Russia propels Old Masters at Auction of Fine Art from the 15th to the 19th Century in Munich

MUNICH.- With the result of more than € 2,9 million in the auction Old Masters & Art of the 19th Century with the Collection Harry Beyer, the figures could have hardly been better. Last year’s result for the same period was topped by more than € 2 million. A total of 80% of all lots were sold, realizing an average increase of 265% per sold object. The auction’s most expensive work was the “Porträt einer eleganten Dame mit Fächer” by Konstantin [...]

Sotheby’s London to offer an exquisitely assembled single owner collection: The Analytical Eye

LONDON.- Sotheby’s London announced the Single Owner sale of the Branco Weiss Collection to be offered as a stand-alone auction preceding the Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale on Wednesday 19th June 2013. A collector who turned science and business into an art form, Branco Weiss was a renowned entrepreneur who established several international high-tech companies that were among the pioneers of the computer industry. Assembled over the course of 25 years (from 1975 – 2000) Weiss’s art collection exquisitely exemplifies how [...]

Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Auction sells nearly half billion dollars

NEW YORK (AFP).- A blockbuster auction of Contemporary art in New York, including a record $58.4 million for a Jackson Pollock drip painting, fetched nearly half a billion dollars on Wednesday — the biggest haul ever at an art auction. Christie’s said its sale raised a “staggering” total of $495,021,500, with 94 percent of lots finding buyers. Nine of the works sold went for more than $10 million and 23 for more than $5 million. It wasn’t just the most successful auction [...]

Sotheby’s London Sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art brings $20,134,466

LONDON.- Sotheby’s biannual sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art today brought a total of £13,237,650 / $20,134,466, in excess of the pre-sale estimate of £7,732,500 – 11,386,500 ($11,761,133 – 17,318,867). Headlining the auction was A Rare Pair of Blue and White ‘Bajixiang’ Moonflasks, Qianlong Seal Marks and Period. These two impressive moon flasks, the cover lot of the sale, sold for £2,378,500 ($3,617,698), eclipsing their pre-sale estimate of £1 – 1.5 million. Robert Bradlow, Director, Head of Sotheby’s London [...]

Bonhams New York sees highest price for a Polynesian piece at auction during Tribal Arts Week

NEW YORK, NY.- A rare canoe prow from the Maquesas Islands soared past its pre-sale estimate of $8,000-12,000 to sell for $70,900 dollars atBonhams May 15 African, Oceanic & Pre-Columbian Art auction at the Madison Avenue salesroom. It was the highest price realized for any Polynesian work of art at auction during Tribal Arts Week in New York. Decorated with a classic Marquesan tiki figure, the wooden prow – or ‘au ‘au – would have been attached to the bow of a [...]

Believed burned in the blitz, marine painting surfaces at Bonhams New York

NEW YORK, NY.- Thought to have been lost forever in the blitz of Liverpool, a remarkable composition by British maritime painter Thomas Jacques Somerscales will be offered on June 5 in Bonhams Fine Maritime Paintings & Decorative Arts (est. $12,000-18,000). The 1916 painting depicts the S.S. Ortega entering the straits of the Nelson with the S.M.S Dresden in pursuit. It was recorded in Alex A. Hurst’s 1988 book Thomas Somerscales – Marine Artist as having been destroyed when the Pacific Steam Navigation Company’s [...]

Jackson Pollock work “Number 19, 1948″ sells for record $58.4 million at Christie’s

NEW YORK (AFP).- A Jackson Pollock drip painting sold Wednesday at Christie’s in New York for a record $58.4 million and a work by one-time graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat set another record at $48.8 million. “Number 19, 1948″ features Pollock’s iconic drip-paint style, creating a shimmering mixture of silver, black, white, red and green. It had been expected to sell for between $25 million and $35 million, but shot up to set a new auction high for the artist. The previous top [...]

Fourteen unseen Salvador Dali paintings surface at Bonhams Impressionist and Modern Art sale

LONDON.- Fourteen original Salvador Dali watercolour fruit studies, unseen until now, will be sold at Bonhams’ Impressionist and Modern Art sale in London on 18th June. Commissioned in 1969, the paintings have been in private hands since their creation. Each painting is valued at £40,000 – £70,000 and the series is expected to make close to £1million. Dali was surrealism’s most exotic and relentlessly popular figure. His eccentric, attention grabbing behaviour was arguably the product of an abnormal childhood. The artist had [...]

Antiquities-Saleroom.com showcases Asian Art from every period in May 17 Auction

BOULDER COUNTY, CO.- Antiquities-Saleroom.com unveiled its May 17 auction this week as the fourth in a series of specialized auctions planned for 2013. Asian Art through the Ages features art pieces from across Asia and showcases examples from every period in the continent’s illustrious history. “Even if you do not specialize in Asian art, you can’t help but be taken by the beauty of the art of this enigmatic and complex region,” says Teresa Dodge, Executive Director and co-founder of Antiquities Saleroom. [...]

Old Master paintings at Sotheby’s led by a previously unpublished picture by Pieter Brueghel the Younger

NEW YORK, NY.- The 6 June 2013 sale of Old Master Paintings in New York will feature works from a range of schools throughout Europe from Early Northern and Italian paintings to masterpieces from the 18th century. Among the highlights of the sale is a group of works consigned from a West Coast Estate, led by a previously unpublished picture by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Spring (est. $700/900,000). A number of versions of this subject by the artist are recorded, however, [...]

Leonardo DiCaprio environmental art auction at Christie’s New York tops $38 million

NEW YORK (AFP).- Leonardo DiCaprio urged wealthy art collectors Monday to bid at an environmental charity auction in New York as if the planet’s fate “depends on us” — and they responded by splashing out $38.8 million. The “11th Hour” auction at Christie’s featured 33 works of mostly contemporary art, much of it created for the event and addressing environmental themes. The strong result doubled pre-sale estimates, with nine of the works selling for more than $1 million. Among the main sellers, [...]

Records fall at Sotheby’s contemporary art auction; Barnett Newman painting sells for $43.84M

NEW YORK (AFP).- A painting by Barnett Newman that Sotheby’s described as an icon of Abstract Expressionism sold Tuesday in New York for a record $43.84 million at an auction peppered with stunningly expensive works. “Onement VI” consists of two vibrant blue rectangles neatly divided by a single, light blue line, an arrangement that Sotheby’s called “a portal to the sublime.” The simplicity of the design “was the core of Newman’s ambition to create paintings free of objects, dogma, precedence or referential [...]

Christie’s to offer a spectacular selection of paintings and works of art in its Russian Art sale

LONDON.- Confirming its position as the auction house specialising in Russian masterpieces, Christie’s will offer a spectacular selection of paintings and works of art in its Russian Art sale, which will be held in London on 3 June 2013. This summer auction will present an impressive array of paintings, ranging from avant-garde masterpieces to unique works, offered directly from the families of the artists, including Chekhonin, Iakunchikova, Indenbaum and Masterkova. With the majority of lots from private sources and many with prestigious provenance, [...]

Ketterer Kunst to offer Ernst Ludwig Kirchner masterpiece painted on both sides

MUNICH.- “The German art market had to wait quite some time for this“, says Robert Ketterer about Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s masterpiece with painting on both sides. He continues: “Works like this are usually sold in London and New York, if they appear on the market at all.” On 8 June the exceptional work will be called up in Munich with an estimate of € 600.000-800.000. A sensational result of € 1.740.000 was achieved by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s 1906 oil painting “Kinderköpfchen“ [...]

Complete Andy Warhol Endangered Species and Ads 1985 portfolios offered at Heritage Auctions

DALLAS, TX.- A portfolio of 10 screen prints from Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species, 1983, may bring $250,000 to lead Heritage Auctions‘ May 22 Modern and Contemporary Art Signature® Auction in Dallas. Each signed and numbered in pencil, the portfolio is presented in a single lot and is one of eight lots featuring the Master of Pop Art, to include Ads, 1985, ($200,000+), Liz, 1967, ($5,000+) and Teddy Roosevelt, from the Cowboys and Indians portfolio, ($12,000+). “The fine Warhols are just a few [...]