June 2012 - Page 7 of 20 - Auction Central News

The 20-inch clay kalpis has been on view at the Toledo Museum of Art since its purchase in 1982. The painting on it depicts the Greek tale of Dionysos, god of wine and drama. Image courtesy Toledo Museum of Art.

Toledo Museum of Art to return ancient kalpis to Italy

June 21, 2012/in Antiquities, Cultures & Historical/by Tom Hoepf

The 20-inch clay kalpis has been on view at the Toledo Museum of Art since its purchase in 1982. The painting on it depicts the Greek tale of Dionysos, god of wine and drama. Image courtesy Toledo Museum of Art.

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – An official says a 2,500-year-old pottery kalpis displayed at an Ohio art museum will be sent to Italy after investigators determined it was looted from that country.

Toledo Museum of Art director Brian Kennedy tells The Blade newspaper that returning the 20-inch-tall clay vessel is the right thing to do, though the facility will miss it when it’s shipped to Rome.

Black painting on the orangey clay depicts the Greek tale about Dionysos, the god of wine and drama. The vessel has been on display since 1982, when it was purchased from an antiquities dealer out of Switzerland.

Authorities believe it was probably illegally excavated in Italy, smuggled to Switzerland and given a forged record of ownership. It’s among dozens of Italian objects in an investigation dating to 1995.

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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/

AP-WF-06-20-12 1100GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The 20-inch clay kalpis has been on view at the Toledo Museum of Art since its purchase in 1982. The painting on it depicts the Greek tale of Dionysos, god of wine and drama. Image courtesy Toledo Museum of Art.

Pablo Picasso's 'Woman in a Red Armchair,' oil on canvas, 1932. Image courtesy Wikipaintings.org.

Museum: Fast action may help save vandalized Picasso

June 21, 2012/in Crime & Litigation/by Tom Hoepf

Pablo Picasso’s ‘Woman in a Red Armchair,’ oil on canvas, 1932. Image courtesy Wikipaintings.org.

HOUSTON (AP) – Within minutes of a vandal spray painting a Pablo Picasso painting, Houston museum officials had rushed the valuable artwork into their onsite conservation lab as if it was an injured patient in need of emergency surgery.

“I think that’s a dramatic analogy, but I think that’s apt,” said Vance Muse, a spokesman for the Menil Collection, which owns the more than 80-year-old painting.

The fast action increased the odds of saving the painting, Muse said. The museum’s chief conservator has been working on it tirelessly since it was damaged June 13, and the restoration is going very well, he added.

The act of vandalism was caught in a 24-second video posted on YouTube. It shows a man dressed in black holding a stencil up to the work of art and then spray-painting the stencil before ripping it away and walking off. An image of a bullfighter, a bull and the word “conquista,” which is Spanish for conquest, is left behind.

Once the man walks away, the person taking the video walks up to the painting, recording the damage. This, plus the fact that the witness happened to film the vandal at the moment he damaged the painting, has some speculating whether the two were working together.

“People have wondered if this YouTube (video) was shot by a bystander who just happened to be there at that moment or if it’s more akin to perpetrators, plural,” Muse said. “I just don’t know. But I hope we find out.”

Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said investigators are reviewing both surveillance video from the museum and the video posted on YouTube. Asked if police think the vandal and witness were working together, she said, “We’re taking all the information and we’re looking at all aspects of the incident.”

She would not say whether police have spoken to the witness who shot the video.

Muse, who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from Berlin, said he didn’t have specific details about the restoration process because he was out of the country. However, he believed it was going well.

“Most of the damage, virtually all has been taken care of,” he said. “But you have to wait and see.”

He also didn’t know when the painting, Woman in a Red Armchair, would return to display.

“Even if the treatment is completed, it would need rest for quite a while,” he said. “We would not want to bring it out of the conservation lab prematurely.”

The museum’s chief conservator Brad Epley wasn’t available for questions Tuesday because he was working on the painting.

The key thing in restoration probably would be identifying what chemicals are in the spray paint to determine which solvent would be best to remove it, said Jennifer Logan, a chemistry professor who has taught courses on art conservation at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa.

Logan theorized a range of solvents were probably tested to determine which one was strong enough to remove the spray paint without also dissolving the work’s original paint.

“It was most likely a tedious process,” she said. “If they have the motivation and the skill and ability to carefully remove the spray paint, that’s not surprising to me (that most of the damage has been fixed). I’ve read about much more drastic restoration cases. In the art world, this doesn’t seem as bad.”

This is not the first time one of Picasso’s works has been vandalized. In 1999, an escaped mental patient in Amsterdam cut a hole in the middle of his Woman Nude Before Garden, a 1956 painting.

Other works of art have also been the target of vandals. Rembrandt’s Night Watch masterpiece has been slashed twice and sprayed once with sulfuric acid. The Mona Lisa has been attacked several times, including with acid, a rock and even a teacup.

The Menil, which opened in 1987 and is free to the public, will review its security measures, which include surveillance cameras and two dozen guards, Muse said. But he didn’t anticipate major changes, such as placing paintings behind protective glass or keeping visitors farther from the works of art.

“I think a museum-goer always appreciates it when a work of art seems more accessible than that. You don’t have all those layers,” he said. “And I think the Menil loves the fact the art there is very accessible. It’s almost like entering someone’s wonderful house.”

AP-WF-06-19-12 2304GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Pablo Picasso’s ‘Woman in a Red Armchair,’ oil on canvas, 1932. Image courtesy Wikipaintings.org.

Palm Beach Show Group acquires Los Angeles Art Show

June 20, 2012/in Events/by Catherine Saunders-Watson

PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Show Group has announced the acquisition of the Los Angeles Art Show from the Fine Art Dealers Association (FADA). The purchase includes the Los Angeles Fine Art Show: Modern & Contemporary and the Los Angeles Fine Art Show: Historic and Traditional. A specialized section within these shows, The Los Angeles IFPDA Fine Print Fair, will continue to function under the auspices of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) but will be produced and managed by the existing Los Angeles Art Show production team.

The annual Los Angeles Art Show, created by FADA more than 17 years ago, is one of the longest running venues for contemporary, modern, and traditional art in the country. The 2012 show hosted more than 100 prominent galleries and drew more than 50,000 visitors with its two-show concept that distinctly separates modern and contemporary works from historical and traditional exhibits. The progressive show style provides two individual concepts under one roof and garners the appeal of an expansive international audience.

“The Los Angeles Art Show is uniquely diverse and is certainly one of the most interesting shows in the world,” stated Scott Diament, CEO of the Palm Beach Show Group. “We would like to thank FADA for developing a world class event with such a magnetic and international draw. We are confident that under our direction this show will be taken to the next level.”

The Palm Beach Show Group, headquartered in Palm Beach County, FL, currently owns and produces four nationally acclaimed shows including its’ signature Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show, now in its tenth year.

In conjunction with Kim Martindale, the 17 year General Manager of the Los Angeles Art Show, the LA Art Show, Inc. will combine the large organizational strength of the Palm Beach Show Group with the managerial and local expertise of the KR Martindale team, to continue to produce high quality fairs.

Betina Tasende, President of the Fine Art Dealers Association stated, “As a well-respected organization of art galleries, FADA continues to fully support the Los Angeles Art Show. It has been a part of our association for the past 17 years and we are confident the Palm Beach Show Group has the necessary enthusiasm and infrastructure to grow this event appropriately.”

With historic ties to Far Eastern exhibitors and collectors, the Los Angeles Art Show merges the West Coast arts community with premiere Asian art presented by galleries from China, Korea and the United States. These galleries offer a rare glimpse into classical and modern Asian Arts. International highlights of the show also include prestigious European galleries and extraordinary South American exhibitors.

“The city of Los Angeles has established itself over the last 20 years as one of the most important art centers in the United States and the Los Angeles Art Show has been an important factor in making this happen,” stated Martindale, “We believe that the show will flourish under the direction of the Palm Beach Show Group. This transition will surely be smooth, and one that we have been looking forward to for quite some time.”

Plans for the show include the expansion of Modern and Contemporary components, an area in which the Palm Beach Show Group projects a massive potential.

“Our extensive marketing efforts will make an immense impact on the reach and participation associated with this show,” stated Diament. “We believe we possess all of the elements to take something as great as the Los Angeles Art Show and make it exceptional.”

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Pair Chinese carved marble foo dogs. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

Artwork may be strong suit at Jenack auction July 8

June 20, 2012/in Upcoming Auctions/by Tom Hoepf

Pair Chinese carved marble foo dogs. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

CHESTER, N.Y. – William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers will conduct a fine art and antique auction highlighted by American and European works of art, a collection of Chinese art and ceramics, Waterford crystal, jewelry and accessories on Sunday, July 8. The sale will be held at the Jenack gallery, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. The sale will commence at 11 a.m. EDT.

Artwork will perhaps be the strongest section of the sale with works by James Hamilton, Douglas Arthur Teed, David Burliuk and Maud Humphrey.

The work by James Hamilton is titled Egyptian Temple and has a striking evening sky. The canvas by Teed is stark by contrast and is a monochromatic desert landscape with a snake. Maud Humphrey’s watercolor is of a toddler seated in her Sunday best. Humphrey (1868-1940) was well-known illustrator and mother of actor Humphrey Bogart.

Accessories will include a Eli and Samuel Terry mahogany pillar and scroll shelf clock in complete and working condition with the original glass reworked by Lee Davis of York, Pa., an elaborate bronze fountain of a nude seated upon a shell surrounded by dolphins, a Vespa scooter and a classical revival chandelier featuring phoenix birds and pulled feather art glass shades.

Several vintage timepieces will be offered including a Tempor Watch Co. Masonic pocket watch, 14K Tiffany & Co. presentation pocket watch, Rolex 14K dress wristwatch and a Berthoud & Brothers 19th century pocket watch, among several others.

Additionally, there will be many furnishings, bronzes, chandeliers, carpets and rugs available to the highest bidder.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Pair Chinese carved marble foo dogs. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

Maud Humphrey watercolor. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

Eli and Samuel Terry pillar and scroll clock. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

James Hamilton painting, Egyptian temple. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

David Burliuk painting. William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers image.

One of the antique Scottish stained glass artworks to be auctioned on June 21 to benefit PROJECT C.U.R.E.

Scottish stained glass collection to be auctioned for children’s clinic

June 20, 2012/in Events/by Catherine Saunders-Watson

One of the antique Scottish stained glass artworks to be auctioned on June 21 to benefit PROJECT C.U.R.E.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The prized personal collection of antique stained glass windows owned by Scottish Stained Glass president Martin Faith, will be auctioned Thursday, June 21 as a fundraising effort for Project C.U.R.E.

The “Buy a Window, Save a Life” cocktail event will take place on the evening of the Summer Solstice at the Scottish Stained Glass showroom in Centennial, Colorado. From 5:30 pm to sunset, these one of a kind, masterpiece windows will be on display with experts explaining their design and construction. Sparkling in the sun of the longest day of the year, the windows will be sold, with a select grouping available via a live silent auction, to raise the funds needed to help Project C.U.R.E. ship containers holding approximately $1,000,000 of medical supplies to the new pediatric intensive care unit of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City.

“I had the privilege of meeting Project C.U.R.E.’s president, Dr. Doug Jackson, several years ago and have wondered repeatedly ever since what we could do to become a part of the mission of this highly respected organization,” said Martin Faith, founder of Scottish Stained Glass and Scottish Home Improvements. “Despite their tremendous personal value to our family, we realize that selling and auctioning the collection of antique stained glass we brought with us from Scotland over 20 years ago could potentially save hundreds, if not thousands of lives, and we are honored to make them available for the public to see and buy to help this incredible cause.”

Each of the 150 leaded glass windows that will be available at the event were hand made between 1870 and 1914. Every window is in exceptional condition and requested donation prices begin at $400 and range up to $20,000.

Organizers invite one and all to party like a Scotsman at the festive June 21 event, which will feature a Scottish band, bagpipes, excellent food and wine. Kilts are encouraged.

The address is 14250 E. Easter Place, Centennial, CO 80112.

To register for the event, visit   www.scottishstainedglass.com/antique-scottish-stained-glass-panels

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

One of the antique Scottish stained glass artworks to be auctioned on June 21 to benefit PROJECT C.U.R.E.

Enamel silver bat brooch, enamel wings accented with four white sapphires. Estimate: $800-$1,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Art Nouveau bat brooch a special treat at Michaan’s sale July 1

June 20, 2012/in Upcoming Auctions/by Tom Hoepf

Enamel silver bat brooch, enamel wings accented with four white sapphires. Estimate: $800-$1,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s will hold its monthly estate auction on Sunday, July 1, at 10 a.m. in its Main Gallery located at 2751 Todd Street. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The Fine Art Department’s European offerings will open the auction, including lots from artists Marc Chagall, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Ludwig Bang, Achille Lauge and Roger Bezombes. American art will close the sale with Wayne Thiebaud, Paul Landacre, Robert Wyland, Luke E. Gibney, Jack Zajac and Peter Max represented.

Dutch painter Alexander Gerhard Anton van Rappard’s oil Cavaliers highlights the July offerings, to be sold as lot 005 ($8,000-$12,000). The painting depicts a rural maiden and three admirers in a rustic dining area. Van Rappard’s paintings are rare due in part to his short life of only 33 years. During his brief career van Rappard studied under Lawrence Alma-Tadema and befriended Vincent van Gogh. The scarcity and quality of his works have lead them to be highly prized in the contemporary market.

The Jewelry Department features a one-of-a-kind Art Nouveau plique-à-jour, silver bat brooch among its lots of fine, period and vintage costume jewelry (lot 183, $800-$1,200). The piece was made in Europe for export and is fashioned with enamel wings accented by four white sapphires. The brooch measures 4 1/2 inches in length by 1 inch in height and is sure to delight collectors and buyers alike.

A lovely selection of high-end timepieces and handbags will also be up for auction. Watch makers include names such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Piaget and Breitling. Vintage and fashion handbag lots feature designs from the likes of Judith Leiber, Salvatore Ferragamo, Longchamp and Louis Vuitton.

Among the Asian Department’s offerings of ceramics, porcelains, jades, bronzes, furniture and Japanese lots is a lovely Chinese zither, offered as lot 451 ($600-$800). The wooden musical instrument measures approximately 47 inches by 7 inches and is accented by seven dark brown tassels. An inscription on the reverse bears a collectors seal, beautifully fashioned in gold colored paint. The Chinese zither originated over 2,300 years ago, making it one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments known. To this day, the Chinese zither is understood to be a type of Chinese harp or piano.

Furniture and decorative items consist of over 200 lots including European and American period furniture, Tiffany & Co. silver and a wide selection of collectible perfume bottles and decanters. Notable is an interesting group of patent models and advertising signs from a private Bay Area collector. Two of the most charming pieces from the collection are patent model furniture lots. The first is a walnut drop-leaf table, circa 1875, (lot 774, $700-$900) and the other a mahogany convertible chair marked “H. Braunfeld” (lot 776, $600-$800). Other miscellaneous patent model items are available from the estate including a mechanical steam pressure regulator circa 1863 (lot 775, $600-$800), a red and black metal furnace from Philadelphia (lot 772, $500-$700) and a mahogany lard cooler circa 1880 (lot 773, $400-$600).

An illustrated auction catalog will also be online for review at www.michaans.com. Previews open at Michaan’s Auctions on June 29 until the day of sale. For details visit Michaan’s website or call the front desk at 510-740-0220.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Enamel silver bat brooch, enamel wings accented with four white sapphires. Estimate: $800-$1,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Alexander Gerhard Anton Van Rappard (Dutch 1858-1892) ‘Cavaliers,’ oil on canvas. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Chinese zither. Estimate: $600-$800. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Patent model of a walnut drop-leaf parlor table, P.A. Cutler, May 5, 1875. Estimate: $700-$900. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Patent model of a steam pressure regulator. Estimate: $600-$800. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Patent model of a mahogany lard cooler, label ‘G.A. Stanley June 8, 1880 Cleveland Ohio.’ Estimate: $400-$600. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Oil on board painting of a woman in a yellow dress, one of seven works in the auction by Joseph Delaney (Tennessee/New York, 1904-1991). It is estimated at $3,000-$4,000. Case Antiques image.

Gold, silver, bronzes among prizes at Case’s auction June 30

June 20, 2012/in Upcoming Auctions/by Tom Hoepf

Oil on board painting of a woman in a yellow dress, one of seven works in the auction by Joseph Delaney (Tennessee/New York, 1904-1991). It is estimated at $3,000-$4,000. Case Antiques image.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It’s not the Olympics, but bronze, silver and gold are expected to be among the key prizes at the Summer Case Antiques Auction. The sale will be held June 30 at the company’s gallery in Knoxville and features outstanding bronze sculpture, collections of Tiffany silver and Chinese and Russian silver, and several gold objects. A stellar lineup of Southern antiques and European and American paintings will also cross the block, along with important Civil War material, rare prints, maps, books, clocks and Asian antiques.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for the 750-lot auction, which starts at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Two bronze figural groups of men and horses by Russian sculptor Evgeni Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848-1886) lead the fine art category. There are also two Art Deco-style bronze sculptures of women by Romain Erte (Russian, 1892-1990), a bronze of a worker by Aime-Jules Dalou (French, 1838-1902), and a rare 12-inch Statue of Liberty American Committee model after Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (French, 1834-1904), produced in limited numbers in the 1870s to raise money for the statue’s pedestal.

Several artworks from the estate of Hollywood screenwriter Francis Faragoh are featured, including silver gelatin prints by American photographers Margaret Bourke White (1904-1971) and Samuel Gottscho (1875-1971), an etching of a nude woman titled The Weeper by Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1054), a charcoal and pastel nude by Abraham Baylinson (American, 1882-1950), and a lithograph by George Bellows (American, 1882-1924) titled Bathing Beach. An archive related to Faragoh’s Hollywood career, including a first revision script of Little Caesar, which earned him an Oscar nomination, will also be sold.

Expected to draw international interest are paintings by Angel Bottello (Puerto Rico, 1913-1986), Roberto Burl Marx (Brazil, 1909-1982), Josef Van Schlogl (Austria, 1851-1918), David Burliuk (Russian-American, 1882-1967), Edigus Linnig (Belgium, 1821-1860), Athanas Ivanovich Scheloumoff (Russian, 1892-1983), and Pang Tseng Ying (Chinese, 1916-1997). There is also a collection of early Old Master-style paintings and drawings from the estate of Tennessee judge W. Dale Young. American regional artists in the auction include Claude Curry Bohm (1984-1971), William Posey Silva (1859-1948), Louis Jones (1878-1958), Thomas Campbell (1834-1914), Charles Vickery (1913-1998) and Richard Clarke (1923-1997). Also featured is a collection of paintings by Knoxville born Joseph Delaney (1904-1991), an Island Hay lithograph by Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), and a painting of the discovery of two dead Union soldiers by noted Civil War veteran/artist William Shelton (1840-1932), used as an illustration for the classic Warren Lee Gross book Recollections of a Private.

There are nearly 200 lots of precious metals in the sale, including several lots of 19th and 20th century Chinese Export silver, prerevolution Russian hollowware, and Persian silver including an elaborate punchbowl and base weighing nearly 100 troy ounces. Also featured is a collection of Tiffany sterling consisting of an early 1900s tea service in the Persian taste with Edward Moore mark; flatware in the Wave Edge and Marquis patterns; a set of goblets; and a 19th century cake basket by Grosjean and Woodward, early suppliers to Tiffany. Coin silver includes a julep cup by William Calhoun of Nashville and a tobacco prize julep cup with marks for John Kitts and Peter Krider, awarded to a Kentucky plantation owner. There are also more than 70 pieces of American coin silver from estate of the late dealer Salli LaGrone of Franklin, Tenn. (The first part of LaGrone’s estate was sold in Case’s Winter auction; this auction will feature the remainder.)

A Tiffany 18K gold Maria Moors Cabot Journalism Prize Medal, awarded by Columbia University to radio commentator Edward Tomlinson in 1943 will be sold, along with several lots of fine jewelry including two Shah of Iran gold coins mounted as earrings, a platinum-set 2.99-carat yellow diamond ring, an Art Deco diamond and platinum watch, Navajo silver and turquoise jewelry, and a sterling silver and amethyst quartz frog bracelet by William Spratling.

Southern Pottery is a staple at Case; featured this time is a rare Charles Decker stoneware rundlet, a Cain pottery redware jar, a Pisgah Forest cameo pitcher, four graduated canisters by Arie Meaders of Georgia, a North Carolina stoneware jug stamped W.W. Ballard, a Sand Mountain Alabama jar and a collection of Jugtown, N.C. pottery.

This auction also includes a good selection of American Art Pottery such as a large rare Louis Comfort Tiffany Favrile pottery vase with textured blue, green and gold glaze; a Newcomb College mug by Sara Bloom Levy and a Sadie Irvine vase; and several pieces of Rookwood including mugs, a tile, and an Edward Diers-decorated scenic vase.

Asian material comprises a significant portion of the sale—nearly 100 lots—and encompasses Qing and early Republic period porcelain, snuff bottles, ivories and jades, including an outstanding carved russet jade dragon.

A dramatic 125-letter Civil War period archive from Capt. Oliver Pinkney McCammon of the 3rd Tennessee Federal Cavalry, along with his tintype and some personal effects, leads a strong selection of historical ephemera. There is also the personal diary of Confederate Pvt. Adam Kersh of Company F 52nd Virginia Infantry and an archive of letters and personal effects related to Fort Donelson.

Several scarce Civil War related books are featured, as well as a complete set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books all signed by the author, and an 1837-38 edition of John Gould’s Synopsis of the Birds of Australia with 73 color plates. A collection of 1930s Hollywood autographs including an Ingrid Bergman letter is also a highlight, along with four framed theater programs from plays performed at Windsor Castle in 1849.

An outstanding collection of rare engravings from the LaGrone estate includes ornithology prints by Eleazer Albin, zoology prints after A.L. Wirsing, and a set of Matthias Merian prints illustrating 17th century garden designs. Heraldry, seashells, insects, astronomy are other subjects in the category, and there are several maps including a 1795 map of Tennessee showing Native American landmarks.

By far the largest object in the auction is a massive and ornately carved sideboard brought from a European castle to Tennessee by the late country music star Johnny Cash and used at his House of Cash museum. Other furniture standouts are a Philadelphia desk and bookcase, a high chest in old surface, and a rare Tennessee cherry pie safe sideboard.

An assortment of clocks is highlighted by a circa 1820 French ormolu Jason and the Golden Fleece clock, numerous other gilt-bronze figural clocks, and a French porcelain clock, possibly Sevres, with gilt bronze mounts and horizontal dial. There are also single owner collections of early lighting and British creamware. Other items of note include a scarce Tennessee needlework sampler with house design; Southern quilts; a 20th century “Alabama Indestructible” black doll made by Ella G. Smith, the first doll maker in the South to manufacture black dolls; several mechanical music items including a Swiss cylinder music box on stand with four brass cylinders; and several World War related lots including an outstanding decorated European theater bomber jacket, and an archive and jacket from the first U.S. pilot shot down during World War II.

The auction takes place at Case’s gallery in the historic Cherokee Mills Building, 2240 Sutherland Ave. in Knoxville, on Saturday, June 30. Online, absentee and phone bids will also be accepted. A preview will take place on Friday, June 29, from noon to 6 p.m. or by appointment. The company is also accepting quality art and antique consignments for its October auction. For more information, call the gallery in Knoxville at 865-558-3033 or the Nashville office at 615-812-6096 or email info@caseantiques.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Oil on board painting of a woman in a yellow dress, one of seven works in the auction by Joseph Delaney (Tennessee/New York, 1904-1991). It is estimated at $3,000-$4,000. Case Antiques image.

Evgeni Alexandrovich Lanceray (Russian, 1848-1886) large bronze ‘Capture of a Wild Kirghiz Horse,’ inscribed E. Lanceray in Cyrillic, with foundry mark for F. Chopin in Cyrillic. It is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Case Antiques image.

This elaborate 19th century Continental carved oak sideboard, from the estate of late country music legend Johnny Cash and formerly used in his museum, is estimated at $6,000-$8,000. Case Antiques image.

A five-piece sterling tea and coffee service in the Persian taste, with M mark, is part of a single-owner collection of Tiffany & Co. silver featured in the sale. It is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Case Antiques image.

The rare books category includes a complete set of eight ‘Little House on the Prairie’ books, each bearing the signature of author Laura Ingalls Wilder. The books will be sold in pairs with estimates of $2,500-$3,500 per pair. Case Antiques image.

Southern pottery featured in this sale are (clockwise from top) a rare Charles Decker signed and dated rundlet (est. $4,000-$4,500), a redware jar attributed to the Cain pottery (est. $1,000-$1,500), and a Greene County, Tenn., stoneware cream pot (est. $400-$500). Case Antiques image.

There are nearly 100 lots of Asian material in the auction including this box with marks for Luen Wo of Shanghai, one of five pieces of Chinese silver in the sale. Estimate: $600-$900. Case Antiques image.

Vincenzo de Bellis, Artistic Director of MiArt

Vincenzo de Bellis appointed Artistic Director of MiArt, Milan

June 20, 2012/in People/by Catherine Saunders-Watson

Vincenzo de Bellis, Artistic Director of MiArt

MILAN, Italy – Vincenzo de Bellis is the new Artistic Director of MiArt, Milan’s International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair. Consistent with the goal of making it a dynamic exhibition, capable of regenerating itself each year and of keeping up with the continuous developments in the sector of art and in the market, Fiera Milano has decided to invest in an ambitious long-term project, in a significant fair that represents a point of reference for modern and contemporary art in Italy and an important date for international galleries and collectors.

MiArt continues its project to establish itself qualitatively and internationally through a new phase of research and a study of the new markets and the new collectors that are increasingly approaching the sector. In a highly competitive scenario where the professionals called to the field have to make pondered choices targeting the involvement of artistic excellences overall and within their specific competences, MiArt has appointed Vincenzo de Bellis, co-founder and co-director of Peep-Hole, Milan to formulate the new program.

A choice dictated by the force of the project that involves many “actors” who experience and nurture the world of art on an everyday basis.

“I have, for some time, expressed myself as curator in the attempt to redefine the sense of the institution of art, said de Bellis. “I have accepted this extremely important position with a view to trying out possible alternative institutional strategies to the usual ones. At a time like the present, when the traditional role of institutions is in crisis, I believe that art fairs are flexible models that can adjust to and grasp the complexity of the system with extreme synthesis and incisiveness.”

De Bellis continued: “The aim is to set out a path with MiArt playing an active role in contemporary production throughout the year, not only during the three days of the actual show itself, which will simply be just one of its possible representations. I would like MiArt to become a recipient of contexts, structures and varied experiences that can connect the peculiarities of Milan’s cultural and economic structure on the one hand, and be the catalyst for leading international organizations on the other. I believe that we can only attempt to take up this challenge by pooling our resources, which is why I am building a team composed of great Italian and international professionals.”

Apart from the confirm of Donatella Volontè as head of the Modern sector, the team members include: Alessandro Rabottini, Curator at large GAMeC, Bergamo; Fionn Meade, Independent Curator, New York; Andrea Viliani, Agent-Core Group of dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel; Florence Derieux, Director of Frac Champagne-Ardenne, Reims; Andrew Bonacina, Curator of the International Project Space, Birmingham and some more with whom we have initiated collaborations.

Mousse, the Milan-based and internationally-active enterprise, will be in charge for visual communication and Design.

The fair’s main structure will continue to be based on the combined presence of modern and contemporary, the true key aspect of the story of MiArt but there will be some major changes in the layout and in the organization. Some new sections will be added, others will be replaced, others again tweaked and the whole team will be fully involved in these changes. Very shortly, we will communicate all these news, along with the members of the selection and honor committee.

MiArt 2013 will be held in Milan at fieramilanocity from April 5-7, with the opening ceremony on Thursday April 4.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Vincenzo de Bellis, Artistic Director of MiArt

Circa-1947 photograph of artist William Baziotes (American, 1912-1963), Francis Lee, photographer. William and Ethel Baziotes papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Fair use of possibly copyrighted image to illustrate the subject of the article for educational, nonprofit purposes.

William Baziotes honored with display at Reading Public Museum

June 20, 2012/in Museums/by Catherine Saunders-Watson

Circa-1947 photograph of artist William Baziotes (American, 1912-1963), Francis Lee, photographer. William and Ethel Baziotes papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Fair use of possibly copyrighted image to illustrate the subject of the article for educational, nonprofit purposes.

READING, Pa. – The Reading Public Museum is pleased to announce a centennial celebration of renowned artist William Baziotes in the Cohen Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. Baziotes, who spent his formative years in Reading, would have been 100 years old this month.

On view through mid-July are three of Baziotes’ oil paintings from the early 1940s through the 1950s: Untitled, (Sailboat), from the 1950s, a recent gift (2008) from Marguerite and H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest; Moon Forms, 1947, a promised gift to the museum from Irv and Lois Cohen; and Untitled, (Girl on Beach),1941, a 1965 gift from Mr. and Mrs. James Mantis. Also included in the display are several recent gifts (2012) to The Museum from Mrs. Ethel Baziotes, widow of the artist, consisting of the artist’s original painting easel, a group of paint brushes, his “lucky painting shoes” and his horn-rimmed eyeglasses with case.

Scott Schweigert, the museum’s curator of art and civilization commented that “These personal items, along with fine representative paintings from Baziotes’ career, will provide visitors with unique insight into his life as an artist and his enduring legacy here in Reading, Pennsylvania.”

Born in Pittsburgh in 1912, William Baziotes moved with his family to Reading in 1913 when he was a year old. His parents were Greek immigrants who came there for business opportunities. The family ran a successful restaurant and bakery in the city. For a time, his father was a partner in the Crystal Restaurant on the 500 block of Penn Street in Reading. Baziotes also worked at J. M. Kase & Company, a stained glass manufacturer in the city from 1931 to 1933.

The artist moved to New York in 1933 on the recommendation of friend and Reading poet Byron Vazakas. He enrolled in classes at the National Academy of Design and absorbed influences of European modernism including Surrealism before adopting his mature abstract style.

His major breakthrough came in the mid 1940s, when he gained a reputation among fellow Abstract Expressionists in New York such as Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. Beginning in the late 1940s, The Museum of Modern Art and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, The Art Institute in Chicago, and other major institutions acquired works by the artist. Baziotes taught at New York University, The Brooklyn Museum of Art School, and Hunter College in New York. The artist died in June, 1963.

Online: www.readingpublicmuseum.org

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Circa-1947 photograph of artist William Baziotes (American, 1912-1963), Francis Lee, photographer. William and Ethel Baziotes papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Fair use of possibly copyrighted image to illustrate the subject of the article for educational, nonprofit purposes.

Memorial on the Gettysburg Battlefield to the 111th New York Infantry. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Mounted tour of Gettysburg puts battle into perspective

June 20, 2012/in Antiquities, Cultures & Historical/by Tom Hoepf

Memorial on the Gettysburg Battlefield to the 111th New York Infantry. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) – A twig snaps and brush rustles in woods on the Gettysburg battlefield. My horse does not flinch. It’s nothing more than a small animal scurrying away. But on a hot summer day nearly 150 years earlier, it could have been the enemy.

The rolling farmland that is Gettysburg can be toured in a number of ways, but on horseback you can transport yourself to the vantage and vulnerability of a Civil War officer on horseback directing his troops in the three-day battle. On a recent family trip, my husband, our daughters, ages 9 and 14, and I toured the battlefields on horseback with a Gettysburg licensed battlefield guide. The tour allowed us to go into sections of the battlefield that were not part of auto or bus tours and provided intricate details of the July 1-3, 1863 battle that was a turning point in the Civil War.

Horse tours have been offered for decades by farms in the area. But with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War under way and the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg battle approaching in the summer of 2013, this is an ideal time to visit.

Pamela Grimes, owner of Hickory Hollow Farm, has up to 15 horses available for battlefield tours, and says visitors need not have any experience riding. The horses fall into step while walking along the wooded dirt trails, kicking up clouds of dust along the way, and need just a little direction from riders to keep them in line, but all four of us novices were fine. Grimes, with a helper and a licensed battlefield guide, Les Fowler, also accompanied our tour.

As we mounted our horses, Grimes’ team told us our horses’ names and a little about their personalities. My 9-year-old daughter Madigan’s horse, Spirit, was quick and likely would have been used as a messenger or scout horse in 1863. My husband Rob’s horse, Pebbles, was a calm leader and took the front of the line. My horse, Raggity Ann, liked to snack on brush or grass along the trails. Our daughter Nicole’s horse, Rock, was a bit slower and brought up the rear for our family.

Much of the battlefield now appears as it did in 1863, when Confederate troops moved into Pennsylvania that hot summer, so it is easy for young and old alike to grasp the vulnerability of troops marching across an open field or having the advantage of being on the high ground. The battlefield has undergone a landscape rehabilitation since 2000, including cutting non-historic trees, replanting orchards and rebuilding missing fences, to make it appear much as it did 150 years ago, said spokeswoman Katie Lawhon at Gettysburg National Military Park, which averages about 1.2 million visitors a year.

“Now, you can get a wonderful feel for what the soldiers actually saw. This field has changed dramatically in just the seven years that I have lived here,” said Fowler, the battlefield guide.

Most of the buildings on the battlefield in 1863 are still standing and are well-maintained. In addition, there are more than 1,300 monuments and 400 cannons. Rocks and other markers seen in iconic Civil War photographs make it easy to pinpoint exactly where the picture was taken.

Our ride lasted two and a half hours and covered about four miles roundtrip, starting near McMillan Woods and across to the Henry Spangler Farm, which served as a field hospital for soldiers during and after the battle.

The tour was point-to-point, with riders gathering around Fowler at key spots between riding to hear the story of what we were seeing.

Our group then headed to the site of Pickett’s Charge, where thousands of troops of the Army of Northern Virginia marched toward Union lines on July 3, their own line nearly a mile wide. The famous, futile charge was named for one of the Confederate generals, Maj. Gen. George Pickett. After being slowed by climbing fences along the nearby road, they came into range of the Union infantry on Cemetery Ridge, which we could see less than a mile away.

Fowler described how the Confederate line shrunk to nearly half its size as it closed in to cover the gaps left by wounded and killed men. It was easy to imagine as we could see the tree lines, fences and fields in front of us.

A statue in the area where Gen. Robert E. Lee observed the carnage of the failed charge from his horse, is one of the most realistic monuments because the face was made from a life mask of Lee and the bones of his horse, Traveller, were measured for accuracy, Fowler said.

Gettysburg is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War through 2015. Interest is expected to increase as the actual date of the 150th anniversary of the battle approaches in summer 2013. Living history encampments and other events are planned.

As attendance and interest in the site grows, tours are increasingly in demand, so reservations are a must, whether you’re looking for a horseback tour or a tour by one of Gettysburg’s 160 licensed battlefield guides, or both, as we did.

“For many people, Gettysburg is such a significant event in our nation’s history, and it actually in some ways defines who we are as Americans today because of the tremendous crisis of that battle,” she said. “It can be a tremendously moving place.”

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If You Go…

GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER: 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, Pa., http://www.nps.gov/gett/ or 717-334-1124.

HICKORY HOLLOW FARM: Horseback tours of Gettysburg; http://www.hickoryhollowfarm.com/ or 717-334-0349. Horseback tours accompanied by licensed battlefield guide are $50 per person per hour, two-hour minimum. Trail rides without the guide are $40 per person per hour. Riders must be at least 8 years old and no more than 250 pounds.

CAR AND BUS TOURS: Bus tours are offered several times daily and can be booked in advance through http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org or 877-874-2478, or buy tickets same day at the visitor center, $30 for adults, $18 for children 6-12. Private car tours are $65 per car for up to six visitors in one vehicle, last about an hour and must be reserved at least four days in advance.

AP-WF-06-18-12 1853GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Memorial on the Gettysburg Battlefield to the 111th New York Infantry. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.