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    CHINA JUMPS TO 1ST PLACE IN WORLD ART MARKET

    Thursday, April 7th, 2011

    THE painted scroll on the right is by QI Baishi.  The Chinese artist, who died in 1957, is currently the second best selling artist in the world at auction after Picasso.

    Over the last ten years China has jumped from ninth place in the world’s art market to first place in 2010 according to ArtPrice, which has just published its report for 2010.  The second strong trend to emerge last year is the evolution of the internet.  Around two and a half billion users have triggered a dramatic acceleration in on-line art sales.

    China is the largest auction market in the world, four of out the top ten selling artists are Chinese and 30 per cent of the top 50 artists are Asian.
    ArtPrice reports that 2010 was rich in events: after the strong price inflation between 2004 and 2008 and the severe market contraction from October 2008 to the summer of 2009, a rapid recovery followed, taking the market to unprecedented highs. In short… the decade saw a very substantial acceleration of the market and a considerable shift of its polarity towards Asia.
    After the previous art market meltdown in 1991, it took 4 years of patience before prices began to recover. This time round it took only 18 months. Between February and May 2010 the  top-end of the art market awoke from its crisis blues to return the best  auction results ever recorded in the history of art auctions.  Alberto  Giacometti and Pablo Picasso both set new global art auction records between February and June.
    The top ten artists of 2010 by auction revenue are: 1 – PICASSO Pablo (1881 – 1973) $361.5m; 2 –  QI Baishi (1864-1957) $339.2m;  3 –  WARHOL Andy (1928 – 1987) $313.5m; 4 –  ZHANG Daqian (1899 – 1983) $304.3m; 5 – GIACOMETTI Alberto  (1901 – 1966): $213.6; 6 –  XU Beihong   (1895 – 1953): $176.2m; 7 –  MATISSE Henri  (1869 – 1954): $174m; 8 –  MODIGLIANI Amedeo  (1884 – 1920): $139.8m; 9 –  FU Baoshi (1904 – 1965): $125.2m; 10 –  LICHTENSTEIN Roy (1923 – 1997): $112.5m.
    The picture on the right by  QI Baishi is entitled SWEET OSMANTHUS AND RABBITS.  The ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll was sold at Sotheby’s Fine Chinese Art sale in Hong Kong on April 5, 2011 for  3,860,000 HKD or 347,310.15 EUR.
    In China he is a household name.

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    MASTERPIECE BY STUBBS AT CHRISTIE’S

    Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

    Gimcrack by Stubbs. (Click to enlarge) © Christie’s Images UPDATE: IT MADE £22,441,250

    A masterpiece of British art will be offered by Christie’s next July.  Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey by George Stubbs (1724-1806) depicts one of the most popular and admired of all 18th century racehorses. From the collection of Lord Woolavinton, a whisky magnate, it is expected to make more than £20 million. The painting measures more than six feet across.

    John Stainton, Senior Director of British Pictures, Christie’s said: “This is a truly exceptional example of 18th century painting which holds immense importance on many levels – as an Old Master picture, as a great masterpiece of British Art, and as one of the finest sporting pictures ever painted”.

    Richard Knight, International co-head of Old Master and 19th Century Art at Christie’s said: “The sale of this masterpiece will be a cornerstone moment in the history of Christie’s. It is telling that as a result of the global nature of the 21st century art market, Stubbs, a very British artist, is set to join a small and select group who represent the most valuable old master artists ever sold, placing him alongside Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Turner.”
    Commissioned by Frederick St. John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke the work was painted in 1765.  Gimcrack won an impressive 28 of his 36 races was was unplaced only once. The painting will be offered at the Old Master and British Paintings evening sale In London on July 5.  The current auction record for Stubbs is £10.1 million paid at Sotheby’s last year for Brood Mare and Foals.
    UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £22,441,250
    See antiquesandartireland.com for December 11, 2010.

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    NEW RECORD FOR ISLAMIC WORK OF ART AT AUCTION

    Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

    Shahnameh or Persian Book of Kings (click to enlarge)

    An illustrated folio from the Shahnameh  or ‘Book of Kings’ established a new record for an Islamic work of art at auction at Sotheby’s on April 6.
    Made for Shah Tahmasp of Persia and universally acknowledged as one of the supreme illustrated manuscripts of any period or culture it made £7,433,250.  The illustrated leaf was chased by seven bidders and made nearly four times the estimate of £2/3 million.
    The Shahnameh is the Persian national epic. The illustrated leaf in ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper depicts Faridun in the guise of a dragon testing his sons.  It was completed at the royal Safavid atelier circa 1525-1535.  It was from the Stuart Cary Welch collection.
    Edward Gibbs, Senior Director and Head of Sotheby’s Middle East Department, said: “The sale of the Shahnameh leaf today represented a rare opportunity for collectors and connoisseurs of Islamic Art and bidders from across the globe competed tenaciously to acquire this unique work of extraordinary quality and beauty. The sum achieved of £7.4 million for the folio represents a new auction record for an Islamic Work of Art and is testament to the passion and taste of the true scholar-connoisseur, Stuart Cary Welch, who assembled this remarkable collection.”

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    PERCY FRENCH RETROSPECTIVE AT ORIEL GALLERY

    Monday, April 4th, 2011

    'Horse Drawn Barge on the Grand Canal Dublin' is the title of this 1896 work by Percy French. (click on image to enlarge)

    THE Percy French retrospective now on at the Oriel Gallery in Dublin features over 80 unique watercolours. This is the largest collection of his paintings ever assembled.

    A watercolourist of considerable note Percy French (1854-1920) is best known as one of Ireland’s foremost songwriters.
    Among the most famous songs which he wrote or collaborated with are Phil the Fluters Ball, Are ye right there Michael, Abdul Abulbul Amir, The Mountains of Mourne and Slattery’s Mounted Foot.
    After graduating as a civil engineer from TCD in 1881 he joined the Board of Works in Co. Cavan as an inspector of drains.   He was particularly prolific as a painter and songwriter around this period.
    Since it first opened its doors in 1968 The Oriel Gallery has successfully promoted his art.
    The retrospective, which runs until May 1, sets out to honour his achievement as an Irish landscape painter of merit, whose works have a gentle allure and captivating, atmospheric calm that is both understated and unique.
    It is comprised mostly of paintings on loan, but a small number of the works are for sale.

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    JAMES ADAM IRISH ART SALE ON APRIL 6

    Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

    Hay Barn by Damaris Lysaght at the James Adam sale in Dublin on April 6. It is estimated at 1,000-1,500. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 900

    The Bandstand by John Doherty at Adams on April 6. It is estimated at 2,000-4,000. UPDATE: IT MADE A HAMMER PRICE OF 4,200

    The Canal Dublin by Henry Healy at Adams on April 6. It is estimated at 1,000-2,000. UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR A HAMMER PRICE OF 2,200

    Two Shadows by Tony O'Malley at Adams on April 6. It is estimated at 8,000-12,000. UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 8,000

    There are 241 lots at the James Adam Irish art sale in Dublin on Wednesday, April 6 at 6 p.m.  Here are four of them.  The entire catalogue is on line.

    Damaris Lysaght grew up near Doneraile in Cork, and studied at the Crawford Schools Cork, and NCAD. She won an Italian Government scholarship to study in Florence with Nerina Simi for four years.

    The Bandstand” (’97-’98)  by John  Doherty shows the bandstand at Dun
    Laoghaire Harbour prior to its renovation.

    The sale offers a small collection of works by  Henry Healy (1909-1982). He served as President of The Dublin Painters Society, Treasurer of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), on the selection committee of The Oireachtas Exhibitions and on the board of Governors of The National Gallery of Ireland. He was a well-loved teacher and held classes during the summer in Dooega, Achill Island where he had a cottage and in Dublin during the winter. He exhibited more than 130 works at the RHA and held solo shows at the Barrenhill, Gallery, Howth, the Taylor Galleries Dublin. A retrospective was held at The George Gallery Dublin in 1990.

    Two Shadows by Tony O’Malley Tony O’Malley HRHA (1913-2003) was previously on loan to the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

    See antiquesandartireland.com for March 25.  Click on any image to enlarge.

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    ART DEALER ALLAN STONE’S COLLECTION AT SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK

    Friday, April 1st, 2011

    Franz Kline, Herald 1953-54 to be sold at Sotheby's, New York on May 9. The estimate is $2.5-$3.5 million. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT MADE $2,322,500

    Willem de Kooning, Event in a Barn Painted in 1947, to be sold at Sotheby's, New York on May 9. It is estimated at $5/7 million. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT MADE$4,562,500

    Work from the collection of  art dealer Allan Stone will be offered at Sotheby’s in New York in May.  The sale will be presented in two volumes on Monday, May 9, the night before Sotheby’s Contemporary art evening sale on May 10.

    Highlights of the first sale will comprise outstanding examples by the key artists represented and collected by Stone, including Willem de Kooning, John Chamberlain, Franz Kline and Joseph Cornell.  The second sale will be dedicated to the West Coast artist Wayne Thiebaud, whose work was first championed by Stone in New York more than forty-five years ago.

    The two sales are estimated to bring in more than $35 million.

    UPDATE: The two-part sale of The Collection of Allan Stone, brought a total of $54,805,500, well above the pre-sale high estimate of $46.8 million, and was 93% sold by lot. The auction was held 50 years after the founding of The Allan Stone Gallery and celebrated the artists represented and collected by this renowned New York dealer. The evening was led by John Chamberlain’s Nutcracker which sold for $4,786,500 and set a new record for the artist at auction. The sale was characterised by strong prices and global demand for U.S. West Coast artist Wayne Thiebaud

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    CHATEAU de GOURDON COLLECTION BRINGS IN 42,387,113

    Friday, April 1st, 2011

    The Chateau de Gourdon Collection realised 42,387,113 at Christie’s in Paris.  One of the finest private collections of early 20th century decorative art and design ever offered at auction was disposed of in a landmark series of five sales over three days at the Palais de Tokyo.  It was sold 84% by lot and 84% by value. The 860 lots at the Palais de Tokyo had a minimum estimate of 40 million euros.

    The sale viewing drew over 17,000 visitors in four days.  Buyers were 75 per cent European, 21 per cent American, two per cent Asian and one per cent Middle Eastern.

    See antiquesandartireland.com posts for March 30 and December 3.


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    WOMAN SMILING, FREUD’S PORTRAIT OF SUZY BOYT, AT CHRISTIE’S

    Thursday, March 31st, 2011

    Woman Smiling, 1958-59, by Lucian Freud, the only single portrait of Suzy Boyt who was to mother five of the artist’s children, will be sold by Christie’s in London in June.  The auction house say it is the most significant work by Freud to be offered at auction since Benefits Supervisor Sleeping sold at Christie’s New York in May 2008 for $33.6 million – a world record price for a work by a living artist.
    Woman Smiling, is a tender portrait of Freud’s former prize-winning Slade pupil and lover. Their friendship lasted many decades. She appears sitting with bashful eyes, radiating with a youthful smile and projecting the affection that existed between the artist and sitter. As Lucian Freud once said,  ‘Painters who use life itself as their subject-matter…do so in order to translate life into art almost literally, as it were…The painter makes real to others his innermost feelings about all that he cares for’ (L. Freud, ‘Some Thoughts on Painting’ Encounter, July 1954).
    Formerly in the collection of Mrs. Ian Fleming it is being offered as part of an important European private collection where it has been since 1985.  The wife of the James Bond creator was an important early patron of Freud and subject of his paintings. She was the first owner and the seller of Woman Smiling when it last appeared at auction at Christie’s in 1973, selling for £5,040.  Suzy Boyt’s other appearance in a Freud painting is as a character on the right hand side of Interior W11 (After Watteay) painted in the early 1980’s.
    Francis Outred, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Christie’s Europe said Woman Smiling pioneered the style of painting for which Freud is most praised and recognised, using thick, expressionist brushstrokes and swathes of impasto to build a human physicality.  The work is estimated at £3.5 million to £4.5 million.
    At the sale on June 28 Christie’s will offer five drawings by Freud from the collection of Kay Saatchi.
    UPDATE: IT MADE £4,745,250

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    MEALY’S MALLOW CASTLE AUCTION ON APRIL 5

    Thursday, March 31st, 2011

    This Irish demi-lune satinwood side table, attributed to William Moore of Dublin, is at the Mealy's Mallow Castle sale on April 5. It is estimated at 12,000-16,000. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 14,500

    A 19th century carved marble Venus at the Mallow Castle sale. It is estimated at 10,000-15,000. (click to enlarge) IT WAS UNSOLD

    This rosewood cased clock by D. M'Gregor and Co., Glasgow is at Mealy's Mallow Castle sale. It is estimated at 4,500-5,500. (click to enlarge) UPDATE: IT WAS UNSOLD

    An Edwardian envelop card table at Mealy's Mallow Castle sale (estimate 220-350). (click to enlarge) UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 300.

    One of a pair of 19th century gilt and gesso mirrors at the Mallow Castle sale on April 5. The estimate is 2,500-3,500. (click to enlarge) IT WAS UNSOLD

    Mealy’s will have a one day 793 lot sale of contents from Mallow Castle, Co. Cork on Tuesday April 5.

    It will include portraits, paintings, tapestries, prints, Irish, English and Continental furniture, silver, plate, books and garden furniture.

    Viewing is at Mallow Castle on April 3 and April 4.  The sale will be held at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow .

    UPDATE:  About 82 per cent of lots on offer found buyers in a sale of 793 lots which brought in a hammer price of 650,000.  The auctioneer’s said that some of the unsold lots had reserves that were too high.  The top lot was a fossilised pair of Gigantic Irish Elk Antlers which made 35,000.

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    NEW WORLD RECORD FOR A PRINT BY GAUGUIN AT SOTHEBY’S

    Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

    Gauguin's Crouching Tahitan Woman (click on image to enlarge)

    There was a new world auction record for a print by Paul Gauguin at Sotheby’s in London today.  Gauguin’s Crouching Tahitian Woman Seen From The Back sold for £577,250, more than three times the low estimate of £180,000.
    The traced monotype, or ‘printed drawing’, was fiercely contested by a number of determined bidders, finally selling to a private collector on the telephone after a five-minute battle.
    Ten prints by Gauguin from the Collection of Stanley J. Seeger, sold for £1.54 million, almost four times the pre-sale low estimate for the group.
    A pair of woodcuts by Albrecht Durer who is widely considered the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance, A Map of the Northern Sky and A Map of the Southern Sky, sold for £361,250.
    See antiquesandartireland.com post for March 22.

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