sotheby’s « antiquesandartireland.com

Posts Tagged ‘sotheby’s’

TAUBMAN MASTERWORKS BRING IN $377 MILLION AT SOTHEBY’S

Thursday, November 5th, 2015

Modigliani, Portrait de Paulette Jourdain

Masterworks from the Taubman collection brought in $377 million at Sotheby’s in New York last night. In its first appearance at auction Modigliani’s portrait of Paulette Jourdain made $42.8 million after five bidders from around the globe competed. It went to an Asian buyer. A total of twelve works achieved more than $10 million and Frank Stella’s Delaware Crossing more than doubled the previous auction record for the artist when it made $13.7 million.

Willem de Koonings Untitled XXI sold for $24.9 million. A private European collector paid $20.4 million for Mark Rothko’s Untitled (Lavender and Green) and Femme assize sur une chaise by Pablo Picasso (a portrait of Dora Maar) made $20 million. A selection of six works on paper by Egon Schiele sold for $13.5 million and all 14 sculptures were sold, with a combined total of $37.9 million.

More than 400 works from the collection of the late A Alfred Taubman are to be sold across various auctions at Sotheby’s throughout 2016. (All images courtesy Sotheby’s).

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for October 4 and September 7, 2014).

Schiele, Freundin, Rosa-Blau

Stella, Delaware Crossing

de Kooning, Untitled XXI

Rothko, Untitled (Lavender and Green).

Tags: Alfred Taubman, Amadeo Modigliani, de Kooning, Egon Schiele, Frank Stella, MARK ROTHKO, Picasso, sotheby's
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

TWO WORKS BY SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL AT SOTHEBY’S

Wednesday, November 4th, 2015

The art of Sir Winston Churchill is hot. His Goldfish Pool at Chartwell sold for £1.7 million last year. Sotheby’s will offer two works by the wartime leader at the Modern British and Post War art sale in London on November 17. One of is Venice, the other the South of France. His Scuola di San Marco in Venice dates from 1951 when he was 77 and is estimated at £250,000-350,000. An earlier work, St Jean de Vie between Cannes and Grasse is from the 1930’s and is estimated at £120,000-180,000.

Lynn Chadwick’s Stabile with Mobile Element comes to the market for the first time. Off the radar for over 60 years and previously only known through the artist’s original sketch it is being sold by the family of its one and only owner, who acquired it in 1954, just two years after it was made. It is estimated at £400,000-600,000.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for October 14, 2014).

Sir Winston Churchill, K.G., O.M., F.R.S., HON. R.A.
ST JEAN DE VIE BETWEEN CANNES AND GRASSE

Sir Winston Churchill, K.G., O.M., F.R.S., HON. R.A.
THE SCUOLA DI SAN MARCO IN VENICE

Lynn Chadwick, R.A.
STABILE WITH MOBILE ELEMENT

Tags: Lynn Chadwick, Sir Winston Churchill, sotheby's
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

THE MOST LUXURIOUS ATLAS IN THE HISTORY OF PRINTED MAPS

Monday, November 2nd, 2015

The Atlas Major.

The first complete edition of the most luxurious atlas in the history of printed maps – Joannes Blaeu’s Atlas Major – comes up at Sotheby’s in London on November 17. Estimated at £240,000-320,000 it was the largest and most expensive book when published in the 17^thcentury. Published in 1662 the Atlas Major remains the most magnificent work of its kind ever produced. Sotheby’s describe it as one of the true masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age.

The Atlas Major covers the entirety of known world in the 17^th Century, with particular emphasis on Europe, but with separate volumes dedicated to America and China. At the time of production, the atlas’s cartography, geographical scope and craftsmanship were unprecedented. Comprising 11 large folio volumes, containing 594 engraved maps, plans, and views, all finely coloured by hand in exquisite detail, and nearly 3,000 pages of text, this massive atlas took a team of printers and binders craftsmen many months to produce. Only 300 sets are believed to have been made. Johannes Blaeu succeeded his father Willem as head cartographer at the Dutch East India Company. It will lead an auction of Travel Atlases, Maps and Natural History.

Tags: Atlas Major, Johannes Blaeu, sotheby's
Posted in AUCTIONS, COLLECTIBLES | No Comments »

THE BERNHEIMER COLLECTION AT SOTHEBY’S

Friday, October 30th, 2015

A two day sale of The Bernheimer Collection will be held at Sotheby’s in London on November 24 and 25. The 539 lots to be offered comprise both treasures from the Bernheimer personal collection and stock from the family business, including objects from Bernheimer Palais, a six-storey high palace on Munich’s Lenbachplatz built by the family’s patriarch Lehmann Bernheimer in 1889. Spanning various collecting categories, including furniture, painting, sculpture, porcelain, and wine, these artworks have been housed mainly in Burg Marquartstein, an 11^th-century castle in Bavaria that Konrad Bernheimer especially bought in 1987. As he is about to hand over to the next generation, the celebrated Old Master dealer Konrad Berheimer has decided to sell Burg Marquartstein and part with the collection.

In a separate development Bernheimer, who is chairman of the 255 year old Colnaghi firm in London, has just announced a merger with London and Madrid based fine art dealers Coll & Cortés. Colnaghi will offer European Old Master paintings, sculptures and drawings, as well as art from the Spanish-speaking world. A century after the firm moved from Pall Mall to Mayfair, Colnaghi will return to St. James’s in 2016, moving from Old Bond Street to a larger, custom-built gallery where they will present international Old Master paintings, sculptures and drawings in a fresh context suited to the 21^st century.

The Bernheimer business started with a tiny market stall in Munich in the mid-19^th century and swiftly grew into the most illustrious antique and interior decoration emporium in the world. Following their deportation to Dachau and the expropriation of the business by the Nazis, part of the family emigrated to Venezuela. They returned after the war to reinvent the business which soon became famous as the “Bloomingdales for Antiques”. The family tradition continues today.

Mario Tavella, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe and Head of House Sales and Single Owner Collections, said: “This collection reflects the erudite quest of four generations of art dealers for discovering the best art. It is a huge honour to have been entrusted with this sale”.

Jan Breughel the Elder – Panoramic Landscape with travelers.

Here is a selection from the sale:

Claude Joseph Vernet Moonlit Seascape

Jan Breughel the Younger, Still Life of flowers

Lot 41 – Torchere Lumineuse

The Bernheimer Palace, c 1900.

Lot 13 is a walnut armchair.

Tags: Bernheimer Collection, Claude Vernet, Jan Breughel, sotheby's
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS, COLLECTIBLES, FURNITURE | No Comments »

A RE-DISCOVERED DRAWING BY LUCIAN FREUD AT SOTHEBY’S

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015

Lucian Freud – Girl and Self Portrait

AN outstanding rediscovered drawing by Lucian Freud comes up at Sotheby’s Modern & Post-War British Art evening sale on November 17. Girl and Self Portrait is the only self-portrait drawing by Freud known to feature his muse Kitty Garman, who was to become his first wife and whom he had painted devotedly from early 1947.

It has remained in the possession of Sonia Brownell (1918-1980), second wife of George Orwell, since it was gifted to her by Lucian Freud in c1947. It is estimated at £600,000-800,000.

Tags: Lucian Freud, sotheby's
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

ZORN PORTRAIT TO HIGHLIGHT EUROPEAN ART SALE IN NEW YORK

Tuesday, October 13th, 2015

Anders Zorn – A Portrait of the daughters of Ramón Subercaseaux UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

A Portrait of the daughters of Ramón Subercaseaux by the Swedish artist Anders Zorn will highlight Sotheby’s 19th century European art sale in New York on November 3. Zorn was among the most famous living artists at the turn of the twentieth century. He traveled to the United States seven times over the course of his career and was commissioned by some of the most significant names of the Gilded Age, including business tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie, art patrons like Isabella Stuart Gardner, and even three U.S. Presidents. Recently, interest in his work among Americans has been revitalized through a major retrospective exhibition which toured the Legion of Honor in San Francisco and the National Academy in New York City.

A Portrait of the daughters of Ramón Subercaseaux was commissioned by the influential and wealthy Chilean diplomat and artist, Ramón Subercaseaux, whose daughters, Blanca and Rosaria, are portrayed. The Subercaseaux children had previously been painted by Giovanni Boldini,The painting is expected to fetch $1,000,000-$1,500,000 at auction.

Tags: Anders Zorn, sotheby's
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

OUTLOOK ENCOURAGING FOR IRISH ART

Tuesday, October 13th, 2015

In the belief that the outlook for Irish art is encouraging Sotheby‘s resumed sale of Irish art in London on October 21 features work by Sir John Lavery, Sir William Orpen, Jack Butler Yeats, Walter Osbore, Paul Henry, Louis le Brocquy and Roderic O’Conor. In the 20th anniversary year since the inaugural stand alone sale of Irish art in London there is also a selection of work by contemporary Irish artists. There are 71 lots in total and the catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

SIR JOHN LAVERY, R.A., R.H.A., R.S.A.
JAPANESE SWITZERLAND £300,000-500,000) UPDATE: THIS MADE £509,000

BASIL BLACKSHAW, H.R.H.A
FOINAVON (£18,000-25,000) UPDATE: THIS MADE £23,750

Barrie Cooke – Elk Meets Sweeney (a portion) – £12,000-18,000)

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for June 23, 2015).

BARRIE COOKE
ELK MEETS SWEENEY (SMALL VERSION) (A portion) – (£12,000-18,000). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

JACK BUTLER YEATS, R.H.A. THE TALKERS )£150,000-250,000) UPDATE: THIS MADE £209,000

Tags: Irish art, Lavery, Orpen, sotheby's, Yeats
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

BLUE PERIOD PICASSO AND MONET’S LILIES AT SOTHEBY’S

Friday, October 9th, 2015

The finest Blue Period work by Pablo Picasso to come to auction in a generation and a seminal Waterlilies by Claude Monet come up at Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist and Modern art in New York on November 5. Picacco’s La Gommeuse of 1901 and Monets Nympheas (1908) are from the collection of American entrepreneur and America’s Cup winner William I. Koch.

Simon Shaw, Co-Head of Sotheby’s Worldwide Impressionist & Modern Art Department, said: “Above all others, Picasso’s Blue Period is prized as his breakthrough – this is the moment Picasso becomes Picasso. With her dreamy gaze and frank sensuality, the cabaret dancer in La Gommeuse ushers in a new visual idiom for the 20^th century. Exploring themes which would underpin Picasso’s work for the next seven decades, the painting stands squarely between the bohemian nightlife of Toulouse-Lautrec and the raw expressionism of Munch and Schiele. La Gommeuse and Nymphéas hung together in the salon of Bill Koch’s beautiful home. These are two icons of art history from one of the greatest American collections ever assembled – a testament to Mr. Koch’s unique connoisseurship, which we are honored to celebrate this fall at Sotheby’s.”

Picasso’s Blue Period works are exceptionally rare, with most residing in prestigious institutional collections including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Musée Picasso, Paris; and the Art Institute of Chicago.

The paintings will be on view at Sotheby’s in London during Frieze week from October 10-15.

La Gommeuse – Pablo Picasso UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $67.45 MILLION

UPD

Nymphéas – Claude Monet ($30-50 million) UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $33,850,000

Tags: Blue Period, Monet, Picasso, sotheby's
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

FIRST LOOK AT TAUBMAN COLLECTION

Sunday, October 4th, 2015

The collection of Alfred Taubman, the most valuable ever offered and estimated to make more than $500 million across a series of sales, comes up at Sotheby’s in New York this autumn. Here is a short video about it:

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 7, 2015).

Tags: sotheby's, Taubman
Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | No Comments »

THE CONTRACT THAT LAUNCHED THE BEATLES MAKES £365,000

Tuesday, September 29th, 2015

The Beatles contract.

The contract that launched The Beatles, the most successful band of all time, sold at Sotheby’s in London today for £365,000. Signed on 1st October 1962, just days before the release of their first single ‘Love Me Do’, it bound together the Beatles with manager Brian Epstein. This is the only management contract signed between the Beatles and Epstein after the band attained its final line-up of John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.

The story of Epstein’s relationship with the Beatles is more of a romance than a business deal. From the very first time he heard their sound, Brian Epstein was determined to be their manager. He had never managed a band before but he soon convinced them that he could do the job; he was, after all, a successful businessman, ran the best record shop in town, was smartly dressed, and, at 27, he had the wisdom of age!

The young Beatles had long known Epstein by sight as the manager of NEMS (North End Music Stores), a treasure-trove of American 45s for the rock and roll-hungry teenagers. Epstein only became aware of the band when a fan asked him for a copy of ‘My Bonnie’, on which they featured as backing band. He soon tracked them down, and on November 9, 1961 visited the Cavern Club in Liverpool to hear them play for the very first time. He returned every day for a week.

The Beatles agreed to take him on as their manager at a band meeting on December 10, 1961. Epstein immediately set to work putting together the look that would soon become famous around the world. More than a traditional manager, he was considered “The Fifth Beatle”. The band began to crumble after his sudden death in August 1967. As Lennon put it on hearing the news, “We loved him and he was one of us.”

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 5, 2015)

Tags: Brian Epstein, sotheby's, The Beatles
Posted in AUCTIONS, COLLECTIBLES | No Comments »

antiquesandartireland.com

Posts Tagged ‘sotheby’s’

COLLECTING BACKGROUNDER