PBA auction Feb. 22 fusion of rare books, psychedelic rock

Jefferson Airplane, Great Society at the Avalon Ballroom poster, July 22-23, 1966, by Mouse, Stanley and Alton Kelley (Family Dog), 19 1/8 in. x 14 3/16 in. Estimate: $1,500-$2,000. PBA Galleries image

SAN FRANCISCO – On Thursday, Feb. 22, PBA Galleries will host an auction of Fine Books – Science & Medicine, Art, Illustration & Children’s Literature with nearly 500 lots of rare, interesting, unusual and captivating material, ranging from charming illustrated children’s books to anatomy, with art, science, fine printing, occult, finely bound books, early religious tracts, medicine, astronomy, natural philosophy and history, including classic rock ‘n’ roll posters from San Francisco in the 1960s. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Major gift enhances Maine museum’s Winslow Homer holdings

Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910), ‘Returning from the Spring,’ 1874, oil on panel, 7 7 /8 x 5 3/4 in. Courtesy Portland Art Museum

PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Museum of Art has received a major gift of works by American artist Winslow Homer through the generosity of the Berger Collection Educational Trust. The Berger gift strengthens the Portland Museum of Art’s position as one of the leading institutions in the world to experience the art and legacy of Winslow Homer.

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Whitney showcases flashy photography of Harold Edgerton

Harold Edgerton, ‘Milk Drop Coronet,’ 1957. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of The Harold and Esther Edgerton Family Foundation 96.126.3. © 2010 MIT. Courtesy of MIT Museum

NEW YORK — The photographs of Harold Edgerton, a pioneer of flash technology and a largely under-recognized figure in the history of 20th century American photography, will be on view beginning Friday, March 30, in the Whitney’s third floor Susan and John Hess Family Gallery.

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Rare Honus Wagner baseball card on deck at Winterhur

Honus Wagner T206 baseball card, circa 1909-11. Image courtesy of the Leopold Morse Goulston Baseball Collection New York Public Library

WINTERTHUR, Del. — A Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the most desirable of all sports-related objects, will be on view at Winterthur this spring. In this “Eye on the Iconic” exhibit, a prized Wagner card from the New York Public Library will be displayed alongside a “Hans Wagner” cigar box label from the Winterthur Library collection.

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Michelangelo draws 702,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, Caprese 1475-1564 Rome), Studies for the Libyan Sibyl in the Sistine Ceiling (recto), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1924

NEW YORK – The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that “Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer,” which closed Feb. 12, attracted 702,516 visitors during its three-month run, placing it among the museum’s most visited exhibitions of all time.

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Turner Auctions to sell modern Chinese paintings March 2

Lu Shoukun (Lui Shou-kwan, 1919- 1975), ‘Mountain Landscape,’ 1962, ink and color on paper, framed and glazed, 36 x 11 ¼ inches, sight. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present the Jane Miller Chai Collection of Chinese paintings at an auction March 2. Offering 20 lots acquired over 40 years, the small but significant collection primarily features modern works by noted artists Li Keran (1907-1989), Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996), Cui Zifan (1915-2011) and Ding Yanyong (1902-1978). An antique work by Dong Bangda (1699-1769) is also included in the collection. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Unique US flag among winners at Bruneau & Co. auction

Boston Wool Association rug, 77 inches by 144 inches, made for a museum in Lowell, Mass. Price realized: $5,625. Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers image

CRANSTON, R.I. – To say that Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ Feb. 3 auction featured an eclectic mix of merchandise would be an understatement. The top three lots in the 353-lot sale were a partial set of Chinese carved jadeite zodiac animal seals, which sold for $8,750; a U.S. flag rug made by the Boston Wool Association, $5,625, and a palace-size Persian rug, $5,000. Absentee and Internet bidding were available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Ellsworth Kelly’s ‘Austin’: a building that’s a work of art

An artist’s rendering of Ellsworth Kelly’s ‘Austin.’ The artist-designed building, which opens Sunday, features colored glass windows and marble panels. Image courtesy Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A work of art that’s a free-standing building designed by the late abstract artist Ellsworth Kelly is coming to the outskirts of the University of Texas in Austin.

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