Raise a toast to vintage barware

 

Wine cisterns were heavy silver vessels, sometimes quite large, used for cooling bottles, which became popular in the late 17th century. This Gorham example with Comedy and Tragedy masks, circa 1880, weighs 162.25 troy ounces and brought $23,900 at Neal’s in 2012. Courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Wine cisterns were heavy silver vessels, sometimes quite large, used for cooling bottles, which became popular in the late 17th century. This Gorham example with Comedy and Tragedy masks, circa 1880, weighs 162.25 troy ounces and brought $23,900 at Neal’s in 2012. Courtesy Neal Auction Co.

 

NEW ORLEANS – Wine making dates back over eight millennia, distilled hard liquor to the first century. Many of the graceful black and red-figure vases from ancient Greece were made to store and serve wine at parties. Imbibing from beautiful vessels enhances the toast. Collectors have access to centuries of spirited antiques, and the majority of the silver and glass examples can still be put to use at celebrations today.

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6 unforgettable Super Bowl rings and their sky-high auction prices

NEW YORK (ACNI) – Any NFL player will tell you the ultimate prize in pro football is a Super Bowl ring, but the hefty hunks of 10K gold emblazoned with diamonds and iconic team imagery are not easily won. They’re even harder to obtain if you’re a collector of sports memorabilia. Almost always, if a Super Bowl ring is to be sold, it ends up at auction, where it’s likely to make the most money.

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‘Laura Poitras: Astro Noise’ reaches Whitney

Laura Poitras (b. 1964), ‘ANARCHIST: Power Spectrum Display of Doppler Tracks from a Satellite (Intercepted May 27, 2009),’ 2016. Pigmented inkjet print mounted on aluminum, 45 x 64 3/4 in. (114.3 x 164.5 cm). Courtesy the artist

Laura Poitras (b. 1964), ‘ANARCHIST: Power Spectrum Display of Doppler Tracks from a Satellite (Intercepted May 27, 2009),’ 2016. Pigmented inkjet print mounted on aluminum, 45 x 64 3/4 in. (114.3 x 164.5 cm). Courtesy the artist

 

NEW YORK – The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut “Laura Poitras: Astro Noise,” the first solo museum exhibition by artist, filmmaker and journalist Laura Poitras.

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Ford Presidential Museum reopening in June after overhaul

President and Mrs. Ford. Image courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum

President and Mrs. Ford. Image courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is expected to reopen this spring after being closed in October to allow crews to install new, permanent interactive exhibits and conduct renovations at the facility in Grand Rapids, officials announced Wednesday.

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Egyptology meets digital technology

An experimental lighting display, 'Color the Temple: Scene 1,' at The Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Filip Wolak image

An experimental lighting display, ‘Color the Temple: Scene 1,’ at The Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Filip Wolak image

 

NEW YORK – Colors that likely decorated an ancient Egyptian temple when it was built 2,000 years ago, but have since eroded away, can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptology exhibition this winter.

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French artist Philippe Parreno undertakes commission at Tate

Parreno's 'H{N)Y P N(Y}OSIS' at Park Avenue Armory in New York. Tate image

Parreno’s ‘H{N)Y P N(Y}OSIS’ at Park Avenue Armory in New York. Tate image

 

LONDON – Tate Modern and Hyundai Motor today announced that Philippe Parreno will undertake this year’s Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall, opening on Oct. 4. This will be the second in the new series of annual site-specific commissions by renowned international artists.

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Boston museum acquires landmark Frida Kahlo painting

‘Dos Mujeres (Salvadora y Herminia)’ was the first painting ever sold by Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). © 2016 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

‘Dos Mujeres (Salvadora y Herminia)’ was the first painting ever sold by Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). © 2016 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

 

BOSTON (AP) – Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts has become the only New England museum to add a Frida Kahlo painting to its permanent collection.

The Boston Globe reports that Dos Mujeres (Salvadora y Herminia), is a rare, early portrait by the renowned Mexican painter. Read more

Roland Auctions tapping the Hamptons to D.C. for Feb. 6 sale

Lot 199 - After Edouard Vuillard, 'Femme Lisant.' Est. $8,000-$10,000. Roland Auctions NY image

Lot 199 – After Edouard Vuillard, ‘Femme Lisant.’ Est. $8,000-$10,000. Roland Auctions NY image

 

NEW YORK – With over 800 lots of fresh estate merchandise, Roland Auctions New York is bracing itself for a lively sale on Saturday, Feb. 6, commencing at 10 a.m. Eastern.

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James Rondeau gains top post at Art Institute of Chicago

James Rondeau with Georgia O'Keeffe's 'Sky Above Clouds IV,' 1965. The Art Institute of Chicago. © The Art Institute of Chicago.

James Rondeau with Georgia O’Keeffe’s ‘Sky Above Clouds IV,’ 1965. The Art Institute of Chicago. © The Art Institute of Chicago.

 

CHICAGO – The Art Institute of Chicago has named James Rondeau the new president and director of the museum. Rondeau will succeed Douglas Druick, who announced in October his plans to retire after more than 30 years of service to the institution.

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Despite the global embargo on elephant ivory that has been in place since 1990, the rate of elephant slaughter for tusks is at the highest point in a decade. In this picture, three female African bush elephants travel as a small herd in Tanzania. Photo by Ikiwaner, taken July 29, 2010, licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

Yahoo Japan defends online ivory sales as criticism grows

Despite the global embargo on elephant ivory that has been in place since 1990, the rate of elephant slaughter for tusks is at the highest point in a decade. In this picture, three female African bush elephants travel as a small herd in Tanzania. Photo by Ikiwaner, taken July 29, 2010, licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

Despite the global embargo on elephant ivory that has been in place since 1990, the rate of elephant slaughter for tusks is at the highest point in a decade. In this picture, three female African bush elephants travel in Tanzania. Photo by Ikiwaner, taken July 29, 2010, licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

 

TOKYO (AP) – Yahoo Japan said Wednesday it is strengthening policing of illegal ivory on its online commerce site as criticism grows it is supporting a trade that fuels the slaughter of wild elephants.

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