Pictures by Grandmother Who Picked Up Paintbrush in Her Sixties Offered at Bonhams

LONDON.- Following the Bonhams’ sale in June, where a picture by Helen Bradley was sold at a world record price, three pictures by the artist will be offered in the 20th Century British Art Sale held at Bonhams New Bond Street on the 17th November. Born in 1900 in Lancashire, Helen Bradley was always interested in art, but it was not until she was in her sixties and her grandchildren were asking what life was like when she was a [...]

Sotheby’s Hits Contemporary, Italian Art Targets with Combined Sales of $48.8 Million

LONDON (REUTERS).- Contemporary and Italian art sales in London last week largely underlined the sense that stability was gradually returning to a market that saw values soar in 2007 and 2008 before tumbling dramatically in 2009. Sotheby’s raised a combined 30.4 million pounds ($48.8 million) from its contemporary and Italian 20th century art sales on Friday, and added a further 9.7 million pounds from its contemporary day auction on Saturday. The overall tally of 40.1 million pounds was toward the [...]

‘Charlotte’s Web’ Cover Art Fetches $155K at Heritage Auctions in New York City

NEW YORK (AP).- The original 1952 cover art for “Charlotte’s Web” has sold at auction in New York City for more than $155,000. Heritage Auctions says the artwork drawn by Garth Williams fetched more than five times its estimated sale price on Friday and is a record for any of Williams’ art. Heritage spokesman Barry Sandoval says the buyer is a New York collector who wishes to remain anonymous. The original 1952 cover art by Garth Williams for the beloved [...]

Sotheby’s October Evening Sales of 20th Century Italian Art and Contemporary Art Total $48.8 Million

LONDON.- This evening, Sotheby’s Sales of 20th Century Italian Art and Contemporary Art, brought a combined total of £30.4 million/$48.8 million (Est. £22.3-30.5 million*) – substantially more than in the equivalent sales last year (£20 million). Commenting on the 20th Century Italian Art Sale results, Claudia Dwek, Co Chairman Sotheby’s Italy, said: “We are delighted with the results of this evening’s sale. The auction achieved the above-estimate sum of £17 million representing the highest ever total for a sale in [...]

Christie’s Evening Auctions of Post-War and Contemporary Art and the Italian Sale Realise $61.2 Million

LONDON.- The evening auctions of Post-War and Contemporary Art and The Italian Sale realised a combined total of £38,213,050 / $61,179,093 / €43,371,811. The top price of the evening was paid for Cavaliere by Marino Marini (1901-1980) which led record-breaking Italian Sale and which sold for £4,465,250 /$7,148,865 /€5,068,059 – a world record price for the artist at auction. In total, 6 lots sold for over £1 million and 18 for over $1 million. The corresponding auctions in October 2009 [...]

World Records for David Hockney, Aaron Young, Sterling Ruby & Dana Schutz at Phillips de Pury

LONDON.- Phillips de Pury & Company’s October Contemporary Art sales totaled £8,819,900 /$14,129,480 (including premium). The Contemporary Art Day sale saw active bidding with strong results with many works achieving over their pre-sale high estimate and totaled £2,257,000/$3,615,714 (including premium) selling 84% by value and 77 % by lot. “We are pleased to have built on the success of last night and to continue our tradition as Contemporary Art taste-makers. Today’s Day sale saw strong sell through rates with competitive [...]

Sotheby’s Announces the Inaugural Sale of Important Russian Art in New York

NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s presents the inaugural sale of Important Russian Art in New York on 4 November 2010, alongside the major autumn auctions of Impressionist & Modern Art. The sale includes select works by many of the greatest names in 20th-century Russian art. Highlights from the sale will be on view in Moscow 21-23 October before returning to New York for the sale and exhibition, opening 28 October. The Important Russian Art sale is led by Aleksey Kravchenko’s Indian [...]

Sotheby’s to Sell Francis Bacon’s Figure In Movement, Gift from the Artist to his Doctor

LONDON.- Sotheby’s announced the sale of Francis Bacon’s Figure In Movement, the most significant painting by the British artist to appear at auction in several seasons, in its Evening Sale of Contemporary Art on 9 November 2010 in New York. The 1985 portrait of a man twisting and writhing, demonstrates the artist’s genius in painting the human figure in motion, and epitomizes the full spectrum of his legendary artistic technique. The monumental canvas was given by Bacon to his doctor [...]

Exceptional Public Exhibitions, Events and Auctions at Christie’s During Frieze Week

LONDON.- Christie’s will host an exciting series of public exhibitions, events and auctions from today until 18 October in London coinciding with the Frieze Art Fair. The leading highlights of the public exhibition are celebrated masterpieces by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Gerhard Richter, none of which has been seen before in the UK. These works will be offered at the evening auction of Post-War and Contemporary Art in New York on 10 November 2010 and have a combined value [...]

Jerry Hall to Shed Her Art Collection Next Week at Sotheby’s

LONDON (AP).- Model Jerry Hall will auction some of her art collection next week, including a famous portrait by Lucian Freud that shows her nude when she was eight months pregnant. The auction will also include works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, David Bailey and other prominent artists collected by Hall, ex-wife of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The works will be sold Oct. 15-16 as part of a larger contemporary art sale, Sotheby’s spokesman Simon Warren said. US model [...]

Two Outstanding Beach Scenes by Sorolla are the Highlights of Sotheby’s 19th Century European Paintings Sale

LONDON.- Sotheby’s announced that the Spanish section of the 19th Century European Paintings sale on 23 November will be headed by two outstanding oil paintings by Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923). Depicting children by the sea, both works were painted over the same summer of 1904 on Cabañal beach, Valencia, a favourite location of the painter. Both works featured in Sorolla’s first major international exhibition of his work at Galerie Georges Petit in Paris in 1906, and have remained in two private [...]

Christie’s to Offer 69 Important Works of Art from the Collection of Robert Shapazian

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announced the sale of The Collection of Robert Shapazian. Shapazian’s passion for the arts was reflected in his life-long dedication to the field, his friendships with those in it and his personal, yet masterful collection which Christie’s will offer in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening and Day Sales and other various auctions, beginning this fall. The Collection of Robert Shapazian includes 69 works of art including standout examples by Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp and Roy [...]

Sotheby’s Islamic Art Sales Series Achieves Record Sum of £25.3 ($40.3) Million

LONDON.- Sotheby’s Islamic Art Sales Series concluded this afternoon, realising an outstanding – above high estimate – total of £25,349,000 ($40,264,239) and a combined sell-through rate by lot of 64%. The total achieved represents a record sum for any Auction Series of Islamic Art ever staged. The exceptionally strong sum of £18,297,200 ($29,118,164) realised for today’s ‘Arts of the Islamic World Sale’, which was over £1 million above the high estimate for the sale, established the highest-ever total for a [...]

First Day of Historic Three-Day Attic Sale at Chatsworth Realises US$7 Million

CHATSWORTH.- The first day of the largest country house sale staged since 1977, Chatsworth: The Attic Sale, has just concluded. Of the total 1422 lots in the three-day sale, 395 came under the hammer today. Estimated to realise a sum in the region of £1.2 million, today’s session realised an extraordinary £4,416,425 (US$6,980,601), surpassing already the pre-sale estimate of £2.5 million for the entire sale. Nearly all of the lots offered found homes, with sell through rates today of 98.6% [...]

Important Whistler and Old Master Prints at Swann Galleries’ Three-Part Print Auction

NEW YORK, NY.- On October 27 and 28 Swann Galleries will conduct a three-part print auction featuring material that is truly museum worthy. The sale begins on Wednesday, October 27 with more than 150 lots devoted to Whistler and His Influence, which offers rare and important etchings, drypoints and lithographs from the 1850s to the 1890s by the renowned printmaker. The auction continues the following day with Rare & Important Old Master Prints—one of the finest selections Swann has ever [...]