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    FREUD PORTRAIT BOY’S HEAD MAKES £3.17 MILLION AT SOTHEBY’S

    Thursday, October 13th, 2011

    Boy's Head by Lucian Freud made £3,177,250. (Click on image to enlarge).

    Lucian Freud’s (1922-2011) 1952 portrait Boy’s Head made  £3,177,250 at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art evening sale on October 13.  It was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder.  The sitter, Charlie Lumley, was a neighbour of Freud’s when he moved to Paddington in 1952.  The portrait transmits a remarkable psychological intensity.  The estimate was £3-4 million.

    The evening sales of Contemporary Art and 20th Century Italian Art brought a combined total of £39,456,950 against the pre-sale estimate of £34,982,000-48,338,000.  A total of six artist records were established for Alberto Burri, Leon Kossoff, Wim Delvoye, Francesco Lo Savio, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Giuseppe Penone.

    Contemporary art realised £17,809,000 with 36 of the 47 lots offered sold.  The 20th Century Italian art sale achieved the highest-ever total for a sale in this category, at £21,647,950.

    See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 12, 2011.

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    CHRISTIE’S VIDEO OF SALES TO COINCIDE WITH FRIEZE ART FAIR IN LONDON

    Thursday, October 13th, 2011

    A Gerhard Richter  painting leads Christie’s two days of Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions in London on October 14 and 15 to coincide with Frieze Art Fair   There is an outstanding example of his seminal series of ‘Kerze’ or Candles painted in 1982-83 which is estimated to realise £6,000,000-9,000,000. This completely timeless image became a sign of the unification of east and west Germany.  More than 300 lots expected to realize a combined total in the region of £50 million.  There is work by Piero Manzoni Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Alighiero Boetti and Lucio Fontana and contemporary British sculptures by Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst and Ron Mueck.

    UPDATE:  KERZE SOLD FOR £10,457,250, A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR RICHTER.

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    FOUR RICHTER’S TO LOVE

    Thursday, October 13th, 2011

    HERE are four works by Gerhard Richter an artist to love who seems to be cropping up everywhere right now.  A major retrospective, Panorama, is at Tate Modern in London until January 8 to coincide  with his 80th birthday.

    The images here are from Abstraction-Figuration: A Private Collection at Sotheby’s in New York on on November 9. It features one of the most important groups of works by the German artist ever to appear at auction.  The sale will also include works from the collection by Francis Bacon, Sigmar Polke, and Lee Krasner. The Impressionist and Modern art auction on November 2 will feature a group of eight paintings by Max Ernst including The Endless Night from 1940, an acute meditation on Europe in the early years of World War II ($2.8/4 million). Overall the collection is estimated to bring $40/56  million with works to be offered in five different sales.

    (All images are copyright Sotheby’s and you can click on any of them to enlarge).

    UPDATE:  THE sale  brought an outstanding total of $315,837,000, well above the $192/270.8 million pre-sale estimate and nearly 85% sold-by-lot. The total is the highest for a Contemporary Art Evening sale at Sotheby’s since May 2008 and the company’s third highest ever.

    The sale was led by four masterworks by Clyfford Still which sold for a combined total of $114.1 million.

    The other major highlight of the sale was the Abstraction Figuration Collection – a remarkable offering of paintings that thrive in the fertile space between abstraction and figuration by artists such as Gerhard Richter, Lee Krasner and Sigmar Polke.  All the works found buyers and were led by the superb group of Richter abstract paintings which brought a combined total of $74,280,000, over twice the pre-sale high estimate (group est. $27/36.7 million). Furthermore, an auction record for the artist was set when Abstraktes Bild from 1997 sold for $20,802,500 after a contest involving four bidders (est. $9/12 million).

     

    Gerhard Richter - Abstraktes Bild (849-3) ($9,000,000 – 12,000,000)

    Gerhard Richter - Gudrun ($5,500,000 – 7,500,000)

    Gerhard Richter - Abstraktes Bild (769–2) ($5,500,000 – 7,500,000)

    Gerhard Richter - Rain (676-2) ($700,000-900,000)

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    STELLAR IRISH LOTS IN THE SAFRA COLLECTIONS AT SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK

    Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

    IRISH lots to feature in the four day sale of the Lily and Edmond J. Safra Collections  at Sotheby’s in New York from October 18-21  include these stellar pieces.  Sotheby’s say  the six dedicated sales represent the pinnacle of their respective collecting categories and offer remarkable opportunities to collectors around the world.

    There is a group of fourteen Irish George II embossed paper and gouache painted pictures of birds c1750 by Samuel Dixon. They are estimated at $60,000-90,000.  The pair of Irish silver mugs illustrated here were probably made by John Stoyte in Dublin in 1807.  The maker’s mark is I pellet S in rectangle.  They are estimated at $9,000-12,000.

    See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for September 1, July 29 and July 10.

    One from a group of fourteen Irish George II embossed paper and gouache painted pictures of of birds circa 1750, by Samuel Dixon ($60,000 -90,000). Click on image to enlarge. UPDATE: THIS LOT WAS SOLD FOR $98,500

    A pair of Irish Silver Mugs probably by John Stoyte, Dublin, 1807 ($9,000 - 12,000). Click on image to enlarge. UPDATE: THE PAIR MADE $11,250

     

     

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    MING DRAGON DISH MAKES 310,000 AT SLANE SALE

    Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

    This Ming dragon dish made 310,000 at Adams at Slane. (Click on image to enlarge).

    A Chinese blue and white Ming dragon dish made 310,000 at the Adams Country House Collections auction at Slane Castle on October 11.  It was bought on the telephone by a dealer in London.  It had been estimated at 2,000-3,000.

    Over the last few days the dish had attracted interest from buyers in London, Beijing and Hong Kong.  The Ming dish, stamped with the mark of the Emperor Xuande who reigned from 1425 to 1435, is painted with images of a five clawed dragon.

    The ten inch diameter dish had been brought to Ireland in 1905 by a member of a Derry family who served with the British Army in China during the Colonial era. In 1985 it was valued for probate purposes at around £1,000.

    Around 70 per cent of lots on offer found buyers at an auction which brought in 960,000 at hammer.

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    IRISH SILVER EXHIBITED IN BOSTON IN 1963 ON SALE AT BONHAMS

    Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

    Irish silver exhibited at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston in 1963 is to come under the hammer at Bonhams in London on November 23.  It is being sold to benefit Milton Academy, the school in Massachusetts attended by Senators Robert and Edward Kennedy, the  Anglo American poet T.S. Eliot and the singer–songwriter James Taylor.

    The silver  was shown as part of the Eire Society of Silver display in Boston. Among the most important items are a George II mug, by Mark Fallon of Galway (£12,000-15,000); a set of four George II candlesticks from 1750 by Robert Calderwood, previously in the collection of Earl Fitzwilliam (£6,000-8,000) and  a Queen Anne two handled cup, Limerick 1707 (£4,000-5,000). The sale also includes a gold Freedom Box (£20,000-30,000) presented by the Corporation of Limerick to the Earl of Carrick.

    Milton Academy has been rated by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 25 schools in the world for preparing students for university and is traditionally seen as a feeder school for Harvard. The Kennedys were students here during the 1940s. The silver was given to the Academy and they have been permitted to sell it to raise funds.

    A set of four George II Irish silver candlesticks £6,000-8,000. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THEY MADE £12,500.

    A George II Irish silver mug, by Mark Fallon of Galway £12,000-15,000. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £15,000.

    A Queen Anne Silver two handled cup by James Robinson of Limerick, circa 1707 - £4,000-5,000. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT MADE £13,125.

    A Gold Freedom box, possibly by Samuel Reynolds £20,000-30,000. (Click on image to enlarge), UPDATE: THIS MADE £25,000.

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    MONUMENTAL BRONZE MATISSE SCULPTURES LES NUS DE DOS AT SOTHEBY’S

    Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

    Matisse Nu de dos (1er état) is estimated at $20-30 million. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS WAS SOLD PRIVATELY BEFORE THE AUCTION.

    A cast of each of four monumental bronze sculptures by Henri Matisse, known collectively as Les Nus de dos (The Backs), is to be offered by Sotheby’s in four consecutive sales of Impressionist and Modern Art in London and New York.  The first comes up in New York on November 2.  Nu de dos (1er état) is estimated at $20-30 million.  Conceived in 1908-09 at the culmination of Matisse’s involvement with the Fauves the sculpture exemplifies the fluidity of line that dominated his paintings from this era.

    Each of the four works was conceived individually over the course of two decades, and together they chart the evolution of Matisse’s artistic development through the early 20th century. The bronzes have been consigned by The Burnett Foundation of Fort Worth  Texas, and proceeds will further support the community of Fort Worth – the Foundation’s primary mission since its inception 30 years ago.  Dos II, Dos III and Dos IV will be offered individually in the next sales of Impressionist & Modern Art at Sotheby’s: London, February 2012; New York, May 2012; and London, June 2012.

    They were consigned by the Burnett Foundation of Fort Worth and proceeds will support the local community.  The Foundation acquired the works in 1982 from Californian collector Norton Simon, who bought them from the artist’s estate in 1966.  They were on show for ten years at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

    UPDATE:  THE Matisse bronze was sold on November 1 prior to the auction as part of a quartet of Matisse bronzes in a private transaction.  The deal was made by Sotheby’s who did not release any information about the purchaser or disclose the price.

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    THE SUN DROP DIAMOND AT SOTHEBY’S, GENEVA ON NOVEMBER 15.

    Sunday, October 9th, 2011

    The Sun Drop Diamond. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT MADE 11.28 MILLION SWISS FRANCS OR £7.8 MILLION STERLING, A WORLD RECORD FOR A YELLOW DIAMOND.

    The Sun-Drop Diamond, the largest known pear-shaped fancy vivid yellow diamond in the world, will be offered by Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 15.  Graded Fancy Vivid Yellow, the highest colour grading for a yellow diamond, it weighs in at 110.03 carats and it has a purity of VVS1. The rough for the Sun-Drop Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 2010.  It was cut and polished by Cora International, with headquarters in New York.  The estimate for the stone, which was exhibited earlier this year at London’s Natural History Museum, is $11-15 million.

    Only three white diamonds of over 100 carats have ever been sold at auction, all at Sotheby’s Geneva.  The Star of the Season — a Pear-shaped diamond of 100.10 carats made $16.5 million in 1995, an auction record for a white diamond;  The Mouawad Splendour — a Modified Pear-Shaped Diamond (11 sided),  101.84 carats made $12.8 million in 1990 and the Star of Happiness — a Cut-Cornered Rectangular Modified Brilliant-Cut Diamond, 100.36 carats, made $11.9 mllion in 1993.  In November 2010 the Graff Pink – a Fancy Intense Pink Diamond weighing 24.78 carats, sold for $46,158,674 at Sotheby’s in Geneva, and established a new world auction record for a diamond.

    See post on antiquesandartireland.com for November 17, 2010.

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    THE OLD FENIAN JOHN O’LEARY AT WHYTE’S IRISH ART SALE

    Saturday, October 8th, 2011

    The Old Fenian John O'Leary. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 2,600.

     

    This 19th century Irish School portrait of  The Old Fenian John O’Leary (1830-1907) is at Whyte’s Irish art sale in Dublin on Monday, October 10.  O’Leary, who studied both law and medicine, was imprisoned in England during the 19th century for his involvement with the Irish Republican Brotherhood.  The work is estimated at 1,500-2,000.

    In his poem “September 1913” W.B. Yeats laments the death of O’Leary with the line:

    "Romantic Ireland's dead and gone;
it's with O'Leary in the grave".
    See antiquesandartireland.com post for October 3.

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    RENOWNED DEGAS SCULPTURE TO HIGHLIGHT NEW YORK ART SALE

    Saturday, October 8th, 2011

    Degas dancer estimated at $25-35 million at Christie's. UPDATE: THERE WAS HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT AT CHRISTIE'S WHEN THIS FAILED TO SELL. TWO PICASSO'S AND A MATISSE ALSO FAILED TO FIND BUYERS.

    Edgar Degas’ Petite danseuse de quatorze ans, one of the most readily recognisable sculptures in the world,  is a highlight at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern art sale in New York  on November 1. Christie’s say the work represents a defining moment in Degas’s career.  With it he broke from academic tradition to embrace a new modernist aesthetic.

    Degas first unveiled the original tinted wax and mixed media version of Petite danseuse in 1881 at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition, where it made an immediate impact. With its unflinchingly naturalistic depiction of a young dancer and its unconventional addition of clothing and hair,  the 40-inch high figure earned instant notoriety among artists and connoisseurs.

    Roy Lichtenstein, I Can See the Whole Room…and There's Nobody in It! at Christie's Contemporary and Post War sale in New York on November 8. It is estimated at $25-35 million. UPDATE: This sold for $43.2 million, a new auction record for the artist.

    Estimated at $25-35 million, the work is to be on view in London during Frieze Week from October 9-14. There will be a week of exhibitions and auctions dedicated to modern and contemporary art a newly renovated rooms at King St. It will include works by Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso, Gerhard Richter, Roy Lichtenstein, Edgar Degas, Damien Hirst, Joan Miró and Réne Magritte, among others.

    UPDATE:  The Degas was the biggest casualty in a disappointing night.  Christie’s sold $140.8 million of works. This was the lowest sales total in two years for Impressionist and Modern art.  No less than 38 per cent of the 82 lots on offer failed to find buyers. The pre-sale estimate was $211.9 million – $304.4 million.

    Christie’s Post War and Contemporary evening sale in New York on November 8 features one of the earliest of Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop Art pictures.  I Can See the Whole Room…and There’s Nobody in It!, estimated at $25-35 million, is one of a number of Pop Art masterpieces in the auction.

    The Post-War and Contemporary day sale at Christie’s in New York on November 9 includes Andy Warhol’s Dollar Sign being sold by NAMA, Ireland’s bad bank set up to purge risky property loans.  (See antiquesandartireland.com post for September 19).

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