Meltdown no more? Records fall as art sales surge

LONDON (AP) – It only took eight minutes for a wiry sculpture of a striding man to make history.

After a brief but intense bidding war involving at least 10 prospective buyers, Alberto Giacometti’s Walking Man I sold at Sotheby’s in London for just over $104.3 million, by a hair the highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction. [ACN Ed.- Skate’s Art Market Research wrote on Feb. 5, 2010 that, while reserving judgment, the Giacometti may or may not have set a new record, depending on which bank’s rate of exchange is used for the conversion.]

“We were euphoric when the hammer came down,” Melanie Clore, co-chair of Sotheby’s impressionist and modern department, said Thursday.

With good reason. More than a year after the global financial meltdown sent values plummeting, art masterpieces are again the commodity of choice for the world’s superrich, and jaw-dropping prices are back.

At current exchange rates, the sale price for Walking Man – which includes buyer’s premium – beats the previous auction record of $104.17 million paid in New York in 2004 for Pablo Picasso’s Boy With a Pipe (The Young Apprentice).

At the same Sotheby’s sale on Wednesday, Gustav Klimt’s landscape Church in Cassone sold for $42.4 million, almost double the expected price. Just over half the lots went for more than their highest pre-sale estimate.

On Monday, rival auction house Christie’s made a solid $121 million at its impressionist and modern sale, with Picasso’s Tete de Femme (Jacqueline) selling for $12.7 million, double expectations.

Christie’s said the results signaled “a buoyant market,” with previously reluctant sellers bringing masterpieces out of the woodwork and wealthy collectors eager to snap them up.

It all looked very different a year ago, when the hedge fund managers and private equity millionaires who had fueled the boom were reeling from the near-collapse of the global banking system.

On Sept. 15, 2008, Sotheby’s started a two-day auction of works by Britart star Damien Hirst that would generate almost $200 million and come to be seen as the end of an era. The same day, Lehman Brothers bank collapsed and the global economy tipped into crisis. The major auctions of contemporary art later that year generated at least a third less money than predicted and many works went unsold. Auction houses slashed prices as collectors held back from putting works up for sale.

Recently, there have been signs of a turnaround. Last November in New York, Sotheby’s sold Andy Warhol’s silk-screen painting 200 One Dollar Bills for almost $44 million, quadruple the pre-sale estimate. Overall, prices there and at Christie’s were stronger than a year earlier.

“I think that confidence will return even more with these big prices,” said Georgina Adam, editor at large of The Art Newspaper.

Experts caution that this week’s results don’t signal a return to the boom of the last decade, when even mediocre works sold for millions.

“I think it would be premature, and possibly stupid, to think that the art market is just going to race along,” said Judd Tully, editor at large of Art and Auction magazine. “I think it does indicate that there are at least a handful of ultra-rich individuals who want these world-class trophies.”

Sotheby’s attributed Giacometti’s high price to its rarity – the 1961 work is the only cast of the walking man figure created during the Swiss artist’s lifetime that has ever come to auction.

Sotheby’s did not identify the nationality of the work’s buyer, an anonymous telephone bidder. Speculation centered on what Adam called “the usual suspects” – Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who spent $120 million on two paintings by Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud in 2008; an American art-lover such as Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; or a collector from a Gulf emirate such as Abu Dhabi, currently building branches of the Louvre and the Solomon R. Guggenheim museums.

The next test of the market will come next week, when the major London houses hold sales of contemporary art. Sotheby’s and Christie’s both predict they will make at least double last year’s tepid results.

Market-watchers are optimistic, but cautious.

“We had this extraordinary bubble in the art market, especially the contemporary art market, and I don’t think it has reinflated on the back of this one sale,” said Robert Read, head of art and private clients at insurer Hiscox.

“We have returned to normality, but we’d forgotten what normality was.”

___

On the Net:

Christie’s: www.christies.com

Sotheby’s: www.sothebys.com

AP-WS-02-04-10 1452EST

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

Quest for clocks leads majority of collectors to trusted online sources

Signed Jean Knaeps, Liege (Belgium), this carillon clock with 24 bells has been rehoused in an 11-foot-tall Victorian oak case. Once owned by a clock museum, it sold at Tom Harris Auctions for $45,200. Image courtesy of Tom Harris Auctions.
Signed Jean Knaeps, Liege (Belgium), this carillon clock with 24 bells has been rehoused in an 11-foot-tall Victorian oak case. Once owned by a clock museum, it sold at Tom Harris Auctions for $45,200. Image courtesy of Tom Harris Auctions.
Signed Jean Knaeps, Liege (Belgium), this carillon clock with 24 bells has been rehoused in an 11-foot-tall Victorian oak case. Once owned by a clock museum, it sold at Tom Harris Auctions for $45,200. Image courtesy of Tom Harris Auctions.

NEW YORK (ACNI) – Any way you slice it, time is money. The adage certainly holds true for buyers and sellers of antique clocks, especially those who bid online at auctions through LiveAuctioneers.

Auctioneers are finding that collectors looking for higher-grade and scarce models are “winding up” at their sales online though LiveAuctioneers.

“It’s the convenience factor. A person can save time and expenses by staying at home and bidding through LiveAuctioneers,” said Tom Harris of Tom Harris Auctions, Marshalltown, Iowa.

“It you’re the winning bidder you have the expense of shipping, but it costs you nothing to try,” said Harris, who conducts antique and collectible clock auctions twice a year.”

Buyers save both time and money by searching for valuable clocks being offered at auctions.

“The availability of cream of the crop examples have prompted collectors to online auction portals like LiveAuctioneers,” said Dirk Soulis of Dirk Soulis Auctions, Lone Jack, Missouri.

Soulis believes potential buyers can accurately determine a clock is worth pursuing by examining its listing on LiveAuctioneers.

“You have the ability to post up to 10 images of an item, which can even give some indication of the movement,” he said, referring to the clock mechanism.

“The movement scares a lot of people. They want to see close-ups of the movement – very detailed,” said Jerry Holley, executive vice president and auctioneer at Dallas Auction Gallery. “They want to know if the movement is original to the case.”

Holley said that clock prices in general have slipped in recent years. “A lot of the American-made clocks are fairly common. Prices for the unusual, those in exceptional condition or by a rare maker draw the big buyers,” he said.

Kathleen M. Pica, auctioneer and owner of Auctions Neapolitan in Naples, Fla., said that clocks appeal to two distinct groups of buyers – collectors and individuals who are looking for a clock for decoration.

“For either group it helps to have fabulous-looking shots,” she said.

“Brand is very important. J.C. Brown clocks are very desirable for their cases, but collectors want the original works too,” she said, referring to the 19th-century Connecticut clock maker.

If pictures don’t provide adequate information, she advises asking the seller important questions.

Typical questions are:

What is the condition of the case?

Has the case been refinished?

If the clock is spring driven, in what condition are the springs?

Are parts broken or missing?

Have decorative elements been repainted?

“Surprisingly the question they don’t often ask is, ‘Does it run?’” said Gordon Converse of Wayne Pa., an auctioneer who has appraised antique clocks on PBS Television’s Antiques Roadshow for 10 years. Many collectors don’t often ask the seemingly obvious question about working order because they often have the ability to get a clock running with a thorough cleaning and oiling.

“They often want to know arcane details like the shape of the weights … to confirm their knowledge of what’s original,” said Converse.

Because clocks were in constant use, they are seldom found in perfect condition – finials get lost, glass breaks and parts stop moving. Collectors are not very forgiving, however, when it comes to condition.

“They measure the amount of restoration and it sells accordingly,” said Converse.

Soulis concurred, saying, “Most clocks have turned over a time or two since being in the hands of the original owner. A lot of people like to work on clocks and not all of them are qualified. Collectors want them fresh. … A repainted dial is the kiss of death.”

Pristine, original condition is the ultimate goal for clock collectors.

“That’s true whether it’s a hundred-thousand-dollar handmade clock or a hundred-dollar manufactured clock,” said Robert Cheney, director of Science, Technology and Clocks at Skinner Inc., in Marlborough, Mass.

“If the cataloging, condition reports and photographs are done right, collectors are pretty comfortable bidding online through LiveAuctioneers,” Cheney said.

*****************

Watch for clock sales at these auction houses who us LiveAuctioneers’ Internet live-bidding services:

Auctions Neapolitan

Dallas Auction Gallery

Dirk Soulis Auctions

Gordon S. Converse & Co.

Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers

Schmidt’s Antiques

Skinner Inc.

Tom Harris Auctions

Copyright 2010 Auction Central News International. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

#   #   #

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Dallas Auction Gallery sold this 18th-century English chinoiserie long case clock for $5,000 in September. The black lacquered oak case has gilt chinoiserie decoration. It has a brass eight-day time and bell strike movement. Image courtesy of Dallas Auction Gallery.
Dallas Auction Gallery sold this 18th-century English chinoiserie long case clock for $5,000 in September. The black lacquered oak case has gilt chinoiserie decoration. It has a brass eight-day time and bell strike movement. Image courtesy of Dallas Auction Gallery.

The blue orb held aloft by two maidens contains the movement of this French Louis XV-style clock, which stands 28 inches high. The late-19th-century timepiece sold for $3,000 in September. Image courtesy of Dallas Auction Gallery.
The blue orb held aloft by two maidens contains the movement of this French Louis XV-style clock, which stands 28 inches high. The late-19th-century timepiece sold for $3,000 in September. Image courtesy of Dallas Auction Gallery.

Dating to the second half of the 19th century, this French boulle cased bracket clock in an ormolu mounted case stands atop its matching wall bracket. The clock, which has a two- train brass movement striking on a wire gong, sold for $1,900 in September. Image courtesy of Dallas Auction Gallery.
Dating to the second half of the 19th century, this French boulle cased bracket clock in an ormolu mounted case stands atop its matching wall bracket. The clock, which has a two- train brass movement striking on a wire gong, sold for $1,900 in September. Image courtesy of Dallas Auction Gallery.

The original stencil decoration and reverse-painted glass remain intact on this circa-1830 American shelf clock. With carved paw feet and a wooden geared mechanism, it sold recently at auction for $574. Image courtesy of Gordon S. Converse & Co.
The original stencil decoration and reverse-painted glass remain intact on this circa-1830 American shelf clock. With carved paw feet and a wooden geared mechanism, it sold recently at auction for $574. Image courtesy of Gordon S. Converse & Co.

The reverse-painted glasses are original to this rare candlestick shelf clock, which has an ingenious ‘wagon-spring’ mechanism. It sold for $1,840. Image courtesy of Gordon S. Converse & Co.
The reverse-painted glasses are original to this rare candlestick shelf clock, which has an ingenious ‘wagon-spring’ mechanism. It sold for $1,840. Image courtesy of Gordon S. Converse & Co.

One-weight regulator clocks, especially American-made models, are unusual and desirable. Dirk Soulis Auctions sold this one-weight regulator produced by Gilbert Clock Co. in Connecticut to an online bidder for $2,090. Image courtesy of Dirk Soulis Auctions.
One-weight regulator clocks, especially American-made models, are unusual and desirable. Dirk Soulis Auctions sold this one-weight regulator produced by Gilbert Clock Co. in Connecticut to an online bidder for $2,090. Image courtesy of Dirk Soulis Auctions.

Close-up shows the carved dog’s head on the Gilbert one-weight regular. Image courtesy of Dirk Soulis Auctions.
Close-up shows the carved dog’s head on the Gilbert one-weight regular. Image courtesy of Dirk Soulis Auctions.

The Ithaca No. 3 1/2 double-dial parlor clock also gives the day and date. It sold at Dirk Soulis Auctions in November for $2,100. Image courtesy of Dirk Soulis Auctions.
The Ithaca No. 3 1/2 double-dial parlor clock also gives the day and date. It sold at Dirk Soulis Auctions in November for $2,100. Image courtesy of Dirk Soulis Auctions.

Stages of Christ’s life, religious figures, Greek gods and Christopher Columbus are all depicted in this rare animated Black Forest astronomical clock in a golden oak case. Tom Harris sold this extraordinary clock at auction for $50,850. Image courtesy of Tom Harris Auctions.
Stages of Christ’s life, religious figures, Greek gods and Christopher Columbus are all depicted in this rare animated Black Forest astronomical clock in a golden oak case. Tom Harris sold this extraordinary clock at auction for $50,850. Image courtesy of Tom Harris Auctions.

TV director convicted of shoplifting antiques

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, (AP) – Veteran TV director and English baron Raymond DeVere-Austin has been convicted of petit larceny in Virginia for taking cast-iron statues from an antique store.

The 76-year-old, who also goes by the name Ray Austin, received a suspended six-month jail sentence Wednesday and must pay a $1,000 fine, The Daily Progress reported.

He was convicted of taking statues of Humpty Dumpty, a dog and a horse head from a shop in October. Neither DeVere-Austin nor his lawyer, David Thomas, returned calls seeking comment.

Austin has been a TV director since the 1960s. His credits include episodes of shows ranging from The Avengers and Hawaii-Five-O to Magnum, P.I. and JAG.

He is a baron by marriage to Wendy Devere-Austin.

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

AP-CS-02-04-10 0842EST

 

 

Hindman to conclude sale of artist Trova’s collection Feb. 10-11

Constant Mayer (French/American, 1832-1911) painted ‘The Mandolin Player’ in oil on canvas, 29 1/2 inches by 23 1/2 inches. The painting, which comes from a private Chicago collection, has a $4,000-$2,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Constant Mayer (French/American, 1832-1911) painted ‘The Mandolin Player’ in oil on canvas, 29 1/2 inches by 23 1/2 inches. The painting, which comes from a private Chicago collection, has a $4,000-$2,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Constant Mayer (French/American, 1832-1911) painted ‘The Mandolin Player’ in oil on canvas, 29 1/2 inches by 23 1/2 inches. The painting, which comes from a private Chicago collection, has a $4,000-$2,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

CHICAGO – For the second time in as many months Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will auction property from the estate of acclaimed St. Louis sculptor Ernest Trova. LiveAuctioneers will again provide Internet live bidding for the Feb. 10-11 auction.

A self-taught artist, Trova lived all his life in Missouri. At age 20 his first painting was exhibited at the St. Louis City Art Museum to much critical and public attention, earning it recognition in Life magazine.

Trova is best known for his “Falling Man” series, which he created in 1964. The series was conceived for exhibition at the city’s bicentennial celebration, but much of it was later sent to New York City, with works eventually acquired by the Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art and Tate Gallery in London.

In 1975 Laumeier Sculpture Park opened to the public on 105 acres. Trova donated 40 of his sculptures to the park’s collection, where most are still shown today. Some larger works are on public display at St. Louis University and at the General American Life Building in downtown St. Louis.

The sale will also feature English and continental furniture, decorations and porcelain objects, among them the remainder of Trova’s Meissen figural groups.

The auction will be held Feb. 10-11 beginning at 11 a.m. Central both days at Hindman’s gallery at 1338 W. Lake St.

For details call John Walcher at 312-280-1212.

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 Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Titled ‘Lady and Lolly,’ this painting of a well-dressed lady and her companion is after a portrait by 18th-century English artist Thomas Gainsborough. The oil on canvas laid to board, 39 inches by 28 inches, has an $800-$1,200 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Titled ‘Lady and Lolly,’ this painting of a well-dressed lady and her companion is after a portrait by 18th-century English artist Thomas Gainsborough. The oil on canvas laid to board, 39 inches by 28 inches, has an $800-$1,200 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Luigi Zuccoli (Italian, 1815-1876) signed his ‘Afternoon Retreat’ lower right. The 39 1/2- by 31-inch oil on canvas has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
Luigi Zuccoli (Italian, 1815-1876) signed his ‘Afternoon Retreat’ lower right. The 39 1/2- by 31-inch oil on canvas has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

‘Chef of the Monastery’ by A. Tamburini (Italian, 1843-1908) is signed and inscribed ‘Florence’ at upper right. The 17 1/2- by 21 1/2-inch oil on canvas has an $800-$1,200 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
‘Chef of the Monastery’ by A. Tamburini (Italian, 1843-1908) is signed and inscribed ‘Florence’ at upper right. The 17 1/2- by 21 1/2-inch oil on canvas has an $800-$1,200 estimate. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

‘River with Ducks’ is by William Hull (British, 1820-1880). The signed oil on canvas, 16 1/4 inches by 24 inches, carries a $800-1,200. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
‘River with Ducks’ is by William Hull (British, 1820-1880). The signed oil on canvas, 16 1/4 inches by 24 inches, carries a $800-1,200. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Compensation approved for Michael Jackson estate administrators

Michael Jackson, on his visit to the White House in 1984. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Michael Jackson, on his visit to the White House in 1984. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Michael Jackson, on his visit to the White House in 1984. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two men administering Michael Jackson’s estate will receive a total of 10 percent of its profits minus several sizable assets, a judge agreed Wednesday.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved the compensation for attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who have been administering the singer’s estate since shortly after his death on June 25.

Branca and McClain will each receive 5 percent of the estate’s profits, minus earnings from the recent This Is It movie and Jackson’s interest in lucrative Sony-ATV music catalog.

Beckloff approved the arrangement after discussing it with various attorneys representing Branca, McClain, Jackson’s children and the singer’s mother, Katherine Jackson.

None raised any objections to the arrangement.

Howard Weitzman, an attorney for Branca and McClain, said the men would be fairly compensated but likely receive less money than if they received guideline amounts for administering Jackson’s estate, which has an estimated value of more than $500 million.

“They will be fairly compensated,” Weitzman said.

Katherine Jackson’s attorney, Adam Streisand, agreed.

“I think that this is very reasonable,” he said. “There is an incentive for the executors to grow the business and that will, of course, affect their compensation.”

Weitzman noted that Branca represented Michael Jackson throughout his life and that McClain is a childhood friend of the singer.

Beckloff is retaining some oversight over the payments and scheduled a progress report for September. But he expressed faith in Branca’s leadership of the estate. The judge recalled a hearing last year in which Branca testified by phone about his business connections and a deal Jackson merchandise and a memorabilia exhibition.

“I found him extraordinarily impressive,” Beckloff said, noting that’s not a distinction he normally draws about people from a phone conversation.

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

AP-WS-02-03-10 1853EST

 

DuMouchelles presents all-star lineup in Valentine’s weekend auction

The Detroit Pistons basketball team upset the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one to win the NBA title in 2004. This official championship ring has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.
The Detroit Pistons basketball team upset the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one to win the NBA title in 2004. This official championship ring has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.
The Detroit Pistons basketball team upset the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one to win the NBA title in 2004. This official championship ring has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.

DETROIT – Fine art, antiques and collectibles totaling more than 1,500 lots will be spread over three sessions during DuMouchelles’ Feb. 12-14 auction. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The action will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. at DuMouchelles’ gallery at 409 E. Jefferson Ave. in the heart of the Motor City.

Sports fans will be competing for a 2004 Detroit Pistons NBA Championship ring, which is estimated at $4,000-$5,000. The 10K white gold ring is channel set with 56 round brilliant diamonds totaling approximately 1.03 carats. The inside of the ring is engraved with the name a team associate, not a player. It comes with a presentation box and certificate of authenticity.

An “Official League” baseball autographed by St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean will also be offered Friday evening. Ironically the ball will be sold in Detroit, where Dean tamed the Tigers in the 1934 World Series, winning Games 1 and 7. The ball and autograph are in good condition. It has a $1,000-$1,500 estimate.

Saturday’s session, which begins at 11 a.m. Eastern, will feature a fine neoclassical French figural clock marked “Courvoisier & Comp.” The circa 1840 clock has a marble plinth embellished with bronze ormolu and surmounted by a silver figure of Mercury resting on a rocky formation over a cylindrical clock, holding a gilt-bronze lidded torchere. The clock has no bell or pendulum. It is estimated at $5,000-$7,000.

An American Federal mahogany banjo clock, circa 1810, with colorful eglomaise glass panels and a brass eagle and sphere finial has an $800-$1,500 estimate.

Sunday’s session will get under way at noon with a rare Art Deco mosaic enamel and doré Art Deco bronze clock by Tiffany Furnaces. The model no. 360 clock, 5 inches high by 5 inches wide, is from the early 1920s. Marked “Tiffany and Co.” on the face, the clock has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate.

Painting will include an oil on canvas by Dame Laura Knight (British, 1877-1970) titled Sennen Cove, Cornwall, England. The view of the seaside village is 16 inches by 20 inches and carries a $20,000-$40,000 estimate. It was once in the collection of Monsignor Edward J. Hickey, one of Detroit’s prominent Catholic pastors.

The estate of W.A. Warrick of Plymouth, Mich., includes original book illustrations by Arthur Rackham, Norman Ault, L. Grabham and Carton Moore-Park as well as British paintings by Frederick Thomas Daws and Frank William Warwick Topham. A watercolor and gouache by Rackham (1867-1939) titled Midsummer Night’s Dream, 4 7/8 inches by 3 1/2 inches, in a bronze Art Nouveau frame, has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

German-born Edmund Henry Osthaus (1858-1928) immigrated to America in 1883. By 1886 he had become principal of the Toledo Academy of Fine Art. An avid outdoorsman, he was known for his depictions of sporting dogs. His pencil, watercolor and gouache on artist board of one such animal is included in the auction. The 23- by 27-inch work, from a prominent collector in Toledo, Ohio, has a $12,000-$16,000 estimate.

An 18th-century Aubusson floral carpet, 23 feet 2 inches by 14 feet 9 inches, was formerly in the collection of Arthur E. Summerfield, of Flint, Mich. Summerfield was postmaster general during the Eisenhower administration. The room-size carpet having a central gold cartouche design, with floral and leaf motifs in each corner, has a $6,000-$8,000 estimate.

Agathon Léonard’s 17-inch doré bronze and ivory sculpture of a young woman, standing, with a look of contemplation. The face, neck and arms are carved ivory and the rest of the figure is gilt bronze. The base is also bronze and is incised “A. Leonard.” The figure has a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.

For Valentine’s Day, bidders will have their pick of a 3.86-carat emerald-cut diamond and platinum ring among the more than 80 lots of jewelry.

For details call 313-963-6255.

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

Click here to view DuMouchelles’ complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

‘Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces Favrile 360’ is marked on this mosaic enamel and doré Art Deco bronze clock, model no. 360. Produced circa 1920, the clock has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.
‘Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces Favrile 360’ is marked on this mosaic enamel and doré Art Deco bronze clock, model no. 360. Produced circa 1920, the clock has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.

Edmund Henry Osthaus, a gifted artist famous for sporting paintings, did this portrait in pencil, watercolor and gouache laid on artist board. It is 23 inches by 27 inches and has a $12,000-$16,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.
Edmund Henry Osthaus, a gifted artist famous for sporting paintings, did this portrait in pencil, watercolor and gouache laid on artist board. It is 23 inches by 27 inches and has a $12,000-$16,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.

Dame Laura Knight (British, 1877-1970) painted 'Sennen Cove at Cornwall, England' circa 1917. The 16- by 20-inch oil on canvas has a $20,000-$40,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.
Dame Laura Knight (British, 1877-1970) painted ‘Sennen Cove at Cornwall, England’ circa 1917. The 16- by 20-inch oil on canvas has a $20,000-$40,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.

The enamel dial on this neoclassical French figural clock reads ‘Courvoisier & Comp.’ It stands 33 inches tall and has a $5,000-$7,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.
The enamel dial on this neoclassical French figural clock reads ‘Courvoisier & Comp.’ It stands 33 inches tall and has a $5,000-$7,000 estimate. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles.

Space rock worth thousands stirs ownership debate

Lorton Meteorite. Photo by Chip Clark, Smithsonian.

Lorton Meteorite. Photo by Chip Clark, Smithsonian.
Lorton Meteorite. Photo by Chip Clark, Smithsonian.

WASHINGTON (AP) – An out-of-this world rock has become the center of a down-to-earth dispute over who its rightful owner should be.

The tennis ball-sized meteorite plummeted through the roof of a Virginia medical office just after dusk on Jan. 18, the same time as people reported seeing a fireball in the sky. It plunged through the ceiling of an examination room and landed near the spot where a doctor had been sitting a short while earlier.

“I’m the most likely person to be sitting in that place where it hit,” Dr. Marc Gallini said. “It just wasn’t my time, I guess.”

He and fellow practitioner Dr. Frank Ciampi say their first thought was to give the rare find to the Smithsonian Institution, which offered $5,000 for it. Within days, it was sent to the National Museum of Natural History for safekeeping.

The doctors are worried, though, that their longtime landlords plan to stake their own claim to the space rock. The collectors market for meteorites can be lucrative.

Gallini, who has run his family practice in Virginia, since 1978, said he notified his property owner, Erol Mutlu, of plans to hand the object over to the Smithsonian, which holds the world’s largest museum collection of meteorites. Gallini says he got Mutlu’s permission. Later in the week, though, Mutlu sent the doctors an e-mail warning that his brother and fellow landlord Deniz Mutlu was going to the Smithsonian to retrieve the rock, Gallini said.

He wouldn’t share the e-mail exchange with The Associated Press, but The Washington Post reported that Erol Mutlu wrote that “it’s evident that ownership is tied to the landowner.”

“The U.S. courts have ruled that a meteorite becomes part of the land where it arrives through ‘natural cause’ and hence the property of the landowner,” the e-mail said.

Deniz Mutlu later appeared to back away from the claim, saying the family was making no such demands and the meteorite is safe for now at the Smithsonian. He added, however, that he didn’t know how long it would remain there.

A lawyer representing the landlords would not comment Tuesday.

The doctors hired their own lawyer and demanded the Smithsonian not release the meteorite until the ownership question was resolved. The lawyer plans to ask a court to rule.

“We really want this to end up in the right place,” Gallini said. The doctors plan to donate the money from the Smithsonian to Haiti earthquake relief, he said.

The Smithsonian won’t comment on ownership and said in a statement that it will “retain possession of the ‘Lorton Meteorite’ until a legal owner has been established.”

The Smithsonian collection includes about 15,000 meteorites; of those, 738 were gathered shortly after they fell from the sky. The Lorton meteorite came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, curators said.

It has a blackened outer surface from burning through the atmosphere, said Tim McCoy, a mineral sciences curator at the Smithsonian. Inside are flecks of metal and thousands of tiny rocks containing “the primitive stuff left over from the birth of the solar system,” he said.

That material allows scientists to look back about 4.6 billion years, McCoy said.

The last meteorite known to strike a building was in New Orleans in 2003, said Linda Welzenbach, the museum’s meteorite collections manager. There were other finds that year in the Chicago area.

Space rocks can fetch thousands of dollars from collectors. Meteorite hunters descended on Washington’s Virginia suburbs to look for other remnants of the Lorton meteorite.

One was Steve Arnold, co-star of the new Science Channel TV show, Meteorite Men. Arnold estimates the Lorton meteorite could bring $25,000 to $50,000 on the open market, unless more pieces turn up. But he said Tuesday that none turned up from his search around the doctors’ office.

Meteorites have been the subject of legal disputes before. In the early 1900s, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled a 15-ton meteorite belonged to the landowner on whose property it likely landed, not the person who found it.

The doctors’ attorney Marvin Miller said Virginia law differs and favors the tenant.

As of Tuesday, the land owners had made no formal demands, but Miller said he would soon ask a court to decide.

“That’s the fairest way to deal with things for everybody’s sake,” he said.

___

On the Net:

National Museum of Natural History: http://www.mnh.si.edu/

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

AP-CS-02-03-10 0817EST

Beauty, muscle meet at Great Gatsby’s auction Feb. 6

‘The Lesson’ is a rare early 20th-century stained glass window by Tiffany Studios. In its original bronze frame the window is 48 inches high by 20 inches wide. It has a $50,000-$75,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.
‘The Lesson’ is a rare early 20th-century stained glass window by Tiffany Studios. In its original bronze frame the window is 48 inches high by 20 inches wide. It has a $50,000-$75,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.
‘The Lesson’ is a rare early 20th-century stained glass window by Tiffany Studios. In its original bronze frame the window is 48 inches high by 20 inches wide. It has a $50,000-$75,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.

ATLANTA – Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions, purveyor of rare and unusual antiques and art for more than 20 years, has another top-notch lineup for their Feb. 6 auction. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding on everything from a Tiffany Studios stained glass window to 1966 Corvette convertible powered by a 427 big-block engine.

The circa 1900 Tiffany window, titled The Lesson, depicts a teacher with her student. It demonstrates Louis Comfort Tiffany’s talent for creating three-dimensional depth through the use of triple layers of art glass. The window is also an excellent example of work by Tiffany’s master craftsman Frederick Wilson, as shown in the painted faces of both subjects. The window, which measures 48 inches by 20 inches, has a $50,000-$75,000 estimate.

Chevrolet added more muscle to the 1966 Corvette Sting Ray with an optional 427-cubic-inch engine. The convertible model in Great Gatsby’s auction has matching numbers and its original side exhaust pipes. The Corvette has a starting bid of $65,000 and an $80,000-$120,000 estimate.

A 17th-century carved oak English Jacobean grand hall bench reputed to have been a gift from Britain’s greatest poet, John Milton (1608-1674), to his wife, Mary, has a $25,000-$45,000 estimate. It features a scrolling pediment top with relief carved designs flanking a pair of arched panels with carved busts depicting Mercury and Vulcan. The backrest has the carved inscription “A Ryghte Joyouse and Kyndly Welcome Too Ye All” over a relief carved Greek classical battle scene with the inscription “Ye Amazons doing Battel With Ye Greek Warriors”, and below this “Seeke Ye All After Goode and Doo Ye Goode and Bee Ye Kynde Too All.” Also carved in the back is the maker’s date “1648.” On the apron of the bench appears the dedication “John Milton Mary.” The bench is 74 inches high by 82 inches wide by 27 inches deep.

A pair of massive marble Art Deco eagles, after those mounted on the Federal Reserve Building in Chicago, will be sold. Fully carved front and back, the statues stand 84 inches high by 72 inches wide by 45 inches deep. The pair is estimated at $30,000-$40,000.

An exact architectural scale model of Atlanta’s historic Swan House, a 1928 Second Renaissance Revival Style mansion, will be sold. The highly detailed model is 29 inches high by 71 inches wide by 52 inches deep. The roof lifts off to reveal a full interior, complete with winding staircase, fireplace mantels and bathroom fixtures. It has an $8,000-$12,000 estimate. The Atlanta Historical Society acquired the actual Swan House and most of its furnishings in 1966.

The auction will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern at Great Gatsby’s facility at 5180 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. in Atlanta.

For details call 770-457-1903.

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 Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions’ complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Hartmann Luggage of Milwaukee produced this five-piece set in genuine American crocodile leather as a special order in the mid-20th century. The set is expected to arrive at $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.
Hartmann Luggage of Milwaukee produced this five-piece set in genuine American crocodile leather as a special order in the mid-20th century. The set is expected to arrive at $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.

Reputed to have belonged to English poet John Milton, this 17th-century carved oak Jacobean grand hall bench features the carved inscription ‘A Ryghte Joyouse and Kyndly Welcome Too Ye All.’ The 82-inch-wide bench is estimated at $25,000-$45,000. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.
Reputed to have belonged to English poet John Milton, this 17th-century carved oak Jacobean grand hall bench features the carved inscription ‘A Ryghte Joyouse and Kyndly Welcome Too Ye All.’ The 82-inch-wide bench is estimated at $25,000-$45,000. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.

Dore' bronze winged lions support a pietra dura inlaid marble tabletop measuring 60 inches in diameter. The table has a $25,000-$40,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.
Dore’ bronze winged lions support a pietra dura inlaid marble tabletop measuring 60 inches in diameter. The table has a $25,000-$40,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.

Marquetry inlay adorns this 8 1/2-foot-long pub bar. A wooden canopy connects the mirrored back bar with the marble-top serving counter. It has a $15,000-$25,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.
Marquetry inlay adorns this 8 1/2-foot-long pub bar. A wooden canopy connects the mirrored back bar with the marble-top serving counter. It has a $15,000-$25,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Great Gatsby’s Antiques and Auctions.

Rebuilt Art Gallery of Alberta an ultra-modern architectural gem

Photo by Robert Lememeyer, courtesy Art Gallery of Alberta.
Photo by Robert Lememeyer, courtesy Art Gallery of Alberta.
Photo by Robert Lememeyer, courtesy Art Gallery of Alberta.

EDMONTON, CANADA – The newly reconstructed Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) in downtown Edmonton opened to the public on Jan. 31, 2010. The 85,000 square foot gallery, designed by Los Angeles architect Randall Stout, features three floors of exhibition space to showcase historical and contemporary Canadian and international art. The opening marked a major milestone in the AGA’s New Vision project and fulfills its goal of creating an art gallery of national significance for the Province of Alberta.

“It is the AGA’s dream that a rebuilt, renewed Art Gallery of Alberta will serve as a cultural centre of excellence for the Alberta community today and beyond, for generations to come,” said Allan Scott, Chair, AGA Board of Directors. “Our new building was planned, designed and constructed by an extremely talented and dedicated project team and the tireless AGA staff. The team deserves a great big thank you from everyone.”

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony followed more than 10 years of planning and three years of construction. The Art Gallery of Alberta’s New Vision building project has been funded by an $88 million capital campaign, with major support from all three levels of government as well as tremendous private sector donations.

The hour-long private opening ceremony was led by the chairman of AGA’s Board of Directors, Allan E. Scott. Also in attendance were Canada’s Minister of Public Works and Government Services, The Honourable Rona Ambrose; Minister of State, Western Economic Diversification, The Honourable Lynne Yelich; Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, The Honourable Norman L. Kwong; Minister of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, The Honourable Lindsay Blackett; and His Worship Mayor Stephen Mandel from the City of Edmonton, as well as the gallery’s architectural team, Randall Stout Architects Incorporated.

“As we open our doors to our new facility, we embrace a most ambitious agenda. It is an auspicious day for Edmontonians and Albertans as the AGA takes its place amongst great Canadian art museums with enormous enthusiasm and tremendous capacity,” says Gilles Hébert, AGA Executive Director. “We are committed to being leaders in the field and to providing our visitors with exceptional experiences. And this facility is perfectly suited to the bold future we envision.”

Celebrating its prominent location on Sir Winston Churchill Square in the heart of the Arts District in downtown Edmonton, the design of new AGA extends the Gallery into the community, welcoming visitors to experience art first hand. The design takes inspiration from the city of Edmonton’s unique northern environment and urban grid. Angular windows are juxtaposed against a winding 190-meter steel ribbon that references the forms of the North Saskatchewan River and Aurora Borealis. The movement of this continuous stainless steel structure through the gallery’s interior and exterior reinvents the museum’s public spaces, continually connecting visitors with their downtown surroundings.

The building is crafted from three key materials: patinaed zinc, high performance glazing, and stainless steel. These materials reflect Edmonton’s dramatic weather pattern and the extreme contrast of the long days of summer and the short days of winter, allowing the building to transform in response to its natural surroundings.

Randall Stout Architects, Inc. (RSA) was selected from 25 international submissions during the spring of 2005, to redesign the former gallery building originally designed by Edmonton architect Don Bittorf in 1969. The RSA design was chosen by a selection committee and announced on October 15, 2005. The new building has nearly doubled the area of the former gallery and its environmental controls meet the highest museum standards.

The new AGA also includes an expanded education facility, the Singhmar Education Centre for Art Education, as well as upgraded art-handling facilities and celebratory public event spaces. Highlights include a fully outfitted theater; a museum store, Shop AGA; a ‘floating’ room, the Borealis Lounge; a relaxed fine dining establishment, Zinc; as well as the L1 Espresso Bar and 3rd floor Terrace Café. The AGA is directly accessible from Edmonton’s underground light rail transportation system (LRT) entrance.

Inaugural exhibitions feature significant works by artists from Alberta, Canada and beyond, including masters Edgar Degas and Francisco Goya, celebrated Canadian photographers Yousuf Karsh and Edward Burtynsky and internationally renowned Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. The new AGA also includes The BMO World of Creativity, an interactive children’s gallery that will focus on the theme of architecture for the opening year with the exhibition Play on Architecture! Two outdoor spaces have been added to the Gallery, which will feature sculpture by Alberta artists Ken Macklin and Peter Hide. A wide-range of public programs, including family activities, late night events, lectures, films and more, will animate exhibitions at the new AGA.

About the Art Gallery of Alberta:

Founded in 1924, the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is the oldest cultural institution in Alberta and the only museum in the province strictly devoted to the exhibition and preservation of art and visual culture. Serving both the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta, the Gallery maintains a collection of nearly 6,000 objects. The AGA is focused on the development and presentation of original exhibitions of contemporary and historical art; on building national and international curatorial partnerships for the creation of new exhibition projects; and on the development and delivery of a program of touring exhibitions that disseminate contemporary and historical art within Alberta and across Canada.

The AGA is a not-for-profit organization that relies on the generous support of its Members, donors, sponsors and government. The Art Gallery of Alberta is grateful for the generous support of the many public and private donors and sponsors who have made the AGA’s New Vision possible, as well as the ongoing support of the City of Edmonton, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Canada Council for the Arts and our Members.

#   #   #

Prosecutors: Informant in artifacts case is clean

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – The undercover operative in a federal bust of artifact trading collected around $7,500 a month for secretly recording transactions with collectors and sellers across the Southwest for more than two years, new court papers say.

Ted Gardiner, a Utah antiquities dealer, got an initial $10,000 payment before the sting operation began in earnest, then collected regular monthly payments throughout 2007 and 2008, according to FBI disclosures in court files.

Gardiner is still being paid for helping agents prepare for nearly two dozen court cases, and he will receive more money if he testifies, according to papers in one of the cases. Gardiner had received $162,000 in payments plus expenses, for a total of $224,000, when most of the arrests were made in June.

The operative has no felony or misdemeanor convictions or charges pending against him nor immunity, U.S. Attorney David Gaouette in Colorado said in papers filed in the case of Robert B. Knowlton, a former used-car salesman caught up in the dragnet.

Gaouette disclosed a wealth of information on Gardiner, including a copy of his FBI contract. In Utah, lawyers representing 21 of the original 26 defendants have complained that authorities here have yet to give up the information.

Gaouette wrote in court papers that Gardiner had used drugs and abused alcohol in the past, but has nothing worse than minor traffic citations on his record. The FBI and U.S. Bureau of Land Management obtained his cooperation without any inducements other than payments, and without any threats, the U.S. attorney said.

Knowlton, 66, who ran a Web site from Grand Junction, Colo., called Bob’s Flint Shop, was accused of selling three items taken from federal land to Gardiner: a pipe, a Midland knife point and a Hell Gap knife. He has pleaded not guilty, and a trial is set for March 29.

Knowlton recounted for investigators how he got involved in the business _ with a major setback. He made his first serious purchase in 1997 from a Colorado antique dealer.

“I spent probably close to $25,000 and they were all fakes, the whole bunch of them,” he said, according to an interview by Bureau of Land Management agents that was made part of his court record. He then sought an education in artifacts to avoid getting scammed again.

The federal investigation, one of the largest of its kind, peeled open the black market trade in artifacts taken from federal or tribal lands in the Four Corners region. The relics, some believed to be thousands of years old, can sell for thousands of dollars apiece. Federal authorities say they often end up in the homes of wealthy collectors in the Southwest and beyond.

Gardiner, who ran an artifacts business called Gardiner Antiquities, provided federal agents at the outset with all of his business records, access to his Web site and computers and a list of dealers and collectors, according to the court papers released last month. He spent $335,000 buying artifacts for the government, consulting the FBI before on how much to pay for each item.

Gardiner’s largest paychecks ended last summer, but the FBI has continued to pay him “small” amounts for his cooperation, the U.S. attorney in Denver said. When asked about it, the FBI in Salt Lake City refused to confirm Gardiner was still on the payroll.

Knowlton’s is the only case scheduled for a trial. Last week, lawyers in Utah told a federal magistrate that a handful of the defendants were expected to settle charges with plea bargains. Others defendants are fighting charges.

Two of the 26 defendants – one a Santa Fe, N.M., salesman, the other a prominent Blanding, Utah, physician, James Redd – committed suicide after their arrests.

Separately, Redd’s wife and daughter surrendered their own vast collections, pleaded guilty and were sentenced last summer to terms of probation. The rest of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

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

AP-WS-02-01-10 1646EST