Motown legend’s bass sets world record at Heritage Auctions

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Motown sessions musician James Jamerson’s 1961 Fender Precision Bass sold for a record $68,875.  Heritage Auctions image.

 

DALLAS – A bass owned and played by James Jamerson, the 2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who Base Player magazine named the “Greatest Bass Player” of all time, set a world record for the most valuable bass ever offered at auction in Heritage Auctions’ June 17-18 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Event in Beverly Hills, Calif. Absentee and Internet bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Zhang Daqian scrolls soar to $2.9M at Clars Auction Gallery

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This group of eight scrolls by Chinese artist Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) was offered as one lot with an estimate of $200,000 to $400,000. Spirited bidding quickly drove this lot to $2,919,000. Clars Auction Gallery image

 

OAKLAND – Clars Auction Gallery hosted an important Asian art and antiques as part of their Fine Art, Decorative Art, Furniture, Jewelry/Timepieces and Asian Art Auction on June 18. This sale was expected to draw strong national and international bidding on the exceptional single works and collections that were offered, but in the end, this sale exceeded all predictions realizing over $5 million and shattering presale estimates not only in the Asian offerings but across the board in all categories. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Linwoods Auction presents fine collection of Asian art and antiques June 25

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Robin’s egg porcelain vase, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period 12 in. high (30.5 cm.). Estimate: $12,000-$15,000. Linwoods Auction image

 

LOS ANGELES – Linwoods Auction, in conjunction with Dynasty Auctions, will conduct an auction of the Taoran Studio Collection of high quality Chinese fine art on Sunday, June 25, beginning at 6 p.m. Pacific time. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Purported Jackson Pollock painting withdrawn from auction

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Jackson Pollock (American, 1912-1956), Untitled Gouache, 22 1/2 x 30 in., est. $10 million – $15 million. Image courtesy of J. Levine Auction & Appraisal

 

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The highly anticipated auction of a painting billed as a Jackson Pollock original was withdrawn shortly before it was to go up for bids on Tuesday, reports the Arizona Republic newspaper.

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$25K reward offered for antique clock stolen at Chicago antique show

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The front of the jewel-encrusted Asprey Mystery Clock. Image courtesy of M.S. Rau Antiques

 

CHICAGO — A $25,000 reward is being offered for the return of an antique clock stolen last month from an antique show at the Merchandise Mart.

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Folk Art Baseballs, Damien Hirst Forgery Ring, and More Fresh News

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Ernie Banks, baseball art by George Sosnak, 1989, India ink on manufactured baseball. Photo by Ed Pollard, courtesy of Chrysler Museum of Art

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • George Sosnak spent decades as a baseball umpire. But in 1956 his talent as an amateur painter launched a second career, creating baseball-theme art on what else? Baseballs! A summer exhibition of Sosnak’s uniquely American folk art will open at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., on July 6. [Read more from the CMA]
  • New York prosecutors unveiled charges Monday against three men accused of manufacturing and selling $400,000 in fake Damien Hirst prints to art buyers around the world. One defendant appeared in court on Monday, 15 days after being released from prison for previously selling knock-off Hirst works online, prosecutors said. [Read more from AFP/Art Daily]
  • An 1,800-year-old Roman sculpture has sold for nearly one million dollars at auction. A striking artwork, the sculpture depicts a 2nd century A.D. Roman military officer, possibly a senator.  [Read more from LiveScience]
  • The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) gold plaque awarded to Pink Floyd founding member/keyboardist Richard Wright (1943-2008) denoting one million dollars in sales of the band’s The Dark Side of the Moon is headed to auction. Bidding will open at $20,000. [Read more from Rolling Stone]

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

Pastor’s disappearance reignites debate over Rockies treasure hunt

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Forrest Fenn’s treasure chest. Image courtesy of The Fen Diagrams, https://thefenndiagrams.com

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A body was found in New Mexico not far from where a Colorado pastor parked his vehicle before heading out to search for a supposed hidden cache of gold and jewels that has inspired thousands to hunt in vain across remote corners of the Western U.S., authorities said Monday.

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Sterling silver in all its versatile glory offered in June 25 online auction

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Tetard Freres sterling silver wine cooler and ice bowl set, 1927, 92.2 troy ounces. Estimate: $6,500-$7,500. Jasper 52 image

 

NEW YORK – On Sunday, June 25, Jasper52 will present an online auction of sterling silver items ranging from a French wine cooler and ice bowl made by Tetard Freres to a Fred Harvey-era belt buckle adorned with thunderbirds and a Bruneau jasper cabochon. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Vase Sells for Shocking Price, Iconic LA Wiener Stand Relocates to Museum, and More Fresh News

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Chinese double-gourd vase, 18th century, Qianlong mark, sold for $826K. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Sheppard’s

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • An 18th-century Chinese double-gourd vase with a pre-sale estimate of around $1,340 was auctioned in Ireland on Saturday for a massive $826,000. Internet competition was fierce during the 7-minute bidding battle. The price is a new record for an Asian work of art sold at public auction in the Emerald Isle. [Read more from LiveAuctioneers.com]
  • Hot dog! An eye-catching LA hot dog stand designed in the 1940s to look like a giant wiener on a bun has found a home a decade after closing. The Tail o’ the Pup, which served working people and Hollywood stars for 60 years, will join the Valley Relics Museum’s pop culture collection. [Read more from AP/Sacramento Bee]
  • Leonardo DiCaprio has voluntarily handed over artworks worth millions of dollars, plus an Oscar statuette that once belonged to Marlon Brando, to the U.S. Government. It’s part of its ongoing investigation into a money-laundering operation connected to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. [Read more from Yahoo!]
  • Egypt means business when it comes to repatriating antiquities that have left their borders illegally. The Egyptian Minister of Antiques says 484 antique pieces have been returned from other countries. Not only that, the nation’s priceless holdings have increased, thanks to recent discoveries at Luxor. [Read more from Daily News Egypt]

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

Exhibit examines art of Renaissance Venice at its first zenith

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Paolo Veronese, ‘Lucretia,’ (1580-1583). Kunsthistorisches Museum

 

MADRID – The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is hosting “Renaissance Venice. The Triumph of Beauty and the Destruction of Painting,” an exhibition devoted to Venetian art of the 16th century – its first zenith – and featuring nearly 100 works by artists such as Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Bassano, Giorgione and Lotto. The show opens June 20 and runs through Sept. 24.

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