Agatha Christie lived through pain on the Orient Express

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‘Murder On The Orient Express’ 1974, British Quad movie poster, based on the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, EMI, folded 30 x 40 in. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers and Ewbank’s

PARIS (AP) — Luxury travel meets murder.

Aboard the original Orient Express for the first time, Agatha Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard reminisced on how the Queen of Crime became enchanted with the fabled locomotive, and how its legendary route to the exotic east not only inspired one of her most famous novels, Murder on the Orient Express, but it defined her.

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Palm Beach Modern to auction urban & midcentury art March 3

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Crash (John Matos)(American, b. 1961-), original painting, signed with date 8/2010, 26in x 84¼in. Provenance: Florida private collection. Estimate: $12,000-$18,000

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – “If ever there were a reason to book a flight to south Florida, this is it,” said auctioneer Rico Baca, referencing the March 3rd auction being hosted by the company he co-owns, Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA). “But if a trip is out of the question, online bidding will be available from anywhere in the world through LiveAuctioneers,” he added. The 565-lot auction features the finest selection of modern and contemporary art, furniture, decorative accessories and jewelry PBMA has ever offered. The sale will also launch the firm’s new Urban Culture division with a sensational selection led by a now-iconic red jacket James Dean wore in the 1955 film Rebel Without A Cause.

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Jewelry, sculptures choice items in MG Neely sale April 8

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3.1-carat diamond ring set in 18K white gold, with two .3 carat tapered baguette cut diamonds on the shoulders, GIA Report #6187079656, certified VS2 color E. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. MG Neely image

LANTANA, Fla – An array of decorative décor, furnishings, jewelry and artwork will be offered by MG Neely Auction at their Palm Beach Antique to Modern Estate Auction on April 8. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Surprises noted at Benefit Shop Foundation Red Carpet auction

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The top lot of the action was a bronze Art Deco statuette of a nude woman reclining inside a crescent moon, 23 by 20 by 9 in., that went to a phone bidder for $1,905. Benefit Shop Foundation image

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — Each auction brings something new and unexpected. The Benefit Shop Foundation’s Red Carpet sale Feb. 21 was no exception. Absentee and Internet bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Russian snuffbox sells for $18,750 at Moran’s via LiveAuctioneers

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A LiveAuctioneers bidder won this Russian enameled 18K yellow gold snuffbox at $18,750. John Moran Auctioneers image

MONROVIA, Calif. – The Traditional Collector, one of Moran’s most popular auctions, on Feb. 20 brought fresh to market fine objects and works of art from across the globe sourced from private Southern California estates. Chinese furniture, European and American silver, and traditional scene painting inspired strong interest in those bidding on the floor as well as online. Absentee bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Amazing Spider-Man #100 cover art sells for record $478,000

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Classic cover by the John Romita Sr. Heritage Auctions image

DALLAS – The original art for The Amazing Spider-Man #100 sold for $478,000 at Heritage Auctions on Friday, setting a world record for the most expensive Marvel Comics Silver or Bronze Age cover ever sold at public auction.

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Man linked to art heist faces sentencing in weapons case

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Édouard Manet’s ‘Chez Tortoni’ was one of the artworks stolen from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A reputed mobster who authorities believe is the last surviving person of interest in the largest art heist in history is facing sentencing in an unrelated weapons case.

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Museum invites public to take hi-tech look at Vermeer

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Johannes Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring,’ circa 1665. Mauritshuis, The Hague

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Researchers at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague are using the latest technology to take a long, hard look at one of their most prized paintings, Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, and they are inviting the public in to watch.

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Russian ballet in spotlight at ArtMaximum auction March 3

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‘Comoedia illustré’ magazine, issue 17, 1911. ArtMaximum image

HAMBURG, Germany – Auction house ArtMaximum will hold its first auction on March 3. The collection includes publications on ballet and theater, autographs of prominent representatives of Russian and Soviet culture, manuscripts and photographs, antique books, as well as subjects related to the Soviet underground. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Transatlantic crossing: historical American desk turns up in UK auction

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Extremely rare American 18th-century bureau/desk, Chippendale period, mahogany with secondary poplar, ball-and-claw feet, original brass escutcheons. Provenance: By repute, formerly the property of US Secretary of the Treasury, NY Governor and Civil War (Union) Major General John Adams Dix (1798-1879). Est. $28,000-$42,000

EPPING, U.K. – Although no one knows exactly how or when it made its way across the Atlantic, a very rare 18th-century American bureau/desk has emerged as the furniture highlight of a February 28 Greater London auction.

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