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    • Posts Tagged ‘sotheby’s’

    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 11th-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 21st century.

    The Bernheimer business started with a tiny market stall in Munich in the mid-19th 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.

    Jan Breughel the Elder – Panoramic Landscape with travelers.

    Here is a selection from the sale:

    Claude Joseph Vernet Moonlit Seascape

    Claude Joseph Vernet Moonlit Seascape

    Jan Breughel the Younger, Still Life of flowers

    Jan Breughel the Younger, Still Life of flowers

    Lot 41 - Torchere Lumineuse

    Lot 41 – Torchere Lumineuse

    The Bernheimer Palace, c 1900.

    The Bernheimer Palace, c 1900.

    Lot 13 is a walnut armchair.

    Lot 13 is a walnut armchair.

     

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

    Wednesday, October 14th, 2015
    Lucian Freud - Girl and Self Portrait

    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.

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    ZORN PORTRAIT TO HIGHLIGHT EUROPEAN ART SALE IN NEW YORK

    Tuesday, October 13th, 2015
    Anders Zorn - A Portrait of the daughters of Ramón Subercaseaux

    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.

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    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)

    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)

    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)

    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).

    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)

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

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    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 20th 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

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

     

    UPD

    Nymphéas - Claude Monet ($30-50 million)

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

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    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).

     

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    THE CONTRACT THAT LAUNCHED THE BEATLES MAKES £365,000

    Tuesday, September 29th, 2015
    The Beatles contract.

    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)

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    A $60MILLION+ TWOMBLY AT SOTHEBY’S IN NEW YORK

    Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

    Cy Twombly - Untitled, 1968 [New York City]

    Cy Twombly – Untitled, 1968 [New York City]  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $70.5 MILLION

    Untitled, 1968 [New York City] – a seminal example of Cy Twombly’s  ‘Blackboard’ paintings  comes up at Sotheby’s in New York on November 11.  It is expected to realise more than $60 million.  The work is from the collection of Los Angeles philanthropist Audrey Irmas and sale proceeds will benefit The Audrey Irmas Foundation for Social Justice. The foundation supports causes including Wilshire Boulevard Temple, which will receive $30 million from the sale. The funds will launch the campaign for the Temple’s new building, designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) led by Rem Koolhaas, and to be named The Audrey Irmas Pavilion. The building will be OMA’s first commission from a religious institution, and the firm’s first cultural building in California.

    “It is always a pleasure to welcome spectacular works of art back to Sotheby’s” said  Anthony Grant, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman, Americas. “We last offered the painting in 1990 as part of the Saatchi Collection. The brilliance of the artist’s gestural genius is on full display as the written form dissolves into a nuanced grey background. All of us who know and care about the arts in Los Angeles have benefited from the extraordinary generosity of Audrey Irmas and her late husband Sydney, and so we are thrilled to be offering this Twombly masterpiece to benefit such a wonderful cause.”

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    ANDY WARHOL’S PRINTMAKING INNOVATIONS AT LONDON SALE

    Monday, September 14th, 2015

    The breadth of Andy Warhol’s work and his innovations in printmaking will be highlighted at Sotheby’s biannual prints and multiples sale in London on September 29.  The auction will feature more than 30 lots by the artist – 89 prints in total – comprising both single works and complete sets.  There are two private collections, one a private Slovakian collection, the other from the family of Hermann Wunsche, which offer insight into Warhol’s importance in Europe.   Wunsche co-ordinated the first catalogue raisonne of Warhol’s editions which was published in Germany in 1980.

    Goethe The complete portfolio, comprising four screenprints in colours, 1982 (£60,000-80,000).

    Goethe
    The complete portfolio, comprising four screenprints in colours, 1982 (£60,000-80,000).

    The Star Screenprint in a unique combination of colours, 1981, from Myths (£25,000-35,000)

    The Star
    Screenprint in a unique combination of colours, 1981, from Myths (£25,000-35,000)

    Cowboys and Indians The complete set, comprising ten screenprints in colours, 1986 (£130,000-180,000)

    Cowboys and Indians
    The complete set, comprising ten screenprints in colours, 1986 (£130,000-180,000)

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    THE TAUBMAN COLLECTION AT SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK

    Monday, September 7th, 2015
    Willem de Kooning, Untitled XXI 1976 $25/35 million

    Willem de Kooning, Untitled XXI 1976 $25/35 million

    More than 500 works spanning the period from antiquity to contemporary art from the collection of A. Alfred Taubman are to come up at Sotheby’s in New York.  They will be sold in a series of dedicated auctions beginning in the autumn.  The sales are estimated at more than $500 million, making this the most valuable private collection ever offered at auction. Represented in the broad-ranging collection are an impressive number of iconic artists including: Mark Rothko and Frank Stella; Pablo Picasso and Egon Schiele; Winslow Homer and Charles Burchfield; and Albrecht Dürer and Raphael.

    Alfred Taubman, who passed away in April at the age of 91, immersed himself in the arts throughout his life – from his early training as an architect, to critical roles as a founder of the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, a board member of the Whitney Museum of American Art and longtime Chairman of the Arts Commission of Detroit, the entity which oversaw the Detroit Institute of Arts. A self-made man he launched The Taubman Company in 1950 with a $5,000 loan. He revolutionized the retail experience, creating many design innovations considered standard today.  In 1983 he acquired Sotheby’s. He set about changing the way Sotheby’s did business opening it up beyond the dealers who were its historic mainstays and helping to create the stunning growth of the international art market.

    Under his stewardship, sales such as The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor (1987), The Andy Warhol Collection (1988), and the Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1996) were presented.

    In the early 2000s, an investigation into alleged price-fixing between Sotheby’s and Christie’s led to a confession by Sotheby’s ceo Diana Brooks of a price fixing scheme.  In a plea bargain arrangement prosecutors offered to keep her out of prison if she agreed to implicate Taubman. She did. Taubman was convicted in a jury trial of price fixing.  He was fined $7.5 million sent to jail for ten months.  After his release in 2003 he continued to insist on his innocence. Works from his collection will be presented at sales of Masterworks on November 4, Modern and Contemporary Art on November 5, American Art on November 18 and Old Masters on January 27, 2016.

    Thomas Gainsborough, The Blue Page c1770 $3/4 million

    Thomas Gainsborough, The Blue Page c1770 $3/4 million

    Martin Johnson Heade, The Great Florida Sunset 1887 $7/10 million

    Martin Johnson Heade, The Great Florida Sunset 1887 $7/10 million

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