Dallas Museum of Art acquires a 1985 Basquiat with local connection

Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘Sam F,’ 1985, oil on door, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Samuel N. and Helga A. Feldman, 2019.31, © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘Sam F,’ 1985, oil on door, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Samuel N. and Helga A. Feldman, 2019.31, © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘Sam F,’ 1985, oil on door, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Samuel N. and Helga A. Feldman, 2019.31, © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

DALLAS — The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Sam F by Jean-Michel Basquiat, the first work by the iconic American artist to enter the Museum’s collection. Given to the DMA by the late Samuel and Helga Feldman, the painting was created during the artist’s visit to Dallas in 1985. The expressionistic portrait of Samuel exhibits Basquiat’s characteristic use of dense, meaning-laden text and imagery drawn from multiple sources, including pop culture figures, music and literature, and art historical iconography, among others. Basquiat often painted on salvaged materials, and Sam F is painted in oil on a door from the Dallas apartment building in which he was staying. Sam F will be exhibited at the DMA on the main concourse until February 2022.

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High-condition militaria fueled Milestone’s $1.5M Premier Firearms Auction

High-condition Colt 1911 with documentation, .45 ACP, one of only 1,250 such pistols shipped to US Marine Corps’ Philadelphia depot on July 9, 1913. Stamped ‘UNITED STATES PROPERTY’ and ‘MODEL OF 1911 U.S. ARMY.’ Sold for $18,000, the predicted high estimate

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Motivated bidders and a fresh-to-market selection of rare and near-flawless firearms formed the winning recipe for a $1.5 million payday at Milestone’s June 19 Premier Antique & Modern Firearms Auction. The 777-lot sale attracted a throng of new international bidders online in addition to stalwarts of the hobby who attended in person or via remote-bidding methods. Absentee and live online bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

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Vintage diving helmets to surface at July 17 Nation’s Attic auction

Joe Savoie mixed gas fiberglass diving helmet, estimated at $7,500-$11,000
Joe Savoie mixed gas fiberglass diving helmet, estimated at $7,500-$11,000
Joe Savoie mixed gas fiberglass diving helmet, estimated at $7,500-$11,000

WICHITA, Kan. – Ever thought about owning an authentic piece of diving history? Your chance to bid on and purchase some of the most historic diving helmets, double hose regulators, knives, and other underwater memorabilia is coming up on July 17. The world’s largest dealer of authentic diving helmets, Nation’s Attic Inc., will begin the online-only auction at 10 am Central time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Paintings prevailed at Sarasota Estate Auction June 12-13

Beach scene by Frederick McDuff, which sold for $3,700
Beach scene by Frederick McDuff, which sold for $3,700
Beach scene by Frederick McDuff, which sold for $3,700

SARASOTA, Fla. – A Tiffany Nautilus desk lamp, an Italian 18K gold Omega necklace and fine art from William Alexander Coulter and Frederick McDuff realized exceptional prices at Sarasota Estate Auction on June 12 and June 13. The colossal two day sale featured the second part of a large Steuben glass collection and the third part of the estate of Adrienne and Gigi Vittadini.

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New venue for popular Cheyenne Firearms & Western Collectibles Show & Auction

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Scott Tarbell, owner/promoter of New Frontier Shows, announces the company’s Cheyenne Firearms & Western Collectibles Show & Auction is moving to a spacious new 64,000 sq ft location, Laramie County’s Event Center at Archer. The 12th edition of the popular collector-focused event will be held August 27-29. The on-site live auction, which will also be accessible to online bidders through LiveAuctioneers, starts at 2pm MT on Saturday, August 28.

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Bruneau to offer comics, Pokemon & Nickelodeon props, July 10

Marvel Comics ‘Avengers #1’, with the origin and first appearance of the Avengers, plus the Fantastic Four, Loki, and Teen Brigade, estimated at $18,000-$24,000
Marvel Comics ‘Avengers #1’, with the origin and first appearance of the Avengers, plus the Fantastic Four, Loki, and Teen Brigade, estimated at $18,000-$24,000

CRANSTON, R.I. – Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ Summer Comic, TCG and Toy auction on Saturday, July 10, starting at 10 am Eastern time, is shaping up as the firm’s biggest and best Pop Culture sale to date. In addition to the categories named in the auction’s title, the first 52 lots will be from the collection of Eric Baker, someone who’s very well-known and respected in the community. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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General Tom Thumb daguerreotype commands big price at Potter & Potter

Quarter-plate daguerreotype of General Tom Thumb, which sold for $18,000
Quarter-plate daguerreotype of General Tom Thumb, which sold for $18,000
Quarter-plate daguerreotype of General Tom Thumb, which sold for $18,000

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions‘ June 19th circus and sideshow sale delivered jaw dropping results from start to finish. When the hammer fell for the last time after a day of spirited bidding, 72 lots realized $1,000-2,499; 22 lots scored $2,500-9,999; and three lots broke the $10,000 mark.

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Rose Art Museum marks sixth decade with anniversary exhibit

Sam Gilliam, ‘Wide Narrow,’ 1972, acrylic on canvas, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University. Rose Art Museum Acquisition Fund, Gift of Monroe and Edith Geller. Charles Mayer Photography.
Sam Gilliam, ‘Wide Narrow,’ 1972, acrylic on canvas, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University. Rose Art Museum Acquisition Fund, Gift of Monroe and Edith Geller. Charles Mayer Photography.
Sam Gilliam, ‘Wide Narrow,’ 1972, acrylic on canvas, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University. Rose Art Museum Acquisition Fund, Gift of Monroe and Edith Geller. Charles Mayer Photography.

WALTHAM, Mass.  – “I don’t want to wallow in art history,” wrote Jack Whitten. “I want to use art history as a catapult.” As an artist, Whitten recognized the past as both a foundation and a launching pad to reach uncharted realms. Organized in celebration of the Rose’s 60th anniversary and opened June 25, the exhibition re: collections, Six Decades at the Rose Art Museum, casts a critical eye in these two directions: highlighting the Rose’s radical roots while showcasing the potential for future transformations. Following the example of artists featured in the exhibition, re: collections challenges art historical conventions and cultural hierarchies by charting alternative genealogies that link artworks drawn from the museum’s stellar permanent collection. The show will be on view for three years, with several rotations.

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Saint-Gaudens: master sculptor of the Gilded Age

‘Diana,’ a circa-1895 bronze sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens that sold for $518,400 on Jan. 23, 2021 at Keno Auctions in New York.
Circa-1895 bronze sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens titled ‘Diana’, which sold for $518,400 on Jan. 23, 2021 at Keno Auctions in New York.
‘Diana,’ a circa-1895 bronze sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens that sold for $518,400 on Jan. 23, 2021 at Keno Auctions in New York.

NEW YORK – In December 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a terse and pointed letter to his Secretary of the Treasury, Leslie M. Shaw, which read: “My dear Secretary Shaw, I think our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. Would it be possible, without asking permission of Congress, to employ a man like Saint-Gaudens to give us a coinage that would have some beauty? Sincerely yours, Teddy Roosevelt.” The Saint-Gaudens in question was Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), the Irish-born artist who became one of the great American sculptors of the late 19th century and a great contributor to the period known as The Gilded Age.

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