Debbie Reynolds’ Original Rockwell, Houston’s Museums Protect Art, and More Fresh News

 

L to R: Circa-1970 publicity photo of Debbie Reynolds; 2013 photo of Carrie Fisher, copyright Riccardo Ghilardi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • A Norman Rockwell painting of Benjamin Franklin owned by Debbie Reynolds is among the headline items in an auction of the actress’ possessions slated for Oct. 7-8. Auction company Profiles in History says the painting featured on a 1926 cover of the Saturday Evening Post. The 1,500-lot sale contains property from the estates of both Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher. [Read more from AP/Washington Post]

  • Tropical storm Harvey, the worst natural disaster to hit Greater Houston in most of its residents’ lifetimes, has devastated the country’s fourth-largest city. Houston is home to many great institutional art collections. What steps did Houston-area museums take to protect their holdings? [Read more from Huffington Post]

  • A slice of William and Kate’s very own wedding cake is being auctioned on Sept. 27 from the eight-tier masterpiece that was the centerpiece of their reception at Buckingham Palace. It comes in a specially designed commemorative tin. [Read more from Business Insider]

  • On Sept. 13, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will auction a rare 1857 map of Chicago that shows what the city looked like before the Great Chicago Fire. Its bird’s-eye view of Chi-Town includes an area known as “the Sands,” a notorious criminal district that was littered with gambling dens and brothels. [Read more from Crain’s Chicago Business]

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

Oklahoma City approves completing American Indian Museum

The Great Seal of the Chickasaw Nation. Fair use of low-resolution image not replaceable except by a similarly copyrighted flag image.

 

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma City Council is moving forward with completing the construction of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum.

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Michaan’s offers fine crystal, jewelry, art, Asian & mid-century, Sept. 9

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Brilliant art glass and crystal illuminate Michaan’s September Gallery Auction of fine art, furniture and decorative arts, Asian art and jewelry to be auctioned on Saturday, September 9. The energy of the season infuses the auction gallery, where early autumn sunbeams highlight designs by Steuben, Lalique, Baccarat and Daum. Works by international artists and California painters of wide renown, period jewels, and Asian art objects are also featured in this sale of treasures from fine estates, with absentee and Internet live bidding available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Courtyards, the original ‘outdoor rooms,’ get a new look

Courtyards have been enjoyed for centuries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. This inviting courtyard in Rome is a place for plants to thrive and people to relax. Perrimoon photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

 

The trend toward outdoor living, which uses comfy seating, bright rugs and weatherproof architectural elements to extend the al fresco season at home, is bringing new attention to a centuries-old architectural feature: the courtyard.

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Metallica guitarist’s monster movie posters go on display

R. Kikuo Johnson commissioned art to promote exhibition of Kirk Hammett horror poster collection. Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum

 

SALEM, Mass. (AP) – Kirk Hammett may be known best as the guitarist whose deafening solos have come to define the band Metallica. But a new exhibit is showcasing a different side of the rocker, his passion for sci-fi and horror films.

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Something special awaits you at Jasper52’s Sept. 3 Fine Jewelry & Gemstones Auction

Mid-century 14K yellow gold and cabochon lapis charm pendant, .585 gold, 6.8 dwt total weight, est. $300-$350

 

NEW YORK – Quality and beauty form a gleaming partnership in Jasper52’s September 3 auction of fine jewelry and gemstones. The 67-lot selection comprises a mix of loose gemstones and jewelry – antique through contemporary – with that unmistakable look of superiority that can only come through astute connoisseurship. The expertly curated auction will be conducted online, with absentee and Internet live bidding available exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Triceratops skull, skeleton discovered at construction site

Perhaps the most widely recognizable ceratopsian is the triceratops, which first appeared during the late Maastrichtian stage of the late Cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago, in what is now North America. This mounted triceratops skeleton is on display at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. Photo by Allie Caulfield, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

 

THORNTON, Colo. (AP) – A dinosaur fossil has been discovered in Colorado by construction workers.

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Man with missing wife charged with taking $100,000 in coins

Photo of stacked coins by Jeff Belmonte, Cuiaba, Brazil. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – A Florida man who reported his new wife missing while sailing in the Caribbean this spring has been charged with stealing as much as $100,000 in coins.

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