BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – On August 18, Doyle announced the grand opening of its new gallery at 310 North Camden Drive in Beverly Hills, California. This expansion reflects the auction house’s commitment to providing an even greater level of service and a broader range of capabilities to collectors, families and fiduciaries throughout California and the West Coast.
LONDON – A previously unknown sketchbook of watercolors and pencil drawings relating to the California Gold Rush and the famous Forty Niners sold at auction on August 4 for $25,000. The 76-page document records the places and characters seen by the amateur artist and adventurer Joseph Goldsborough Bruff (American, 1804-1889) as part of an expedition to California from 1849-1851.
WASHINGTON, DC — Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is one of the most significant artists of the 17th century, yet much of the Dutch painter’s life and practice remains a mystery. On view at the National Gallery of Art from October 8 through January 8, 2023, Vermeer’s Secrets will unveil new findings about him and his process. The exhibition offers a behind-the-scenes look at how National Gallery curators, conservators, and scientists investigated the museum’s four treasured paintings by and attributed to Vermeer — as well as two 20th-century forgeries — to understand “what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer.”
NEW YORK – On August 13, La Belle Epoque Auction Gallery held its first auction after temporarily shutting down since suffering extreme water damage in the spring of 2022. A David Hockney (British, b. 1937-) lithograph, signed by the artist, took the lead in the sale. The live online-only Multi-Estates Summer auction featured more than 300 lots with a varied selection of fine art, decorative items, furniture, Mid-century Modern pieces and silver.
LONDON – An extraordinary selection of ancient and oriental art, including early Islamic treasures, will be offered by Apollo Art Auctions on Sunday, August 28, starting at 12 noon BST (7 a.m. US Eastern Time). The 417-lot sale, with beautiful and interesting objects to please even the most sophisticated collector, will be conducted live at Apollo’s elegant central London gallery, with international participation cordially welcomed absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
NEW YORK – Doyle‘s inaugural Entertaining with Style auction on August 11 saw competitive bidding from hundreds of buyers across the US and abroad. This exciting new sale category showcases an array of stylish items to inspire gracious entertaining at home, with delicate crystal and porcelain for the table, silver flatware, candlesticks and serving pieces, barware and furniture.
NEW YORK – An Hermes Birkin 35 in fuchsia hammered leather, a vintage Emilio Pucci mini-dress, and a gold quilted Chanel handbag will likely earn top lot status at Jasper52’s Luxury Fashion Auction, which will be presented on Wednesday, August 24 at 6 pm Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
ROME (AP) – Italy has been so successful in recovering ancient artworks and artifacts that were illegally exported from the country that it has created a museum for them. The Museum of Rescued Art now operates in a cavernous structure that is part of Rome’s ancient Baths of Diocletian. The Octagonal Hall exhibition space was designed to showcase Italy’s efforts, through patient diplomacy and court challenges, to get valuable antiquities returned to Italy, often after decades in foreign museums or private collections.
NEW YORK — The rivalry between Pepsi and Coke may have sparked the 1980s cola wars, but other soft drink brands inspire equally fierce passion in their fans — fans such as Greg Powers of Providence, Rhode Island. He has one of the largest private collections of Dr Pepper memorabilia, including thousands of items from bottles, cans and signs to bubblegum, cowboy boots and even a Queen Anne-style vending machine. Powers is also a member of the Dr Pepper 10-2-4 Collectors’ Club, which has more than 10,000 followers on Facebook. “I have been collecting for over 40 years. I travel all over the world and take Diet DP with me,” he said. “I started collecting when I met a DP collector over 40 years ago and he gave me a few items. I then started going to antique stores and buying more. I was hooked.”
NEW YORK – From King Henry VII’s seizure of the throne in 1485 to the death of his granddaughter Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, England’s Tudor monarchs used art to legitimize and glorify their tumultuous reigns. On view at the Met from October 10 to January 8, 2023, The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England will trace the transformation of the arts under their rule through more than 100 objects — including iconic portraits, spectacular tapestries, manuscripts, sculpture and armor — from both the museum collection and international lenders.