Life-size Roman-style carved marble bust of Meander, possibly A.D. 200-300 or later, larger: 21 inches high by 11 3/4 inches wide by 9 inches deep, estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Millea Bros. MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Millea Bros. will kick off their annual Spring auction at the Morristown Armory on Friday, May 21. Dubbed the “100 Estates Auction,” this three-day auction event will include more than 1,550 lots from their expansive, rarely seen archives representing more than six years’ accumulation of estate goods from important New York family collections.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Included will be unidentified works of art and abandoned lots ranging from U.S. patent models and antique maps, to Asian works of art and Roman antiquities. The centerpiece of this eclectic offering will be two extraordinary lots from the estate of Doris Duke, beginning the auction as lots 1 and 2, promptly at 10 a.m. Eastern.
The first of the two lots is the Thai pavilion that Duke commissioned in 1964, a replica of the Aphorn Phimok Pavilion at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. When fully constructed, the pavilion is 75 feet high and 46 feet long. From foundation to roof, the wood is carved teak decorated with gold, quartz and vermilion paint. There are only five such known replicas in the world. Duke’s pavilion was built in Bangkok by Thai artisans, then disassembled and shipped to the United States. The pavilion is ideal for inclusion in a botanical setting, or any outdoor venue with the breadth to showcase this bold architectural statement piece.
The other notable lot for auction is six original Thai houses that Duke purchased in 1962. These houses were most likely built in the early 20th century and are comprised of carved teak walls. These carved walls could be used to recreate the houses or they would make magnificent architectural elements in themselves.
Both the pavilion and Thai houses were part of Duke’s Southeast Asian Art Collection, which she began acquiring in 1961. Her intent was to recreate a Thai village that evoked the traditional life and culture of Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and Burma, as it was in the mid to late 19th century, with decorative and artistic works along with functional objects. Unable to identify and acquire the ideal plot on which to execute her plan, Doris Duke shipped the buildings and works of art to her residence in Hillsborough, N.J., in 1972.
Following the sale of the pavilion and Thai house lots, Friday’s auction will continue on with 565 lots, including Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian and Near-Eastern Art; Greco-Roman, Egyptian and Pre-Columbian antiquities; Spanish Colonial and Italian furniture, decorative objects, silver and fine art including Old Master paintings and works on paper; French furniture, decorations and fine art from the 19th and 20th centuries, including fine custom draperies removed from 998 Fifth and 980 Park avenues.
Saturday, day two of the three-day sale, will offer 415 lots beginning with science, nature and technology, featuring a single-owner collection of U.S. patent models, mineral specimens, and a large offering of world maps from two New York collections; nautical and marine artifacts and works of art, highlighted by a rare Ulysse Nardin Grand Prix two-day marine chronometer; a collection of Mark Twain bindings from the estate of Wall Street legend Jack Dreyfus; American and English furniture, decorative objects and fine art, including sporting and equestrian art and accessories and a large selection of Brown Jordan and outdoor furniture from the estate of Gerald Tsai.
The third and final day, Sunday’s auction session will bring 578 lots to the block, including Art Deco and Modern furniture, Mid-Century decorations and accessories, including studio glass and pottery; postwar, contemporary and Latin American art, including works on paper from the estate of American photographer Arnold Newman; a selection of antique and contemporary Judaic and Russian paintings and silver; accoutrements for a well-dressed dining table, including porcelain dinnerware, fine stemware and silver accessories; a nice grouping of Tiffany & Co. sterling silver, including Olympian pattern serving pieces; gemstone and costume jewelry and a single-owner collection of precision writing instruments by Montblanc, Montegrappa and Cartier.
Auctions and previews will be held at the Morristown Armory, 430 Western Ave. in Morristown. Property will be available for preview on Thursday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 21-23, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. each morning before the auction start. Absentee, telephone and live online bidding will be available. For details visit www.milleabros.com or call 973.377.1500.
Original Spongebob closeup animation cel and background from the Nickelodeon TV show Spongebob Squarepants. Estimate: $70-$110.
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – On Thursday, May 20, commencing at 4 p.m. Central Time, the suburban Chicago auction house Universal Live will offer more than 265 animation cels, prints and original animation artworks. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Martin Shape, the auctioneer and president of Universal Live, said the auction will contain original cels (cels from a TV show or movie that are one of a kind), sericels (which are produced for art purposes in limited-edition quantities) and lumicels (sericels that have many images and which “talk” when motion activated).
“The auction also includes animated dolls and rare production cels from Disney, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera and Nickelodeon,” Shape said.
The auction inventory represents a who’s who of classic animated characters and includes such favorites as as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, 101 Dalmatians, Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Ren & Stimpy, Bambi, Pinocchio, Nemo, Lion King, the Beatles and SpongeBob.
Martin Shape observed: “There is an unusual phenomenon occurring in the animation-cel marketplace. We’re noting that SpongeBob is the most popular of all the cels we have sold. The buyers are making their own cel scenes by purchasing hand-painted background cels and combining them with the foreground cels.”
According to Shape, Universal Live has “the largest available online auction animation selection.” Among the artworks available in the May 20 sale are a Patrick Duerrstein signed limited-edition giclee-on-canvas print depicting SpongeBob and his buddy Patrick enjoying sun time at the beach. Titled Bikini Bottom Break, the 2005 artwork is from an edition of 100 and measures 30 inches square.
Another SpongeBob lot expected to draw fans to the auction is an original closeup animation art cel and background from the Nickelodeon TV show SpongeBob Squarepants. In the cel, SpongeBob is shown standing in a doorway, with a concerned expression on his face.
From Warner Bros., home of Looney Tunes, comes an animation cel featuring a quintet of musicians, including Bugs Bunny. The hand-painted sericel measures 22¾ inches by 31¾ inches and was hand-signed in Sharpie pen by the great director and animator Chuck Jones.
Disney fans may wish to consider the rare, limited-edition, hand-painted animation cel setup from the beloved 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The scene portrays Snow White awakening from an evil spell after receiving a kiss from a prince, her true love. The 11½-inch by 12¾-inch cell is titled “Dreams Come True.”
For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Martin Shape at 847-412-1802 or email sales@universallive.com.
Snow White Dreams Come True Disney hand-painted, limited-edition animation cel setup from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937). Sheet size: 11½ x 12¾ inches. Estimate: $2,450-$2,650. Looney Tunes Chuck Jones-signed animation sericel of musical quintet. Estimate: $1,575-$1,675. Roger Rabbit signed limited-edition hand-painted animation art featuring the film’s lead characters. Estimate: $600-$925. Rare original production cel featuring Donald Duck, 1950s, used in the production of a Walt Disney feature film and originally sold at the Art Corner Shop at Disneyland. Estimate: $1,600-$2,500. Bikini Bottom Break, Patrick Duerrstein-signed giclee-on-canvas print of Spongebob Squarepants and his buddy Patrick relaxing on the beach, from a limited edition of 100. Estimate: $395-$595.
Pottier and Stymus of New York crafted this important Aesthetic Movement rosewood cabinet circa 1879-1885. It features the silver-based metallic inlay by Louis A. Amouroux. Image courtesy of New Orleans Auction Galleries.
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Auction Galleries will present the estate of philanthropist and socialite Warren Spencer Strauss of Houston, Texas, featuring a life-long collection of fine and decorative art, antique furniture, rugs, silver and jewelry in a major three-day sale, May 21-23. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding each day.
The auction will begin Friday at 11 a.m. Central with a lineup of more than 600 lots. Included in the opening day lineup is a pair of Regency Old Sheffield plate wine coolers from the first quarter of the 19th century. Though unmarked, the 11 1/2-inch-high coolers were probably made by Nathaniel Smith & Co. The estimate is $1,800-$2,500.
Saturday’s session, which begins at 10 a.m. Central, will include more than 160 pieces of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica porcelain dinnerware and a collection of Oriental carpets.
Sunday’s sale, which begins at 11 a.m. Central, will feature an important American Aesthetic Movement rosewood cabinet by Pottier and Stymus, New York, with silver-based metallic inlay by Louis A. Amouroux. The cabinet stands 78 1/4 inches high, 57 1/4 inches wide and 22 inches deep. It has a $40,000-$70,000 estimate.
Another furniture highlight will be a fine Louis XV rosewood, kingwood and marble-top commode by Jean-Francois Lapie (1720-1797). In very good restored condition, the bombe commode carries a $5,000-$8,000 estimate.
Another star item selling Sunday will be an 1862 bayou view by pioneer Louisiana landscape artist Richard Clague (French/New Orleans, 1821-1873). The 18-inch by 22-inch oil on board painting in a giltwood frame has a $175,000-$250,000 estimate.
Native and Lobster, an oil on Masonite painting by African American artist Ellis Wilson (1899-1977), has a $15,000-$25,000 estimate. A Kentucky native, Wilson moved to New York in 1928, eventually becoming involved in WPA art projects and in 1933 was awarded an honorable mention from the Harmon Foundation, a major patron of the Harlem Renaissance artists.
A 1920s Steinway & Sons grand piano with a gilt-bronze mounted parquetry art case in excellent condition is estimated at $70,000-$100,000.
Also selling Sunday will be a 1993 Bentley Brooklands sedan and a 1995 Jaguar XJS 2+2 Cabriolet.
Ellis Wilson (American/Kentucky, 1899-1977) painted ‘Native and Lobster’ circa 1945. The signed oil on Masonite painting is estimated at $15,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of New Orleans Auction Galleries. This pair of Regency Old Sheffield Plate wine coolers in the rococo taste date to the first quarter of the 19th century. They are expected to bring $1,800-$2,500. Image courtesy of New Orleans Auction Galleries. Grander than grand, this Steinway & Sons piano features a gilt-bronze-mounted parquetry art case in the manner of Francois Linke. In very good to excellent condition, the piano and bench have a $70,000-$100,000 estimate. Image courtesy of New Orleans Auction Galleries. New Orleans artist Richard Clague is credited with establishing the Louisiana school of landscape painting. This dated 1862 oil on panel carries a $175,000-$250,000 estimate. Image courtesy of New Orleans Auction Galleries.
Some antique quilts make political statements, such as this signed and dated 1898 Iowa flag quilt commemorating the Spanish-American War. The Spanish-American War was a four-month conflict between Spain and the United States fought over Cuban independence. The war developed into a global conflict, as demonstrated by the flags on this quilt, which is offered with a $7,000-$9,000 estimate in Cowan’s Auctions’ May 22, 2010 sale titled The American Scene: Decorative Art. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com and Cowan’s Auctions.
MILWAUKEE (AP) – A new exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum will feature one of the world’s finest collections of early American quilts.
Featuring rare textiles of the late 1700s and early 1800s, it’s called “American Quilts: Selections from the Winterthur Collection,” and it runs Saturday through Sept. 6, 2010.
Quilts make political statements, celebrate marriages, and document the textile trade.
Many of the 40 quilts were collected Henry Francis du Pont, one of the 20th century’s most avid antique collectors and horticulturists. They were featured in the Winterthur Museum & Country Estate in Delaware.
The museum will also present the quilt designed in 1987 by AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin honoring Milwaukee residents who died from AIDS. The NAMES Project Foundation AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on view June 8 through June 20.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MILFORD, N.H. – Specialty firearms auctioneer J.C. Devine Inc. has suspended operations. Company founder Joseph C. Devine, 72, died Feb. 24 in Sebastian, Florida.
Ruth Toft Ansell an attorney with the legal firm Ansell & Anderson in Bedford, N.H., issued the following statement: “As a result of the recent death of Joseph Devine, the business of J.C. Devine Inc. has been suspended. All interested parties will be contacted by a representative of the business when appropriate.”
Ansell, a noted expert in estate planning, had no further comment upon being contacted by Auction Central News.
The J.C. Devine auction scheduled for May 9 in Nashua, N.H. was canceled.
Devine founded the auction company in 1975. He resided in Milford for more than 35 years and spent recent winters in Florida.
This copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, is graded 8.5 out of 10. It is, to date, the most expensive comic book ever sold, having been purchased from ComicConnect.com for $1.5 million in March 2010. Image courtesy of ComicConnect.
NEW YORK – It was hard to miss the media hoopla when a CGC-certified 8.0 copy of Action Comics #1, the June 1938 first appearance of Superman, became the first comic book to sell for $1 million on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010.
The enormous attention focused on the four-color world continued when just three days later a CGC-certified 8.0 copy of Detective Comics #27, the May 1939 first appearance of Batman, became the second seven-figure comic book when it sold for $1,075,500.
Then, little more than a month later, a CGC-certified 8.5 copy of Action Comics #1 sold for $1.5 million, reclaiming the record for Superman and setting a mark not likely to be beaten in the short term.
“Mainstream media sources were really taken with the story, but too many of them made the perceived novelty of the high-dollar sales the core of their stories. They did this in much the same way that some journalists still start stories with leads like ‘Pow! Bam! Zap!’ inspired by the mid-1960s Batman TV show. That series was more than 40 years ago. In the case of some of the current reporting, their perceptions are equally out of date,” said Robert M. Overstreet, author of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.
Overstreet said scarcity, condition, popularity of the character(s) and demand for the particular issue are significant factors in determining the prices for such comics. And the “condition” part of that equation is hard to overstate.
The arrival on the scene a decade ago of Comics Guaranty (or CGC), as an independent, third-party grading company significantly reduced the appearance of subjectivity. CGC’s presence coincided with the development of a thriving auction market.
Now Superman #1, Batman #1, Flash Comics #1 (the first appearance of the original Flash) Showcase #4 (the first revamped Flash from the 1950s), Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first appearance of Spider-Man), Amazing Spider-Man #1, Fantastic Four #1, and Incredible Hulk #1 are all reliably six-figure comics in the right grade.
“For a long time we have viewed breaking into the seven-figure range as a matter of when, not if. The comic market has a long track record to support this,” Overstreet said.
“Heritage just sold a 1913 Liberty Nickel for $3.7 million,” said Barry Sandoval of Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, which sold the $1,075,500 Detective Comics #27. “If an item near the top of the ‘hobby of kings’ is worth that, why shouldn’t an item near the top of our hobby be worth $1 million-plus? Particularly since the man in the street could tell you a lot more about Batman than about the 1913 nickel. I remember the Damien Hirst artwork with a bull submerged in formaldehyde that sold for $18 million. If you had $18 million to spend, you could put together one of the very best comic collections in the world, even at today’s prices!”
Vincent Zurzolo of New York-based ComicConnect.com saw the seven-figure range coming, but still said comic books, as an investment, are in their infancy compared to other collectibles.
“Compared to antiques, fine art, sculptures and jewels, vintage comic books are extremely inexpensive,” Zurzolo said. “Even making comparisons to similar type collectibles like baseball cards, coins and stamps, we find comic books as a rather inexpensive collectible with comic books being the last to break the million dollar mark,” he said.
Both auction houses, as well as a number of their competitors, can point to a string of record prices through 2009 and the first quarter of 2010. Heritage, for instance, recently brokered the sale of a CGC-certified 9.6 Flash Comics #1 for $450,000. In 2006 they had sold it to the seller for $273,125. ComicConnect can tout a string of record-setting sales of Action Comics #1, among others.
Some collectors and dealers have suggested that while there is solid or even dramatic progress at the high end, the middle of the market has seen tougher going. The notion is that mid-level comics sell, but one has to work harder and sell for a bit less.
“I think that’s true,” Sandoval said. “A Very Fine [or 8.0 copy of] Incredible Hulk #181 is a great book to have, but 1,000-plus nicer copies exist, and our clients know it. 1970s comics really soared for a while a few years back, but the high prices flushed out many, many copies.”
A decade of strong box office and DVD performances by comic book properties have boosted the general public’s awareness and to some extent driven media coverage of the record prices that have been paid for vintage, rare, high-grade issues, particularly in light of their performance in dicey economic times.
Overstreet suggests that the bullish market could continue for some time, but always adds a note of caution. Comic books have a very strong record over a very long period, he said. Just be careful if people start thinking prices can’t come down. They said that about housing prices, too.
Editor’s Note: Heritage Auction Galleries will conduct a 446-lot Comics & Comic Art Auction on May 20, with Internet live bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
On February 25, 2010, this copy of Detective Comics #27, with the first appearance of Batman, became only the second comic book to sell for $1 million or more when it closed at $1,075,500 through Heritage Auction Galleries. It held the top spot for about a month. Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries. Cover dated January 1940 and graded an unusually high 9.6, this first appearance of The Flash comes from the Edgar Church (or Mile High) pedigree collection. It sold for $450,000 in March 2010 after previously selling for $273,125 in January 2006. Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries. Marvel Mystery Comics #81 in VF 8.0 condition is offered with a $1 to $1 million estimate in Heritage Auction Galleries’ May 20, 2010 Comics and Comic Art sale. Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries. Captain Midnight #2 (Fawcett, 1943) in NM 9.2 condition, is one of the highlights in Heritage Auction Galleries’ May 20, 2010 Comics and Comic Art sale. Estimate: $1 to $1 million. Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries. Top-Notch Comics #14 (MLJ, 1941), with provenance from the fabled Edgar Church Mile High collection, is graded NM 9.2. It will be offered in Heritage Auction Galleries’ May 20, 2010 Comics and Comic Art saleEstimate: $1 to $1 million. Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries.
David Burliuk (Russian/American, 1882-1967), ‘Flowers on the Beach,’ oil on canvas board, signed, 15 by 17 1/4 inches, est. $7,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. CHESTER, N.Y. – William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers will conduct their second spring sale May 23 with on-line bidding through LiveAuctioneers. The auction will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The sale will have many items for the avid outdoor gardener and decorator. The offerings will include vintage and antiques garden furniture and ornaments such as benches, sculptures and planters. Items of note are a partial “ruined” bust of Christopher Columbus in bronze of the late 19th or early 20th century, a pair of cast-lead winged putti of the 19th century and a pair of Peter Timmes & Sons cast-iron garden benches.
In addition, the sale will highlight a large collection of silver spanning the 19th to 20th centuries. Some of the more interesting lots are a Gorham Egyptian Revival casket with handles, English Monteith bowl, unusual Mauser silver tongs, German silver double horn-form vase with putti, English Renaissance-style jewelry casket and several lots of novelty silver jewelry.
Notable artwork will be offered including a still life by David Burliuk, a winter landscape by Frank (Franz) Hans Johnston and a landscape with shepherd, flock and reclining woman by George Henry Yewell. Other artists in the offering are Claire Falkenstien, Robert Benney, Emily Hoystradt, Bruno Del Favero, Bernard Buffet and many others.
Rounding out the sale will be a collection of rugs, carpets, furniture and decorative objects such as art glass and Venetian, Chinese porcelain, bronze and carvings. Fine jewelry will also be offered including a fantastic Tiffany Art Deco diamond and platinum brooch.
Preview will be held at the William Jenack auction facility located at 62 Kings Highway Bypass, on May 19 from noon-5 p.m.; May 20 from 2-5:45 p.m.; May 21-22 from noon-5p.m.; and the day of sale 9-10:45 a.m.
For details contact (845) 469-9095 or e-mail kevin@jenack.com.
Tiffany Art Deco diamond and platinum brooch, 7.5 carats approximate diamond total weight, 1 1/8 inches by 2 1/2 inches, estimate: $7,000-$9,000. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. Peter Timmes & Sons cast-iron garden bench, 1895, 40 inches high by 44 inches wide. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. Pair of Seguso art glass urn-form lamps, 22 1/2 inches high, estimate: $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. Collection of 19th and 20th century silver. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.
An extremely rare Bow porcelain duck tureen and cover, circa 1755-58, to be shown by specialist ceramics dealer Robyn Robb at the Art Antiques London fair in Kensington Gardens. Image courtesy Robyn Robb and Art Antiques London. As an unpronounceable volcano in Iceland continues to belch clouds of ash across European airspace, interrupting flight schedules from Reykjavik to Rome, it is not only holiday makers who are looking with trepidation toward an uncertain summer. This June, London is hosting a string of new and established high-end art and antiques fairs whose organizers will be hoping to attract a significant influx of buyers from Europe, North America and beyond. Clear blue skies would help those aspirations.
Intrepid dealers and collectors who manage to fight their way through the dust clouds will find plenty of good reasons to stay in London for the month of June, the most significant being the venerable London International Fine Art Fair at Olympia, June 4-13, the new Art Antiques London fair at Kensington Gardens, June 9-16, and the new Masterpiece fair at the former Chelsea Barracks, June 24-29.
The June jamboree kicks off with the London International Fine Art Fair at Olympia, the focal point this year being Modern British Masters — a loan exhibition of 15 rarely seen paintings from the collection of rock star and former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry. Ferry was an art student before he began warbling for Roxy Music so one expects to see a collection reflecting a cultured eye. The exhibition includes works by Sir William Orpen and Augustus John, confirming Ferry’s preference for the early 20th-century British avant-garde.
This year’s Olympia fair will also be notable for being the first event under the directorship of new owners David and Lee Ann Lester, who are seeking to breathe fresh energy into what had by broad consensus become a rather tired and uninspiring event, now in its 37th year. Some 150 dealers have signed up for the fair so it will be fascinating to see whether the new brooms will bring in better business. Volcanoes aside, there is also a recession to wrestle with.
Mid-June, meanwhile, sees the launch of the new Art Antiques London fair, organized by seasoned fairs impresarios Brian and Anna Haughton and set to take place in a custom-built marquee opposite the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington. This is an interesting site for a number of reasons, not least of which is its proximity to the original site of the Great Exhibition of 1851 — the locus classicus of all fairs. More importantly, if it is successful, Art Antiques London could help set a new template for the South Kensington precinct, which is currently being transformed into what promises to be a new pedestrian-friendly, museum-rich cultural quarter.
The new fair also incorporates the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar. Given its location a few minutes stroll from the Victoria & Albert Museum’s new ceramics galleries, this could turn Art Antiques London into a must for ceramics lovers. Specialist ceramics dealers such as Robyn Robb and Paul Reeves will be among the many dealers unveiling prize pieces for the inaugural fair and doubtless hoping the crowds will materialize too. A panel of encaustic tiles by Robert Minton Taylor, designed by Edward Welby Pugin for Stanbrook Abbey, Worcestershire, circa 1870, which will be on show with specialist ceramics dealer Paul Reeves at Art Antiques London. Image courtesy Paul Reves and Art Antiques London.
Phase 2 of the V&A’s Ceramics Galleries — the Study Galleries — will open to the public on June 10, coinciding with the fair. Fairgoers holding an Art Antiques London ticket will have a unique opportunity to see the new Ceramics Study Galleries at a special preopening viewing as part of the Members’ Preview Day on June 9, 10 a.m-5:45 p.m.
The Masterpiece event is arguably the most interesting of the three big June fairs. It has been organised by four London dealers — Harry Apter of London furniture dealers Apter Frederick, Simon Phillips of Ronald Phillips, Robert Procop of Asprey, and Thomas Woodham-Smith of Mallett — who have put their heads together to try and fill the vacuum created by the demise of the Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair.
Their new event seeks to break the rather staid mold of traditional fairs by embracing luxury goods such as fine wines and classic cars as well as the usual art and antiques. For example, a highlight of this inaugural event will be a 1932 Bugatti from classic car specialists Fiskens and Coys, which will be for sale at an eye-watering £3 million ($4.35 million). Elsewhere the spread of objects on offer is broadly typical of the sort of thing one sees at the TEFAF fair in Maastricht every March, with many of the same exhibitors. It will be fascinating to see whether the fair’s organizers succeed in establishing a unique ambience that will set Masterpiece apart from its competitors. London Eye will be there to report on their efforts.
One other interesting June fair is the Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair at London’s Park Lane Hotel, June 10-12. Given that some 400,000 Russians are currently domicile in London, one expects this to be reasonably well attended, particularly since the volcanic ash has not yet had an adverse effect on taxi travel.
Max Rutherston, who is responsible for the Japanese activities of leading London-based Asian art dealer Sydney L. Moss, writes to tell us of his optimism about this year’s Park Lane event. A fluent Russian speaker, Rutherston has conducted a significant amount of business in the Russian-speaking world in recent months, specifically in the Ukraine, where he says there is particular interest in Japanese art, especially netsuke, swords and sword fittings. Given Sydney L. Moss’s established reputation in the field of netsuke, Rutherston is expecting lively business on the firm’s stand, where prices will range from £200 to £20,000 ($290 to $29,000). London-based Asian art specialist Sydney L. Moss will be showing this 18th-century ivory netsuke of an ox and its calf signed by Tomotada, Kyoto, circa 1760-80, 2 3/8 inches long, at the Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair. Image courtesy Sydney L. Moss. An 18th-century ivory netsuke of a shishi and cub, signed Tomotada, Kyoto, circa 1760-80, 2 inches long, will be on the stand of London dealer Sydney L. Moss at the Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair. Image courtesy Sydney L. Moss.
One notable exception upwards of that price bracket is the superb 18th-century ivory netsuke of a boar by Masanao of Kyoto, which Rutherston has priced at £80,000 (around $115,400). This exquisite Japanese ivory netsuke of a boar by Masanao of Kyoto, circa 1750-1780, will be on the stand of Sydney L. Moss at the Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair at London’s Park Lane Hotel, where it is priced at £80,000 (around $115,400). Image courtesy Sydney L. Moss.
Twenty years ago, a cloud of volcanic ash might have done a lot more damage to the art and antiques trade than it is doing today. Now, of course, we have the Internet. But let’s not forget the trusty old telephones, which remain a stalwart part of saleroom technology, as was demonstrated recently at the Salisbury salerooms of Woolley & Wallis. Their early May silver and jewellery sale was notable for two items in particular.
The first of these was an elaborate George IV silver-gilt presentation vase and stand, made by the celebrated silversmith Philip Rundell for Sir Henry Russell in honor of his work with the Indian army. Despite having lost its cover, this beat beat an estimate of £30,000-£40,000 when a telephone bidder offered £95,000 ($137,200). This George IV silver-gilt presentation vase and stand by Philip Rundell fetched a hammer price of £95,000 ($137,200) at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury, despite having lost its cover. Image courtesy Woolley & Wallis.
The second item was a superb Lalique diamond and plique à jour enamel pansy collar pendant (Fig. 7), the fifth important piece of Lalique jewelry offered by Woolley & Wallis in recent seasons. At first, the Salisbury firm were concerned that their jewelry expert Jonathan Edwards might not make it to the sale, having been stranded in the Far East due to the volcanic ash cloud. Happily, however, he managed to make it back just in time to see the pendant sell for a hammer price of £40,000 ($57,750), demonstrating that solid prices can generate healthy business for provincial firms as other sellers step forward. A fine Lalique diamond and plique à jour enamel pansy collar pendant that brought a hammer price of £40,000 ($57,750) at Woolley & Wallis’s Salisbury salerooms in May. Image courtesy Woolley & Wallis.
Staying on the silver theme, the Sir John Soane Museum is joining forces in June with specialist silver dealers Koopman Rare Art to stage The Classical Ideal: English Silver 1760-1840, an exhibition that will include loans from the Royal Collection, the National Trust, Lloyds of London and other museums and private collections. This George III silver cup and cover, London 1770-71, from the Akzo Nobel Collection at the Courtauld Institute of Art, will be among the objects on view at ‘The Classical Ideal: English Silver 1760-1840’ at Koopman Rare Art in London, June 3-25. Image courtesy the Courtauld Institute of Art and Koopman Rare Art. A three-light candelabrum, 1774-75, by John Carter, designed by Robert Adam, loaned by Lloyd’s of London to the exhibition ‘The Classical Ideal: English Silver 1760-1840’ at Koopman Rare Art in London from June 3-25. Image courtesy Lloyds of London and Koopman Rare Art. This superb soup tureen, from a silver-gilt dinner service commissioned from the Royal Goldsmith Thomas Heming in 1789-90, probably to commemorate George III’s recovery from illness, has been loaned by the Royal Collection to the exhibition ‘The Classical Ideal: English Silver 1760-1840’ at Koopman Rare Art in London, June 3-25. Image courtesy the Royal Collection and Koopman Rare Art.
The main exhibition takes place at Koopman’s premises at 53-64 Chancery Lane, London, June 3-25, and there will also be a publication to coincide with the exhibition written by curator Christopher Hartop, as well as a conference on neo-classical metalwork on June 19 at the Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
The Sir John Soane Museum is, of course, the ideal museum to partner with Koopman on this project, being the spiritual home of 18th-century neoclassical taste in London. Not only is the museum a shrine to Soane’s antiquarian interests and one of London’s most intriguing and deeply atmospheric museums, it is also the repository of a world-class collection of 9,000 drawings from the office of the great neoclassical architects and designers Robert and James Adam, some of which will be loaned to the exhibition.
Finally, some good news for lovers of Baroque painting. A fine work by the great 17th-century Baroque artist Domenichino entitled Saint John the Evangelist, dating from the 1620s, has been saved for the nation. The painting had been sold to an oversea buyer for just over £9 million ($13 million) at an auction in December, but the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest placed an export licence deferral on the painting, owing to its outstanding aesthetic importance. Happily, a new collector came forward to acquire the painting and thereby keep it in the UK. It will be on display in the National Gallery’s Baroque rooms for 18 months. Considered one of the greatest works by the Italian Baroque master Domenichino (1581–1641), this painting of St. John the Evangelist has been saved for the nation and will go on public display at the National Gallery, having been acquired by an anonymous private collector.
National Gallery Curator Dawson Carr said, “It is undoubtedly the best work by the artist remaining in private hands and its export would have been lamentable for the representation of Italian Baroque painting in this country.”
A Judy Kensley McKie bronze jaguar bench sold for $73,200 at a sale of Early 20th Century Design and Modern held April 24-25 by Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, N.J. Also, a Franco Campo and Carlo Graffi Millepiedi table soared to $67,100; an Arthur Hennessey Marblehead panther bowl made $61,000; a Wharton Esherick cherry sheet music stand realized $48,800; a Phil Powell sculpted walnut credenza breezed to $45,140; and a T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbons Widdicomb Mesa coffee table hit $42,700. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1984 acrylic and mixed media on canvas. Low-resolution image appears in compliance with fair-use guidelines to provide visual context to commentary on the artist’s work and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.
GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss museum will present what it says is the broadest retrospective ever seen in Europe of the work of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The ambitious show hosted by the Beyeler Foundation features over 100 paintings, drawings and objects by Basquiat, with many borrowed from private collections, the foundation said Friday.
Basquiat’s career started in the New York underground graffiti and music scene before he became one of the most prominent American artists of the 1980s, praised for his strong use of color and the social commentary in his work.
He died of a drug overdose aged 27 in 1988.
The exhibition at the museum in Riehen near Basel marks the 50th anniversary of his birth.
Brooklyn-born Basquiat had no formal training and started his career scrawling graffiti on SoHo buildings and train wagons with a friend, Al Diaz. The two signed their work Samo, followed by a copyright symbol.
Basquiat was a close friend of Andy Warhol’s and the two collaborated on a series of works in 1985 that featured cartoon characters and corporate logos.
Basquiat also worked together with artists Keith Haring and Francesco Clemente. He appeared in public with pop star Madonna in the early 1980s and with Debbie Harry of the group Blondie.
His paintings, featuring angular figures, symbols and words, are included in the collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Basquiat created around 1,000 paintings and over 2,000 drawings in the space of eight years. His work had a heavy influence on the art scene in the 1990s.
The exhibition, set up with the support of Basquiat’s estate, will open on Sunday and run through Sept. 5.
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