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British & European Art – Christie’s, London
Grimshaw’s Stapleton Park, Near Pontefract

British & European Art – Christie’s, London

Christie’s just completed another online auction, this one featured British and European Art, and once again, there were not a lot of great works presented.  Christie’s promoted the featured works from this sale on their site, amounting to 11 of … More…

LeBron James Breaks Another Record
2003-04-Upper-Deck-Exquisite-Rookie-Auto-Patch-Parallel-LeBron-James-BGS-9-5-Goldin-July-2020

LeBron James Breaks Another Record

It did not take long to break the auction record for a modern-day trading card… I am referring to a card that was produced after 1980. In June, I wrote about a Mike Trout rookie card that made $922K… well, … More…

Rembrandt To Richter – 500 Centuries Of Art
Joan Miro’s Peinture (Femme au Chapeau Rouge)

Rembrandt To Richter – 500 Centuries Of Art

The onslaught continues, and this week, Sotheby’s presented their Rembrandt to Richter sale … a mash-up of pricier works from Old Master to Contemporary.  I, for one, have never been a fan of this type of sale, especially when you … More…

Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Evening – Online pt 3
Pablo Picasso - Tete de Femme Endormie

Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Evening – Online pt 3

Wrapping up the three-part evening, Sotheby’s offered up a modest selection of Impressionist & Modern works; we were expecting 32 lots to be offered, but only 26 materialized, as 6 lots were withdrawn – that’s nearly 20% of the sale! … More…

Nahmad vs. Phillips – More Legal Matters
Tales from the dark side

Nahmad vs. Phillips – More Legal Matters

The Nahmad family is back in the news, this time, with the youngest of the art dealing clan, Joseph Nahmad. According to a complaint filed on June 9th in New York, Joseph Nahmad is suing Phillips auction house after a … More…

Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening – Online pt 2
Francis Bacon - Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus

Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening – Online pt 2

Immediately following the Ginny Williams collection, Sotheby’s offered up 30 lots of Contemporary work, though it was a far cry from the usual slate of works featured in an evening sale… the high end of the sale estimate was $239M … More…

Bouvier – Rybolovlev continued…
Tales from the dark side

Bouvier – Rybolovlev continued…

Over the years, we have written more than a dozen posts about the Bouvier – Rybolovlev conflict.  In a quick summary, Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev claims to have been defrauded of over $1 billion for 38 works of art by … More…

The New Auction Normal – Sotheby’s Online Evening Pt. 1
Lee Krasner - Re-Echo

The New Auction Normal – Sotheby’s Online Evening Pt. 1

Being back at the gallery has really cut into all this free time I’ve gotten used to… going to play a little catch-up on some sales from a few weeks back. At the end of June, Sotheby’s hosted a trio … More…

Winning Result for Pokémon
Pokémon 1999 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer Card

Winning Result for Pokémon

A rare Pokémon card was recognized as a true champion when it sold for more than a few PokéCoins (the game’s currency) at a recent auction featuring Comics and Comic Art.  One of the most sought after and rarest cards … More…

Henkel Hoax
"Coming Home," purportedly by Gertrude Abercrombie

Henkel Hoax

An alleged forgery ring is unraveling after authorities garnered enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for artist Donald “D.B” Henkel’s property in Traverse City, Michigan. According to reports, the FBI began investigating the artist after learning he was involved … More…

Complex Narratives In The Enchanting Paintings Of Tony South
tony_south_ts1019_silver_surfer

Complex Narratives In The Enchanting Paintings Of Tony South

Each of Tony South’s works takes the viewer on a wild ride, and I can attest that we have enjoyed the adventure over the years! This past week, Natasha Gural-Maiello of Forbes.com spent some time chatting with Tony to learn … More…

Sotheby’s, London – Old Masters – A Tale Of Two Cities
Sir Anthony van Dyck’s Portrait of Hubert de Hot

Sotheby’s, London – Old Masters – A Tale Of Two Cities

Last week, Sotheby’s presented a doubleheader — consecutive online-only Old Master sales in London and New York.  What made these sales a little different is the fact that all the works were sourced from art dealers.  We have all seen … More…

Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Oakley Little Miss Sure Shot Rifle

Annie Get Your Gun

One of my fondest memories of junior high school was being part of the musical, Annie Get Your Gun, and a recent sale of one of Annie Oakley’s guns brought back that memory.   As you may recall, the original Broadway … More…

Cobain’s Guitar Rocks Estimate
Kurt Cobain 1959 Martin D-18E Guitar

Cobain’s Guitar Rocks Estimate

About nine months ago, I wrote about a grungy old sweater worn by Kurt Cobain during a performance in 1993 on ‘MTV Unplugged in New York,’ which made a really incredible price when it sold for $334K; now another item … More…

Record Price for Richmond Barthé
Richmond Barthé sculpture titled Féral Benga

Record Price for Richmond Barthé

A recent sale in New York featured African American Fine Art.  During the sale, one of the lots set a new auction record for Richmond Barthé (1901 – 1989), an African-American artist who became best known for his sculptures that, … More…

Sotheby’s, London: 19th Century – A Bit Better Than The Competition
Munning’s Springtime, Apple Blossom with a Mare and Foal

Sotheby’s, London: 19th Century – A Bit Better Than The Competition

This week, Sotheby’s, London, also presented an online sale of 19th-century works, though they offered a substantially greater amount of work than the competition… featuring 211 items, while Christie’s had just 71.  Even with almost 3 times as much material, … More…