Tag Archive for: Be Smart

A 1980 Le Mans poster by Charles Pascarel earned $850 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2022. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Like the race itself, 24 Hours of Le Mans posters endure

/in /by
A 1980 Le Mans poster by Charles Pascarel earned $850 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2022. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

A 1980 Le Mans poster by Charles Pascarel earned $850 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2022. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Automobile racing enthusiasts are spoiled for choice nowadays, able to cheer their favorite drivers on in person or from the comforts of home. One of the greatest automotive contests has to be the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and posters for the annual event never fail to capture its romance and its drama.

Read more

A folio botanical engraving of an artichoke by Basilius Besler made $3,150 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2019. Image courtesy of Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books and LiveAuctioneers.

Basilus Besler’s illustrations marry science and art

/in /by
A grouping of eight uncolored botanical plates by Basilius Besler from his masterwork ‘Hortus Eystettensis’ achieved $20,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Stair and LiveAuctioneers.

A grouping of eight uncolored botanical plates by Basilius Besler from his masterwork ‘Hortus Eystettensis’ achieved $20,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Stair and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — People have long brought the natural world into their homes in the form of plants that thrive indoors as well as cut flowers that might only last a week but are majestic when in bloom. One of the best and least labor-intensive ways to appreciate the beauty of flowers and plants year-round is by displaying framed botanical illustrations and engravings. Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was among the most renowned masters of this genre, which requires strong command of the nuances of both art and science.

Read more

Maud Lewis: Canada’s answer to Grandma Moses

/in /by
A Maud Lewis 1967 oil on board, ‘Black Truck,’ achieved CA$350,000 (or $257,410) plus the buyer’s premium in May 2022. Image courtesy of Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd and LiveAuctioneers.

A Maud Lewis 1967 oil on board, ‘Black Truck,’ achieved CA$350,000 (or $257,410) plus the buyer’s premium in May 2022. Image courtesy of Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Maud Dowley Lewis (1903-70) spent all her life in Nova Scotia and reportedly never traveled more than an hour from her birthplace in the tiny town of South Ohio. Her folksy and playful paintings that first captivated neighbors and then tourists have traveled far and wide, however. Although Lewis never lived to see her works exhibited in museums or galleries, she is now one of Canada’s best-known folk artists. A 1965 newspaper article about her, which helped propel her international reputation, was titled The Little Old Lady Who Paints Pretty Pictures. Idyllic scenes of sleigh rides across a snowy landscape, children waving at a colorful train, and animals such as black cats or pairs of oxen were among her most popular paintings.

Read more

Masters of the Universe toys: fueled by ’80s nostalgia

/in /by
A Masters of the Universe He-Man Series 1/8 Back action figure on its blister card, with an AFA grade of 85 NM+, achieved $7,788 in March 2020. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

A Masters of the Universe He-Man Series 1/8 Back action figure on its blister card, with an AFA grade of 85 NM+, achieved $7,788 in March 2020. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was one of the most popular cartoon shows of the 1980s, spawning several toy lines, comic books, movies and video games. The MOTU franchise, as fans call it, blends sci-fi, magic, fantasy and barbarians. It was revived on television in the 2000s and again in 2021.

Read more

A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table and six single-board Conoid dining chairs achieved $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

Mira Nakashima: worthy successor to father George

/in /by
A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table and six single-board Conoid dining chairs achieved $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table with six single-board Conoid dining chairs achieved $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — When renowned architect, furniture-maker and woodworker George Nakashima died in 1990, daughter Mira Nakashima (American, b. 1942-) had no qualms about stepping into his shoes to manage his legacy.

Read more

This Carlos Cortes faux bois garden bench achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Vogt Auction Texas and LiveAuctioneers.

Sitting pretty: garden furniture with vintage charm

/in /by
This Carlos Cortes faux bois garden bench achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Vogt Auction Texas and LiveAuctioneers.


This Carlos Cortes faux bois garden bench achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Vogt Auction Texas and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Outdoor spaces have long been a key feature of homes. These crucial features provide a welcome respite from sitting behind the computer, delivering fresh air and, if the sun cooperates, a dose of Vitamin D. Entertaining friends and family outdoors is important, too, prompting a need for appropriate seating. A few thoughtfully chosen, well-placed pieces of garden furniture can transform a humble patch of green into a refuge.

Read more

A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.

Chiura Obata’s art deftly bridges Japan and California

/in /by
A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.

A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Japanese-born painter Chiura Obata (1885–1975) came to San Francisco in 1903 at about age 18 and during seven decades of art-making became indelibly ingrained in the history of California art. His story is unique and multilayered.

Read more

This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

Eileen Gray’s sleek modernist designs retain their power

/in /by
This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Furniture design underwent a radical shift between the first and second world wars, with lavish and stuffy interiors giving way to pieces that were informal and adaptable. Among the most forward-thinking designers of this era was Irish-born Eileen Gray (1878–1976), whose inventive furniture designs were not only functional but also adapted principles of architecture and sculpture.

Read more

A circa-1880 ormolu-mounted Sevres box, signed by Alphonse Giroux, achieved $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021. Image courtesy of Louvre Antique Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

Decorative Sevres boxes open a world of possibilities

/in /by
A circa-1880 ormolu mounted Sevres box, signed by Alphonse Giroux, achieved $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021. Image courtesy of Louvre Antique Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

A circa-1880 ormolu-mounted Sevres box, signed by Alphonse Giroux, achieved $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021. Image courtesy of Louvre Antique Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — One can never have too many boxes, especially when considering Sevres porcelain dresser, jewelry and trinket boxes. It’s always worth it to make room, somehow, somewhere, for another of these exquisite, functional antique works of decorative art.

Read more

Detail from the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation set by Britains, #2081, showing the young monarch riding in a royal carriage. The set to which it belongs achieved $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers.

Collectors pay royal premium for coronation souvenirs

/in /by
Britains, the venerated British toy soldier company, released set #2081 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. The only known complete boxed example achieved $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers.

Britains, the venerated British toy soldier company, released set #2081 in 1953 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. The only known complete boxed example achieved $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — If there’s one thing people love to celebrate, it’s the pomp and circumstance of royalty. Even in the United States, a country that launched a revolution in 1775 to declare independence from England’s King George III, there is still a fascination with the British royal family. Millions of television viewers across the world watched the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in June 1953 as well as the wedding of Charles and Diana in the summer of 1981, and the weddings of Charles and Diana’s two sons decades later. Queen Elizabeth II had the longest tenure of any British monarch, serving slightly more than 70 years in all, and she ruled longer than any woman head of state.

Read more