Michael Maier’s published work ‘Atalanta Fugiens,’ 1617. Price realized: £21,080 ($34,622). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury image. LONDON – A book that could be the first example of a publication containing images, words and music sold for £21,080 ($34,622) on Nov. 28 at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions sale of Important Books and Manuscripts. LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
German physician, alchemist and amateur composer Michael Maier published work Atalanta Fugiens in 1617. Between 1587 and 1596 Maier studied both philosophy and medicine and was famously physician and imperial counselor to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, member of the House of Hapsburg, who shared Maier’s interest in the occult. Maier died at the age of 54 with a substantial amount of unpublished work remaining.
Alongside images, poems and discussion the book contains music in the form of 50 fugues, a compositional technique in which a theme or themes are stated in two or more voices and repeated frequently at different pitches. They are accompanied by emblematic illustrations by Maier’s contemporary Matthias Marian, all with contemporary hand-coloring, a Latin motto and an epigram of discourse (Lot 26).
Dating from 1970 a previously unpublished self-portrait by John Lennon, one of two sketched for the book Grapefruit, written by Yoko Ono, was sold together with a portrait of Yoko and the famous manuscript text that was used as the introduction for the book. It realized £19,220 ($31,568).
The ink on paper drawings and the text which reads: “Hi my name is John Lennon/ I’d like you to meet Yoko Ono,” achieved a great deal of presale interest from Beatles memorabilia aficionados and was bought by a UK private collector (Lot 140)
A pristine set of all seven Harry Potter novels, all signed by the author and probably the finest to be offered at auction, sold for an exceptional £43,400 ($71,292). The set was accompanied by seven pieces of original artwork by artists Thomas Taylor, Cliff Wright and Giles Greenfield (Lot 149).
Michael Maier’s published work ‘Atalanta Fugiens,’ 1617. Price realized: £21,080 ($34,622). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury image.
Plinius Secundus (Gaius), ‘Historia Naturalis,’ edited by Philippus Beroaldus, 266 folios. (of 268, lacking initial and final blank), elaborately illuminated. Price realized: £22,320. ($36,664). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury image.
Donne (John), ‘Biathanatos. A Declaration of that Paradoxe … that Selfe-Homicide is not so Naturally Sinne,’ first edition, 1644. Price realized: £14,880 ($24,442). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury image.
Previously unpublished self-portrait by John Lennon, one of two sketched for the book ‘Grapefruit’ written by Yoko Ono, which was sold together with a portrait of Yoko and the manuscript text. Price realized: £19,220 ($31,568). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury image.
Edward, Prince of Wales wrote this letter to Fred Dudley Ward, wife of a Liberal MP, in 1919. Image courtesy of Fellows. BIRMINGHAM, England – On Nov. 25 a rare love letter from Edward, Prince of Wales was auctioned off at Fellows for £6,324 ($10,390), inclusive of the buyer’s premium, after being estimated to sell between £1,200-£1,800. The letter, which received a flurry of bids, was written in 1919 to lover Freda Dudley Ward. LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
The letter contains Edward’s passionate response to his lover’s request to meet at midnight for a secret rendezvous after the opera. Edward, the only king to abdicate from the throne, pines that he is “so so overjoyed at the thought of seeing my own precious little darling girl again so soon. I ought to be able to get round about 12.00 and I’ll let myself in as I’ve still got the key!” and refers to his lover as his “darling beloved little Fredie.”
The letter was recovered from the estate of an antiques collector in Birmingham. Mark Huddleston, senior antique and fine art specialist comments, “not surprisingly, the letter has caused quite a stir since we first found it. It is a fascinating piece of royal history that makes for quite cringe-worthy reading, as it appears David has little self-censorship when writing it.”
Known for her intelligence and discretion, Freda Dudley Ward was also the wife of a Liberal member of Parli, who apparently turned a blind eye to the affair. Sir Winston Churchill is quoted as saying that it “was quite pathetic to see the prince with Freda. His love is so obvious and undisguisable.”
Jean D’Ylen (1886-1938), Shell Oil and Petrol, The Quick Starting Pair, printed by Vercasson 1926, 75 x 114cm. Estimate: £3,000-£4,000 ($4,928-$6,570). Onslows image. STOURPAINE, England – A rare and beautiful Shell Oil and Petrol poster by Jean d’Ylen, a French master of poster design, is one of the great items that Onslows will be offering in a Winter Vintage Posters auction on Friday, Dec. 20. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
The poster was discovered among a collection of vintage movie posters. Few Shell posters from this early period have survived, and the example in Onslows’ sale is in near-perfect condition with the lithograph colors as fresh and vibrant as the day the poster was printed. The artist is known to have designed a number of posters for Shell and this example is the first time the Shell slogan “The Quick Starting Pair” was used on what became a successful and varied series of posters from 1926 to 1931. D’Ylen worked exclusively for the Paris Agents and Printers Etablissements Vercasson, whose quality of stone lithography has rarely been bettered.
A classic 1940s British beach poster is one of an amazing collection recently discovered under the linoleum floor covering of a house in Edinburgh. The finder had bought the house to renovate and while tearing up the floor luckily realized what the paper lining the floor covering actually was. This is not the first time Onslows have sold poster collections that have been discovered in this situation. The poster depicts a happy family scene at the famous seaside and night spot of the north Blackpool. The artist Septimus Edwin Scott worked mainly for the London Midland and Scottish Railway specializing particularly in striking bathing scenes.
The auction will also offer a single-owner collection of World War II posters by the designer Fougasse (Kenneth Cyril Bird 1887-1965) who designed the most famous posters of the war “Careless Talk Cost Livves.”
The 329-lot auction has a wide variety of posters to all tastes and pockets.
Jean D’Ylen (1886-1938), Shell Oil and Petrol, The Quick Starting Pair, printed by Vercasson 1926, 75 x 114cm. Estimate: £3,000-£4,000 ($4,928-$6,570). Onslows image.
Sep E. Scott (1879-1962), Blackpool, printed for LMS by London Lithographic Co., 1949, 102 x 127 cm. Estimate: £1,500-£2,000 ($2,464-$3,285). Onslows image.
A single-row graduated natural pearl necklace with a French Art Deco diamond-set clasp sold for £89,000 ($146,181) at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers on Dec. 3. Image courtesy Sworders Fine Art Aucitoneers.
ESSEX COUNTY, UK – Three strings of natural pearls, which sold for a total of £185,000 ($303,888) were the highlight of a specialist sale held Dec. 3 at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers. LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
The pearls, which all had certificates of authenticity went under the hammer at Sworders’ Silver and Jewelery sale, held at the company’s saleroom in Stansted Mountfitchet.
The most sought-after necklace was a single row of 75 natural saltwater pearls. It had a guide price of up to £40,000 but under the hammer sold to a buyer in Hong Kong for £89,000 ($146,181).
The same buyer also snapped up a double row necklace totaling 112 pearls, of which 17 were cultured and 95 were natural saltwater. That lot had a guide price of up to £15,000 but sold for £81,000 ($133,039).
The third necklace, also featuring natural saltwater pearls sold for £15,000 ($24,638) – more than double its guide price of £7,000.
All three necklaces had been certified by the Gem and Pearl Laboratory. Each pearl was individually assessed to guarantee its authenticity.
Sworders’ silver and jewelery auctioneer Helen Jonas said: “There was a huge amount of interest in these pearls, particularly from India and the Middle East. The single row, which sold for £89,000, was simply exquisite; pearls of that color, size and shape are hard to find.
“In fact, the price of natural pearls has gone through the roof in the past five or six years, almost trebling in value – so now is a great time to sell. However, the authenticity of pearls is absolutely vital, and only with the right experience can you tell when you may be dealing with natural rather than cultured ones and have them sent to be authenticated. So we would urge anyone with a pearl necklace that they have perhaps inherited to have it checked, before simply tossing it into a jewelery box.”
A single-row graduated natural pearl necklace with a French Art Deco diamond-set clasp sold for £89,000 ($146,181) at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers on Dec. 3. Image courtesy Sworders Fine Art Aucitoneers.
The strange legs and fence-like back on this chair are copied from Indian designs. A pair of these chairs sold in September for $242,500 at a Bonhams auction in New York. They were created by Lockwood de Forest, who also was known for his paintings and other designs.
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Artists often create many different kinds of art: paintings, etchings, prints, ceramics, jewelry, furniture, marble sculptures, bronzes and perhaps designs for commercial products.
So it is possible to buy a piece of jewelry by Alexander Calder for far less than one of his large mobiles. Or an electric fan or pedal car designed by Viktor Schreckengost, who is best known for making the ceramic “Jazz Bowl,” an icon that has sold for as much as $200,000. Works by famous artists can be part of your collection if you buy war bond posters (Norman Rockwell) or advertising figures (Maxfield Parrish) or teapots (Michael Graves).
Lockwood de Forest (1850-1932) was an American artist and decorator who worked in the American Orientalist style, influenced by his travels in India and the Middle East. By 1915, he had moved to California, and his paintings were typical California landscapes. Today collectors are again searching for some of his furniture, jewelry and textiles made after 1879 at the Ahmedabad Wood Carving Co. and later at Tiffany.
De Forest’s furniture was modeled after chairs he had seen in Indian palaces. It was handcrafted of teak, brass and other materials. A pair of 1881 chairs designed by de Forest sold for $242,500 at Bonhams New York in Sept. 2013. But bidding on the chairs may have gone that high because de Forest used them in his own home – and they were later purchased by William Randolph Hearst, the famous newspaper publisher.
Q: I have a picture of a bouquet of flowers painted on porcelain. It is framed and there is a label on the back that reads “A Mottahedeh Design.” I would love to know more about it and its value.
A: Mottahedeh & Co. was founded in 1929 by Rafi and Mildred Mottahedeh. The couple had the largest privately held collection of Chinese Export porcelain in the world at that time. The company made reproductions of pieces in the collection as well as copies of other fine china. The reproductions were sold at Tiffany and Co. and gift shops. Mottahedeh also made reproductions of museum pieces, including items made of porcelain, brass, crystal, silver and stoneware. It has made reproductions for the White House, the State Department and several museums and historical sites. The company was sold in 1992, but it’s still in business, making reproductions. It has headquarters in Cranbury, N.J. Value of your painted porcelain plaque is about $150.
Q: My mother saved S&H green stamps in the 1970s, and she used the stamps to get me a bank that looked like a little cash register. It was green and had a panel on the front that read “Uncle Sam’s 3 Coin Register Bank.” I loved it, but I lost it years ago. In 1996 we bought a house and found the same kind of bank in our attic, but this one is black tin. It has the same front panel. I can read only the bottom of the faded back panel, which reads “Durable Toy & Novelty Co., Division of Western Stamping Co., Jackson, Michigan.” Does this toy we found in the attic have any value?
A: Durable Toy & Novelty Co. invented a single-coin Uncle Sam’s register bank in 1906. The three-coin version was first made in 1923. It was made of cold rolled steel, and instructions for operating the bank were painted on the back. The bank accepts nickels, dimes and quarters and can’t be opened until $10 has been deposited. Western Stamping Co. bought Durable Toy & Novelty Co. in 1958 and continued to make the three-coin bank until the 1980s. Production was moved to Asia in the 1960s, and the bank was then made of tin instead of steel. The tin bank was made in different enameled colors, including black, green and red. A limited edition was made in chrome in 1981 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the bank. Your black tin bank was made after 1960 and sells for $15 to $25.
Q: I have some old postcards with colored drawings of the head and shoulders of pretty women wearing big hats or Indian headdresses. The pictures are copyrighted by Schlesinger Bros., New York. What are they worth?
A: The Schlesinger brothers were photographers in business in New York from 1907 until the 1920s. The company published greeting cards as well as postcards. The pictures on your postcards are hand-colored photomechanical reproductions of pencil drawings. They also were produced in a large size, suitable for framing and hanging on the wall. Postcards with pictures like yours sell for about $10 each.
Q: I have a wooden coat hanger marked “W.J. Woods, Springfield’s oldest clothing store, established 1848.” The “arms” of the hanger can be folded so that it completely collapses for storage. Can you tell me when it was made?
A: The W.J. Woods Co. sold clothing for men and boys. It had stores in several cities in Massachusetts, including Springfield, Worcester, Utica, Providence and Brockton. It was in business until at least the 1920s.
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Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to 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 photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount 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.
Toothbrush holder, pottery, ribbed, footed, blue flowers, Staffordshire, England, c. 1880, 5 1/2 inches, $65.
Stadium seat, Akron Aeros, Canal Park, Akron, Ohio, 1900s, 33 x 23 x 20 inches, $85.
Santa face plaque, plaster, red hat, white beard, 3-D, 13 x 24 inches, $140.
Cradle, tiger maple, carved head and footboard, c. 1860, 32 x 27 inches, $190.
Little Red Riding Hood pitcher, poppy cup, Hull Pottery, 32 ounces, $250.
Toy lumber truck, black, red paint, pressed steel, Buddy L, 25 inches, $485.
Loetz glass bowl, green leaves, feathered, silver overlay, marked, c. 1910, 5 1/4 inches, $815.
Weathervane, horse, standing, gilt copper, zinc, full-bodied, ball finial, verdigris, c. 1890, 19 inches, $1,265.
Order the special reports set: “Buyers’ Guide to 20th Century Costume Jewelry,” Parts One and Two. Only $34.95. These reports identify the most popular makers and designers of costume jewelry, European and North American costume jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry and mid-century jewelry. Recognize Hobe and Sigi jewelry and rare pieces of Bakelite. For the serious collector and the beginner. Available only from Kovels for $34.95 plus $4.95 postage and handling. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or mail to Kovels, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
The strange legs and fence-like back on this chair are copied from Indian designs. A pair of these chairs sold in September for $242,500 at a Bonhams auction in New York. They were created by Lockwood de Forest, who also was known for his paintings and other designs.
A C-141Starlifter flies over the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Image by John Rossino, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – A new wing planned for the National Museum of the United States Air Force in southwest Ohio will allow visitors to walk into a full-size replica of a space shuttle.
Museum officials say construction on the addition is set to begin in late spring 2014 and be completed by the end of summer in 2015.
The wing will include a gallery showcasing a space shuttle exhibit that features NASA’s first crew compartment trainer. The trainer is a replica of a space shuttle crew station used primarily for crew training and engineering evaluations.
There also will be educational areas for programs based in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Private contributions are paying for the project.
Officials say the Dayton-area museum draws more than a million visitors a year.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-12-08-13 1402GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A C-141Starlifter flies over the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Image by John Rossino, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Gene Kelly suit from ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ MGM, 1952. Heritage Auctions image. DALLAS (AP) – Although rain couldn’t stop Gene Kelly from singing and dancing, an ice storm postponed auction of the Hollywood star’s gray wool suit on Friday.
Heritage Auctions spokesman Noah Fleisher says accumulated ice cut the power to the auction house, so there was no way the suit Kelly wore as he joyously danced in a downpour in Singin’ in the Rain could be auctioned.
Fleisher says the auction has been rescheduled for Thursday. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
Heritage expects the suit to sell for more than $20,000.
Memorabilia collector Gerald Sola has owned the suit for more than four decades. He bought it for $10 at a 1970 sale of MGM props and wardrobe items.
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.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Drawings from an 1894 anthropology book of katsina figures, or spirits, made by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States.
PARIS (AFP) – An auction of sacred objects from the Hopi and San Carlos Apache Native American tribes kicked off Monday despite objections from the United States and activists.
The U.S. embassy had asked Paris to suspend the sale of the colorful ceremonial masks, headdresses and other objects after the failure Friday of a legal challenge by advocacy group Survival International on behalf of Arizona’s Hopi tribe.
Worn by dancers during religious ceremonies and considered living beings by the up to 18,000-strong Hopi, the objects are deeply sacred and the tribe insists that their mere description as masks or artifacts is offensive.
In a letter to the EVE auction house, the U.S. embassy said it had asked for the suspension so that the two tribes “might have the opportunity to identify the objects, investigate their provenance and determine whether they have a claim to recover the items under the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, to which France is a signatory, or under other laws.”
The convention aims to fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property across the world.
But EVE announced Monday the sale would go ahead as planned.
“On the one hand, the Hopi tribe had the possibility to lay out its arguments in front of the judge and was dismissed, and on the other hand, an exchange of detailed letters took place with the San Carlos Apache tribe,” it said in a statement.
The battle is a rerun of one earlier this year in which French firm Neret-Minet ignored international appeals to halt the sale of some 70 Hopi masks that eventually fetched around 930,000 euros ($1.3 million).
That auction was decried as a sacrilege by activists including Hollywood legend Robert Redford.
The sale of sacred Indian artifacts has been outlawed in the United States since 1990, but the law does not extend to sales overseas.
On Friday, the judge in charge of the legal challenge against EVE on behalf of the Hopi acknowledged that the sale of the objects could “constitute an affront to the dignity” of the tribe.
But she said “this moral and philosophical consideration does not in itself give the judge the right to suspend the sale of these masks which is not forbidden in France.”
Pierre Servan-Schreiber, the lawyer representing the Hopis, slammed the decision.
It “does not respond to the following question: Can absolutely everything be bought and sold to the highest bidder? Are there not some objects that by their very nature cannot be considered as mere objects of art and must be returned?” he asked.
“It’s only a matter of time before we are proved right. We will not give up.”
Objects for sale include a leather helmet mask framed by two large crow wings, going for 60,000 to 80,000 euros.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Drawings from an 1894 anthropology book of katsina figures, or spirits, made by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States.
Arturo Herrera’s installation ‘Adam,’ 25 by 98 ft, adds vibrancy and color to urban San Antonio. It is the first large-scale public installation underwritten by the Linda Pace Foundation. Photo by Mark Menjivar, courtesy of the Linda Pace Foundation.SAN ANTONIO — A dynamic new artistic addition to the heart of San Antonio, easily visible from the Texas city’s Main Plaza, is coming this winter. “Adam,” a 2,500 square-foot red-and-white abstract wall painting by internationally acclaimed Venezuelan-born artist Arturo Herrera, will add “color, vibrancy and great artistic value to the city’s cultural and spiritual center,” says a press release issued by the Linda Pace Foundation, the project’s underwriter.
The dramatic wall painting, more than 25-feet high and 98-feet wide, is the first large-scale public installation funded by the Linda Pace Foundation. “Adam” embraces and fulfills the foundation’s mission for the community to experience contemporary art in nontraditional settings.
A dedication ceremony for Adam is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, December 14 at Main Plaza. The event will celebrate the Linda Pace Foundation’s contribution of contemporary art to the urban landscape as a means to engage and enliven the community.
Herrera scouted San Antonio earlier this year looking for the ideal setting for “Adam.” He settled on Main Plaza, a vibrant cultural hub for musicians, poets, artists, farmers markets and family activities.
“This installation advances San Antonio’s growing reputation as a cultural center for innovation and creativity,” said Maura Reilly, executive director of the Linda Pace Foundation. “We are honored that Arturo tailored this design specifically for us. Having a public art display by an artist of his caliber positions Adam as one of the city’s newest attractions. ‘Adam’ will inspire local residents, tourists, and also bring art aficionados to our city.”
Herrera first came to San Antonio in 2000 as an Artpace artist in residence and forged an endearing friendship with founder Linda Pace. Herrera was heartened when the foundation expressed interest in ‘Adam,’ originally created for a two-artist show at Berlin, as part of Germany’s Künstlerhaus Bethanien residency program.
“The inspiration for the wall painting Adam was about movement, the dynamism of abstraction, and a soaring energetic field, like Spring, when everything awakens,” Herrera said. “The title ‘Adam’ brings several images to mind — an earthbound beginning, the first individual human, humankind. It is a powerful and yet open-ended title that can convey multiple readings to the audience. The color red that I chose for ‘Adam’ was intentional, as red is the color associated with heat, power, physical energy and celebration. Coincidently, red was Linda Pace‘s favorite color, both for its physical and spiritual qualities.”
Adam will be produced with the assistance of Burkett Waterproofing, engineering support from Danysh & Associates and painting installation by Noam Laich. The mural and installation process has been approved by Frost Bank, Historic Design, and Public Art San Antonio.
The installation will remain prominently displayed on the side of the Frost Bank Parking Garage at the northwest corner of Commerce Street and Main Avenue for three years, through December 2016.
About the Artist:
Arturo Herrera was born in 1959 in Caracas, Venezuela. He received his BFA from the University of Tulsa in 1982 and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992. He lives and works in Berlin. Arturo Herrera has developed a multilayered body of work that includes collages, sculptures, photographs, cut felt pieces and wall works. Herrera uses a fragmented language – whose lingering references range from popular culture to art history – to decontextualize inherent narratives without eradicating the coded referentiality of the image. The resulting works shift in between the explicit and the implicit. A pliability of meaning is played out through the ambiguity of figurative and abstract forms. These forms do not enforce a specific message. Instead, they address the fragmentation and recomposition of mass-culture elements to explore the impact of the adulterated language of abstraction into the collective gaze.
Herrera’s solo and project-based exhibitions have been held at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK; Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, UK; The Art Institute of Chicago, IL; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; daadgalerie, Berlin; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; CGAC, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Americas Society Art Gallery, NY; Centre d’Art Contemporain, Switzerland; Art Gallery of Ontario; ICA Philadelphia; The UCLA Hammer Museum, Museum of Modern Art, NY; and The Renaissance Society of the University of Chicago. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, ArtPace San Antonio, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and the DAAD, Berlin.
About the Linda Pace Foundation:
The Linda Pace Foundation is committed to the charitable vision of its founder. Guided by the donor’s conviction that contemporary art is essential to a dynamic society, the Linda Pace Foundation fosters the creation, presentation, and understanding of innovative expression through contemporary art. Grants support the operation of Artpace, CHRISpark, the public exhibition of Pace’s contemporary art collection, and the work of contemporary artists.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Arturo Herrera’s installation ‘Adam,’ 25 by 98 ft, adds vibrancy and color to urban San Antonio. It is the first large-scale public installation underwritten by the Linda Pace Foundation. Photo by Mark Menjivar, courtesy of the Linda Pace Foundation.
Sean Scully (b. 1945) ‘Conversation,’ wookcut printed in colors, 1986. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Dreweatts & Bloomsbury. WASHINGTON (AFP) – The State Department on Friday fended off criticism for commissioning a $1 million sculpture for its London embassy, saying it was “a good use of our limited resources.” The piece by Irish-born artist Sean Scully was purchased as part of the department’s Art in Embassies program and will be reportedly installed at the new mission due to open in 2017.
“This piece was purchased under the market price after considerable negotiation with both the artist and the gallery. This is an important part of our diplomatic presence overseas,” deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
Abstract artist Scully, who became an American citizen in 1983, lives in New York and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize.
The Art in Embassies program had “played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy” for the past 50 years, Harf said.
“Where we can promote cross-cultural understanding … we think that’s a good use of our limited resources,” Harf told journalists.
The State Department requested some $2.5 million for the 2013 program, which is a public-private partnership involving 20,000 participants including artists, galleries and museums.
Separately, the daily Washington Times accused the diplomatic service of embarking on a September spending spree to buy $180,000 of alcohol for its embassies.
The splurge came just as the U.S. fiscal year was ending and a government shutdown began.
But Harf denied the State Department had been trying to use up its money before the end of the fiscal year, saying budget wrangling in Congress had held up its 2013 funds.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Sean Scully (b. 1945) ‘Conversation,’ wookcut printed in colors, 1986. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Dreweatts & Bloomsbury.
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