Private collection of top-tier sculpture and art comes to Piasa Brussels Nov. 20

Jean Dubuffet, Passe cortège (La Procession), €1m-€1.5m ($1,064,850-$1,597,275) at Piasa.

BRUSSELS — An important private collection of 46 master works in sculpture, ceramics and art head to market at Piasa in Brussels, Belgium on Monday, November 20. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Founder of the art brut movement, Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) focused on a humanistic approach to art and avoided traditional approaches to beauty. Passe cortège (La Procession) is a 1965 oil on canvas that has been exhibited numerous times and has a fully documented ownership chain to the present collection. It is one of the sale’s top estimated lots, at €1 million-€1.5 million ($1 million-$1.5 million).

Father of European lyrical abstraction, Georges Mathieu (1921-2012) built a wealthy clientele for his art by working for United States Lines, a passenger ship company, in his home town of Le Havre, France. In assisting and greeting arriving elite passengers, he would ultimately meet Salvador Dali, among many others. La Bataille des Éperons d’or (The Battle of the Golden Spurs) is a 1957 work featuring gold leaf. The work was widely exhibited beginning in 1959 and has had only three owners to date. The oil on canvas is estimated at €1.2 million-€1.8 million ($1.2 million-$1.9 million).

The sale includes two bronze sculptures by Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916), the talented but tragically doomed Italian artist who would take his life at age 31 as a result of depression brought on by his World War I experiences. Like his famous brother Ettore, founder of Bugatti motor cars, Rembrandt had a unique gift, manifested in his sculptures turned to bronzes. Lionne dévorant from around 1904 is estimated at €200,000-€300,000 ($212,900-$319,400), and the 1906 bronze Femme nue assise se coiffant is estimated at €100,000-€150,000 ($106,400-$159,700).

A selection of 17 Picasso works, primarily ceramics, are also included from the private collection. Vase aztèque aux quatre visages from 1957 is the top-estimated Picasso lot at €80,000-€100,000 ($85,100-$106,400).

Jean Dubuffet, Passe cortège (La Procession), €1m-€1.5m ($1,064,850-$1,597,275) at Piasa.

Jean Dubuffet, Passe cortège (La Procession), €1m-€1.5m ($1,064,850-$1,597,275) at Piasa.

Georges Mathieu, 'La Bataille des Éperons d'or,' estimated at €1.2 million-€1.8 million ($1.2 million-$1.9 million) at Piasa.

Georges Mathieu, 'La Bataille des Éperons d'or,' estimated at €1.2 million-€1.8 million ($1.2 million-$1.9 million) at Piasa.

Rembrandt Bugatti, 'Lionne dévorant,' estimated at €200,000-€300,000 ($212,900-$319,400) at Piasa.

Rembrandt Bugatti, 'Lionne dévorant,' estimated at €200,000-€300,000 ($212,900-$319,400) at Piasa.

Rembrandt Bugatti, 'Femme nue assise se coiffant,' estimated at €100,000-€150,000 ($106,400-$159,700) at Piasa.

Rembrandt Bugatti, 'Femme nue assise se coiffant,' estimated at €100,000-€150,000 ($106,400-$159,700) at Piasa.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Watch collectors worldwide made time for Hindman’s Glen De Vries collection sale

F.P. Journe platinum ‘Tourbillon Souverain Black Label,' which sold for $415,800 at Hindman.

NEW YORK — Hindman conducted their inaugural New York sale with the watch collection of Glen de Vries, the late medical science professional whose recent Blue Origin suborbital trip made history prior to his untimely demise in a small aircraft crash in November 2021. Complete results for the October 18 sale are available for review at LiveAuctioneers. All prices include the buyer’s premium.

The sale topped $3 million, with 95% of the 101 lots selling, and most notably, more than 50% of the buyers were first-time bidders with Hindman.

The top lot of the auction was an F.P. Journe platinum ‘Tourbillon Souverain Black Label’ that realized $415,800 against a low estimate of $250,000. Produced between 2006 and 2015, the watch features a mechanism unique to Journe, visible through a crystal back and outfitted with the distinctive gold dials synonymous with the brand.

Other top performers included a F.P Journe 18K rose gold ‘Octa Chronograph’, which sold for $176,000; a Richard Mille RM-6101 Yohan Blake that achieved $163,800; and an A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Up/Down platinum ‘Lumen’ that realized $163,800.

“The watches in the de Vries collection reflected the interests of the collector – innovative time pieces from many independent and forward-looking markers. It was truly one of the most remarkable collections I have ever had the pleasure of handling,” said Hindman Senior Vice President and Director of Jewelry and Watches Reginald Brack. “Mr. de Vries had such a deep appreciation for the science of watchmaking, being drawn to some of the most sophisticated complications like tourbillons, perpetual calendars, flyback chronographs, and other groundbreaking mechanical achievements. He was ahead of his time in his collecting and curated a collection that our clients responded to with enthusiasm.”

F.P. Journe platinum ‘Tourbillon Souverain Black Label,' which sold for $415,800 at Hindman.

F.P. Journe platinum ‘Tourbillon Souverain Black Label,' which sold for $415,800 at Hindman.

F.P. Journe 18K rose gold ‘Octa Chronograph,' which sold for $176,000 at Hindman.

F.P. Journe 18K rose gold ‘Octa Chronograph,' which sold for $176,000 at Hindman.

Richard Mille RM-6101 'Yohan Blake,' which sold for $163,800 at Hindman.

Richard Mille RM-6101 'Yohan Blake,' which sold for $163,800 at Hindman.

A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Up/Down platinum ‘Lumen’, which sold for $163,800 at Hindman.

A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Up/Down platinum ‘Lumen’, which sold for $163,800 at Hindman.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Magnificent Erté collection forms centerpiece of Nov. 19 Auctions at Showplace sale

Erté 'Peace' patinated bronze sculpture, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Auctions at Showplace.

NEW YORK — Dissolving estates has long been a primary function of auction houses. The late collector’s beloved items are brought to market to become additions to other collections, and the cycle repeats endlessly. Auctions at Showplace has several New York-area estates represented in its Sunday, November 19 280-lot sale, with one collector’s focus on Erté forming a centerpiece to the event. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Born Roman Petrovich Tyrtov (later, Romain de Tirtoff) to a distinguished Russian family in St. Petersburg, Erté (1892-1990) moved at early age to Paris to make his reputation as an artist, adopting his public name from the French pronunciation of his initials (R – T). He would enjoy a wildly successful and varied career, designing for motion pictures, creating popular magazine covers, and perhaps most successfully, scupture and works of art, as this sale contains.

The Auctions at Showplace estate consignment includes 11 lots, drawn primarily from the final years of Erté’s life, which apparently saw high output from his firm. A gilt-bronze menorah from 1987 is titled Tree of Life, and is marked with standard Erté identification, along with the Conker foundry mark. It is estimated at $1,500-$2,500.

In the final years of his life, Erté designed Trois Femmes, a patinated bronze table bowl depicting three views of a classic Art Deco-period woman. Described as a proof, the work was cast in 1990, measures 9 by 11in and carries an estimate of $800-$1,200.

The sale also includes four Erté bronze sculptures, perhaps the most iconic grouping in the event. Designed and cast in 1984, Peace depicts a mythic female breaking a sword while a dove flies overhead. Like the other three sculptures, it is estimated at $1,500-$2,500.

Erté 'Tree of Life' gilt-bronze menorah, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Tree of Life' gilt-bronze menorah, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Trois Femmes' bronze bowl, artist's proof, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Trois Femmes' bronze bowl, artist's proof, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Peace' patinated bronze sculpture, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Peace' patinated bronze sculpture, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Angel' gilt-bronze candlesticks, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Auctions at Showplace.

Erté 'Angel' gilt-bronze candlesticks, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Auctions at Showplace.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Fame’s Irene Cara estate items take center stage at Richard Stedman Nov. 18

Irene Cara's 'Fame' cast baseball cap, estimated at $1,000-$3,000 at Richard Stedman.

TAMPA, Fla. — The music of the 1980s comes alive with the Irene Cara estate auction at Richard Stedman on Saturday, November 18. The 280-lot sale spans the lifelong career of the late musician, who began as a child performer and capped her career with the films Fame and Flashdance…What A Feeling. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Born Irene Cara Escalera (1959-2022), the actress best remembered as Coco from Alan Parker’s 1980 motion picture hit Fame, Cara actually began with child prodigy appearances at Carnegie Hall. She was a cast member of the PBS program Electric Company in the 1970s and would hit superstardom with Fame and later her vocal performance on the hit single for Flashdance in 1983. Cara won Oscar, Grammy and Tony awards across her remarkable career.

Stedman’s sale is wide-ranging, featuring clothing, jewelry, awards and proclamations, mementos, videos and vinyl, posters, vintage playbills and artworks as well as the dress she was wearing when she won a Grammy, a Roots gold pendant, a touring wardrobe trunk, photos, childhood memorabilia and scores of dresses, handbags, shoes, bracelets and stage wear.

One of the sale’s top lots is Cara’s Fame cast baseball cap from the production. Found in her touring trunk by auction catalogers, it was clearly a personally important possession from a key moment in her career. The cap is estimated at $1,000-$3,000.

Cara attended the 1983 Grammy Awards to perform her nominated — and ultimately winning — single Flashdance…What A Feeling, defeating Linda Ronstadt, Donna Summer, Sheena Easton and Bonnie Tyler for the honor of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for that year. She wore this dress to the occasion and on stage during her performance, clearly a must-have for any fan of the talented star. It is estimated at $300-$900 and may represent the stealth lot of the sale.

As a child, Cara participated in the circa-1969 Little Miss America pageant, where she rose to semi-finalist. This sash was also found in the touring trunk that housed her most prized possessions. It carries an estimate of $300-$900.

Irene Cara's 'Fame' cast baseball cap, estimated at $1,000-$3,000 at Richard Stedman.

Irene Cara's 'Fame' cast baseball cap, estimated at $1,000-$3,000 at Richard Stedman.

Beaded lace sheer bodice one-shoulder dress Irene Cara was wearing when she won a Grammy in 1984, estimated at $300-$900 at Richard Stedman.

Beaded lace sheer bodice one-shoulder dress Irene Cara was wearing when she won a Grammy in 1984, estimated at $300-$900 at Richard Stedman.

Irene Cara's Little Miss America finalist pageant sash, estimated at $300-$900 at Richard Stedman.

Irene Cara's Little Miss America finalist pageant sash, estimated at $300-$900 at Richard Stedman.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.