ALFRED JACOB MILLER (1810-1874) Crow Indians Attacking a Buffalo with the Lance Near the Sweet Water River
This action packed watercolour by Alfred Jacob Miller comes up at Christie’s in New York next month during Americana week. The auction house will introduce a 19th century American Art sale, a curated sale of 69 lots, which takes place on January 19. The week consists of a series of three live and one online auction, starting with 19th century American Art. This will be followed on January 20 by the collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman, Important Americana on January 20-21 and an online sale of Chinese Export Art from January 11-February 2. The watercolour illustrated above is estimated at $80,000-$120,000.
Rembrandt in Print at the Crawford Gallery in Cork until January 9 offers a rare opportunity to see 50 of the finest works from the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Hailed as the greatest painter of the Dutch Golden Age Rembrandt was one of the most innovative and experimental printmakers of the 17th century. This touring exhibition shows him as an unrivalled storyteller with prints dating from 1630 to the late 1650’s. They are displayed here together for the first time. Opening hours over the Christmas period are extensive.
Sales at Christie’s totalled $7.1 billion in 2021, the highest total for five years. The highest value work sold at auction this year, Picasso’s Femme Assise pres d’une fenetre (Marie-Therese), sold at Christie’s in New York last May for $103.4 million. The auction house achieved $150 million for NFT’s and it was a record year for private sales. Results were +54% versus 2020 and +22% versus 2019. Live and online sales accounted for $5.4 billion and private sales came to $1.7 billion.
Guillaume Cerutti, Christie’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased with our 2021 achievements. Beyond our auction and private sales results -which are exceptional, Christie’s has also made a breakthrough in new sales formats and categories, NFTS in particular. They have allowed us to showcase works by new emerging and under-represented artists, and to reach out to a new audience of younger clients. We have also made great progress in other priorities, with important investments in Asia and with our commitments to becoming carbon net zero by 2030, and to building and sustaining a more equitable and diverse profile for our company. Growth, innovation and responsibility remain at the forefront of our objectives for 2022.”
PABLO PICASSO 1881 – 1973 FEMME ASSISE PRÈS D’UNE FENÊTRE (MARIE-THERESE)
This painting by Alex Katz (b 1927) is from his exhibition at Thaddeus Ropac Seoul Fort Hill which runs until February 5. Founded in 1983 Thaddeus Ropac has galleries in London, Paris, Salzburg and an expanded team in Asia. The second exhibition at Thaddaeus Ropac Seoul centres around the major theme of flower paintings by American artist and includes previously unseen works from his flower series as well as new portraits, whose subjects are depicted in botanical settings. It is the first exhibition in Asia entirely dedicated to the genre, following Katz’s major exhibitions at the Lotte Museum of Art, Seoul (2018), Daegu Art Museum, Daegu (2019) and Fosun Foundation, Shanghai (2020). Katz depicts the flowers in the carefully composed strokes and planes of flat colour that are characteristic of his unique style developed during the 1950s in New York – when Abstract Expressionist painters dominated. Painted larger than life, the flowers exude a quiet but powerful beauty, fully immersing the viewer. Viewers can explore the exhibition online.
Provenance always adds a level of excitement to sales. In Ireland, where so many records like bills of sale have been lost, the early history of a work is often elusive. It can be impossible to say with certainty who made this or that piece. An Italian Mannerist painting of The Baptism of Christ which came up at Sheppards sale of contents from Seafield House, Donabate, Dublin did offer some interesting provenance. It was once in the collection of Cork Lord Mayor Augustine Roche and came up at his dispersal by Marshs in 1916. The three day sale was originally scheduled for April of that year and it had to be postponed until July because of the Easter Rising. The painting sold for a hammer price of €1,300 at Sheppards.
THIS ITALIAN MANNERIST PAINTING OF THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST MADE €1,300 at hammer
A hammer price of €160,000 for a small oil by Jack B Yeats at the James Adam sale in Dublin last week is testament to the health of the Irish art market as 2021 draws to a close. Through the Streets to the Hills measures just 9″ x 14″ and easily sailed past the top estimate of €150,000. Bogland Connemara by Paul Henry made €100,000 and an Aubusson tapestry by Louis le Brocquy made €80,000 at hammer. A Western Lake and Mountain Landscape by Henry made €75,000 and Composition by Evie Hone sold for €46,000. A Cubist Landscape by Mary Swanzy made €38,000 and Looking Westward by Dan O’Neill made €40,000.At least €12 million euro worth of Irish art changed hands in the winter selling season at Sotheby’s, de Veres, Bonhams, Whyte’s, Morgan O’Driscoll and Adams. The market is rock solid, rather than frenzied in the way it was before the 2008 crash. At Adams three works by Colin Middleton made hammer prices respectively of €29,000, €25,000 and €23,000. A Bahamas painting by Tony O’Malley made €22,000 and Bird in Blue by Breon O’Casey made €20,000 over a top estimate of €12,000.Art by Basil Blackshaw, William Leech, George Campbell, Donald Teskey, Edwin Hayes, Edward McGuire, F E McWilliam and John Shinnors all sold well at Adams last week. Little Blue Piece, an etched, stained and blown cut glass work by the Cork based Maud Cotter made a hammer price of €2,400 over a top estimate of €1,600.
Maud Cotter (b.1954) Little Blue Piece. Etched, stained and painted antique mouth blown glass panel,
Home to Cuas by the Dingle based artist Liam O’Neill made a hammer price of €14,000 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s off the wall art auction last week. It is a colourful treatment of three men in a currach returning from a fishing trip. Cuas is located near Brandon Creek, reputed to be the starting point for St. Brendan to set sail across the Atlantic in the 6th century.
It has been a record year at Sotheby’s so far in 2021. Driven by strength and depth of demand and an influx of new collectors the consolidated sales at the company now stand at $7.3 billion. This is the strongest total in Sotheby’s 277 year history.
With more than 20 sales still to go, Sotheby’s standout year to date results includes auctions with a running total of $6 billion and private sales achieving $1.3 billion. As auctions rebounded and clients responded to a seamless digital and physical experience new sale formats and categories attracted a wider audience. A record number of bidders joined in Sotheby’s sales – 44% them new to the auction house. A rise in quality works coming to the market is meeting strong demand from new and established collectors.
A view of the white glove sale of the Macklowe Collection, which made $676.1 million in New York in November
FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE (1927-2008) ‘MOUTONS DE LAINE’, SHEEP AND TWO OTTOMANS, 1969-1971
Two days of design sales at Christie’s in New York achieved $18,162,375. The iconic ‘Moutons de Laine’ by François-Xavier Lalanne was the top lot of the sale. It made $1,590,000. Works by Alberto Giacometti from the collection of a member of the Matisse family – ‘Lampe Coupe aux deux figures’ and a ‘Grande Feuille’ floor lamp respectively made $930,000 and $1,170,000. Notable results were also realised for iconic designs by the French master Jean Royère, including a beautiful and rare ‘Croisillon’ sofa which sold for $562,500 as well as an exceptional ‘Ours Polaire’ salon suite, a sofa and armchair, which totalled $1,110,000.
Digging up Glass by David Hockney at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE €950 AT HAMMER
An etching by David Hockey, a watercolour by Robert Gregory, son of Lady Gregory who was mourned by Yeats, a sculpture by Edward Delaney and Christmas cards by Patrick Scott all feature at Whyte’s affordable timed online Christmas art and collectibles sale of 278 lots. It runs until next Monday evening. Digging up Glass by Hockney, number 53 from an edition of 100, dates to 1969 and is from a suite of illustrations for Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm. It is estimated at €700-€1,000.
Meantime with everything from some Midleton Very Rare Whiskey to a 1960 Chateau D’Yquem from Sauternes (€900-€1,100) the selection at the James Adam timed online sale is enough to tickle any palate. The timed online sale runs to next Wednesday (December 15).
