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    • Archive for May, 2016

    GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’S LAKE GEORGE REFLECTION TOPS CHRISTIE’S AMERICAN SALE

    Friday, May 20th, 2016
    Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) Lake George Reflection © 2016 Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

    Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) Lake George Reflection © 2016 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

    Georgia O’Keeffe’s Lake George Reflection was the top lot at the Spring sale of American art at  Christie’s in New York on May 19. It sold for $12,933,000 in a sale which achieved $42,737,500 and made artists records for Max Weber ($1.9 milion0 and Rebecca Salsbury James ($509,000).   Estimated at $8-12 million this was the second highest price paid for an O’Keeffe.  Lake George Reflection was inspired by O’Keeffe’s frequent visits to the family home of Alfred Stieglitz. There were 98 lots in the sale.

    Active bidding was seen from established collectors to new buyers with nearly 200 registered bidders across every region in the U.S. and considerable online participation.

    Elizabeth Beaman, Head of Department, American Art, remarked: “Impressive prices were realized for major American modernists, Georgia O’Keeffe and Max Weber, and 19th-century masters, John Singer Sargent and Alfred Jacob Miller alike. The range of prices realized shows a broad interest in the category from new buyers to established collectors. We are also pleased to see active online participation, continuing momentum from our mid-season online-only sale in March.”

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 27, 2016)

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    A PHOTO OF THE REAL MARILYN MONROE

    Friday, May 20th, 2016
    Marilyn Monroe - Richard Avedon

    Marilyn Monroe – Richard Avedon

    A 1957 image of what photographer Richard Avedon considered to be the “real” Marilyn Monroe sold for £77,500 at Sotheby’s Icons of  Fashion Photography  sale in London on May 19.  Avedon, who aimed to reveal the true character of his subjects, recalled that whilst photographing Monroe at his studio she danced and sang and flirted and did this thing that made her Marilyn Monroe.

    “And when the night was over and the white wine was over and the dancing was over she sat in the corner like a child with everything gone”.  Monroe permitted him to take the photograph. He said he would not have taken it without her consent.  The top lot of the sale was Mouth (For L’Oreal) New York by Irving Penn. It sold for £221,000.

    The auction featured works by mid 20th century modern fashion photographers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon alongside images by Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin and Peter Lindberg as well as contemporary photographers like Miles Aldridge and David LaChapelle.  Around 60% of lots found buyers in an auction that realized £1,422,375.

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    MUCH TO INTEREST COLLECTORS AT DE VERES

    Thursday, May 19th, 2016

    With highly desirable works by artists like Roderic O’Conor, Mary Swanzy, Jack B. Yeats and John Shinnors the Irish art auction at de Veres in Dublin on May 25 offers much to interest collectors. Whether it is a small Blackshaw or a large oil this is a sale of 150 lots that will appeal to collectors in a market short of top quality supply. The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    Mary Swanzy - A view of Semur en Auxois (30,000-50,000)

    Mary Swanzy – A view of Semur en Auxois (30,000-50,000)  UPDATE:  THIS MADE 41,000

    Jack Butler Yeats - A Riverside Inn (1946) (70,000-90,000)

    Jack Butler Yeats – A Riverside Inn (1946) (70,000-90,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 66,000

    Patrick Scott - Gold Painting (10,000-15,000)

    Patrick Scott – Gold Painting (10,000-15,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 18,500

    John Shinnors - Badgers, Her Place (25,000-35,000)

    John Shinnors – Badgers, Her Place (25,000-35,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 26,000

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    OPPENHEIMER BLUE MAKES NEW WORLD RECORD

    Thursday, May 19th, 2016
    The Oppenheimer Blue

    The Oppenheimer Blue

    There was a new world record for any jewel sold at auction at Christie’s in Geneva on May 18 when the Oppenheimer Blue sold for US$57.5 million. The 14.62 carat stone was acquired after a bidding battle that lasted nearly 25 minutes.  This was the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction.  It was named in honor of its previous owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer who for many year controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London.  By some reckonings only one in 200,000 stones mined is blue. The colour, clarity, traditional cutting style and provenance of this particular diamond is exceptional. It had been estimated at US$38-45 million.

    Jewels from the collection of Gabriela Princess zu Leiningen totaled US$22.5 million and were 100% sold. The sale total was US$169,528,430.

    (See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for March  30 and 31, 2016)

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    A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR ANY JEWELLERY SALE

    Wednesday, May 18th, 2016

    There was a new world record for any jewellery sale at Sotheby’s in Geneva on May 17.  The auction of magnificent jewels and nobel jewel realized US$175,097,419.  The auction was led by the Unique PInk, a rare fancy vivid pink diamond of 15.38 carats which sold for US$31,561,2000.

    A new record was set also for an online purchase in a live auction at Sotheby’s when a pair of fancy blue and orangy pink diamond earrings sold for US$6 million.  The auction was viewed online by people from 155 countries and there were participants from 45 countries, 25% of these from Asia.   And there was a 41% increase in lots sold online compared to the equivalent sale last year.

    David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, commented: “Exactly one year after having set the world record for a jewellery sale, Sotheby’s Geneva has raised the bar once again with a great sale and a great result for the Unique Pink. It is difficult to imagine a diamond that better illustrates the term Vivid Pink than this outstanding stone. The colour is simply astonishing and, for its size, it is in my experience truly unique. We set out to curate a sale that would speak to today’s collectors and the response has been overwhelming – confirmation, if ever it were needed, that when you have the right material, demand is as deep as it’s ever been. This was a sale that had the perfect mix of great gemstones and jewels, the vast majority of which were sourced from private collections.”

    The Unique Pink sold for US$31.5 million.

    The Unique Pink sold for US$31.5 million.

    These diamond earrings set an online record price of US$6 million at Sotheby's.

    These diamond earrings set an online record price of US$6 million at Sotheby’s.

     

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    WHYTE’S TO OFFER VALUATIONS AT ART EXHIBITION

    Wednesday, May 18th, 2016
    Séamus Ó Colmáin (1925-1990) NELSON'S PILLAR, 1966 from Whyte's sale of Important Irish Art on May 30

    Séamus Ó Colmáin (1925-1990) NELSON’S PILLAR, 1966 from Whyte’s sale of Important Irish Art on May 30

    WATER LILLIES BY TOM SCOTT FROM THE EXHIBITION

    WATER LILLIES BY TOM SCOTT FROM THE EXHIBITION

    The 138th annual exhibition of the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club – Ireland’s  largest group show – continues at the Concourse Gallery, County Hall, Dun Laoighaire until May 21.  Experts from auctioneers Whyte’s will be in attendance on May 20 between 1pm and 4pm to offer valuations of private collections of paintings.

    The 2016 exhibition features amongst the broad range of nearly 300 fine works by more than 80 member artists, a number of paintings specially created as a visual tribute to and inspired by the poems and literary works by Irish authors of the past 100 years. As is the Club’s custom, each themed picture carries a written caption, explaining the painter’s response to the original work.

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    FINE PERIOD INTERIORS AT JAMES ADAM

    Tuesday, May 17th, 2016

    Silver, paintings, costume jewellery, clocks, porcelain, prints, Chinese and Japanese ceramics, books, maps and collectible items will come under the hammer at the James Adam sale of fine period interiors in Dublin on May 22.  The catalogue, which lists 469 lots, is online.  Here is a small selection:

    AN EDWARDIAN SATINWOOD BUREAU CABINET (2,000-3,000)

    AN EDWARDIAN SATINWOOD BUREAU CABINET (2,000-3,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    PIETRO FRAGIACOMO (1856-1922) On the Lagoon, Venice (4,000-6,000)

    PIETRO FRAGIACOMO (1856-1922)
    On the Lagoon, Venice (4,000-6,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 34,000 AT HAMMER

    AN ITALIAN WALNUT AND MARQUETRY INLAID CASSONE, 17TH CENTURY, (1,200-1,800)

    AN ITALIAN WALNUT AND MARQUETRY INLAID CASSONE, 17TH CENTURY, (1,200-1,800)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    A LARGE CHINESE SIX FOLD INLAID EBON SCREEN each panel decorated with mother of pearl diamond field and set with four carved jadeite reliefs depicting houses, urns, cows, camels etc. (1,000-1,500)

    A LARGE CHINESE SIX FOLD INLAID EBON SCREEN each panel decorated with mother of pearl diamond field and set with four carved jadeite reliefs depicting houses, urns, cows, camels etc. (1,000-1,500)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,100 AT HAMMER

    FRANZ BERGMAN (AUSTRIAN, 19TH CENTURY) A pair of cold painted bronzes depicting standing blackamoor figures Signed and dated 'F. Bergman, 1882' (400-600)

    FRANZ BERGMAN (AUSTRIAN, 19TH CENTURY)
    A pair of cold painted bronzes depicting standing blackamoor figures
    Signed and dated ‘F. Bergman, 1882’ (400-600)  UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR 850 AT HAMMER

    A GEORGE I PLAIN PINT SIZED SAUCEPAN, London 1715, possibly Richard Greene (1,000-1,500)

    A GEORGE I PLAIN PINT SIZED SAUCEPAN, London 1715, possibly Richard Greene (1,000-1,500)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,400 AT HAMMER

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    PICASSO CUBIST MASTERPIECE AT SOTHEBY’S IN JUNE

    Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
    Picasso - Femme assise

    Picasso – Femme assise  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £43.3 MILLION

    Picasso’s Femme assise, hailed by Sotheby’s as the most important Cubist painting to come to auction in decades, will lead the Impressionist and Modern art sale at Sotheby’s in London on June 21. Painted in 1909 it is from the series that revolutionized Picasso’s working methods.

    It was painted in the summer of that year when Picasso travelled to the remote village of Horta de Ebro in his native Spain. The village was accessible only by mule.  Here he created a number of canvasses based on his love Fernande Olivier.  Femme assize is one of a small number of portraits from the series remaining in private hands.   Sotheby’s has not released an estimate for the work.

    Helena Newman, Global Co-Head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department, said: “Cubism not only underpins Picasso’s entire creative output but also marks a defining moment in Modern Art.  Whilst major paintings from other key periods by Picasso have appeared on the market in recent years, it has been decades since a Cubist painting of this calibre has been offered at auction, since virtually all the significant works of this period are in international museums and institutions.  Femme assise, painted in 1909, is one of the artist’s greatest masterpieces to be sold in a generation.”

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    A GREAT FLOWER BOOK AT CHRISTIE’S DURING CHELSEA SHOW

    Tuesday, May 17th, 2016

    flowersA piece often referred to as the great flower book will go on display at Christie’s, King St., London from May 21-25 to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show.  The Hortus Eystettensis by Basilius Besler published in 1613 will come up at Christie’s sale of Valuable Printed Books and Manuscripts in London on July 13.  The 400 year old work is an unrecorded first edition.

    It is a pictorial record of the flowers grown in the greatest German garden of its time, that of the Prince Bishop of Eichstatt, Johann Conrad von Gemmingem.  By 1611 there were eight separate gardens surrounding the castle, each staffed with its own gardeners and each filled with flowers from a different country.  The garden still exists today, though in a much smaller version.  The book, with 366 plates depicting over 1,000 flowers, is estimated at £800,000-1.2 million.

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    ECLECTIC COLLECTOR AUCTION TOTALS 240,000+

    Monday, May 16th, 2016
    A War Code Irish £20 note from 1944 sold for

    A War Code Irish £20 note from 1944 sold for 9,500

    A ten pounds 1939 banknote was the top lot at Whyte’s Eclectic Collector sale in Dublin.  It made 10,500 in a sale which totaled more than 240,000.  No less than 30% of lots went to online bidders.  The Elvis Presley ancestor’s document of a court case in Co. Carlow went to a collector in Wicklow. It sold for 2,300.  The underbidder was an institution in Co. Carlow. A 2d perforated stamp sold for 10,000 and a Central Bank of Ireland Lady Lavery banknote from 1944 with the war code sold for 9,500.

    A collection of 12 Co. Cork GAA medals going back to 1889 sold for 5,400.  A rare trial piece 20 pence coin from 1985 sold for 4,800 to a collector in Texas. A British Empire George IV stamp collection in seven volumes sold for 4,000 to a collector in Gloucestershire.  Whyte’s are already planning another collectors sale for next September 17.

    (See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for May 6 and April 25, 2016)

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