January 2015 - Page 3 of 20 - Auction Central News

School conceals whereabouts of Thomas Hart Benton painting

Thomas Hart Benton's 'Cut the Line' (1944), depicting the launch of a U.S. Navy tank landing ship. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) – A Thomas Hart Benton painting given to a suburban Kansas City school in the 1950s has been a cause of concern for years as its value continues to grow but it is stored out of public view. Some former students who remember donating the painting want to know where it’s being kept.

The painting, called Utah Highlands, is in the district’s possession, Leigh Anne Neal, spokeswoman for the Shawnee Mission School District, told The Kansas City Star.

“We don’t have a missing painting,” Neal said. “It is in the possession of the school district. We keep it in a secure location. But for security purposes, we prefer not to disclose that location.”

Students bought the painting from Benton and his wife, Rita, in 1957 for $750 and donated it to a school that is now called Shawnee Mission North. It hung in the library for years but hasn’t been seen since 2008 after being appraised at $700,000. The library displays a photo of the picture, locked behind plastic glass and hooked to an alarm.

Janet Hartsock, whose husband, Paul, graduated from the school in 1958, said he went looking for the painting in 2012 and was told it was in another school but it wasn’t.

“The kids who purchased this painting came up with a unique gift to give their school. It seems sad to me that it is nowhere,” she said.

Benton, who died in 1975, lived and worked in Kansas City, and was one of the leaders in the Regionalism art movement. His most famous works include the 1936 mural A Social History of the State of Missouri in the state Capitol and Persephone at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Nelson officials told the newspaper the painting is not being stored there.

Jack Olsen, owner of the American Legacy Gallery he said he’s sold several Benton paintings for upward of $1 million. “His paintings don’t come along very often,” he said.

The painting’s value has been a concern for the school district for years, and officials at one point considered selling it, the newspaper reported.

Bruce Hartman, executive director of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College, said district officials asked him six or seven years ago if the museum would exhibit the painting. But he said the painting did not fit into the museum’s collection.

Michael T. White, a Kansas City lawyer and jazz musician who was in the class of ’58, said he would prefer to see it hanging at the Nelson.

“Just hiding it away is a shame,” he said.

___

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

AP-WF-01-26-15 1717GMT

Sinatra’s Manhattan penthouse sells for $4.9 million

Manhattan penthouse where Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow once lived, sold through Douglas Elliman Real Estate for $4.9 million. Image courtesy of TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

NEW YORK – In the 1940s, long before he recorded the classic tune “New York, New York,” Frank Sinatra was the #1 New Yorker.

Sinatra was born and raised in an Italian family in nearby Hoboken, New Jersey. His singing career began with his Hoboken high school glee club, which, in turn, led to his job as lead singer with the Hoboken Four and nightclub gigs throughout the New York area. His band won against the competition on the “Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour” on New York’s CBS Radio in 1935. This served as a springboard to other radio performances broadcast throughout the metropolitan area.

By the early 1940s, Frank had been the lead singer with both the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras and a frequent performer at New York’s Paramount Theater and the New York based “Lucky Strike Hit Parade” radio show. In 1943, Frank’s teenage fans turned out in droves to see his performance at New York’s City College with the New York Philharmonic. That same year, he went solo with his debut performance at New York’s Madison Square Gardens. An October 1944 encore concert at the Paramount drew 35,000 fans, causing the Columbus Day Riot that was quelled by New York City police.

Between 1940 and 1943, Frank recorded 23 “Billboard Top 10” hit songs. He was the most popular singer in America, not just New York City.

In the 1950s, Frank was doing television and movies in Hollywood and partying with the “Rat Pack” in Las Vegas. By the 1960s, Frank owned his own film company, a record company, a private airline and a missile-parts firm. He had real-estate holdings across the country and a personal staff of 75 people.

Although he was spending less time in New York, Sinatra still wanted a place to live there that captured the energy of the city. In 1961, he moved into a brand new 3,200-square-foot Manhattan triplex penthouse with East River views. He was able to redesign the apartment his own way with 18ft ceilings and 2,000 square feet of wrap-around balconies.

In 1966, 21-year old Mia Farrow married the then-50-year-old Sinatra and moved into his bachelor apartment as a full-time wife. They were the “it couple” of New York, frequently entertaining East and West Coast “royalty.” Unfortunately, the marriage did not last, and in 1972, Sinatra sold the Manhattan apartment to his friend Andy Warhol’s doctor.

In the years to follow, the apartment was totally updated. After its renovation, it boasted glass walls to capture panoramic city views, four bedrooms, six baths, a putting green and a replica of the floating glass staircase in New York City’s Apple Store. It went on the market in late 2013 at $5.6 million and has just sold through Douglas Elliman Real Estate for $4.9 million.

Chinese ceramics, carvings await bidders at I.M. Chait, Feb. 8

Tall Chinese red lacquer-like composite vase with seal mark, 19in. high. Estimate: $600-$800. I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers image

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers will conduct an Asian arts, antiques and estate auction Sunday, Feb. 8, beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.

Absentee or Internet live bidding during the sale will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

An example of one of the many fine pieces in the sale is a heavy carved and appliqué hardwood box and cover (probably zinan) of circular, lobed form having a fruit design of pomegranates, peaches and “Buddha’s Hand” finger-citrons. Measuring 10 inches in diameter, the box is estimated at $1,000-$1,500.

The auction of more than 500 lots will be composed of Chinese ceramics and carvings; together with bead necklaces and jewelry from Laguna Nigel, Calif., collections; silver and jade jewelry from a Beverly Hills collection; fine Chinese white jades from a Ventura County collection; Japanese swords from an East Coast collection; and Chinese snuff bottles from Shanghai and Northern California collections.

For details phone I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers at 310-285-0182 or email chait@chait.com.

[button color=”black” size=”big” alignment=”center” rel=”follow” openin=”samewindow” url=”https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/66931_asian-art-antiques-and-estates-auction/page1″]Click to view this catalog at LiveAuctioneers[/button]

Sino-Tibetan painted linen thangka depicting Buddha with medicine bowl, seated in lotus position on lotus base, 29in. x 19in. with silk mounts. Estimate: $300-$400. I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers image

Large Chinese Yuan-style porcelain vase, 14 1/2in. high. Estimate: $450-$550. I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers image

Chinese hardwood box and cover, probably zitan, heavy and elaborate appliqué, 10 in. diameter. Estimate: 1,000-$1,500. I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers image

Chinese polychrome and carved hardstone vessel with matching cover, 17in. high. Estimate: $600-$800. I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers image

Kaminski auction features paintings by noted artists Feb. 8

Women’s 18K gold, platinum and emerald ring, 14.25-carat emerald set with 18 round brilliant cut diamonds. Kaminski Auctions image

BEVERLY, Mass. – Kaminski Auctions’ Winter Estate Auction on Feb. 8 will present a diverse collection of fine art and antiques, with a strong focus on oil paintings. Notable artists represented include John Leslie Breck, Willy Eisenschitz and Fausto Giusto.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

John Leslie Breck (American, 1860-1899) painted in the style of the Impressionists and was one of the first artists to join the artist colony at Giverny, France. Having grown up in the Boston area there will sure to be in interest in this tonal scene of white sunlit cottages along a dark green riverbank. The painting is an oil on panel, signed lower left and estimated at $10,000-$15,0000.

Another important entry in the sale is a pastel circa 1910 by Ivan Silych Goryushkin-Sorokopudov (Russian, 1873-1954), which has been owned since 1922 by the family of Bernardo Dobranicki, distinguished dean emeritus and professor of law at the Ave Maria School of Law, Naples, Florida. Prayer in the Home of a Mordvinian is a reflective scene of contemplative faces with the cold winter light streaming in. It is valued at $8,000-$12,000.

A French Provençal brightly colored landscape with green and yellow hills of a rural cottage set among red stylized trees, oil on canvas, by Willy Eisenschitz (French, 1889-1974) and a Paris street scene of Place de Republique by Fausto Giusto round out the top paintings in the sale.

Among the more unusual items to be offered are three Louis Vuitton trunks, a collection of Steiff mohair toys, several World War II Nazi medals and dagger, and three glider pilot licenses signed by Orville Wright.

The sale will also feature a variety of Asian art, including an important 18th century Chinese Famille Rose porcelain fish bowl. The exterior is decorated with flowers, insects and birds with the interior painted with seven goldfish and plants. Valued at $20,000-$25,000, it is sure to garner Chinese collectors’ interest.

The star lot of jewelry in the sale is a striking 18K gold, platinum and diamond, women’s ring with a 14.25-carat emerald set with 18 round brilliant cut diamonds valued at $4,500-$5,500.

Several Colt revolvers, Russian icons, silver, and couture by Fendi, Givenchy and Malo round out this eclectic mix for the Feb. 8 Winter Sale at Kaminski Auctions gallery, 117 Elliot St., Route 62, in Beverly, Mass.

For more information phone Kaminski Auctions at 978-927-2223.

John Leslie Breck (American, 1860-1899), oil on panel. Kaminski Auctions image

Eighteenth century Chinese Famille Rose fish bowl, porcelain, exterior decorated with multiple different decorative art objects. Kaminski Auctions image

Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, Damier pattern, serial number 48289. Kaminski Auctions image

Smithsonian working to finalize deal for new site in London

An aerial view of the Olympic Park looking southwest toward London. Image by EG Focus. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Smithsonian Institution is working to establish its first international museum outpost in London as that city redevelops its Olympic park.

Smithsonian officials announced Tuesday that London’s mayor and developers have secured $50 million in private contributions to build the facility.

Smithsonian board chairman John McCarter says this is a chance to tell America’s story and show the global reach of the world’s largest museum and research complex.

If the deal is finalized, the Smithsonian would join the Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London, University of the Arts London and a theater as partners in the new “Olympicopolis” cultural center. It would be situated near London’s 2012 Olympic Stadium, swimming facility and a popular shopping mall.

AP-WF-01-27-15 1555GMT

National World War II Museum posts record attendance

A B-17 in the Freedom Pavilion at the National World War II Museum. Image by Nolabob. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The National World War II Museum is celebrating a record year.

The 515,000 visitors in 2014 broke the previous year’s record by 14 percent, said spokeswoman Kacey Hill. She said March set the museum’s all-time one-month record with 56,100 visitors – up from 54,300 a year earlier – and December’s attendance set a record for that month at more than 46,000.

“We fully expect March of this year to exceed March of last year,” she said.

Hill said more people are aware of the museum. “And we’re really doing more to attract more visitors in the city who maybe hadn’t made us part of their plans.”

That includes getting brochures and flyers into airports, taxicabs, hotel rooms and tourist corridors, she said.

“And, of course, increased New Orleans tourism has been great for us, too,” she said.

The museum marked its 4 millionth visitor in July, about a month after its 14th anniversary.

Its newest building, Campaigns of Courage, opened Dec. 13 with nine galleries about the European theater. Pacific theater galleries will open there this December, with the Liberation Pavilion, the last building in the current $325 million expansion, to be finished by late 2017.

“The goal is to complete the six-acre campus while there are still veterans left to see it,” a museum press release said.

The Liberation Pavilion will include exhibits about the end of the war and after, including how it continues to affect the world.

“You would be looking at changes in the roles of women, the civil rights movement, changes in the American economy through industrialization of the war effort. Looking at the major social, economic and political changes of World War II that clearly still affect us today,” Hill said.

The museum opened June 6, 2000, as The National D-Day Museum founded by author and historian Stephen Ambrose. Congress designated it the national World War II museum in 2004.

“I am so proud of what has been accomplished in such a short period of time, but it’s nothing compared to what our nation was able to do, along with our Allies. It certainly keeps it all in perspective,” said Nick Mueller, museum president and CEO.

The museum’s tentative plans include a Hall of Democracy pavilion to house outreach and academic programs, additional exhibits and a hotel and conference center.

AP-WF-01-26-15 1639GMT

Atlanta Cyclorama presents Civil War anniversary events

The Cyclorama has been on display in Atlanta's Grant Park for more than a century. Image by Scott Ehardt, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

ATLANTA (AP) _ The Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum is offering special programs to continue commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Director Camille Love said in a release that the museum will present guest speakers and special film screenings between February and June.

Officials say authors William F. Moore and Jane Ann Moore are scheduled to deliver a free lecture on President Abraham Lincoln and the abolition of slavery on Feb. 12.

Officials say their book titled Collaborators for Emancipation: Abraham Lincoln and Owen Lovejoy explores the relationship between President Lincoln and Lovejoy, an abolitionist, and the impact their bond had on politics.

AP-WF-01-27-15 0916GMT

Famous collection gets overwhelming reception at Clars

The top lot of the Mellon Scaife collection was this lot of three 19th century Royal Worcester urchin and dolphin compotes that sold for an impressive $10,115, setting an auction record for this form. Clars Auction Gallery image

OAKLAND, Calif. – On Jan. 17 and 18 Clars Auction Gallery brought to market the first offering of the expansive collection of majolica, porcelains and antique furnishings from the estate of Richard Mellon Scaife. This initial offering featured 300 lots that soared well past estimates achieving over $250,000.

LiveAuctioneers.com provide Internet live bidding.

“The formidable global market reaction to this collection exceeded all of our expectations,” said Deric Torres, vice president and director of decorative arts and furniture for Clars. “Bidding was incredibly strong, particularly from Europe and Britain. A majority of the pieces offered sold for over high estimate with several going for two and three times the high and more. The provenance combined with the quality of the offerings resulted in prices not seen, particularly on majolica, since before the 2008 downturn. It was a very exciting sale to be part of and a very exciting weekend indeed.”

The top lot of the collection offered, which went for almost 10 times high estimate, was a lot of three 19th century Royal Worcester urchin and dolphin compotes that sold for an impressive $10,115, setting an new auction record for this form. Also going for four times high estimate was a Royal Worcester shell form tazza, circa 1885, which went out at $5,600.

In the majolica, the top sellers included a lot of two Copeland shell form vases, circa 1885, which sold for $4,400 (estimate: $800); another lot of two Copeland shell form spoon warmers, circa 1870, achieved $2,400 (estimate: $1,500); and again from Copeland, a 19th century swan and bulrush vase sold also sold for $2,400 against its high estimate of $800. A lot of 10 Portuguese corn luncheon service that was offered for $500 sold for $1,500 and a lot of two William Brownfield & Son conch shell vases, circa 1880, sold for $4,100 (estimate: $1,500).

Other offerings from the Mellon Scaife collection that brought surprising prices was a French Industrial gilt bronze automaton lighthouse clock and barometer, circa 1890, which was expected to sell for $4,000 but sailed over the top selling for $7,100. Perhaps the most “whimsical lot in the sale,” according to Torres, was a monumental brass bell and striker which sold for an amazing $4,750 against its $1,500 high estimate. Also of note in the fine furniture that was offered was a 19th century Continental pietra dura side table that was expected to achieve $1,500 but realized an astounding $7,700.

Overall, Clars Jan. 17-19 auction was the third highest grossing January sale in the firm’s history, realizing over $850,000. While the Mellon Scaife collection was the focus of the three-day event, the top lot of the entire sale came from the Asian category. A Chinese Longquan-type celadon vase from the estate of U.S. Navy Capt. Edward S. Pearce, was expected to sell for $1,600 but highly competitive bidding on this piece drove the final sale price to an exciting $35,700.

The fine art category also performed well realizing $225,000. The top sellers in this category both sold for $14,280. The first was Harbor Scene with Sailboats by Georgi Alexandrovich Lapchine (Russian, 1885-1951) and the second, a color woodblock print titled Nude, 1950 by Kiyoshi Saito (provenance: deaccession – Nevada Museum of Art, Reno). While both of these offerings sold for over high estimate, the final sale price of the Kiyoshi woodblock print was 14 times its high estimate.

Rounding out the sale was the jewelry and timepieces category where watches reigned supreme this month. The highlight was a men’s Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute stainless steel wristwatch, Ref. 809, circa 1962, which solidly surpassed high estimate selling for $6,545.

For a more information on this sale email: info@clars.com

The top seller in majolica was this lot of two Copeland shell form vases, circa 1885, which sold for $4,400, far beyond the $800 estimate. Clars Auction Gallery image

Also from Copeland, this 19th century swan and bulrush vase sold for $2,400 against its high estimate of $800. Clars Auction Gallery image

This French Industrial gilt bronze automaton lighthouse clock and barometer, circa 1890, which was expected to sell for $4,000, finished at $7,100. Clars Auction Gallery image

In the fine furniture that was offered, this 19th century Continental pietra dura side table topped out at an astounding $7,700. Clars Auction Gallery image

The top lot of the auction overall was this Chinese Longquan-type celadon vase that sparked bidding to $35,700. Clars Auction Gallery image

This color woodblock print titled ‘Nude,’ 1950 by Kiyoshi Saito sold for $14,280. Clars Auction Gallery image

The highlight of the jewelry and timepieces category was this Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute stainless steel wristwatch that sold for $6,545. Clars Auction Gallery image

Thieves crash SUV into Wells Fargo museum, steal gold

Wells Fargo's headquarters are located at 1 Montgomery Street in San Francisco, four blocks from the original Wells Fargo site, now home to the Wells Fargo Museum. This 2007 image was taken by Laimerpramer and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) –Thieves rammed a stolen SUV into a downtown San Francisco museum early Tuesday and swiped historic gold nuggets in the latest smash-and-grab theft in the area in recent months.

Three masked men jumped from a Chevrolet Suburban after it rammed through a revolving door at the Wells Fargo History Museum in the financial district and held a security guard at gunpoint while taking gold nuggets from a display case.

The three men escaped in a four-door sedan driven by an accomplice. The security guard was unharmed.

The tactic mirrored three other smash-and-grab thefts involving vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area since May. Police said they are investigating whether there’s a connection.

Last week thieves backed a U-Haul van through the front of a Patagonia store near San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, loaded it with high-end outdoor clothing and gear and sped off.

On Nov. 26, two men rammed a vehicle into an upscale designer boutique in Union Square and took handbags.

Across San Francisco Bay, thieves in May broke through the glass at an Apple Store in a bustling shopping district in Berkeley to steal electronics, leaving the car behind.

Police did not reveal the value of the stolen merchandise in any of the cases.

As many as 10 ounces of gold with an estimated value of roughly $10,000 was stolen from the Wells Fargo museum. Wells Fargo officials were still trying to determine exactly what was stolen before determining a more precise loss figure.

Dealers of precious metals say they will be on the lookout for nuggets with historical significance that suddenly appear on the market, rare coin dealer Don Kagin said.

Melting the precious metal could remove possible markings concerning when and where the nuggets were mined, said Fred Holabird, a mining geologist and an owner of a rare and unique collectibles business in Reno, Nevada.

“This is such bad news from my viewpoint,” he said, calling the potential loss of historical indicators a tragedy.

Holabird said the nuggets could be worth two to 10 times the value of gold now selling for about $1,300 an ounce on the open market.

Selling stolen precious metals is difficult but not impossible. Robbers who swiped $1.3 million in gold, quartz and other valuable metals on display at the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in 2012 were able to sell about $12,000 worth of gold to pawn shops and dealers, police said.

Some of the stolen items, including a bag of ground-up quartz, were recovered. Five men were convicted of the heist at the museum in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido said in a statement that the company is grateful that no one was injured and no damage was done to the historic stagecoaches at the site where Wells Fargo launched in 1852.

People walking to work stopped to snap photos of the SUV wedged in the shattered revolving doors.

Britain’s National Gallery workers vote for 5-day strike

The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London. Image by Wayland Smith. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

LONDON (AFP) – Workers at Britain’s National Gallery in London are to stage a five-day strike, their trade union announced Wednesday, over the privatization of visitor services.

The walkout, from Feb. 3 to 7, will cause “serious disruption,” said the Public and Commercial Services Union.

Some 250 workers are involved in the dispute. A recent ballot saw workers, on a 62 percent turnout, vote by 94 percent in favor of taking industrial action.

The museum says it wants to appoint an external partner to manage a new staff roster for extended opening hours.

The PCS claims the changes would involve the privatization of most staff.

“This five-day walkout will put the National Gallery in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons,” said PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka.

“The sell-off plan is reckless and risks damaging the worldwide reputation of what is one of the UK’s greatest cultural assets, and we are determined to stop it.”

Situated on Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is one of the British capital’s more important tourist attractions and one of the world’s most visited art museums. It is free to enter.

National Gallery director Nicholas Penny said: “If the National Gallery is to continue to thrive as a public entity with reduced public money, change is essential. There is no option that allows everything to stay the same.

“The PCS union leadership opposed the change and, despite five months of dialogue, we were not able to meet an agreement.”

PCS National Gallery staff went on strike in October in a bid for better pay. Some sections of the gallery shut down altogether.

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