Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004) – “Smoking Cigarette # 1,”1980
Galerie Gmurzynska of Zurich will bring this artwork by Tom Wesselmann to the Winter Show which opens today in New York. Made of oil and wood on masonite with a formica base it is signed and dated. The renowned fair brings together over 70 internationally known dealers from Europe and the Americas featuring rare,museum-quality pieces. Myriad works from paintings and works on paper, fine furniture, and design, to jewellery, and contemporary ceramics and glass will be on view. The Fair was established in the mid-1950s as a benefit for East Side House Settlement and, by the end of that decade, had firmly established itself as the leading event of its kind in the United States. The 71st edition of the fair continues until February 2.
Maison Gerard of New York will bring this unique c1930 Art Deco coffee and tea set by Bloch-Eschwege Silversmith & Maurice Muller (1907-2003) Pic Arian Camilleri
18TH-CENTURY MAHOGANY CONSOLE TABLE. UPDATE: THIS MADE €1,300 AT HAMMER
This 18th century console table with gadrooned rectangular top comes up at Sheppards Gems in the Attic sale on February 4. The estimate is €1,500-€2,500. The auction is on view in Durrow from February 1. There are 667 lots in total and the catalogue is online.
Peter Collis (1929-2012) – Still Life with Fruit and Flowers. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,200 AT HAMMER
This still life by Peter Collis is from Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online auction of Irish art. The oil on canvas is estimated at €3,000-€5,000. The sale runs until the evening of January 27 and offers a wide selection of 255 lots including Irish artists like Donald Teskey and Mainie Jellett and international artists like Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. The catalogue is online and there will be viewing in Skibbereen on January 23, 24 and 27.
This large highly carved bog oak buffet, originally at Gibstown Castle near Navan, is lot 1237 at a three day online sale in Slane by Milltown Country Auction Rooms on January 27, 28 and 29. The auction of more than 1300 lots will include the contents of Clonkeehan Stud at Slane. The cabinet is estimated at €5,000-6,000.
SET OF 12 GEORGIAN SILVER DINNER PLATES, LONDON 1821
This set of twelve Georgian silver dinner plates are a feature lot at Hegarty’s online sale in Bandon on January 22. The set is London hallmarked, with a date letter of ‘f’ for 1821 and maker’s mark of WF for William Fountain. Each plate has a scalloped rim decorated with a gadrooned trim and engraved with a winged dragon type animal to the inside edge. The estimate is €8,000-12,000.
Sine MacKinnon (1902-1996) – Surreal Landscape. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This pastel and crayon by Sine McKinnon is lot 9 at the timed online James Adam picture auction which runs until January 22. The estimate is 300-500. There is art by Cecil King, Richard Gorman, Jane O’Malley, Markey Robinson, Patrick Scott, Catherine Delaney, William Conor, Anne Madden, Elizabeth Rivers and many more artists on offer.
This red lacquered sideboard by Jules is a highlight on the stand of Milord Antiques at the New York Winter Show.
From lacquered sideboards to medieval books of hours and a Swedish rococo cabinet to a prized Cork Distilleries sign, antiques fairs are of enormous interest whether the audience is global and international or local.
It tends to make not a whole lot of difference. The popularity of fairs at all levels of the collecting world is undiminished. This is where discoveries are made, inspiration flourishes and new deals are struck.
Upcoming fairs in New York, London and Limerick this month offer an array of breathtaking objects to stimulate the imagination of any collector.
The biggest is The Winter Show in New York. Long located at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan this annual US highlight with dealers from Europe and the United State has a global reach. Taking place from January 24 to February 2 the 71st edition of the fair will feature rare and exceptional art and antiques from antiquity to day with over 70 exhibitors.
Les enluminures will bring this 15th century Book of Hours to the Winter Show in New York.
Among them are Milord Antiques from Montreal with 20th century design, antique furniture and artworks. They will feature a red lacquered sideboard by Jules with gold leaf, etched motif and brass legs. Jules Leleu (1883-1961) was the winner of the grand prize at the 1925 Exposition in Paris. Among his many commissions were designs for the ocean liners Ile de France and Normandie, huge signifiers of 20th century style, luxury and glamour.
At another point of the collecting spectrum Les Enluminures of Chicago, Paris and New York will highlight a c1480-90 Book of Hours from Rouen, an illuminated manuscript in Latin and French with 12 full page miniatures by the Master of Raoul Du Fou.
Christopher Hall Antiques will bring this 18th century Rococo cabinet from Sweden to London’s Decorative Fair.
In London the Winter Decorative Fair at Battersea Park kicks off next Tuesday (January 21) and continues until January 26. Launched specifically for the interiors market in 1985 by a dealer in decorative antiques, The Decorative Fair was an instant hit with designers, decorators and the trade, and has become an internationally renowned thrice-yearly event.
Around 130 exhibitors will display decorative and formal antique furniture, 20th century design, art and collectibles like furniture, lighting and mirrors, rugs, folk and tribal art. Courtesy coaches to Battersea Park will operate from Cliveden Place, SW 1 near Sloane Square underground.
Paul Butler of Kilkenny will bring this Cork Distilleries sign to the National Antiques Fair at Limerick Racecourse next weekend.
The National Antiques Fair at Limerick Racecourse next weekend is a must, especially for those unprepared to make the winter journey to New York or London. This fully indoor event, open from 11 am to 6 pm on January 25 and 26, is brimful with antique shops, art galleries and vintage dealers.
There is art from galleries like Treasures in Athlone, who will bring work by artists like James Brohan and Mark O’Neill, collectibles from La Belle Epoque, militaria and enamel signs from Paul Butler of Kilkenny along with a great collection of vintage fashion, hats and handbags, jewellery, antique furniture, Oriental rugs, old Bakelite radios and even two vintage votive stands in solid brass from Annamoe Antiques. The time to join in the hunt is now.
A day at the Races, 1885 style. UPDATE: THIS MADE 170 AT HAMMER
Dunville’s Whiskey, Capstan cigarettes, Fry’s Chocolate, Guinness toucans and Mick McQuaid plug tobacco advertisements are among the nostalgia generating lots on offer at Victor Mee’s Collector’s Collection sale online sale on January 28 and 29 at 6 pm on each day. More than 1,400 lots from an Ireland that is all but gone but still intensely familiar will come under the hammer. Sales of memorabilia, even those from beyond living memory like an 1885 Great Northern Railway advertisement for a special train to Baldoyle Races, remain enduringly popular. UPDATE: DATE CHANGED TO FEBRUARY 4 AND 5.
The first Irish solo exhibition by Julian Opie – one of Britain’s most renowned contemporary artists, has just opened at Gormley’s in Dublin. These new pieces extend his exploration of abstraction and human identity into new dimensions in a range of works, including large-scale portraits, sculpture, reliefs and screenprints. The show runs until February 8.
Rebecca Salsbury James (1891-1968) – Happy Home: Bowl of Vegetables
This luminous depiction of root vegetables piled into a bowl showcases Rebecca Salsbury James’s signature style: exacting, hard-edged, and flat. It was among the top acquisitions at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2024. A resident of Taos, New Mexico (living not far from her close friend Georgia O’Keeffe), James focused on reverse glass painting, a challenging medium explored by a number of modernists, although none mastered it to the same extent as James. Happy Home: Bowl of Vegetables is one of her largest and most elaborate works, and demonstrates her precise technique of layering color in pristine compositions.
