Auktionsgespräche: Antiquitätensuche in Wien

Die konservative Erscheinung des Dorotheum. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Die konservative Erscheinung des Dorotheum. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Die konservative Erscheinung des Dorotheum. Foto von Heidi Lux.

In Anbetracht der Geschichte Wiens ist es nicht überaschend, dass diese Stadt eine Fundgrube für Antiquitäten ist. Zur Zeit der Jahrhundertwende zum 20. Jahrhundert war die Stadt ein Zentrum künstlerischer und intellektueller Veränderungen.

Gustav Mahler lies mit seinen neuen Kompositionen die Zeit der Romantik hinter sich. Sigmund Freud öffnete eine Tür zum Unterbewußtsein. Und die Sucessionisten mit Gustav Klimt an ihrer Spitze brachen mit verstaubten akademischen Traditionen, um neue Pfade in der bildhaften Darstellung zu betreten. Die fließende Linie des Jugendstils reiste wie eine frische Brise durch Architektur, Typographie und Mobiliar. Die Wiener Werkstätte beschenkte sogar Gegenstände des täglichen Gebrauchs mit künstlerischer Bedeutung. Kunst und Intellekt blühten in dieser Kaffeehaus Kultur auf.

Von diesem Erbe ist noch soviel zu entdecken in Wiens Antiquariaten, Auktionshäusern und Flohmärkten. Das historische Stadtzentrum gruppiert sich natürlich um den Stephansdom, welcher bald in Sichtweite kommt, spaziert man entlang der Kärntner Straße stadteinwärts. Und sogar entlang dieses Weges findet man viele Einzelhandelsgeschäfte des Dorotheums, welche Schmuck aus Nachlassen, Porzellan und Silber anbieten. Entfernt man sich aber etwas von den üblichen massentouristischen Pfaden in die engere Dorotheergasse, findet sich dort ein alterwürdiges Auktionshaus. 1707 als Pfandleihhaus gestartet, wuchs es zu einem Unternehmen mit internationalen Büros und ca. 600 Auktionen pro Jahr. Versteigert wird alles von Kunst bis zu klassischen Autos. Die umgebende Nachbarschaft ist gespickt mit Antiquariaten aller Art.

“Wir empfehlen normalerweise die Dorotheergasse, Spiegelgasse, Bräunerstraße und Stallburggasse wenn Leute nach Antiquitäten suchen.”, sagt Cornelia Pirka vom Wiener Tourismusverband.

Die Schaufenster der Läden in dieser Gegend sind so voll mit den Überresten des Gestern, dass es das Funkeln von Kristall, das Leuchten beschlagener Bronze und die satten Farben goldgerahmter Leinwände unmöglich macht, die Strassen ohne innezuhalten entlangzugehen.

Auch die Wiener Kunst Auktionen GmbH im Palais Kinsky in der Freyung Straße kann man nicht verfehlen. Deren Erscheinung ist seriös und elegant, passend zu ihren Auktionen von Alten Meistern, zeitgenössischer Gemälde und Jugendstil Antiquitäten.

Ein anderes, international anerkanntes Wiener Auktionshaus ist das WestLicht in der Westbahnstrasse 40. Sie halten den Rekord für den Verkauf des teuersten Fotoapparates der Welt im Jahr 2011, eine Null Serie Leica von 1923 für 1,32 Millionen Euro (fast 2 Millionen Dollar). WestLicht’s nächste Fotographie- und Kameraauktionen finden am 23. und 24. November statt. Fotographieenthusiasten werden entzückt sein, WestLicht’s Leica Einzelhandelsgeschäft -voll mit neuen und klassischen Produkten- direkt nebenan zu finden.

Man muss sich nicht weit von WestLicht entfernen, um etwas anderes, nahezu Ausgestorbenes zu entdecken – einen Schallplattenladen. Scout Records, um genau zu sein. Aber Besucher sollten gewappnet sein, in der ganzen Stadt auf kleine Antiquitätenhändler und Second-Hand Geschäfte zu stoßen – seien es alte Bücher, Münzen, Briefmarken oder einfach Kitsch; man weis nie was man findet.

Wien bietet eine großartige Auswahl für Sammler, die gern ihr Glück auf Flohmärkten ausprobieren. Der mit Abstand Größte dieser Art befindet sich am Naschmarkt, wo eine zunächst schier endlose Zahl von Lebensmittlehändler und kleinen Restaurants schließlich Platz macht für eine überquellende Menge an Ständen mit Ramsch und kleinen Schätzen. Es werden Möbel und Lampen aus den 1950igern, Gewürzgefäßsets, Silbergeschirr, alte Vidoefilme, Modeschmuck, Bücher und Werkzeuge herausgetragen. Aber es gab noch soviel mehr. Der Naschmarkt ist eine Wochenendinstitution und Besucher können sich die Antiquitäten Samstags in der Zeit zwischen 06:30 Uhr und 18:00 Uhr ansehen, wenn sich die Schnäppchengelgenheiten verdreifachen.

Der trendige Donaukanal, eingefasst Graffitiwände und interessante Kaffees, ist zwischen Mai und September Domizil eines an der Salztorbrücke beheimateten Wochenendflohmarktes.

Der dritte zu findende Punkt ist der Antiquitätenmarkt am Hof, geöffnet bis Mitte November an Freitagen und Samstagen von 10 Uhr bis 20 Uhr.

Mit so vielen Möglichkeiten Antiquitäten zu finden, ist es ein Glück, dass auch an fast jeder Ecke ein Cafè ist. Vergessen Sie nicht, bei einem Kaffee und einem Stück Sachertorte zu entspannen, bevor Sie zu Ihrer nächsten Einkaufstour aufbrechen.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Die konservative Erscheinung des Dorotheum. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Die konservative Erscheinung des Dorotheum. Foto von Heidi Lux.
'Klimt With His Looking Glass’, von Emma Bacher, Seewalchen, 1904. Das Bild des Künstlers, einer von nur zwei bekannten klassischen Drucken wird am 23. November bei WestLicht angeboten. Schätzung 12-15.000 Euro ($15.400 – 19.200). Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung von WestLicht.
‘Klimt With His Looking Glass’, von Emma Bacher, Seewalchen, 1904. Das Bild des Künstlers, einer von nur zwei bekannten klassischen Drucken wird am 23. November bei WestLicht angeboten. Schätzung 12-15.000 Euro ($15.400 – 19.200). Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung von WestLicht.
Diese Sammlung von Steiff und anderen antiken Teddys wurde genutzt, um ein Jugendstil Bentwood Einzelbed zu zeigen, 5.500 Euro ($7.070) von Galerie Ambiente/ Design Marlow in Lugeck Strasse. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Diese Sammlung von Steiff und anderen antiken Teddys wurde genutzt, um ein Jugendstil Bentwood Einzelbed zu zeigen, 5.500 Euro ($7.070) von Galerie Ambiente/ Design Marlow in Lugeck Strasse. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Münzenhandlung Dr. Szaivert, in der Riemergasse, ist typisch für die, über die ganze Stadt verstreuten, bezaubenden Antiquitätenhandlungen. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Münzenhandlung Dr. Szaivert, in der Riemergasse, ist typisch für die, über die ganze Stadt verstreuten, bezaubenden Antiquitätenhandlungen. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Man weis nie, was man an einem Samstag auf dem Flohmarkt am Naschmarkt finden wird. Schnäppchen werden erwartet. Foto von Heidi Lux.
Man weis nie, was man an einem Samstag auf dem Flohmarkt am Naschmarkt finden wird. Schnäppchen werden erwartet. Foto von Heidi Lux.

Auction Talk Germany: Antiquing in Vienna

Die konservative Erscheinung des Dorotheum. Foto von Heidi Lux.
The conservative exterior of the Dorotheum. Photo by Heidi Lux.
The conservative exterior of the Dorotheum. Photo by Heidi Lux.

Given its history, it is not surprising Vienna is a treasure trove for antiques. At the turn of the 20th century the city was a center for artistic and intellectual change.

Gustav Mahler left Romanticism behind with his new compositions. Sigmund Freud opened a door into the unconscious mind. And the Sucessionist artists, headed by Gustav Klimt, broke away from dusty academic traditions to clear new pathways in art. The flowing line of Jugendstil traveled like a fresh breeze through architecture, typography and furnishings. The Wiener Werkstätte gifted even everyday objects with artistic importance. Art and intellectualism flourished in this café culture.

So much of this legacy can be discovered in Vienna’s antique shops, auction houses and flea markets. The historic city center is clearly St. Stephan’s Cathedral, which comes into view as you walk up Kärntner Strasse. Even there you can find one of the Dorotheum’s many retail shops for estate jewelry, porcelain and silver. But if you walk a few blocks away from the busloads of tourists into the narrower Dorotheergasse, you find the venerable old auction house. Started as a pawn shop in 1707, the company has expanded to include international offices and hosts about 600 auctions per year, selling everything from fine art to classic cars. The surrounding neighborhood is peppered with antique shops.

“We usually recommend Dorotheergasse, Spiegelgasse, Bräunerstraße and Stallburggasse if people are looking for antiques,” noted Cornelia Pirka of the Vienna Tourist Board.

Shop windows in this neighborhood area are so loaded with the remnants of yesteryear that the sparkle of crystal, flash of tarnished bronze and richly hued canvases in gold-rimmed frames make it impossible to walk directly down the street.

Also not to be missed is Wiener Kunst Auktionen GmbH, located in the Palace Kinsky in Freyung Strasse. Their setting is serious and elegant, fitting for their auctions of old masters, fine contemporary paintings and Jugendstil antiques.

Another Vienna auction house that is internationally recognized is WestLicht at Westbahntrasse 40. They hold the record for selling the world’s most expensive camera, a 0 Series 1923 Leica in 2011, for 1,320,000 Euro (nearly $2 million). WestLicht’s next photography and camera auctions are Nov. 23-24. Photography enthusiasts who visit the auction house will be delighted to find WestLicht’s Leica Shop directly next door, fully stocked with new and vintage products.

One needn’t walk far from WestLicht to discover something nearly extinct – a record store. Scout Records, to be exact. But visitors should prepare themselves for stumbling on small antique or secondhand shops throughout the city. Be it old books, coins, stamps or even kitch, you never know what you will find.

For collectors who like to try their luck at a flea market, Vienna has three great choices. The largest is by far the Naschmarkt, where endless food stands and little restaurants give way to endless booths overflowing with trash and treasure. Shoppers were carrying out 1950s furniture and lamps, spice jar sets, silverware, vintage videos, costume jewelry, books and tools. But there was so much more. The Naschmarkt is a weekend institution, and visitors can browse antiques Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., when at closing time the bargaining possibilities increase three-fold.

The trendy Danube Canal, lined with graffiti murals and interesting canal-side cafes, is home to a weekend flea market from May to September. Visitors need only find their way to the Salztorbrücke to enter.

The third browsing point is the Antiquitätenmarkt am Hof, open through mid-November, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

With so many antiquing possibilities, it is only fortunate that Vienna has a café around every corner. Be sure to unwind with coffee and a piece of Sachertorte before plotting out your next shopping trip.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

The conservative exterior of the Dorotheum. Photo by Heidi Lux.
The conservative exterior of the Dorotheum. Photo by Heidi Lux.
‘Klimt With His Looking Glass,’ by Emma Bacher, Seewalchen, 1904. The image of the artist, one of only two known vintage prints, will be auctioned Nov. 23 at WestLicht. Estimate 12,000-15,000 euro ($15,400-$19,200). Photo courtesy WestLicht.
‘Klimt With His Looking Glass,’ by Emma Bacher, Seewalchen, 1904. The image of the artist, one of only two known vintage prints, will be auctioned Nov. 23 at WestLicht. Estimate 12,000-15,000 euro ($15,400-$19,200). Photo courtesy WestLicht.
This gathering of Steiff and other antique teddy bears was used to show off a Jungenstil bentwood single bed, 5,500 euro ($7,070) by Galerie Ambiente/Design Marlow in Lugeck Strasse. Photo by Heidi Lux.
This gathering of Steiff and other antique teddy bears was used to show off a Jungenstil bentwood single bed, 5,500 euro ($7,070) by Galerie Ambiente/Design Marlow in Lugeck Strasse. Photo by Heidi Lux.
Munzenhandlung Dr. Szaivert, in the Riemergasse, is typical of the charming collectible and antique shops scattered throughout the city. Photo by Heidi Lux.
Munzenhandlung Dr. Szaivert, in the Riemergasse, is typical of the charming collectible and antique shops scattered throughout the city. Photo by Heidi Lux.
You never know what you will find at the Saturday flea market at the Naschmarkt. Bargaining is expected. Photo by Heidi Lux.
You never know what you will find at the Saturday flea market at the Naschmarkt. Bargaining is expected. Photo by Heidi Lux.

Shanghai seeks premier art status with new museums

The China Pavilion at Expo 2010, Shanghai, China, now the site of the new China Art Museum. Photo by Cesarexpo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The China Pavilion at Expo 2010, Shanghai, China, now the site of the new China Art Museum. Photo by Cesarexpo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The China Pavilion at Expo 2010, Shanghai, China, now the site of the new China Art Museum. Photo by Cesarexpo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) – Shanghai on Monday opened two new art museums on the former site of the 2010 World Expo, as China’s commercial hub seeks to rival art capitals like New York and Paris.

The China Art Museum, intended to be Shanghai’s premier showplace for modern art, threw open its doors in the former China pavilion, which was the signature building for the world’s fair.

“The scale and configuration is matchless in Asia. It is close to America’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, France’s Musee d’Orsay and other internationally famous art museums,” Shanghai culture chief Hu Jinjun said before the opening.

The government-backed museum has an exhibition space alone of 64,000 square metres (688,890 square feet), Hu told state media.

A new contemporary art museum also welcomed holiday crowds on Monday to exhibit works from the 1980s onwards and give a permanent home to Shanghai’s annual art festival.

Called the “Power Station of Art”, the 40,000-square-metre (430,556 square feet) museum takes its name from the former power station building which was converted for the Expo.

Critics have raised questions over how Shanghai will fill the massive spaces with meaningful exhibitions.

“They’re basically modelling themselves on New York or London,” said Chris Gill, a Shanghai-based artist and arts writer.

“China tends to build these huge art museums. The problem is what they’re going to put in it. The content side is always compromised by the political situation,” he told AFP.

China censors art that it considers politically sensitive or pornographic, with local officials having the right to pull individual works or shut down shows.

Shanghai officials in September barred display of a photo work by artist Chi Peng, which shows a gorilla at Beijing’s famed Tiananmen Square, according to his microblog.

In 2006, Shanghai shut down an exhibition by dozens of Chinese artists at a private art museum for showing “pornographic” images, described as pictures of naked women.

The exhibitions in place for the opening of the China Art Museum are heavily weighted towards Chinese art, but one floor has foreign works including a painting by Rembrandt and another by Johannes Vermeer — on loan from the Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum.

Shanghai university student Wang Qingyong marvelled at the size of the new museum.

“There is a lot of space. More works will come,” she said gazing at a painting by the American artist Robert Bechtle.

Shanghai has already tested the China Pavilion as a venue for art, spending $1.4 million for China’s biggest ever exhibition of the works of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso last year, but attendance was lower than expected.

The city has high hopes for attendance, distributing free tickets for 10,000 people a day to the China Art Museum and 6,000 daily for the Power Station of Art over the week-long National Day holiday, which started Monday.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The China Pavilion at Expo 2010, Shanghai, China, now the site of the new China Art Museum. Photo by Cesarexpo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The China Pavilion at Expo 2010, Shanghai, China, now the site of the new China Art Museum. Photo by Cesarexpo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Kovels – Antiques & Collecting: Week of Oct. 1, 2012

These 10-inch-high urns in the Sevres style were probably made by Jacob Petit, who owned a company in Paris. Collectors know that many companies that operated in or around Paris from 1820 to 1890 did not sign their work, so auctions often refer to these pieces as 'Old Paris' or 'Paris' porcelain. This pair sold at a Cowan's auction in Cincinnati for $510.
These 10-inch-high urns in the Sevres style were probably made by Jacob Petit, who owned a company in Paris. Collectors know that many companies that operated in or around Paris from 1820 to 1890 did not sign their work, so auctions often refer to these pieces as 'Old Paris' or 'Paris' porcelain. This pair sold at a Cowan's auction in Cincinnati for $510.
These 10-inch-high urns in the Sevres style were probably made by Jacob Petit, who owned a company in Paris. Collectors know that many companies that operated in or around Paris from 1820 to 1890 did not sign their work, so auctions often refer to these pieces as ‘Old Paris’ or ‘Paris’ porcelain. This pair sold at a Cowan’s auction in Cincinnati for $510.

Jacob Petit (1796-1868) was a talented porcelain painter who worked for the Sevres factory in France, then opened his own shop. He moved his company to Paris in 1869. In less than 10 years, he had hired about 200 people to make and decorate porcelains. They made ornamental vases, statues, clocks, inkwells and perfume bottles. A specialty was figural veilleuses shaped like sultans or fortunetellers. These were tea warmers meant for use in the bedroom. Each was a stand with space for a candle heater and a teapot. Most of the Petit pieces had decorations that were colored pink, light green, pale purple, black and gold. He used the cobalt-blue initials “J.P.” as his mark, but many of his pieces were not marked. His customers wanted antique-style china, so he made copies of Sevres vases, Meissen figurines, many patterns of English dinnerware, Chinese export porcelain and more. These copies often are mistakenly identified as original old pieces. But Jacob Petit porcelains are so attractive and well-made that they are almost as pricey as originals.

Q: I own a heavy wooden chair that I purchased years ago for $25. The back of the chair is marked “P. Derby & Co. Inc., Gardner, Mass.” I am interested in the history of the chair and its value.

A: Derby, Knowlton and Co. was established in Gardner in 1863. Several years later, Mr. Derby bought out his business partners. In 1880 he established P. Derby & Co. By 1897 P. Derby & Co. was listed as the second-largest chair manufacturer in the country. It had branches in Boston, New York and Chicago. The company specialized in cane furniture, but also made traditional wooden tables and chairs. It went out of business in 1935. Most Derby chairs are worth $25 to $50.

Q: I recently bought a ceramic box at a yard sale. The base color is white, and the box is decorated with gold trim, green vines and a green frog. The bottom is marked “Freeman Leidy, Laguna Beach, Calif.”

A: California pottery-making was in its prime during the 1930s and ’40s. During World War II, California pottery production increased because there were no imports from Japan, Germany or Italy. Freeman Leidy was active in Laguna Beach from 1944 to 1955. The company made figurines, tiles and giftware. It also made many glazed and footed ceramic boxes like yours, often with floral designs. Price depends on size. Your box could sell for about $200.

Q: Years ago, my great-aunt gave me a hand-colored etching done by Robert Dighton in 1802. It’s 9 by 12 inches and shows an actor named Mr. Braham playing the character of Orlando from Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It.” My great-aunt thought it was worth some money.

A: Robert Dighton (c. 1752-1814) was a British actor and printmaker. His first prints were for John Bell’s edition of Shakespeare’s works (1775-76). He eventually made etchings of actors, actresses, military officers and lawyers and sold his prints at his own London shop. He wound up in legal trouble when it was discovered that he had stolen some of his store’s stock from the British Museum, but he wasn’t prosecuted. Even if your print is an original and in great shape, it would probably not sell for more than $100. And it is possible your print is a copy of the original and worth very little. It should be seen by an expert to be sure.

Q: I inherited an antique doll I was told dates from the 1800s. It is a 21-inch-tall boy doll with a cloth body. I think the head is bisque. It’s marked “Effanbee.” His features are painted on. He is wearing black pants and a tan jacket that has buttons with the word “Effanbee” on them. Is the doll valuable?

A: Dolls marked “Effanbee” were made by Fleischaker & Baum (F & B) of New York. The company was founded in 1912 by Bernard Fleischaker and Hugo Baum, so your doll is not as old as you thought. The mark can help you date your doll. If the word “Effanbee” has a capital letter at the beginning, followed by lowercase letters, it is an early mark. All capital letters were used beginning in 1923. After 1923, the middle letters, “an,” were written in smaller capital letters. The company changed hands several times and is now owned by Tonner Doll Co. of Kingston, N.Y. If your doll is in fair condition, it’s worth about $200. In mint condition, it might sell for $500.

Take advantage of a free listing for your group to announce events or to find antique shows and other events. Go to Kovels.com/calendar to find and plan your antiquing trips.

Tip: The old-fashioned way to whiten linens? Bring a pot of water to a boil and add some lemon slices. Take the pot off the stove, add the linens and let them soak for an hour or so. Launder as usual.

Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Political poster, “Everett C. Benton for Governor,” Massachusetts, cardboard, gray ground, navy letters, 1912, 22 x 18 inches, $65.

Woman’s black ankle spats, wool, 11 black buttons and metal eyes, labeled “Weedies Bootops,” patent dates Sept. 21, 1915, and May 15, 1910, 10 x 7 inches, $65.

Enid Collins box purse, bird design on front, orange, yellow, green, iridescent green and faux-pearl flowers, white plastic handle, hinged, 1960s, 11 x 6 inches, $85.

Buss Fuses advertising display, tin lithograph, silhouette of man by car, “Why Be Helpless When Fuses Blow?” yellow and blue ground, black letters, 1950s, 9 5/8 x 6 x 3 3/4 inches, $110.

Poor Pitiful Pearl doll, vinyl body, blue sleep eyes, rooted golden hair, original outfit of blue and white polka-dot dress, red scarf and blanket, Horsman, c. 1958, 17 inches, $125.

Dollhouse Hoosier cabinet, cast iron, white, top door with clock face, right side door opens, dough board pulls out, drawers open, Arcade, 1930s, $125.

Child’s chair, japanned bamboo, woven reed seat, c. 1880, 25 inches, $395.

Doorstop, drum manor, cast iron, maroon hat and coat, white pants, baton in right hand, 1900-20, 13 x 4 inches, $495.

Roseville Pottery vase, Windsor pattern, fern design in green and gold over muted blue mottled glaze, c. 1931, 7 1/4 x 7 1/2 inches, $650.

Tiffany glass vase, dark green and gold English ivy on vines, embossed pulled pattern, rolled rim, marked, 7 1/2 inches, $3,680.

Keep up with changes in the collectibles world. Send for a feree sample issue of our 12-page, full-color newsletter, “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” filled with prices, news, information and photos, plus major news about the world of collecting. To subscribe at a bargain $27 for 12 issues, write Kovels, P.O. Box 8534, Big Sandy, TX 75755; call 800-829-9158; or subscribe online at Kovelsonlinestore.com.

© 2012 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

These 10-inch-high urns in the Sevres style were probably made by Jacob Petit, who owned a company in Paris. Collectors know that many companies that operated in or around Paris from 1820 to 1890 did not sign their work, so auctions often refer to these pieces as 'Old Paris' or 'Paris' porcelain. This pair sold at a Cowan's auction in Cincinnati for $510.
These 10-inch-high urns in the Sevres style were probably made by Jacob Petit, who owned a company in Paris. Collectors know that many companies that operated in or around Paris from 1820 to 1890 did not sign their work, so auctions often refer to these pieces as ‘Old Paris’ or ‘Paris’ porcelain. This pair sold at a Cowan’s auction in Cincinnati for $510.

Two arrested re: art heist at California financier’s home

Wilmer Bolosan Cadiz (left) and Jay Jeffrey Nieto, suspects in a Santa Monica, Calif., residential theft of art and other valuables worth around $10 million. Composite of two booking photos provided to Auction Central News by the Santa Monica Police Department.
Wilmer Bolosan Cadiz (left) and Jay Jeffrey Nieto, suspects in a Santa Monica, Calif., residential theft of art and other valuables worth around $10 million. Composite of two booking photos provided to Auction Central News by the Santa Monica Police Department.
Wilmer Bolosan Cadiz (left) and Jay Jeffrey Nieto, suspects in a Santa Monica, Calif., residential theft of art and other valuables worth around $10 million. Composite of two booking photos provided to Auction Central News by the Santa Monica Police Department.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) – Two suspects were arrested and found with about $10 million worth of art stolen from the home of a Southern California financier, Santa Monica police said Thursday.

The theft of the paintings made waves in both the art world and on Wall Street, where the victim, star bond trader Jeffrey Gundlach, does business. They were the priciest part of the major burglary where the thieves also took expensive watches, wine and a Porsche Carrera 4S, which were not recovered.

“The focus was on recovering the artwork, and it was all recovered,” Gundlach told the Los Angeles Times. “The thieves had worked on moving the property, but we were able to get a good lead and apprehend them. It’s a great day for the art world.”

Most of the paintings were found when authorities, working on a tip from local police, served a search warrant on a car stereo store in Pasadena, Sgt. Richard Lewis said in a statement.

The store’s manager, Jay Jeffrey Nieto, 45, was arrested Wednesday.

The investigation then led to a home in nearby San Gabriel, where police arrested Wilmer Cadiz, 40, and found him in possession of four more paintings.

One final painting was found at a home in Glendale, and police said the person found with it is cooperating in their investigation.

There is no known connection at this time between the victim and the suspected thieves, Lewis said. It was unknown whether the men had lawyers, he said.

Of the still-missing Porsche, Gundlach told the Times, “Maybe whoever has it will drive to a Ralph’s [supermarket] parking lot and just drop it off and end this.”

Gundlach returned home from a business trip Sept. 14 to find that more than a dozen paintings by the likes of Piet Mondrian and Jasper Johns, worth some $10 million, were missing.

He had offered a $1.7 million reward for the art’s return, and $1 million for just the return of the collection’s biggest prize, Mondrian’s “Composition (A) En Rouge Et Blanc.” It was not clear if anyone would be eligible to claim the reward.

Both suspects were due in court Friday.

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

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Wilmer Bolosan Cadiz (left) and Jay Jeffrey Nieto, suspects in a Santa Monica, Calif., residential theft of art and other valuables worth around $10 million. Composite of two booking photos provided to Auction Central News by the Santa Monica Police Department.
Wilmer Bolosan Cadiz (left) and Jay Jeffrey Nieto, suspects in a Santa Monica, Calif., residential theft of art and other valuables worth around $10 million. Composite of two booking photos provided to Auction Central News by the Santa Monica Police Department.

London Eye: September 2012

Houseboats, Balloch (1931) by George Leslie Hunter, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of a private collection and The Fleming Collection.
Houseboats, Balloch (1931) by George Leslie Hunter, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of a private collection and The Fleming Collection.
Houseboats, Balloch (1931) by George Leslie Hunter, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of a private collection and The Fleming Collection.

It is often said that the art market is becoming increasingly “event-driven,” which is another way of describing the steady proliferation of art and antiques fairs. Few sectors of the global art economy have grown to quite the same extent that fairs have over the past decade. This is surely a positive development since fairs would not have blossomed had the market not recovered so emphatically from the 2008 downturn. Fairs must, therefore, be an indicator of a generally buoyant market. But the growth and multiplication of art fairs does raise important questions. Are we in danger of having too many of these events?

Locations are obviously important – London remains a cultural magnet for the world’s wealthy, while Miami has winter sun – but once you’re inside the marquee, aren’t these fairs all starting to look the same, all populated by the same dealers offering the same kind of stock?

This month London sees the appearance of a new blockbuster fair – Frieze Masters, which, like its sister event, Frieze, will be located in Regent’s Park from Oct. 11-14. The trade seems to have taken to it with alacrity, seeing it as yet another opportunity to reach those High Net Worth collectors of contemporary art who flock to London in their multitudes to attend the main Frieze event. The assumption is that buyers of contemporary art are also often buyers of more classic historical objects. We shall soon see whether that assumption is correct.

While Regent’s Park becomes the focus of art world attention every October, another historic center of London’s art trade is under threat. The capital’s modern and contemporary art dealers are currently working around the clock, mobilizing petitions to save Cork Street in the West End. Earlier this year the landlord of seven galleries on the street sold the building in which they are located to property developers Native Land. The development company plans to knock the building down and replace it with a residential development. Many of the galleries will lose their leases if the planned development goes ahead, including The Mayor Gallery (in Cork Street since the 1920s), Beaux Arts, Alpha Gallery, Adam Gallery, Stoppenbach & Delestre, Waterhouse & Dodd and Gallery 27. It will interesting to see whether the art trade’s uncharacteristic use of the social network to drum up support will pay off (Twitter hash-tag: #saveCorkStreet).

With real estate rents rising, one can see why fairs are attracting so much attention. One American buyer told the organizers of last year’s Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in London’s Battersea Park that it is still economically viable to buy at the London fair and ship the goods across the Atlantic rather than to buy stateside. This presumably applies even to furniture such as the 19th-century Irish ash “bacon settle” that will be offered at this year’s fair by West Sussex dealers Wakelin & Linfield at £9,800 ($15,800).

This nineteenth-century Irish ash ‘bacon settle’ will be on the stand of Sussex dealers Wakelin & Linfield at the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair in Battersea Park from 2 to 7 October, priced at £9,800 ($15,800). Image courtesy Wakelin and Linfield and the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair.
This nineteenth-century Irish ash ‘bacon settle’ will be on the stand of Sussex dealers Wakelin & Linfield at the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair in Battersea Park from 2 to 7 October, priced at £9,800 ($15,800). Image courtesy Wakelin and Linfield and the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair.
The Decorative Fair’s emphasis on interiors and the decorator trade has helped it to flourish during tough times. At this week’s event (Oct. 2-7 in Battersea Park), Val Foster of Decorative Collective will be showing a small French handpainted screen by Micheline de Rougemont, signed and dated 1992, for which they are asking £1450 ($2,340),
At this coming week’s Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair in Battersea Park, Val Foster of Decorative Collective will be showing this French hand-painted screen by Micheline de Rougemont, 1992, priced at £1450 ($2,340). Image courtesy Decorative Collective and the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair.
At this coming week’s Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair in Battersea Park, Val Foster of Decorative Collective will be showing this French hand-painted screen by Micheline de Rougemont, 1992, priced at £1450 ($2,340). Image courtesy Decorative Collective and the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair.
while Richard Hoppé will be offering a fine pair of Art Nouveau tiles, circa 1900, by Johann von Schwarz of Nürnberg, designed by in-house artist Carl Siegmund Luber.
London dealer Richard Hoppé will be offering this fine pair of Art Nouveau tiles, circa 1900, by Johann von Schwarz of Nürnberg, at the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair, where they will be priced at £4,500 ($7,260). Image courtesy Richard Hoppé and the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair.
London dealer Richard Hoppé will be offering this fine pair of Art Nouveau tiles, circa 1900, by Johann von Schwarz of Nürnberg, at the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair, where they will be priced at £4,500 ($7,260). Image courtesy Richard Hoppé and the Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair.
These will be priced at £4,500 ($7,260).

If the planners and property developers have their way, we may end up looking back on the West End’s heyday as a center of the art trade with the same antiquarian curiosity that we bring to John Sell Cotman’s watercolors of Normandy, a selection of which are about to go on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery. The acclaimed British watercolorist made numerous visits to Normandy in the 1820s to study and paint the region’s medieval architecture.

John Sell Cotman’s pencil and wash drawing of The South Porch of Rouen Cathedral, on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery’s forthcoming exhibition of Cotman’s watercolours of Normandy from 10 October to 13 January 2013. Image courtesy Dulwich Picture Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
John Sell Cotman’s pencil and wash drawing of The South Porch of Rouen Cathedral, on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery’s forthcoming exhibition of Cotman’s watercolours of Normandy from 10 October to 13 January 2013. Image courtesy Dulwich Picture Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
One of his most celebrated works of the period is a study of Alençon, which includes what is regarded as one of the earliest images of an “antique” shop.
Alençon, a watercolour of 1823 by John Sell Cotman — showing an antique dealer’s shop (lower right) — part of the exhibition ‘Cotman in Normandy’ at Dulwich Picture Gallery, from 10 October to 13 January 2013. Image courtesy Dulwich Picture Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Alençon, a watercolour of 1823 by John Sell Cotman — showing an antique dealer’s shop (lower right) — part of the exhibition ‘Cotman in Normandy’ at Dulwich Picture Gallery, from 10 October to 13 January 2013. Image courtesy Dulwich Picture Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Antique dealers were known in London at that time as brokers, “toymen,” or “nicknackitarians.” Cotman’s image is of a vanished world. Many London dealers will be hoping Cork Street doesn’t end up the same way.

Staying momentarily on the French theme, November sees the opening of the annual Forum d’Avignon – an “independent international think-tank” held in the southern French city of Avignon, which aims to break down the barriers between culture and the economy. This may be another example of the “event-driven” cultural sector, but whether it will foster lasting and productive initiatives between economists and the “culturati” or provide just another opportunity for a good time remains to be seen. Images from last year’s event suggest it is both a hotbed of serious discussion

A debate at Avignon University during last year’s Forum d’Avignon. Organisers are hoping that this year’s forum will generate similar intellectual energy around the theme ‘Culture: Reasons to Hope – Imagining and Passing On.’ Image courtesy of Forum d’Avignon.
A debate at Avignon University during last year’s Forum d’Avignon. Organisers are hoping that this year’s forum will generate similar intellectual energy around the theme ‘Culture: Reasons to Hope – Imagining and Passing On.’ Image courtesy of Forum d’Avignon.
and a chance to enjoy some good music.
French composer and musician Eric Serra giving a concert at last year's Forum d’Avignon in the eponymous southern French city where this year’s forum will be held from 15 to 17 November. Image courtesy of Forum d’Avignon.
French composer and musician Eric Serra giving a concert at last year’s Forum d’Avignon in the eponymous southern French city where this year’s forum will be held from 15 to 17 November. Image courtesy of Forum d’Avignon.
The fifth edition of the Forum will be held in the Palais des Papes in Avignon from Nov. 15-17 and is already taking bookings from London intellectuals and business people. The theme will be “Culture: Reasons to Hope – Imagining and Passing On.”

The Avignon event is a further reminder that we are now all living in a “global” world where the boundaries that formerly separated market sectors are fast disappearing. Mallett, one of London’s most venerable antiques dealers, has been energetically embracing aspects of visual culture beyond the rarefied realm of antique furniture on which its reputation largely rests. The firm recently moved to Ely House, an elegant 18th-century Grade I-listed former bishop’s palace in Mayfair, central London.

In November Mallett will stage an exhibition of the work of contemporary artist Sunita Kumar, who is widely respected in her native India. Kumar was a close friend of the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta and some of the works in Mallett’s exhibition have been inspired by that relationship. With Kumar’s work being endorsed by figures such as M.F. Husain, one of the giants of Indian modernist painting, it is a fair bet that Kumar’s reputation will continue to grow. Certainly her landscapes and interiors, rendered in delicate and vibrant acrylics, look likely to win admirers among those collectors seeking something different from the sort of noisy contemporary art currently dominating the media.

Krishna by Sunita Kumar, acrylic on canvas, on show at Mallett at Ely House, Mayfair from 1 to 10 November. Image courtesy of Mallett.
Krishna by Sunita Kumar, acrylic on canvas, on show at Mallett at Ely House, Mayfair from 1 to 10 November. Image courtesy of Mallett.
As Husain himself commented, “In the midst of all the technical bravado and dazzle of art events, a painter serene in her presence and subtle in her rendering of images in color and line whispers in your ears … that serene and silent painter is Sunita Kumar.” The exhibition “Sunita Kumar’s India’ will be at Mallett at Ely House from Nov. 1-10.

The directors of the Fleming Collection, the spiritual home of Scottish art in London, are of the firm opinion that the work of the Scottish Colorist Leslie Hunter is “brilliant, but still misunderstood.” One way to dispel such a misunderstanding is, of course, to mount a major exhibition of Hunter’s work, which is what the Fleming Collection has done. “Leslie Hunter: A Life in Colour” includes examples of Hunter’s work made during his various sojourns in San Francisco, France and Italy as well as in his native Scotland.

Peonies in a Chinese Vase’ (c1925) by George Leslie Hunter (1877-1931), oil on board. Image courtesy the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation.
Peonies in a Chinese Vase’ (c1925) by George Leslie Hunter (1877-1931), oil on board. Image courtesy the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation.

Bill Smith and Jill Marriner, who have written a new biography of Hunter, believe the Scotsman was a brilliant painter but remains misunderstood and “the least appreciated of the four Scottish Colourists” (they are referring, of course, to his colleagues John Duncan Fergusson, Francis Cadell and Samuel John Peploe). Peploe himself once said that Hunter’s best pictures were “as good as Matisse,” who was clearly an inspiration to all of them.

Villefranche (1928) by George Leslie Hunter, oil on canvas. Courtesy of a private collection and The Fleming Collection.
Villefranche (1928) by George Leslie Hunter, oil on canvas. Courtesy of a private collection and The Fleming Collection.
Hunter’s work was, however, marred by ill health (he died at the young age of 54). We will get a chance to judge the extent to which Hunter deserves to be reappraised at the exhibition, which runs at the Fleming Collection’s premises at 13 Berkeley St. from Oct. 23-Feb. 2.

Gallery Report: October 2012

A 3.23-carat diamond ring sold for $33,600 at a Fine Jewelry Sale held Aug. 28 by John Moran Auctioneers in Pasadena, Calif. Also, a signed Cartier hand brooch, crafted with 18kt gold and old European-cut diamonds, realized $22,800; a man’s platinum, diamond and emerald dresser set fetched $6,600; a classic Louis Vuitton hard suitcase went for $3,300; and a late 19th century French pendant, peppered with rose-cut diamonds and seed pearls, changed hands for $2,700. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

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