iris vase by Kataro Shirayamadani sold for $31,720; a Saturday Evening Girls tile with tulips, $14,640; a Moorcroft red flambé vase, $18,300; and an Edward Stellmacher Amphora vase with lizard, $9,760.

A Tiffany Studios table lamp with acorn shade made $28,060, while a Dirk Van Erp hammered copper floor lamp finished at $19,520.

A 1903 Charles Rohlfs carved blanket chest hit $32,940.

Topping the high estimate in Sunday’s Mid-Century Modern auction was a John Lewis blue painted glass bench, which sold for $24,400. The California glass artist’s work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Lewis, who explores cast glass as in designs both sculptural and functional, created the case glass bench in 2007. It measured 18 inches by 54 inches by 14 inches.

A signed and dated 1982 Dale Chihuly Macchia glass vessel, 11 3/4 inches by 15 1/4, inches, sold for $12,200. A Dan Dailey and Linda MacNeil bust of etched glass, brass and vitrolite, titled Accoutrements, soared past the $3,000-$4,000 estimate to sell for $30,500.

A 78 1/2-inch-tall Vasa acrylic column sculpture created in 1988 by Velizar Mihich (Yugoslavian) reached $9,150.

Furniture highlights included a pair of Tommi Parzinger lacquered chests and hanging cabinet that sold for $11,590; a 1967 Paul Evans deep relief patinated steel credenza, $34,160; six conoid dining chairs by George Nakashima, $48,800; Nakashima conoid walnut dining table, $31,720; Jacques Adnet pair of stitched leather and brass lounge chairs, $19,520; Poul Kjaerholm, E. Kold Christiansen daybed of brushed steel, $19,520; and a Karl Springer freeform stainless steel coffee table, $17,080.

A carved wooden table lamp by James Mont with a woven shade made $5,490.

For details phone 866-724-6278.

Click here to view Rago Arts and Auction Center’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Tommi Parzinger’s pair of lacquered oak chests and a matching hanging cabinet with original milk-glass panels sold for $11,590. The chests measured 31 1/2 inches high by 42 inches wide by 18 inches deep. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

John Lewis created this 54-inch-long cast glass bench in 2007. It sold at Rago’s auction for $24,400. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Jacques Adnet was another recognized name in Rago’s Mid Century Modern auction. This pair of his brass and leather lounge chairs sold for $19,520. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

American furniture maker Charles Rohlfs designed this blanket chest in 1903. It sold for $32,940 in Rago’s Early 20th Century auction Jan. 16. It features three pullout trays over a lower drawer. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.

LiveAuctioneers releases live-bidding app for Google Android platform

LiveAuctioneers' custom-designed app for Google's Android open-source mobile platform is now available.

NEW YORK – Smart-phone auction bidding is no longer a function confined exclusively to the iPhone and Blackberry. LiveAuctioneers.com, the Manhattan-based company that provides real-time Internet bidding capability to more than 900 auction houses worldwide, has released a custom-designed live-bidding app for use with Google’s revolutionary Android platform. The app, which is available free of charge, was created by LiveAuctioneers App Technologies to enable users to bid in auctions through mobile devices other than Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry.

“Last year LiveAuctioneers developed apps specifically for use with the iPhone and BlackBerry, but that still left out millions of people who use other brands of mobile phones and hand-held devices. Google’s open-source Android platform has made it possible for our technology to interface with many popular brands of mobile phones,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison.

Billed as “the first free, open-source, fully customizable mobile platform,” Android is available on phones by such makers as Motorola, Samsung, Panasonic and Dell, using major network providers including Sprint, T-Mobile and Vodaphone. Motorola’s “Droid” phone was developed specifically with Android apps in mind and is available through Verizon.

Using the LiveAuctioneers Android app, bidders can view auction catalogs, leave absentee bids or bid in real time in any LiveAuctioneers-supported auction as it is taking place.

“The LiveAuctioneers Android app features virtually all of the same functionality as our iPhone app but has its own distinct look,” said Ellison. “Now if you’re away from your computer and want to bid in a LiveAuctioneers-supported sale, you don’t have to have an iPhone in order to do it. The Android app is a welcome addition to our ever-increasing roster of custom-designed apps.”

To download the free LiveAuctioneers Android app, click on the market logo on the Android platform of any compatible mobile phone or device and run a keyword search for “LiveAuctioneers” or download directly here.

Visit LiveAuctioneers online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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About LiveAuctioneers.com:

Founded in November 2002, Manhattan-based LiveAuctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to 906 auction houses in a dozen countries. LiveAuctioneers.com has opened up once-exclusive sales to the cyber community worldwide through online publication of auction catalogs, and universally accessible Internet live bidding. For further information, log on to www.liveauctioneers.com.

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PBA Galleries to sell Shakespeare’s greatest hits on Feb. 8

The Second Folio edition of ‘Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies, published in 1632, is considered one of the landmarks of English literature. The well-known copy in PBA Galleries’ auction carries a $200,000-$300,000 estimate. Image courtesy of PBA Galleries.

SAN FRANCISCO – PBA Galleries will feature an important collected edition of William Shakespeare’s works at its Feb. 8 auction. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding on this and 162 other rare lots in this auction.

Certainly the most widely read, most often published and most influential writer in the annals of English literature is William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon. His 36 plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Though a number of his plays were published during his lifetime – he died in 1616 at age 52 – it was not until 1623 that a collected edition of his plays was published, known as the First Folio.

Nine years later, another edition was called for, and in 1632 there was published the Second Folio of Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. It was essentially a page-for-page reprint of the First Folio, but with a very significant addition, John Milton’s “An Epitaph on the admirable Dramaticke Poet, W. Shakespeare.” It was the first appearance in print of any work of Milton’s. There were to be two more folio editions of Shakespeare’s Works published during the 17th century – the third folio of 1664 and the fourth folio of 1685.

The Second Folio to be offered by PBA Galleries is described as a “tall,” well-margined copy was rebound in full morocco in the middle of the 19th century by the firm of J. Leighton for the owner, Robert Curzon, 14th Baron Zouche, a noted traveler, scholar and collector. There is some restoration to the title page and final leaf, but overall a very choice copy, in eminently collectible condition. PBA Galleries estimates this monumental work will sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.

Another valuable work in the auction by a celebrated English author is Marlborough: His Life and Times by Winston S. Churchill. The four volumes are number 94 of 155 sets, which were sold by subscription and published by George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd. from 1933-1938. Churchill signed the set on the limitations leaf in Volume 1. The rare set has a $12,000-$15,000 estimate.

David Low (1786-1859), a professor of agriculture at the University of Edinburgh, was interested in the agricultural education of the common man as well as the landed gentry. Low’s Domestic Animals of the British Islands intended to educate anyone interested agriculture, from the common man to the landed. The two-volume set published in 1842 contained 56 hand-colored lithographed plates of farm animals. Complete copies are rare in the trade, often being disassembled for the plates. Bound in 19th-century green half morocco and marbled boards, the set has a $12,000-$15,000 estimate.

Two rare and important works about China will be available at the auction. One is a 15-volume complete set that forms an introduction to Chinese life in the 18th-century. The work of Jesuit missionaries, the set represents an important survey of Eastern life, philosophy and language. Having descended in the family of American naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry, the work is estimated at $15,000-$20,000.

The second work in the sale devoted to China, Jean-Baptiste Du Halde’s important Description of China … , was published in London in 1738-41 and features 64 copper-engraved maps, plans and plates, most of which fold. The two volumes also examine the geography and history of Korea and Tibet. The estimate is $8,000-$12,000.

The auction will begin at 1 p.m. Pacific at PBA Galleries, 133 Kearny St. – fourth floor.

For details call 415-989-2665.

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 PBA Galleries’ complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

‘Low's Domestic Animals of the British Islands’ contains 56 hand-colored plates. Pictured is the Old English Black Horse, a breed that is now extinct. The two-volume set published in 1842 has a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. Image courtesy of PBA Galleries. — ‘Low’s Domestic Animals of the British Islands’ contains 56 hand-colored plates. Pictured is the Old English Black Horse, a breed that is now extinct. The two-volume set published in 1842 has a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. Image courtesy of PBA Galleries.

Winston Churchill signed his limited edition – 155 copies – of ‘Marlborough: His Life and Times.’ This set in original orange morocco lacks the cardboard slipcases, and slight wear is noted at the spine ends. The estimate is $12,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of PBA Galleries.

Several Jesuit missionaries contributed to this an exhaustive work that introduced Chinese life to the Western World. Published in Paris in 1776-1791, the complete set of 15 volumes has an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of PBA Galleries.

Confucius, the most celebrated philosopher of China, is the subject of this plate in Jean-Baptiste Du Halde’s ‘Description of China and Chinese Tartary.’ The two volumes were published in London 1738-1741. The estimate is $8,000-$12,000. Image courtesy of PBA Galleries.

Clock honoring Washington’s inauguration at Hunt Valley show

This highly important 1789 John Heilig (Philadelphia) clock created to honor the inauguration of President George Washington will be offered for sale at the Hunt Valley Antiques Show, Feb. 19-21 in Timonium, Maryland. Image courtesy of Baldwin House Antiques and Armacost Antiques Shows.

TIMONIUM, Md. – A highlight of this year’s Hunt Valley Antiques Show, slated for Feb. 19-21 at the Crown Plaza hotel in Timonium, Md., is an 18th-century grandfather clock featured in the new book Timeless: Masterpiece American Brass Dial Clocks. The rare antique will be offered for sale by Strasburg, Pa.-based Baldwin House Antiques.

The tall-case clock, dated 1789, was created by noted Philadelphia clockmaker John Heilig to honor George Washington’s inauguration as the nation’s first president. Frank Hohmann, author of Timeless, regards it as one of America’s 100 most important brass dial clocks.

The clock’s face is inscribed with Washington’s name and includes an engraved portrait of the president surrounded by cannons, drums and flags. An image of a dove, inspired by the weathervane atop Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, appears on the clock’s second hand.

Washington passed through Philadelphia in 1789 on his journey to New York for his first inauguration.

The Hunt Valley Antiques Show brings together 50 of the nation’s top dealers, offering more than 10,000 examples of antiques and fine art. The event features formal and country furniture, artworks, ceramics and glass; textiles and rugs; silver, jewelry and equestrian antiques from five centuries. Every item is backed by a guarantee of authenticity.

For additional information, visit the promoter’s Web site at www.ArmacostAntiquesShows.com.

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Warhol photos distributed across nation

Andy Warhol (American 1928-1987) Self-portrait photo screenprint, 1978. Warhol signed approximately 100 of the prints at the opening of the exhibition at the Kunsthall in Zurich. Most were used as advertising/ Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Creighton-Davis Gallery.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Andy Warhol kept boxes upon boxes of soup cans, receipts, fan mail and many other items, including thousands of photos he later used as inspiration for his giant paintings.

Now more than 180 colleges and university museums, and galleries around the United States are benefiting. The New York City-based Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has donated to them more than 28,500 of Warhol’s photos, worth $28 million.

“This is a little-known body of Warhol’s work,” Jenny Moore, curator for the foundation’s “Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program” said. “I think most people are familiar with the paintings and even the sculptures and … we really wanted the chance to let a broader audience gain access to his photographic work, which is of course the basis of so much of his artistic production.”

Each of the public educational institutions has generally received about 100 Polaroid and 50 black-and-white photos from the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said. They have gifted a majority of the photos since they started the program in 2007 but are still giving out more, she said.

The photos include celebrity snapshots, couples, nudes, painting ideas, party photos, still lifes and outdoor scenes. He often used the photos as the inspiration for portraits, silkscreen paintings, drawings and prints.

Four colleges and universities in Wisconsin received photos, including the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Crossman Gallery. Gallery director Michael Flanagan said they received about 80 photos this month. He immediately put a few into their permanent collection exhibition, which ends Feb. 13. Warhol is by far the most recognizable name in their collection, he said.

“It’s nice for the students,” Flanagan said. “It’s a name that most of them recognize. Now they get to see the actual object.”

When Warhol died in 1987, he indicated he wanted the foundation to be dedicated to “the advancement of the visual arts,” Moore said.

“This is something he would have been very exited about,” Moore said. “For people to be able to see the kinds of things that interested him that made it into painting and prints.”

Moore said the foundation focused on institutions that could not acquire works on their own and those that could properly care for the photos. For those that already had Warhol in their collections, the foundation hoped to “enrich the breadth and depth of their holdings,” according to the foundation Web site.

“We’ve really tried to gift to kind of the smallest institutions all the way up to larger encyclopedic universities’ museums,” Moore said.

The museum at Bard College in Annandale on Hudson, New York, received 158 photos in early 2008 through the program. Marcia Acita, assistant director at CCS Bard Hessel Museum of Art, said more than a dozen graduate students used one of Warhol’s Polaroids of Marieluise Hessel, who founded Bard’s Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture, for an exhibition last year.

Acita said they received nine Polaroids of Hessel. Warhol took them to help him come up with his acrylic on canvas silkscreen of Hessel in 1981, which the museum also owns.

Having such a famous artist’s work in hand enriches students’ experiences, she said.

Warhol published three books, one posthumously, featuring his black-and-white photos. There was Andy Warhol’s Exposures in 1979, America in 1985 and Andy Warhol’s Party Book in 1988.

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

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