Mike Wolfe Leaving American Pickers, Another Try for Star Wars Museum, and More Fresh News

Mike Wolfe (right) and American Pickers co-star Frank Fritz with an early Indian motorbike they bought while on the road. Image by Amy Richmond Photography

Mike Wolfe (right) and American Pickers co-star Frank Fritz (left) with an early Indian motorbike they bought while on the road. Image by Amy Richmond Photography

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • American Pickers co-star Mike Wolfe says, “One more season and I’m done.” What does the future hold for the intrepid junker? [Read more from WQAD News 8]
  • After thwarted attempts to build a Star Wars museum in Chicago and San Francisco, George Lucas is again considering the Bay Area – this time, Treasure Island. The artificially constructed island was built for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, and its World’s Fair site is a California Historical Landmark. [Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle]
  • Why buy antique furniture instead of newly constructed “fast furniture?” Here’s one expert’s opinion, with tips on what to look for when you buy. [Read more from Vogue Australia]
  •  What did William Shakespeare really look like? Cleaning the circa-1600 Chandos portrait could provide the answer, but not everyone agrees that it would be a good idea. [Read more from The Art Newspaper]

For more news and updates, follow LiveAuctioneers on Twitter + Facebook.

Quinn’s to launch strong fall season with Sept. 10 auction of fine art & sculpture

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Saturday, September 10, Quinn’s Auction Galleries of northern Virginia will present one of the most eclectic selections of fine art it has offered to date. Many of the works come with distinguished provenance. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Did fall from tree kill famous human ancestor Lucy?

 

Side view of Australopithecus afarensis (known as Lucy) replica (Nachbildung), located at Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Photo by Gerbil, 2006. licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Side view of Australopithecus afarensis (known as Lucy) replica (Nachbildung), located at Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Photo by Gerbil, 2006. licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The famous human ancestor known as Lucy walked the Earth, but it was her tree climbing that might have led to her demise, a new study suggests.

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Artist sues after Confederate painting blocked from Fresno fair

Rare Confederate Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag, circa 1861. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Brunk Auctions

Rare Confederate Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag, circa 1861, auctioned for $70,000 on July 16, 2011. Unrelated to lawsuit in California; shown for visual purposes only. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Brunk Auctions

 

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – A Fresno artist has filed a lawsuit against state officials accusing them of violating his free speech by keeping his painting out of The Big Fresno Fair.

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The Getty to Acquire Italian Masterpiece, Johnny Winter’s Guitars Headed to Auction, and More Fresh News

Virgin with Child, St. John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene (about 1530-40). Parmigianino (Francesco Mazzola, Italian, 1503-1540). Oil on paper, laid down on panel, 75.5 x 59.7 cm (29 ½ x 23 ½ in.) . Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Virgin with Child, St. John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene (about 1530-40). Parmigianino (Francesco Mazzola, Italian, 1503-1540). Oil on paper, laid down on panel, 75.5 x 59.7 cm (29 ½ x 23 ½ in.) . Courtesy of Sotheby’s

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • Another masterpiece will soon be joining the phenomenal J. Paul Getty Museum collection. The Museum has announced its intention to acquire an artwork by Parmigianino (1503-1540), one of the most celebrated painters of the Italian Renaissance. [Read more from the J. Paul Getty Museum]
  • In the wake of destructive flooding in Scotland, bottle collectors have been digging up a stretch of the ancient Hadrian’s Wall Path in hopes of finding rare relics. Some say their efforts have only added to the devastation. [Read more from the Carlisle News & Star]
  • Sydney’s iconic Coca-Cola sign is coming down, one letter at a time. Long considered the gateway to the city’s nightlife center, the flashy tourist magnet’s old script logo is being auctioned on eBay to benefit a respected local charity. [Read more at News.com.au]
  •  Guitars and other personal memorabilia belonging to the late Texas blues/rock legend Johnny Winter will be auctioned on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at Guernsey’s in New York. Fans will be able to bid absentee or live online as the sale is taking place, through LiveAuctioneers.com. [Read more from the Beaumont Enterprise]

For more news and updates, follow LiveAuctioneers on Twitter + Facebook.

Vintage Lawn Sprinklers: The Best Way to Cool Down This Summer?

Throughout this summer of record heat, we’ve had to get creative about how to keep cool. Running through the garden sprinkler is one of our favorite pastimes and brings back the best childhood memories. These days, the garden sprinkler has moved from the tool shed to the collectors cabinet. Like many other products of late 19th- and early 20th-century industrial design, the sprinkler is now appreciated as a piece of sculptural and cultural beauty.

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$5M Buyer Sought for Queen Victoria’s Coronet, Patton Armored Diesel Will Light Your Fire, and More Fresh News

Queen Victoria's sapphire and diamond coronet. Image courtes of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport

Queen Victoria’s sapphire and diamond coronet. Image courtesy of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • Britain’s Culture Minister Matt Hancock has placed a temporary export bar on Queen Victoria’s sapphire and diamond coronet in an effort to keep it in the country. Unless a buyer steps forward who’s willing to pay $6.5 million, the UK could lose one of its greatest treasures. [Read more from www.gov.uk]
  • Introducing Patton Armored Diesel, named for the legendary World War II general – but don’t look for it at a gas station. The new limited-edition collector bottle is better suited to a liquor cabinet. [Read more from the Associated Press via The Roanoke Times]
  • You may never look at your pocket change the same way again. A 1792 ‘Birch Cent’ sold for more than half a million dollars at a Heritage auction held at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money. Wondering what it looks like? [Read more from Art Daily]
  •  Ever daydreamed about owning a castle but felt you’d never be able to furnish it all? Problem solved! A magnificent Italian medieval castle is going under the hammer on Sept. 8, complete with its centuries-old furnishings included. [Read more from ArtFix Daily]

For more news and updates, follow LiveAuctioneers on Twitter + Facebook.

Re-creation of woolly mammoths in a late Pleistocene landscape in northern Spain. Artwork by Mauricio Anton. © 2008 Public Library of Science, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

Austrian experts recover giant tusks of rare mammoth breed

Re-creation of woolly mammoths in a late Pleistocene landscape in northern Spain. Artwork by Mauricio Anton. © 2008 Public Library of Science, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

Re-creation of woolly mammoths in a late Pleistocene landscape in northern Spain. Artwork by Mauricio Anton. © 2008 Public Library of Science, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

 

VIENNA (AP) – An Austrian museum team has recovered two giant tusks and other remnants of what experts say are apparently the remains of a rare mammoth breed, after construction crews unearthed them while working on an Austrian freeway.

The find, dating back to mid-August, was reported by Austrian media on Monday. They cite officials of Vienna’s Museum of National History as saying the tusks are about 2 1/2 meters (more than 8 feet) long and apparently come from a mammoth that lived more than a million years ago. That precedes the more well-known woolly mammoth, which was hunted by ancient humans.

Also found at the site 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Vienna were parts of the animal’s vertebrae.

Museum expert Oleg Mandic describes the discovery as “pretty sensational.”

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Copyright 2016 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This information may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nina K Cullen solo exhibit Pixelated World opens Sept. 10 in Laguna Beach

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – New works from Southern California-based abstract expressionist painter Nina K Cullen will be presented at the artist’s solo exhibition “Pixelated World” at the acclaimed Avran Art + Design Gallery at 540 South Coast Highway, #106, in Laguna Beach, Calif., opening on Saturday, September 10. The exhibit will feature various pieces from the artist’s  “Pixel” series.

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Gianguan’s Sept. 17 Asian Art Auction features premier paintings, ceramics, bronzes, jades

NEW YORK – Gianguan Auctions captures the best of the autumn Asian art season with a mixed sale of highly provenance Chinese traditional paintings,  ceramics, bronzes and carved jades, all supported by collections of  contemporary jewelry and decorative items. The sale is slated for Saturday, September 17, and absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

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