Paul Gauguin: Nature morte avec pivoines de chine et mandoline (1885). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $10,444,700
Four works from the collection of Ambroise Vollard, one of the most important art dealers in Paris during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will come up at Sotheby’s Modern evening auction in New York in May. The group is highlighted by a major still life by Paul Gauguin, one of the most significant by the artist to appear at auction, which hung on the walls of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris for almost 40 years since its founding in 1986. Following years of legal proceedings, during which the heirs of Ambroise Vollard were represented by lawyers including François Honnorat, a French court recently ruled that ownership of the works would be returned to Vollard’s descendants. The collection includes works by Renoir and Cezanne.
PAUL HENRY (1876-1958) – A Western Landscape (1919). UPDATE: THIS MADE 75,000 AT HAMMER
There is a slightly ominous air about this 1919 Western Landscape by Paul Henry. It comes up as lot 20 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish and International online art sale. The sale takes place on April 18. Viewing at the RDS in Dublin gets underway tomorrow and will run until 5 pm on Monday April 17. This work was painted at a time when Henry and his first wife, Grace, were considering abandoning Achill Island, which had been their base since 1910, and moving eastwards. Grace was delighted with the prospect of the move, but Paul was downcast, for he remained enchanted with Achill. According to a note by the late art historian Dr. Brian Kennedy: “The heaviness of this scene, therefore reflects the artist’s mood at the time and, although he was not then to know, the period also represented the beginning of a decade of financial and domestic difficulties that eventually ended in his separation from Grace in 1930. This picture, therefore, was painted at a turning point in Henry’s life.” The estimate is €80,000-120,000.
Air Jordan XIIIs worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Final
Meet the priciest sneakers in the world. Michael Jordan’s signed Air trainers made $2.2 million at Sotheby’s to become the most expensive shoes ever sold. Jordan, considered the greatest athlete of all time, has become the most valuable athlete at auctions of sportswear memorabilia. Last year a jersey he wore at the 1998 NBA finals made $10.1 million. Jordan had the size-13 shoes on when he scored 37 points in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals series, carrying the Bulls to a 93-88 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Wendell Castle – Good Neighbors 2017 Stained ash Copyright: Courtesy of Friedman Benda and Wendell Castle Inc. Photography by Daniel Kukla
The American sculptor and furniture maker Wendell Castle (1932-2018) has been described as the father of the art furniture movement. Friedman Benda will present Good Neighbours, a stunning example of his work, at TEFAF New York from May 12-16. They say the table is testament to his groundbreaking ways of looking at, thinking about, and making furniture. Throughout a celebrated career spanning six decades, he created a new sculptural vocabulary that became the cornerstone of his practice. TEFAF New York, at the Park Avenue Armory, will present museum-quality objects across modern and contemporary art, jewellery, antiques, and design from 91 dealers. It will include a concurrent edition ot TEFAF online.
Irish blue limestone fire surround. UPDATE: THIS MADE 15,000 AT HAMMER
An Irish blue limestone fireplace with a frieze pediment, carved shamrocks and a Sile na Gig will lead the James Adam Irish vernacular sale in Dublin on April 12. This category is new to the Adams calendar and reflects the changing tastes and eclectic collecting habits of Irish auction goers. This is an auction with something for collectors seeking treasures from a broad range of sources from film buffs to architectural historians to Irish country life enthusiasts.
An early 19th century dresser from the set of The Banshees of Inisherin. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
There is a focus on traditional country made furniture, pottery, metalwork, treen and collectibles like an early 18th century Irish Penal Cross carved from yew wood (€5,000-€7,000). The sale will feature original furniture from the sets of the Oscar nominated film The Banshees of Inisherin, as well as paintings by Irish artists with traditional interiors and objects. Wonderful Irish craftsmanship is demonstrated in both glassware and silverware. An early 19th century painted pine dresser with a moulded cornice, three shelves and a fiddle front base is at €3,000-€4,000 the most expensively estimated piece from the film set. Among other lots from the film are a 19th century painted pine knife box, a wooden salt box, a settle bed and an early 19th century settle press, a compact painted pine cupboard, a pine rack, a set of merchant/library steps, a dowry chest, a low stool, a pair of naive landscapes, a marriage dresser, spongeware potato bowls, a kitchen seat and a cupboard. Many are painted in strong tones of blue, brown, red and green.
Irish Claddagh shawl. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,000 AT HAMMER
Craft design is showcased by textiles like woollen blankets and tweed. A magnificent Claddagh shawl is featured as lot 90. In Derek Hill’s Still Life Study with Artist’s Materials on a Chair a painted pine Irish kitchen chair is depicted against a creamy background with artist’s brushes and paraphernalia on the seat. Hill is most associated with the Tory Island group of painters. Giant Muldoon at the West End Village, Tory Island by James Dixon is the catalogue cover lot for the auction. Other artists include Markey Robinson, Cecil Maguire, Maurice Wilks, Marjorie Henry and an evocative 1889 work by Tom Mitchell titled “The Eviction” in which a seated elderly man awaits the arrival of the bailiffs with a shotgun in his hand. There is a Tara brooch, Irish dish rings, triple neck ring glass decanters from the 17th and 18th century, a c1785 Irish silver sugar bowl by John Warner of Cork, a spinning wheel, milk crocks, Carrigaline Pottery, a bog oak carved brooch of Blarney Castle and advertising material like old enamel signs.
A pair of Meissen urns, each over four feet tall. UPDATE: THESE MADE 2,500 AT HAMMER.
More than 750 lots of jewellery including antique diamond rings, a fine pair of Meissen urns and a gentleman’s Rolex watch are among the lots at Matthews sale in Kells, Co. Meath on April 15 and 16. On offer is the collection of Anne Gormley, a well known huntswoman who ran a successful jewellery and antique business in Granard, Co. Longford. Mrs. Gormley has recently retired, having reached the age of 90. On offer are contents of the shop and her private collection, totalling more than 1,600 lots with estimates from €10 to €10,000. Jewellery and silver will come under the hammer next Saturday with antiques and collectibles on April 16. Viewing gets underway in Kells next Thursday.
A vintage lake boat formerly owned by Hollywood actress Maureen O’Hara is among the lots at Hegarty’s online sale in Bandon on Wednesday April 12. Painted red and blue it was the private boat at her Glengarriff estate and is complete with a Mercury motor. It is estimated at €3,500-€4,500. Among the other lots are an Art Deco diamond ring, a fall front bureau, a pair of 19th century bronze ewers, mustard spoons by James Salter, Cork, 1823 and six George IV silver teaspoons by John Seymour, Cork c1820.
This rare early Irish penal cross carved in yew wood dates to 1716. During a period of economic, social, and religious oppression of catholics in Ireland, known as the Penal Laws, Catholics found solace in portable, tangible relics of worship. Among these devotional artifacts were the Penal Crosses, simple wooden crosses with a figure of Christ carved in high relief at the center, and symbols representing the Passion of Christ around the central figure. Today, Penal Crosses serve as important cultural and historical artifacts, reminding us of the hardships faced by Irish Catholics during the Penal Laws, and their devotion to their faith during a time of great persecution. This one comes up as lot 10 at the James Adam Irish Vernacular sale on April 12 with an estimate of €5,000-€7,000. Viewing gets underway at St. Stephen’s Green today.
JOHN TRAVOLTA’S ICONIC WHITE SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER SUIT.UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $260,000
The custom-made white suit worn by John Travolta in his Academy Award nominated role as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever comes up at Julien’s Auctions in Hollywood this month. Julien’s and Turner Classic Movies will offer a collection of over 1,400 iconic items from more than 100 years of pop culture history in “Hollywood: Classic & Contemporary”, on April 22 and 23 in Beverly Hills and online. “From John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever suit to Indiana Jones’ machete to a rare headdress from the lost 1917 Cleopatra film to the largest collection of Harry Potter wands, this auction honors Hollywood’s greatest artistic achievements across all eras and genres and offers something for every fan and collector” Martin Nolan of Julien’s said.
Derek Hill HRHA (1916- 2000) – Still Life Study with Artist’s Materials on a Chair. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER
Still Life Study with Artist’s Materials on a Chair by Derek Hill comes up as lot 142 at the James Adam Irish Vernacular auction on April 12. The sale will be on view at Adams on April 7, 8 and 11 and the catalogue is online. This oil on canvas is estimated at €4,000-€6,000.
