LONDON – The inaugural Western Manuscripts and Miniatures sale at Bloomsbury Auctions on Wednesday, July 8, is a journey through the history of writing and illuminating books in exactly 100 lots. The auction, which spans four millennia and a vast swathe of human experience, will be held at Ely House, 37 Dover St. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.Continue reading
Carnegie Museum exhibits its Edward Hopper collection
PITTSBURGH – In 1913, Edward Hopper sold his first painting at the first Armory Show. But it would be over a decade before the now-famed painter sold another. Instead, Hopper turned to etchings, drawings and watercolors, finding recognition for his masterful compositions of quiet, meditative moments.
UN: Islamic State’s destruction of heritage sites a war crime
BERLIN (AP) – The U.N.’s cultural agency said Monday the destruction of antiquities and heritage sites in conflict zones by the Islamic State and other extremist groups could amount to war crimes.Continue reading
Johnny Unitas football jersey sets auction record, selling for $118K
WESTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Bidders didn’t give up easily in Grey Flannel’s June 24 Summer Games Auction, which took in more than $2 million dollars in sales of game-worn sports apparel and other gear used by professional sports icons.
Public library houses Calvin Coolidge collections
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) – No U.S president has turned down the opportunity to have their collections gathered and curated to reflect their presidential legacy.
Kovels Antiques and Collecting: Week of June 29, 2015
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Is an antique “clobbered” Chinese vase a valuable Asian ceramic? Fifty years ago, if you were clobbered it meant someone beat you up. Recent auction catalogs have been describing porcelains using this word, and at an April 2015 Neal auction, a pair of very large “clobbered” famille rose porcelain vases sold for $4,780.
Artemission reveals ancient artifacts at auction July 8
LONDON – Artemission’s next auction of antiquities, which consists of 86 choice lots, will take place on Wednesday, July 8, and offer a range of ancient objects from across the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.
Tiffany lamps light up $2.37M fine & decorative arts sale at Heritage
DALLAS – A rare selection of Tiffany Studios lighting took top lot honors in Heritage Auctions’ $2.37-plus million Fine & Decorative Arts Auction event, as a Peony Border Bronze floor lamp sold for $131,000 and a Turtleback Tile bronze floor lamp sold for $106,250 June 19-21. LiveAuctioneers.com provide absentee and Internet live bidding.
Guggenheim to exhibit works by abstract pioneer Vasily Kandinsky
NEW YORK —July 1 through spring 2016, the Guggenheim Museum will present an intimate selection of works by Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Siene, France) that trace his aesthetic evolution. The exhibition, which will be on view in the museum’s Kandinsky Gallery, includes paintings selected from the artist’s early beginnings in Munich at the start of the century, the return to his native Moscow with the outbreak of World War I, his interwar years in Germany as a teacher at the Bauhaus, and his final chapter in Paris.
Shoulao weaves auction magic at Michaan’s: $41,300
ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s June 13 estate auction produced many high-dollar sales, most notably in Asian offerings. The most astounding sale of the day was undoubtedly Lot 246, a 19th century kesi-woven figural panel depicting Shoulao. The auspicious piece featuring the Ancient Chinese Taoist god, his attendant and a deer amazed auction-goers as it rose to $41,300 (est $500-700). LiveAuctioneers.com provided absentee and Internet live bidding services for the sale.