Fusco bills Sept. 30 stamp auction as their best yet

U.S. Scott no. 4. Fusco Auctions image.
U.S. Scott no. 4. Fusco Auctions image.

U.S. Scott no. 4. Fusco Auctions image.

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Fusco Auctions’ 113th public stamp auction, on Sunday, Sept. 30, is loaded with excellent quality material from the first lot through the last. The auction features excellent U.S. singles and collections with strong U.S. revenues in addition to some the best general foreign singles and collections the auction company ever offered. Also, excellent large lots and postal history lots as well as outstanding postcard lots are in the sale.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The sale will begin at 12 noon EDT.

Highlights of this auction include classic U.S. and worldwide singles with outstanding early high value Great Britain King Edward and Queen Victoria issues. Complete, hard to find sets of unused British Commonwealth material are also present.

“This is one of our best offering of classic stamps and collections that we have ever offered. This auction, which is our 113th public stamp auction, clearly places Fusco Auctions as one of the leading stamp auction companies in the world today,” said owner and auctioneer Paul Fusco.

For details contact Fusco Auctions. Email pfusco@fuscoauctions.com or phone 440-975-8938.

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


U.S. Scott no. 4. Fusco Auctions image.

U.S. Scott no. 4. Fusco Auctions image.

U.S. Scott no, 129. Fusco Auctions image.

U.S. Scott no, 129. Fusco Auctions image.

U.S. Scott no, 243. Fusco Auctions image.

U.S. Scott no, 243. Fusco Auctions image.

Great Britain Scott no. 93. Fusco Auctions image.

Great Britain Scott no. 93. Fusco Auctions image.

Great Britain Gibbons L9. Fusco Auctions image.

Great Britain Gibbons L9. Fusco Auctions image.

Great Britain Scott 124. Fusco Auctions image.

Great Britain Scott 124. Fusco Auctions image.

Annie Leibovitz’s ‘master set’ both iconic, personal

Scarlett Johansson, Los Angeles, 2004. © Annie Leibovitz
Scarlett Johansson, Los Angeles, 2004. © Annie Leibovitz
Scarlett Johansson, Los Angeles, 2004. © Annie Leibovitz

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was a job in itself for Annie Leibovitz to cull the first 40 years of her wide-ranging life as a photographer down to a core “master set” to be turned into museum-quality prints.

Leibovitz had so many pivotal moments to draw from: her thousands of assignments for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Vogue; her enviable access to rock stars, athletes, dancers and politicians; and volumes of personal photographs.

The 63-year-old Leibovitz envisioned selecting 100 prints as a legacy for her three children, but ultimately landed at 156. The full complement, “Annie Leibovitz: Master Set,” is displayed the first time in its entirety at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus through Dec. 30.

“Each photograph is kind of a landmark for me or a moment or a place, or represents not only someplace in cultural history but also in photography for me,” Leibovitz said in an interview with The Associated Press.

John Lennon clinging naked to Yoko Ono, the nude and pregnant Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg in a bathtub of milk are all here. So are Mick Jagger, Hunter Thompson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Miles Davis, George W. Bush, the Obamas and Queen Elizabeth II.

Leibovitz also included the faces of those dear to her but perhaps lesser-known to consumers of her celebrated magazine photography: her daughter, Sarah, staring through wide infant eyes; her siblings; and her mother looking both stalwart and kind.

Her photojournalism also is represented, including an iconic image of the red carpet being withdrawn as Richard Nixon departs the White House.

“You see the history of my adventure in photography through the work,” Leibovitz said. “It’s a very eclectic, I’d have to say even an uneven, set. It’s not cohesive and smooth, it’s kind of erratic.”

Leibovitz said she borrowed the idea of focusing on a narrow selection of work from famed landscape photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams, who staged a retrospective exhibition in 1974 and spent much of his later career making reprints.

“As a magazine photographer … you’re not making prints, you’re not thinking about prints,” she said. “So really the master set was an idea based on something that Ansel Adams did at a certain point in his life. He stopped and he thought, looking back on a certain point in his life, what he thought was important, and he spent the rest of his days printing those sets.”

Leibovitz intended this set of images to be available to museums and other institutions, but she had never envisioned it as a show. The idea was slipped to one of her associates by Wexner Center director Sherri Geldin, with whom Leibovitz had a growing professional rapport, and it clicked.

Leibovitz said the Wexner is legendary among artists and provided the right fit for showing the work.

“It was just this mythological place,” she said. “They’re just a place that supports artists.”

The master set is paired with two other installations for the run of show. Her Smithsonian-curated show “Pilgrimage” is displayed in the center gallery of the museum. It’s a collection of images of iconic items, such as Sigmund Freud’s couch and Elvis Presley’s motorcycle.

And in the museum lobby is a casually hung collection of Leibovitz’s photographs of dozens of artists who have displayed, performed or been featured or honored by the Wexner. Leibovitz became the latest recipient of the prestigious Wexner Prize ahead of the show’s opening.

The Leibovitz show had the early signs of a blowout for the museum, something Geldin views as good for both the Wexner and Leibovitz.

“We are able to put Annie’s work in a context that allows it to be seen as fine art,” Geldin said. “Often people who get their start in photojournalism and remain more or less in magazines and the media, they’re sort of thought of us stepchildren in the art world. And I think these works are extraordinarily artistic. Annie’s artistry is unquestionable.”

The master set exhibit represents Leibovitz’s work from 1968 to 2009.

“It isn’t a greatest hits, but it’s milestones in the work for me,” the photographer said.

#   #   #

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Scarlett Johansson, Los Angeles, 2004. © Annie Leibovitz
Scarlett Johansson, Los Angeles, 2004. © Annie Leibovitz

’70 GTO, coins, stamps power Tim’s Inc. auction Sept. 30

The expected star lot of the auction is this 1970 Pontiac GTO (‘The Judge’), in original condition. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

The expected star lot of the auction is this 1970 Pontiac GTO (‘The Judge’), in original condition. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

The expected star lot of the auction is this 1970 Pontiac GTO (‘The Judge’), in original condition. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

BRISTOL, Conn. – A 1970 Pontiac GTO (“The Judge”) in original condition, a large single-owner lifetime stamp collection, hundreds of fine gold and silver coins, vintage clocks and antique furnishings are just some of what bidders can expect when they attend the first-ever Fall Sizzler Estate Extravaganza Auction scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30, by Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding on the more than 1,000 lots.  The sale will be comparable in size to Tim’s Inc. Auction’s last Cabin Fever Auction held in March. And, said Tim Chapulis, the firm’s owner, there are similarities between the two sales.

“We’ve got so much wonderful estate merchandise packed into one day, just like Cabin Fever, all of it drawn from local estates and collections,” Chapulis said, He mentioned a bank-sealed bag of fine silver coins with a face value of $1,000, that will be sold as one lot.

Chapulis said it took 12 hours and 15 minutes to sell everything in Cabin Fever. “This will be the same thing,” he said, “a marathon – it might go till midnight, maybe 1 o’clock in the morning. We’ll be selling wonderful merchandise until it’s all gone.” There are six major estates being liquidated.

To borrow a line from Sammy Davis Jr. on TV’s Laugh-In, “Here comes the judge!” The probable headliner of the auction will be the 1970 Pontiac GTO (“The Judge”), in part because it is a desirable muscle car from the era and in part because of its impeccable provenance. The car is from the original owner, who purchased it new in West Hartford for $4,400 in 1969. The light green “Pon-Pon,” with a dark green top, has been stored and garaged for the past 34-plus years.

Features of the car include matching VIN numbers, Hurst four-speed transmission, a 400-cubic-inch engine (rated at 366 horsepower) and Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor. The interior is all-original. “We’re offering the car in as-found condition, but the fact is it’s been stored in a nice dry garage for years,” Chapulis said. “We’ve estimated it will sell for $15,000-$25,000.”

Chapulis described the massive single-owner stamp collection as “one of the largest and most important collections we’ve ever sold,” adding, “It will probably end up being 200 lots or so, and it will appeal to just about any collector, with great U.S. and international examples.”

The coins, too, are certain to spark fierce bidding for two reasons: many are highly collectible and the silver and gold content makes them desirable for the sheer weight alone. The aforementioned bag of silver coins has an estimated market value of around $25,000 Chapulis said it would fetch $15,000-$25,000. And the gold coins, of course, will get paddles waving.

Nearly 100 gold coins will come under the gavel, to include half-ounce Panda gold coins from 1983. In all, around 800 lots of coins will be sold, among them 29 sets of silver Chinese 5-yuan coins, each set honoring Chinese nobility. Many U.S. coins will also be sold. “What better way to invest in America than by buying U.S. coins with genuine history?” asked Mr. Chapulis.

Estate jewelry will feature four diamond rings, all with stones of one carat or more, other rings, pocket watches and vintage jewelry pieces, to include ladies’ bracelets and a stunning 18kt gold necklace with a weight of 2.5 troy ounces. Also sold will be pillar-and-scroll clocks by Eli Terry and other Connecticut makers, a gorgeous hand-carved gold gilt carved spread eagle made by a Boston carver in the early 1900s and saying “Live Free or Die,” Oriental carpets and more.

Artwork will include paintings by noted, listed artists, and much of it will be housed in beautiful gold gilt frames. Examples include an antique oil painting by Belgian artist Charles P. Ceradano (1829-1909), titled Shepherdess and Sheep; an oil on canvas seascape by Addison Thomas Millar (American, 1850-1913); a 19th century oil on canvas landscape rendering by William Berry; and an oil on board landscape done circa 1930s by the noted German artist Max Heichele.

The auction will begin promptly at noon EDT. Admittance to the auction will be a suggested $10 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in memory of Peter W. Chapulis, Tim’s late father.

“The outpour of support for this effort has been tremendous,” Tim said. “Many people have given more than we asked. To date this year, we’ve raised over $49,000 for the charity. The goal is to reach $50,000, which will coincide with St. Jude’s 50th anniversary.”

Tim’s Inc. Auctions is celebrating 33 years in business. The firm is always accepting quality consignments. Call Tim Chapulis at (860) 459-0964, or e-mail him at tims.inc@snet.net.

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


The expected star lot of the auction is this 1970 Pontiac GTO (‘The Judge’), in original condition. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

The expected star lot of the auction is this 1970 Pontiac GTO (‘The Judge’), in original condition. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

Gorgeous hand-carved gold gilt carved spread eagle, made by a Boston carver in the early 1900s. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

Gorgeous hand-carved gold gilt carved spread eagle, made by a Boston carver in the early 1900s. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

This beautiful and highly collectible 1924 gold coin is one of hundreds of gold and silver coins to be sold. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

This beautiful and highly collectible 1924 gold coin is one of hundreds of gold and silver coins to be sold. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

  Pillar-and-scroll clock by Connecticut clockmaker Eli Terry, one of several vintage clocks in the sale. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

Pillar-and-scroll clock by Connecticut clockmaker Eli Terry, one of several vintage clocks in the sale. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

One of 29 sets of silver Chinese 5-yuan coins, honoring Chinese nobility, and highly collectible. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

One of 29 sets of silver Chinese 5-yuan coins, honoring Chinese nobility, and highly collectible. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

The auction will feature four diamond rings, all with stones of more than one carat (like this one). Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

The auction will feature four diamond rings, all with stones of more than one carat (like this one). Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

This stunning and monumental mahogany breakfront is just one of many antique furnishings that will cross the block. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

This stunning and monumental mahogany breakfront is just one of many antique furnishings that will cross the block. Tim’s Inc. Auctions.

Soler y Llach presents auction of Man Ray photos Oct. 30

Man Ray, self-portrait with walking stick, 1930-1940. Estimate: 10,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.
Man Ray, self-portrait with walking stick, 1930-1940. Estimate: 10,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Man Ray, self-portrait with walking stick, 1930-1940. Estimate: 10,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

BARCELONA, Spain – On Oct. 30, the photography department of Soler y Llach will present an auction titled “Man Ray, Collection d’Afflitto, New York.” The 144-lot sale is the largest offering of photographs by Man Ray since 1995. Estimates range from 2,000 to 150,000 euros (1 euro = $1.30US).

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for the auction, which will begin at 6 p.m. Central European Time.

The auction will be exhibited in Madrid (Oct. 17, Espacio Salesas, c/ Conde de Xiquena 8), Paris (Oct. 22-23, Sale VV, 3 Rue Rossini) and Barcelona Oct. 29-30, Soler y Llach, c/ Beethoven, 13).

The photographs, mostly vintage black and white, are from the most interesting periods and subjects that define this unique American-born artist. The collection, assembled by Florentine art dealer Camillo d’Afflitto (1951-2009) during the last 30 years, approaches the recurring themes of the work of Man Ray that have marked his production: the self-portrait, portraits of artists and creators, their relationship and shared work with Marcel Duchamp, Dada, Surrealism, fashion photography, the body and architecture.

Other photos show primitive African art that he observed and immortalized with his camera from the perspective of modern artwork and not as a mere object. Also important are pictures of objects Man Ray ironically called “objects of my affection.”

The photographs were collected by the gallery owner and collector Camillo d’Afflitto, who was interested in avant-garde artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia. In 1981 he founded a gallery in Florence specializing in contemporary art.

For details call Soler y Llach at 34 93 201 87 33.

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


Man Ray, self-portrait with walking stick, 1930-1940. Estimate: 10,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Man Ray, self-portrait with walking stick, 1930-1940. Estimate: 10,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Portrait of Tristan Tzara, circa. 1921. Estimate: 8,000-12,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Portrait of Tristan Tzara, circa. 1921. Estimate: 8,000-12,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Photograph of Ady Fidelin in front of the plaster sculpture ´Albatros´ by Alberto Giacometti, circa 1937. Soler y Llach image.

Photograph of Ady Fidelin in front of the plaster sculpture ´Albatros´ by Alberto Giacometti, circa 1937. Soler y Llach image.

‘Negro y blanco, positivo,’ ‘Black and White, positive,’ 1926, printed in 1950s. Estimate: 150,000-200,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

‘Negro y blanco, positivo,’ ‘Black and White, positive,’ 1926, printed in 1950s. Estimate: 150,000-200,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Senufo feminin figure, Niena, Mali, circa 1934, vintage gelatin silver print. Estimate: 30,000-40,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Senufo feminin figure, Niena, Mali, circa 1934, vintage gelatin silver print. Estimate: 30,000-40,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Six prints of African objects used for the illustration of ‘Michael Leiris for Cahiers d’Art,’ 1936. Estimate: 100,000-150,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Six prints of African objects used for the illustration of ‘Michael Leiris for Cahiers d’Art,’ 1936. Estimate: 100,000-150,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Unidentified interior, 1920-1930, vintage gelatin silver print. Estimate: 12,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Unidentified interior, 1920-1930, vintage gelatin silver print. Estimate: 12,000-15,000 euros. Soler y Llach image.

Object, mathematical ruled surface, 1936, vintage gelatin silver print, Estimate: 40,000-50,000. Soler y Llach image.

Object, mathematical ruled surface, 1936, vintage gelatin silver print, Estimate: 40,000-50,000. Soler y Llach image.

Impressionists’ passion for fashion on show in Paris

Edouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), 'Woman with Parrot,' 1866, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Edouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), 'Woman with Parrot,' 1866, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Edouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), ‘Woman with Parrot,’ 1866, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

PARIS (AFP) – You can almost hear the dresses rustle as you walk by: a major Paris show from Tuesday explores how the Impressionist painters captured the dawn of modern fashion at the end of the 19th century.

More than 70 masterworks by Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir or Edgar Degas go on show for four months at the Orsay Museum alongside some 40 outfits dated 1860-1885, all swishing gowns and corseted waists.

“The impressionists were fascinated by modernity, including fashion which was booming with the arrival of specialist magazines and department stores,” said Gloria Groom of the Chicago Art Institute, who co-curated the show.

“Studying their portraits of women, I realised they were painting the same contemporary dresses that you find in the fashion sketchbooks of the day,” she told AFP in a French-language interview.

In some works the clothes become the main subject, like the pale pink dressing gown that catches the light in Manet’s 1866 “Woman with Parrot,” one of a string of pieces on loan from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Groom went digging into the archives of the Galliera fashion museum in Paris for clothes that mirrored the artworks, restoring them for the show.

She worked with Canadian-born opera director Robert Carsen who designed the exhibit like a fashion show, lining up paintings one behind another between rows of red and gold chairs, as if on display in a plush salon.

The 1870s saw the return in Europe of the bustle, balanced by a fuller, lower-cut chest and tightly corseted waist, to create a curvy, S-shaped silhouette.

Albert Bartholome gives a prime example in his painting “In the Greenhouse,” which depicts his wife in a polka-dot and striped white summer coat — her waist cinched in to an eye-watering small circle.

Manet’s “Parisienne” wears a black long-tailed gown, its train gathered slightly to reveal a small boot.

In “Nana”, meanwhile, he explores the world of underwear, his model’s blue satin corset, high heels and fine petticoat earning a refusal from the Paris art salon in 1977 in the interests of public morality.

Running in Paris until January 20, the show will then travel to New York’s MMA from February 19 to May 27, and on to Chicago’s Art Institute from June 29 to September 22.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Edouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), 'Woman with Parrot,' 1866, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Edouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), ‘Woman with Parrot,’ 1866, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Rocky Marciano statue unveiled in Brockton

Monument to boxing legend Rocky Marciano in Ripa Teatina, Ambruzzo, Italy. Image: Fratelli Angelo and Giorgio Bonomo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Monument to boxing legend Rocky Marciano in Ripa Teatina, Ambruzzo, Italy. Image: Fratelli Angelo and Giorgio Bonomo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Monument to boxing legend Rocky Marciano in Ripa Teatina, Ambruzzo, Italy. Image: Fratelli Angelo and Giorgio Bonomo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) – Some of the biggest names in boxing history were invited to the Boston suburb of Brockton over weekend for the official unveiling of a giant statue of boxing champion Rocky Marciano.

Organizer say boxing greats Thomas Hearns, Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield, Mickey Ward and John Ruiz were among those who committed to attend the Sunday ceremony. Renowned promoter Don King and Jose Sulaiman, head of the World Boxing Council, also were on the invitation list.

The 24-foot tall statute, a gift to the City of Brockton from the World Boxing Council, was created by Mario Rendon, head of the Instituto Universitatio de las Bellas Artes in Colima, Mexico. It was erected Thursday, but a public dedication ceremony was scheduled for Sunday in Marciano’s hometown. The statue is outside the city’s football stadium that also bears Marciano’s name.

Guests flew in from around the world to attend a gala reception at the Massasoit Community College Conference Center to remember the man who put Brockton on the map. Among them were mayors from the Italian towns where Marciano’s parents were born, and the boxer’s relatives from Maryland and Florida.

Marciano was previously memorialized with a statue in Ripa Teatina, Abruzzo, Italy.

The boxing legend, who was born ‘Rocco Francis Marchegiano,’ died in a 1969 plane crash in Iowa. He would have turned 89 on Sept. 1 and remains the only heavyweight to retire undefeated at 49-0.

#   #   #

Auction Central News International contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Monument to boxing legend Rocky Marciano in Ripa Teatina, Ambruzzo, Italy. Image: Fratelli Angelo and Giorgio Bonomo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Monument to boxing legend Rocky Marciano in Ripa Teatina, Ambruzzo, Italy. Image: Fratelli Angelo and Giorgio Bonomo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Showplace auction Sept. 30 spans many centuries

Chinese bronze Li vessel, Warring States. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Chinese bronze Li vessel, Warring States. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Chinese bronze Li vessel, Warring States. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

NEW YORK – Showplace Antique + Design Center will present an autumn sale of Asian, modern, fine and decorative art on Sunday, Sept. 30, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT. A wide variety of Asian antiques will be auctioned, as well as an array of decorative art objects, mid-century furniture and lighting, art glass, silver, and a selection of paintings and prints. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding on the more than 500 lots.

Several fine Asian pieces will be offered on Sunday including a Chinese bronze Li vessel from a notable estate, likely dating to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). The estimate is $18,000-$20,000. A 19th century Korean bojagi, or wrapping cloth, with two panels representing good fortune and long life, will be auctioned for $1,200-$1,500.

Showplace will also offer a number of mid-20th century furniture, lighting and decorative objects. Among them, a modern Danish rosewood tri-fold mirror in a deep red tone estimated $700-$900; a curving Italian tubular steel chair with a tan vinyl cushion, attributed to Giotto Stoppino, 1960s, estimated $300-$500; and a pair of American Stiffel lamps estimated $600-$800.

Other noteworthy lots include a signed print by American artist Tony Bass, whose work is included in corporate and private collections around the world, estimated $200-$300; an oil on canvas painting of a winter landscape by German artist Adolf Stademan (1824-1895), $1400-$1600; and a painting titled Nude Bathers by F.R. Ferryman (American, 1893-1947) expected to fetch $1,000-$1,200.

For information contact an auctions department representative at 212-633-6063 x804 or x805.

#   #   #

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


Chinese bronze Li vessel, Warring States. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.
 

Chinese bronze Li vessel, Warring States. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Tony Bass print. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Tony Bass print. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Danish tri-fold mirror. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Danish tri-fold mirror. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Ferryman, ‘Nude Bathers.’ Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Ferryman, ‘Nude Bathers.’ Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Korean bojagi wrapping cloth. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Korean bojagi wrapping cloth. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Stademan winter landscape. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Stademan winter landscape. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Pair Stiffel lamps. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Pair Stiffel lamps. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Chrome chair attributed to Stoppino. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Chrome chair attributed to Stoppino. Showplace Antique + Design Center image.

Gone with the Wind collection on view at NC museum

Signed publicity photo of Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film 'Gone with the Wind.' Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Signature House.
Signed publicity photo of Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film 'Gone with the Wind.' Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Signature House.
Signed publicity photo of Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett O’Hara in the 1939 film ‘Gone with the Wind.’ Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Signature House.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Winner of 10 Academy Awards, Gone with the Wind remains popular decades after its 1939 premiere. Hollywood’s highly romanticized movie of the “Old South” is based on Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

The true story of how Mitchell’s book became a record-breaking film is revealed in Real to Reel: The Making of Gone with the Wind at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Showcasing authentic memorabilia — costumes, screen tests, scene props, a script, Vivien Leigh’s Academy Award and more — the exhibit will run through Jan. 13, 2013. Admission and weekend parking are free.

The Museum of History is the only venue in the Southeast to feature Real to Reel. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to see more than 120 items from the James Tumblin collection. Tumblin, former head of the Universal Studios makeup and hair department, owns the largest private collection of Gone with the Wind memorabilia.

“Real to Reel takes museum visitors behind the scenes of one of the most famous films in Hollywood history,” said Katie Edwards, who helped curate the exhibit. “Through costume sketches, scene storyboards, letters and other items, the exhibit highlights the many tasks and challenges, as well as the controversy, involved in this major production.”

Producer David O. Selznick oversaw the making of Gone with the Wind, with a cast and crew of 4,000, and insisted on approving every detail of production. Real to Reel spotlights the roles of individuals, both on-screen and off-screen, who helped create the film.

Movie buffs will recognize costumes worn by Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard and others. These costumes include “Scarlett’s” dress from the attack at Shantytown scene; “Bonnie Blue’s” velvet dress from her final scene; and the uniform “Ashley Wilkes” wore when he returned home after the Civil War. Of the 1,500 outfits Walter Plunkett designed for the film, his favorite appears in the exhibit: “Belle Watling’s” burgundy velvet jacket and accompanying fur muff.

A sampling of other items in Real to Reel follows.

● Chair from the “Smoker’s Room” scene at the Twelve Oaks barbecue  

● Max Steiner’s original theme music score for the movie

● Typewriter that screenwriter Sidney Howard used for the script

● Letter of appreciation that Hattie McDaniel (“Mammy”) wrote to a fan

● Production paintings such as the “Burning of Atlanta” scene  

In addition to showcasing Tumblin’s collection, Real to Reel features several dolls created by artist Pete Ballard that are based on characters in Gone with the Wind.    

Real to Reel: The Making of Gone with the Wind includes “Bonnie Blue Butler’s” velvet dress from her final scene. The exhibit is sponsored by the N.C. Museum of History Foundation and the N.C. Museum of History Associates.

Visit the museum’s website at www.ncmuseumofhistory.org.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Signed publicity photo of Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film 'Gone with the Wind.' Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Signature House.
Signed publicity photo of Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett O’Hara in the 1939 film ‘Gone with the Wind.’ Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Signature House.

Reading the Streets: Reprise of Kodak’s Colorama

Colorama images by various artists displayed at Grand Central in New York City. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Colorama images by various artists displayed at Grand Central in New York City. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Colorama images by various artists displayed at Grand Central in New York City. Photo by Kelsey Savage.

Where the Apple store now sits in Grand Central there used to be the largest photograph in the world. For 40 years starting in 1950, Kodak’s Colorama displayed its 18 feet high and 60 feet wide slice-of-life photographs in the Grand Concourse. Now, though on a much smaller scale, the New York Transit Museum has an exhibit in homage to what was once an incredible display of public advertisements disguised as art, just below street level.

The small versions of those amazing transparencies demonstrate strong family values and American white-picket-fence aspirations, encouraging onlookers that they too could take pictures of such scenes as long as they used Kodak film. The pieces display an idealized America with an almost campy sense of patriotic joy, all enriched with a saturated palette. Kodak staff photographers shot most of the images, but Ansel Adams, Ernst Haas and Eliot Porter also contributed their talent.

More impressive than seeing the actual advertisements is to learn the amount of engineering each image required. It took 450 feet of print film needed to create each rear-lighted transparency, which were then unrolled like a horizontal window shade with hooks every six inches. Of course, the museum’s exhibit is not nearly as dramatic as the arresting advertisements must have been, but the are a reminder of what was once there and they reflect an America that never really was, but which is fascinating all the same.


ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE


Colorama images by various artists displayed at Grand Central in New York City. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Colorama images by various artists displayed at Grand Central in New York City. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Top: ‘Mountain Bikers’ by Bob and Ira Spring. Bottom: ‘Cowboys in Grand Tetons’ by Herbert Archer and J. Hood. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Top: ‘Mountain Bikers’ by Bob and Ira Spring. Bottom: ‘Cowboys in Grand Tetons’ by Herbert Archer and J. Hood. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Top: ‘Taj Mahal’ by Norm Kerr. Bottom: ‘Portuguese Fishing Village’ by Neil Montanus. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Top: ‘Taj Mahal’ by Norm Kerr. Bottom: ‘Portuguese Fishing Village’ by Neil Montanus. Photo by Kelsey Savage.

Gangsters, G-men run big in RR Auction lineup Sept. 30

Bonnie Parker's Colt .38 snub-nose Detective Special .38 revolver sold for $264,000. Image courtesy of RR Auction.

Bonnie Parker’s Colt Detective Special .38 revolver, carried by her at the time of her death. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. RR Auction image.

Bonnie Parker’s Colt Detective Special .38 revolver, carried by her at the time of her death. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. RR Auction image.

NASHUA, N.H. – RR Auction is presenting collectors and historians the opportunity to acquire rare and unique artifacts from a tumultuous and romanticized period of American history in an auction titled “Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen” on Sept. 30, beginning at 10 a.m. EDT. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for this special themed auction of 135 lots.

Featured will be the prized personal handguns of both Bonnie and Clyde. “These amazing and historic weapons – found on their person the morning of their deaths and gifted to Captain Hamer, along with other items from that ill-fated day, by authorities at the time as part of his compensation package for the ambush,” said Bobby Livingston, vice president at RR Auction.

Seventy-eight years ago, the bloody crime spree of outlaws and lovers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker came to a violent end on a desolate, dirt road in Louisiana. Their ambush at the hands of a six-man posse lead by legendary Texas Ranger Capt. Frank A. Hamer in 1934 ushered in the beginning of the end for the public enemy-era of the 1930s. In the short months that followed, criminals of note such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson quickly faced a similar fate.

Many of these lots originate from the estate collection of the late author and collector Robert E. Davis of Waco, Texas. The auction also includes a number of significant lots from the estate of Clyde’s sister, Marie Barrow.

“Not since the Marie Barrow auction in 1997 has there been a collection of such significance to hit the market, with major lots available for sale directly related to Bonnie & Clyde,” said Jonathan Davis, noted authority on Bonnie and Clyde and author of Bonnie & Clyde & Marie: A Sister’s Perspective on the Notorious Barrow Gang (Stephen F. Austin Press, 2012). “The Robert Davis collection is highly regarded and historic, including their impeccable provenance coming from the Frank Hamer collection.”

Among the more than 130 stunning and unique pieces in this auction are the following personal items:

  • Bonnie Parker’s personal Colt .38 snub-nose detective special revolver, which was found post-mortem taped to her inside thigh with white medical tape. The ambush happened so fast that she did not have a chance to retrieve it from its intimate hiding place.
  • Clyde’s personal Colt .45, recovered post-mortem from his waistband. This pistol is believed to have been among the weapons famously stolen by the gang from the federal arsenal in Beaumont, Texas. Also included with this lot is an extra clip, found in Clyde’s pocket.
  • Clyde Barrow’s 10-karat gold-filled 1925 Elgin pocket watch found on his body the morning of his death. The watch was claimed by Henry Barrow, Clyde’s father, and was among his personal effects returned to the family, along with his body for burial. It is from the Marie Barrow collection.
  • Bonnie’s light brown leatherette cosmetic case with a mirror inside the cover will be sold. According to the Frank Hamer letter of provenance that accompanies the lot, when recovered from the ambush car, the case at the time contained lipstick and a box of Coty face powder and a powder puff, “about the only feminine touch item in their possession.”

Complementing the physical artifacts in the sale, manuscript and autograph lots will include such unique items as the following:

  • A Clyde Barrow ALS signed “bud” (his code name when on the run) and addressed to his brother L.C. Barrow, and from the Marie Barrow collection. The handwritten remarks are on the back of a candid snapshot photo of a small house on a platform surrounded by water. Barrow writes, in part: “Say how do you like our little home by the sea. We may go to no telling so we will write you later.”
  • An outstanding collection of 47 handwritten and typed letters from Blanche Barrow written to her mother between the years 1933-1939, and all of them written from the Missouri State Penitentiary. These letters served as the basis for the book Blanche Barrow: The Last Victim of Bonnie and Clyde, written by Robert E. Davis.

Transformed into a romanticized Romeo and Juliet for modern audiences by the 1967 Arthur Penn classic film Bonnie & Clyde, staring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, the enduring popularity and fascination for all things Bonnie and Clyde is bound to drive intense interest and spirited bidding from collectors of the period and genre, as well as those from the film, Americana, and popular culture genres as well.

“Current interest in Bonnie and Clyde is very strong, and it seems that people always seem to have an intense interest in outlaws and lovers,” added Davis. “In fact, there are currently five feature films, one TV miniseries, a couple of musicals and plays, and a number of books in various stages of production.”

For more information email Bobby.Eaton@RRAuction.com or phone 603-732-4280.

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


Bonnie Parker’s Colt Detective Special .38 revolver, carried by her at the time of her death. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. RR Auction image.

Bonnie Parker’s Colt Detective Special .38 revolver, carried by her at the time of her death. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. RR Auction image.

May 16, 1878 Dodge City summons signed by Bat Masterson as sheriff of Ford County, Kan. Estimate: $20,000-$25,000. RR Auction image.

May 16, 1878 Dodge City summons signed by Bat Masterson as sheriff of Ford County, Kan. Estimate: $20,000-$25,000. RR Auction image.

Clyde Barrow’s Colt Model 1911 Government Model semi-automatic pistol, removed from his waistband after the ambush by Texas and Louisiana lawmen on May 23, 1934. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. RR Auction image.

Clyde Barrow’s Colt Model 1911 Government Model semi-automatic pistol, removed from his waistband after the ambush by Texas and Louisiana lawmen on May 23, 1934. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. RR Auction image.

Clyde Barrow’s Elgin pocket watch recovered from his body on the morning of May 23, 1934. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. RR Auction image.

Clyde Barrow’s Elgin pocket watch recovered from his body on the morning of May 23, 1934. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. RR Auction image.

American organized crime boss Al Capone (1899–1947), Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket semi-automatic pistol. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. RR Auction image.

American organized crime boss Al Capone (1899–1947), Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket semi-automatic pistol. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. RR Auction image.

Colt New Service Model 1909 Double-Action revolver found in the car driven by Clyde Barrow on the day they died. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. RR Auction image.

Colt New Service Model 1909 Double-Action revolver found in the car driven by Clyde Barrow on the day they died. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. RR Auction image.