Belgium shows restored masterpiece but stolen panel rankles

Jan van Eyck, 'Just Judges' missing panel from 'Ghent Altarpiece,' 1432. Public domain image via Wikipedia
Jan van Eyck, 'Just Judges' missing panel from 'Ghent Altarpiece,' 1432, reproduction painted by Vanderveken. Public domain image via Wikipedia
Jan van Eyck, ‘Just Judges’ missing panel from ‘Ghent Altarpiece,’ 1432, reproduction painted by Vanderveken. Public domain image via Wikipedia

GHENT, Belgium (AP) — Look closely, and one panel of the brilliantly restored lower half of the Ghent Altarpiece still has old varnish, right next to the vivid coloring that has come to life again in one of the most iconic works of Western art. Continue reading

Antique globes put a new spin on our world view

Pair of Victorian mahogany library globes, Newton & Son, London, circa 1838, sold for $22,000. Image courtesy Hindman
Pair of Victorian mahogany library globes, Newton & Son, London, circa 1838, sold for $22,000. Image courtesy Hindman

At its most basic, a globe is a carefully designed and printed map that’s been glued to a ball and installed in a decorative display stand. Creating the map is the hardest part, because it’s a two-dimensional object that must approximate a three-dimensional world. Continue reading

Elvis’ ‘Comeback Special’ guitar stars in March 27 GWS auction

Elvis Presley '68 Comeback Special Hagstrom V-2 guitar, $2,000,000-$3,000,000. Image courtesy GWS Auctions
Elvis Presley '68 Comeback Special Hagstrom V-2 guitar, $2,000,000-$3,000,000. Image courtesy GWS Auctions
Elvis Presley ’68 Comeback Special Hagstrom V-2 guitar, $2,000,000-$3,000,000. Image courtesy GWS Auctions

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. — Incredible, authenticated examples of Hollywood and music industry history come to auction Saturday, March 27 at 1 p.m. Eastern at G.W.S. Auctions Inc. Absentee and live online bidding are provided by LiveAuctioneers.
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Clocks set the pace at Miller & Miller’s March 20 auction

French Paul O’Dobey monastery wire tower clock, 1899, CA$11,800. Image courtesy Miller & Miller
French Paul O’Dobey monastery wire tower clock, 1899, $11,800. Image courtesy Miller & Miller

NEW HAMBURG, Ontario, Canada – In Miller & Miller’s online-only Music Machines, Clocks & Canadiana auction, held March 20, four of the top five lots as clocks in a sale that grossed $418,065 Canadian ($331,625 US). All prices to follow are in Canadian dollars and include buyer’s premium. Online bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.  Continue reading

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza announces Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition

Georgia O’Keeffe, ‘Serie I. Nº 3,’ 1918. Image copyright Milwaukee Art Museum, VEGAP, Madrid, 2021

MADRID — The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza has announced the first retrospective in Spain on Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986). Through a curated selection of 90 works, visitors to the museum will experience the pictorial universe of a creative figure considered one of the leading representatives of 20th-century American art. The exhibition opens April 20 and runs through August 8. Continue reading

Top items soar beyond pre-sale estimates at Freeman’s March 23 sale

Josef Albers (American/German, 1888-1976), 'Gray Instrumentation,' 1974, $8,500 plus buyer's premium. Image courtesy Freeman's
Josef Albers (American/German, 1888-1976), ‘Gray Instrumentation,’ 1974, $8,500 plus buyer’s premium. Image courtesy Freeman’s

PHILADELPHIA — Freeman’s has announced the results of its March 23 Art and Design auction, which achieved an impressive 92% sell-through rate, and exceeded its overall pre-sale high estimate. Absentee and live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers. Continue reading

Capsule Auctions’ March 31 sale features postwar, contemporary art

Lowell Nesbitt, 'Mr X and Three,' 1964, $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy Capsule Auctions
Lowell Nesbitt, ‘Mr X and Three,’ 1964, $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy Capsule Auctions

NEW YORK — Capsule Auctions presents its Spring Energy auction event, a curated selection of modern, postwar and contemporary artworks from New York estates and collections. Spring Energy will begin Wednesday, March 31 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Absentee and live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers. Continue reading

Elite collection of Japanese woodblock prints entered in March 31 sale

Utagawa Kunisada, 'The Tama River at Chofu,' from a set of triptychs released in 1854, $2,500-$3,000. Image courtesy Jasper52
Utagawa Kunisada, 'The Tama River at Chofu,' from a set of triptychs released in 1854, $2,500-$3,000. Image courtesy Jasper52
Utagawa Kunisada, ‘The Tama River at Chofu,’ from a set of triptychs released in 1854, $2,500-$3,000. Image courtesy Jasper52

NEW YORK — Jasper52 launches an elite collection of Japanese woodblock prints March 31 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Discover why Japanese printmakers impacted the development of modern art across names like Hasui Kawase, Kogyo and Isoda Koryusai. This sale reveals nuanced techniques and traditional Japanese values. Whether capturing the serenity of a temple or a moonlit ocean, these images exemplify both fine art and elegant decoration. Online bidding is available exclusively through LiveAuctioneers. Continue reading