DENVER, Pa. – In preparing for Morphy’s big July 13-15 sale, the Pennsylvania company’s firearms specialists have once again come through with flying colors, curating a first-class selection of firearms, edged weapons, armor and militaria from fine American and international collections. More than 1,500 lots will be presented over the three-day period, with absentee and Internet live bidding available through LiveAuctioneers.
NEW YORK – American Weathervanes: The Art of The Winds will be on view at the American Folk Art Museum from June 23 through January 2, 2022. The comprehensive exhibition is the first in more than four decades to highlight the beauty, technical virtuosity, and cultural significance of American vanes fashioned between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. A full-color, illustrated, 256-page hardcover book, written by Robert Shaw and published by Rizzoli Electa in association with the American Folk Art Museum, accompanies the exhibition. The exhibition is organized by Robert Shaw, guest curator, and Emelie Gevalt, the Museum’s Curator of Folk Art.
PHILADELPHIA— Freeman’s is pleased to announce the upcoming auction of a signer’s rediscovered copy of William J. Stone’s 1823 printing of the Declaration of Independence. First presented to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the original document, and later inscribed by his grandson-in-law John MacTavish, this rare document is the last of the six signers’ copies known to still be in private hands. Remarkably, it was found in Scotland by Freeman’s sister auction house, Lyon & Turnbull, and Freeman’s will present this historically significant document in a single-lot auction on July 1 at an estimate of $500,000-$800,000. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
MONROVIA, Calif. – There was plenty of excitement at John Moran Auctioneers in the days leading up to two of our most successful sales of the year, Postwar & Contemporary Art + Design and Prints & Multiples. Not one, but two auction world records were set at the sale and the first belonged to the Hans Jorgensen Wagner AT-33 sewing table, from circa 1960. The teak oak table that boasted drop-leaf sides and a pull-out inset basket was estimated at $1,000-$1,500, but sold for $3,125. The second world record was set with the citrus orange Made In California screenprint by revered Los Angeles artist, Edward Ruscha. The well-known print, produced in an edition of only 100, incited fierce bidding from online auction goers, as well as from nearly every phone available. Estimated at $50,000-$70,000, the stunning 1971 Ruscha piece sold for $100,000.
BUFORD, Ga. – Growing up in Georgia, Steve Slotin, who co-owns and operates Slotin Folk Art Auction with his wife, Amy, is quick to say he knew the best swimming holes and BBQ joints, but didn’t know much about the visual culture of the South. It took getting fired from CliffsNotes in his early twenties to discover a passion for folk and self-taught art. The couple spent their honeymoon traveling around the United States buying art. They launched an instantly popular annual art show, Folk Fest, in 1993, and a few years later, began their specialized auction business focusing not just on Southern folk art but self-taught art from all over the country.