Choosy bidders sent select vintage photographs above their estimates at Hindman

Ansel Adams, 'The Teton Range and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942,' which sold for $110,000 ($143,000 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

CHICAGO — Hindman’s November 28 Photographs auction was a sale that saw a select number of key lots exceed their top estimates, most lots land within or even below their estimates, and a substantial number passed for not making reserve. Complete results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

In the winner’s circle was perennial favorite Ansel Adams (1902-1984), dean of American outdoor and landscape photography. Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California, 1944 was, like most collectible prints, created well after the image was captured and fame gained by the artist — in this case, 1974. Thirty years beyond the image’s creation, Adams would sign a gelatin print’s mount in pencil and stamp it, so that in today’s market, Winter Sunrise would bring $42,500 ($55,250 with buyer’s premium) against presale estimates of $25,000-$35,000.

Adams’ The Teton Range and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942 performed even more remarkably, hammering for $110,000 ($143,000 with buyer’s premium). It had been estimated at just $30,000-$50,000. Again, this was a 1974 print from Adams’ studio, signed in pencil on the mount.

Famed photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) brought an incredibly artistic eye to every composition. Six images from her body of work were included, with two strong overperformers. Chrysler Corporation (Gears), 1929 is a gelatin silver print actually printed circa 1929, and signed in pencil on the mount. Estimated at $7,000-$9,000, it hammered for $16,000 ($20,800 with buyer’s premium).

Another print printed and signed near the date of capture, Mass Production and the Man: A Scene at the Ford Plant, 1929, brought $17,000 ($22,100 with buyer’s premium) against a similar $7,000-$9,000 estimate.

Art Shay (1922-2018) was a multi-disciplinary artist who began as a writer at Life magazine, and soon turned to photography, books and much more — all from a guy born in the Bronx and who served as a navigator on more than 50 bombing runs in World War II. Taken soon after mustering out of the AAF, West Side Pool Player, 1950 is an undated gelatin silver print estimated at $700-$900. It hammered for $1,300 ($1,690 with buyer’s premium).

Diane Arbus, Ansel Adams and Fritz Bultman are the focus of Brunk’s Oct. 20 sale

Diane Arbus, 'The Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions, Yonkers, New York, 1962,' estimated at $15,000-$25,000 at Brunk Auctions.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Andy Warhol and Fritz Bultman are the headliners at Brunk AuctionsPhotography | Modern Art + Design sale on Friday, October 20. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The sale’s top lot is a large painting by Fritz Bultman (1919-1985), an abstract expressionist originally from New Orleans. The Ancestress, dating to 1954, measures 72.25 by 35.75in and was originally displayed in an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1955. Consigned from a private collection, the piece is estimated at $30,000-$50,000.

Atop the photography category is the Ansel Adams (1902-1984) signed and framed print Yosemite Valley Thunderstorm. The famed landscape photographer and environmentalist has a large body of work devoted to Yosemite, including this image dated to 1945.  The lot comes from a private South Carolina estate with an estimate of $15,000-$25,000.

There are few 20th-century photographers who had more impact than Diane Arbus (1923-1971). Her focus on the strange, different and often mundane was never exploitive, but instead sympathetic and celebratory of her subject matter. In The Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions, Yonkers, New York, 1962, we have a classic Arbus shot — two child dancers posing in front of their trophies in a wood-floor gymnasium. The print previously sold at Christie’s in 1997 for $2,530, and now carries an estimate of $15,000-$25,000.

The sale also includes six works by Gordon Onslow-Ford (1912-2003), an English surrealist who lived long enough to become the final surviving member of the 1930s Paris surrealist group headed by André Breton. Live Land I, from 1939, was painted at the Chateau de Chemillieu in Switzerland where Onslow-Ford, his sister Elizabeth, and the group of surrealists, including Breton, had gathered that summer. The painting comes by descent from Elizabeth Onslow-Ford, and is estimated at $12,000-$18,000.

Holabird’s ‘Pike’s Peak or Bust!’ auction reached the summit

Circa-1868 dark lime green Dr. Boerhaave’s Stomach Bitters bottle, $8,435
Circa-1868 dark lime green Dr. Boerhaave’s Stomach Bitters bottle, $8,435
Circa-1868 dark lime green Dr. Boerhaave’s Stomach Bitters bottle, $8,435

RENO, Nev. – A ten-dollar 1902 red seal banknote from the Farmers & Merchants National Bank in Reno, Nevada sold for $12,500, a runaway slave broadside from 1862 brought $8,750, and a circa-1868 lime green Dr. Boerhaave’s Stomach Bitters bottle finished at $8,435 at a four-day auction held Jan. 19-22, live and online, by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC.

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Holabird to host ‘Pike’s Peak or Bust!’ auction, Jan. 19-22

Original circa-1897 Ringling Brothers broadside advertising “Three Famous Aerial Ladies,” estimated at $500-$1,500
Original circa-1897 Ringling Brothers broadside advertising “Three Famous Aerial Ladies,” estimated at $500-$1,500

Original circa-1897 Ringling Brothers broadside, estimated at $500-$1,500

RENO, Nev. – Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC’s first live auction event of the year will be a four-day affair – Thursday, January 19 through Sunday, January 22 – featuring collectibles in more than a dozen categories. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Stephenson’s New Year’s Day Auction packed with treasures from Philly estates   

Set of eight mid-century modern Johannes Hansen for Knoll ‘The Chair’ teakwood chairs, designed by Hans Wegner. All have ‘Johannes Hansen Copenhagen Denmark’ branded to underside; seven have applied Knoll/Hansen retailer’s label. Estimate $10,000-$14,000

SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. – For more than 60 years, family owned and operated Stephenson’s Auctioneers has earned an impeccable reputation based on its sales of fresh-to-market art and antiques from the Philadelphia area’s most elegant estates. Traditionally, their most anticipated event of the year is their Jan. 1 New Year’s Auction, which, for 2023, will feature high-quality fine and decorative art, jewelry, silver, fine furniture; and other valuables and personal property from residences in the Mid-Atlantic region. All forms of remote bidding will be available for those who cannot attend in person, including phone, absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

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Artemis Gallery to host Nov. 10 Exceptional Antiquities & Ethnographic Fine Art Auction

Egyptian wood sarcophagus mask with bronze and shell eyes, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, circa 664-332 BCE. Size: 5.125in wide x 6.625in high. Provenance: East Coast collection, NYC gallery, acquired before 2010. Estimate $4,000-$6,000

BOULDER, Colo. – On November 10, America’s most trusted specialists in ancient art and antiquities, Artemis Gallery, will present its highly anticipated Exceptional Antiquities and Ethnographic Fine Art Auction. Bidders may choose from just under 400 lots of exceptional ancient art and antiquities, including a newly released selection of Pre-Columbian art and relics from the peerless Marc Amiguet Schmitt / Amiguet Ancient Art collection. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

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Holabird thrilled bidders with four days’ worth of prizes

Circa-1900 red mesa chief pattern rug, $4,000
Circa-1900 red mesa chief pattern rug, $4,000
Circa-1900 red mesa chief pattern rug, $4,000

IN PROGRESS 

RENO, Nev. – An Ansel Adams-signed Yosemite photo from around 1959 sold for $38,750 at a four-day Western Frontiers auction held October 13-16 by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. The 2,100-lot sale featured Native and general Americana, mining material, numismatics, art, bottles, stocks and more.

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Gallery Report: Le Pho painting blooms at Hindman

ATLANTA – At the beginning of each month, ACN columnist Ken Hall delivers top auction highlights from around the United States and the wider world. Here is the November 2022 edition of his Gallery Report. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium, except where noted otherwise.

Le Pho painting, $337,500, Hindman

A painting by Vietnamese artist Le Pho (1907-2001), titled Femme Peignant (Woman Painting), sold for $337,500 at Fine Art auctions held Sept. 27-29 by Hindman in Chicago. Also, Le Pho’s paintings La Lettre and Les Dahlia Jaunes brought $237,500 and $137,500, respectively; an untitled portrait of a baseball player by Ernie Barnes rang up $312,500; Friedel Dzubas’s 1978 work Aglaura went for $137,500; Ron Davis’s Red Top, from 1968, realized $131,250; and Gertrude Abercrombie’s Blue Screen, completed in 1945, hit $225,000.

Copy of Wonder Woman #1$54,000, Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers

A copy of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman #1, featuring the first appearance of Ares and a retelling of the origin of Wonder Woman, graded CGC 5.5, sold for $54,000 at a sale of the Henry Anderson collection held October 1 by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers in Cranston, Rhode Island. Also, a copy of DC Comics’ Detective Comics #38, featuring the origin and first appearance of Batman’s sidekick Robin, the Boy Wonder, graded CGC 3.0, brought $51,600.

American National pedal car, $66,000, Milestone Auctions

An American National Deluxe Coupe pedal car, fitted with opening doors, sliding windows, interior upholstery and curtains, sold for $66,000 at a sale of antique and vintage toys from the Mark Smith collection held September 24 by Milestone Auctions in Willoughby, Ohio. Also, a Gendron 50in-long chain-drive pedal car with a steel body and a wooden radiator, tires and frame sped off for $24,000; and a Domo Maserati 4cl tether race car made in Italy brought $6,600.

Chinoiserie-style table, $10,000, John Moran Auctioneers

A black lacquered Chinoiserie-style console table with gilt highlights sold for $10,000 at an auction of Property from the Thomas and Erika Jayne Girardi Residence held September 21 at John Moran Auctioneers in Los Angeles. Also, an 81in-tall bronze sculpture of a man by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. brought $13,750; a pair of Michael Taylor Monticello outdoor garden armchairs realized $7,150; and a 19th-century Continental hand-painted, black lacquered cabinet with mythological oil paintings rose to $11,875.

John Speed map of the world, $12,650, Old World Auctions

 A New and Accurat Map of the World by John Speed, an iconic 1626 first state version of Speed’s double-hemisphere world map with blank verso, sold for $12,650 in an online auction held in September by Old World Auctions, based in Richmond, Virginia. Also, Islandia, a 1585 map by Abraham Ortelius – one of Ortelius’s most decorative maps, featuring fantastical sea monsters – earned $12,075, and an unusual 1658 oval bible map of the world by Danckert Danckerts made $7,475.

1821 Half Eagle gold coin, $4.62 million, Heritage Auctions

An 1821 Half Eagle $5 gold U.S. proof coin, graded PR65 Cameo, the only proof in private hands and one of only two proof examples known (the other is in the Smithsonian Institution), sold for $4.62 million at Part 1 of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection held September 29 by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions in Long Beach, California. Also, a 1795 BD-1 13 leaves $10 U.S. coin, MS64, rose to $690,000; and an 1848 CAL. quarter eagle coin, MS64, garnered $552,000.

Chinese porcelain vase, $504,000, Doyle

A Chinese famille rose porcelain vase with the Qianlong mark and of the period sold for $504,000 at an Asian Works of Art auction held September 21 by Doyle in New York City. Also, another exceptional Qianlong mark and period tianqiuping-form vase, decorated with a monochrome blue glaze, went to a determined bidder for $94,500, many times its $10,000-$15,000 estimate.

Maud Lewis folk art painting, $100,300, Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.

A mixed media painting by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1980), titled Winter Sleigh Ride, sold for $100,300 in an online-only Canadiana & Folk Art auction held October 8 by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., based in New Hamburg, Canada. Also, a mixed media diorama by Adelard Brousseau of Quebec, titled Maple Sugar Time, rose to $10,620; and an acrylic on paper by Norval Morrisseau (Canadian, 1932-2007), titled Ancestral Visitors, made $11,800. Prices are in Canadian dollars.

Tiffany Poppy table lamp, $93,750, Fontaine’s Auction Gallery

A circa-1905 Tiffany Studios Poppy table lamp with vibrant red poppies surrounded by blue and yellow background glass sold for $93,750 at a fall sale held Sept. 24-25 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Also, a circa-1910 Tiffany Studios Peony Border chandelier realized $87,500; a platinum bracelet with more than 45 carats of diamonds finished at $81,250; and a circa-1880 Eastlake walnut four-piece bedroom set commanded $27,500.

Winchester Model 21 shotgun, $14,100, Rock Island Auction Company

An engraved and gold-inlaid Winchester 16-gauge Model 21 double-barrel shotgun set, offered with its case, hit the mark for $14,200 at a Sporting & Collector Auction held Oct. 5-6 by Rock Island Auction Company in Rock Island, Illinois. Also, a Ben Shostle signed master relief engraved Colt first generation single-action Army revolver with its case earned $11,750, and a pair of Remington Custom Ship Model 547 sporting bolt action rifles scored a bull’s-eye for $10,575.

William Skilling elephant painting, $18,750, Dallas Auction Gallery

An undated, signed oil on canvas dubbed Untitled (Elephant profile) by William Skilling sold for $18,750 at a Fine & Decorative Art auction held September 21 by Dallas Auction Gallery in Dallas. Also, an undated oil on canvas by Edouard Leon Cortes, titled La Place de l’Opera, realized $18,750; Texas artist Jose Vives-Astara’s 1982 painting titled Landscape of Vail – Colorado went for $6,875; and a pastel by Texas artist Reveau Basset, titled Mallards Landing, attained $3,750.

John Steinbeck letter, $32,426, RR Auction

A two-page letter John Steinbeck wrote to his 14-year-old son, Thomas, dated Nov. 10, 1958, in which he offers wise, fatherly advice on matters of the heart, sold for $32,426 in an online auction held Sept. 23-Oct. 12 by RR Auction, based in Boston. Also, Edgar Allan Poe’s handwritten letter soliciting a donation for the Southern Literary Messenger garnered $149,999, and Benjamin Franklin’s handwritten letter regarding the mutinous crew of John Paul Jones’s flagship earned $62,500.

Ansel Adams Yosemite photo print, $38,750, Holabird Western Americana Collections

An Ansel Adams-signed Yosemite photo print from around 1959 sold for $38,750 at a Western Frontiers auction held October 13-16 by Holabird Western Americana Collections in Reno, Nevada. Also, a Gibson model ES175 Sunburst electric guitar with a factory Bixbee whammy bar realized $3,500; a beautiful circa-1900 red mesa chief pattern rug went for $4,000; and a gold 1914 $50 American Buffalo coin brought $2,250.

Diamond and gold brooch, $2,080, Clars Auction Gallery

An antique diamond and platinum-topped 14K gold brooch designed as an old mine or old European-cut diamond-set flower, the diamond weighing 2.0 carats, sold for $2,080 at an auction held Oct. 15-16 by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, California. Also, a monumental 1996 work by Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928-2010), titled Wing-Owl, flew to $28,750; and a suite of prints by Richard Diebenkorn (American, 1922-1993), titled Six Soft Ground Etchings, finished at $16,250.

Lion model circus wagon, $6,600, Potter & Potter Auctions

A lion model circus wagon from around 1940, finely detailed and painted, sold for $6,600 at a Circus Sale held September 24 by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. Also, a 1944 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey / World’s Biggest Menagerie bird’s-eye view poster settled at $3,600; a 1930s Sells-Floto Miss Arline and Kiddo Balloon horse poster maquette earned $4,080; and a pair of gloves believed to have been owned by Buffalo Bill Cody changed hands for $1,560.

First edition 2007 factory-sealed iPhone, $39,340, LCG Auctions

A factory-sealed 2007 first-edition iPhone sold for a record price of $39,340 at a Fall Premier Auction held October 16 by LCG Auctions in New Orleans. Also, a 1978 Star Wars Luke Skywalker action figure with a double telescoping lightsaber, graded AFA 85, achieved $33.359; a 1987 G.I. Joe Defiant playset, CAS 80, earned $32,513; a 1982 Masters of the Universe He-Man action figure, AFA 80, brought $32,513; and a 1985 Transformers Jetfire, AFA 90, realized $18,353.

Gorham silver candelabras, $84,000, Cottone Auctions

A pair of Gorham sterling silver Art Nouveau candelabras made for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair sold for $84,000 at a Fine Art & Antiques auction held September 23 by Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, New York. Also, a 1963 gouache on paper by Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976), titled The Beams, went for $90,000; a Tiffany Studios Peony table lamp lit up the room for $103,200; and a Chinese Ming-style blue and white ewer, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, brought $282,000.

William S. Kendall painting, $24,000, Kaminski Auctions

A painting by William Sergeant Kendall (American, 1869-1938), titled St. Ives Pray for Us, signed and dated 1890, sold for $24,000 at a two-day estates auction held Sept. 24-25 by Kaminski Auctions in Beverly, Massachusetts. Also, a set of six circa-1970 Tucroma leather chairs, by Guido Faleschini for Pace Furniture, climbed to $4,800; an 18K gold bracelet with two sapphires at the closure settled at $12,000; and a set of Hermes Le Jardin de Pythagore dinnerware made $4,200.

Rolex Daytona Big Red watch, $90,000, Jones & Horan

A Rolex Daytona Big Red ref 6263 watch sold for $90,000 at a four-hour afternoon sale held September 25 by Jones & Horan in Manchester, New Hampshire. Also, a Patek Philippe Calatrava ref 2526 achieved $27,000; a Rolex Submariner ref 16808 reached $26,000; and a Tropical Deep Sea Alarm Diver finished at $25,000.

Zhang Daqian handscroll, $23,370, Michaan’s Auction

A large handscroll painting attributed to Zhang Daqian (Chinese, 1899-1983), titled Landscape, sold for $23,370 at an Annex Auction held Aug. 15-18 by Michaan’s Auction in Alameda, California. Also, a Chinese blue and white moon flask realized $19,680; an oil on canvas Self Portrait by Henrietta Berks (American, 1919-1990), achieved $9,225; an unmounted 2.20-carat diamond with pendant mount made $10,455; and two Flora Danica items, a tureen and a dish, won $3,382.

View top auction results on LiveAuctioneers here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/

Feast your eyes: PBA Galleries offers Margaret Keane painting, July 28

Margaret Keane, ‘Girl with Lace Gloves,’ est. $15,000-$25,000

 

Margaret Keane, ‘Girl with Lace Gloves,’ est. $15,000-$25,000
Margaret Keane, ‘Girl with Lace Gloves,’ est. $15,000-$25,000

BERKELEY, Calif. – On Thursday, July 28, PBA Galleries will host Part II of the Jack and Beverly Waltman Collection of Photography and Art with Additions. The nearly 450 lots feature photographers of the legendary Group f/64, including Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams, Peter Stackpole, Brett Weston and Sonya Noskowiak. Also represented are several notable photographers of the next generation, including John Sexton, Morley Baer and Jerry Uelsmann. Complementing the Waltman collection are several exquisite prints and artists’ books, including work by Robert Motherwell, the artists of the Berlin Secession and George Grosz. A poster collection featuring work by David Lance Goines and the Bay Area rock poster artists of the 1960s rounds out the sale. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Snap judgment: no duds in Doyle’s June 21 Photographs sale

Andreas Gursky, ‘[Hyatt Regency Hotel], Atlanta, 1996,’ est. $150,000-$250,000. Image courtesy of Doyle and LiveAuctioneers
Andreas Gursky, ‘[Hyatt Regency Hotel], Atlanta, 1996,’ est. $150,000-$250,000. Image courtesy of Doyle and LiveAuctioneers
Andreas Gursky, ‘[Hyatt Regency Hotel], Atlanta, 1996,’ est. $150,000-$250,000. Image courtesy of Doyle and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK – Doyle will present an auction of Photographs on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 am Eastern time, showcasing fine examples spanning the history of the genre, from early photographs to contemporary works. The sale also includes a small selection of photobooks. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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