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A 19th-Century Warm Up Sale
Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña’s Le mare aux fées

A 19th-Century Warm Up Sale

On October 22nd, Sotheby’s presented their mid-level 19th-century works of art (their BIG sale will take place in January) and the overall results were encouraging.  Do keep in mind that there were no ‘blockbuster’ works being offered, and $30-$50K was the … More…

Caught On Camera – Bye-Bye Dali
Burning Giraffe - Stolen from Dennis Rae Fine Art

Caught On Camera – Bye-Bye Dali

San Francisco police are on high alert after being notified by Dennis Rae Fine Art Gallery that a man casually walked into their premises and stole a $20,000 etching by Salvador Dali … nearby surveillance footage shows the thief walking … More…

Same Old Story…Just A Different Vase
vase

Same Old Story…Just A Different Vase

Same old story – a beautiful little Chinese vase makes a really great price at auction! Sotheby’s just finished its autumn auction week in Hong Kong with some wonderful results. Overall, the sales generated $426M…not too bad considering all that’s … More…

Najd Collection Sees Strong Results In London
Osman Hamdy Bey

Najd Collection Sees Strong Results In London

Over in London, Sotheby’s offered a selection of works from the Najd Collection – considered to be one of the greatest private collections, particularly of Orientalist works, in the world. In all, there were just 40 works up for grabs, … More…

When Will This “Leonardo” Go Away? Probably Never!
LEONARDO_web1

When Will This “Leonardo” Go Away? Probably Never!

Salvator Mundi is back in the news.  The big Leonardo exhibition is about to open at the Louvre and the curators are still waiting to see if the owner of “Salvator Mundi” will loan it. Controversy about the authorship of … More…

Banksy’s Chimps Climb to New Heights – Sotheby’s London Contemporary Evening Sale
Basquiat

Banksy’s Chimps Climb to New Heights – Sotheby’s London Contemporary Evening Sale

Sotheby’s hosted their Contemporary Art sale in London the first week of October… typically, this is broken into two parts with Italian Art being offered in a specialized sale – they stopped that last year. Speculation is that the Italian … More…

Discovery Of Rare Early Work By Influential Parisian Painter Paul Aizpiri ‘Wows’ Art Dealer
Paul Aizpiri

Discovery Of Rare Early Work By Influential Parisian Painter Paul Aizpiri ‘Wows’ Art Dealer

Published this week on Forbes.com, an article by Natasha Gural on the gallery’s discovery of an early and important work by the 20th-century French artist Paul Aizpiri. Source: Discovery Of Rare Early Work By Influential Parisian Painter Paul Aizpiri ‘Wows’ … More…

Another Da Vinci? Give Me A Break
Horse and Rider

Another Da Vinci? Give Me A Break

It has been announced that another ‘da Vinci’ work is going to hit the market this month … really?  According to reports, a bronze titled Horse and Rider will be offered at a New York auction with an estimate of … More…

Comments on the Art Market – Volume 226
Mitsuru Watanabe

Comments on the Art Market – Volume 226

We are pleased to announce the release of Volume 226 of our Comments on the Art Market.  In this issue we cover our upcoming shows, In the News: Paul Aizpiri, the work of Mitsuru Watanabe, Stocks, Tales from the Dark … More…

There is Always More to a Story – The Upside Down Plane
inverted jenny

There is Always More to a Story – The Upside Down Plane

Sometimes, there is more to a story … which is the case for a recent sale of a block of Inverted Jenny stamps. Between 1912 and 1913, the United States post office decided to experiment with a new service – … More…

Bonhams’ 19th Century – Bey Makes the Day
Osman Hamdi Bey’s Young Girl Reading

Bonhams’ 19th Century – Bey Makes the Day

On September 26th, Bonhams offered their selection of 19th Century European, Victorian & British Impressionist Art.  As you might surmise from the sale’s title, there was a wide variety of works … both in subject matter and quality (w/p = … More…

Fabergé Sedan Chair
faberge-sedan-chair-2

Fabergé Sedan Chair

The House of Fabergé is best known for the elaborate jewel-encrusted eggs that were designed for Russian Tsars, but they also created an amazing line of jewelry and other objects. Recently, a model of a sedan chair, made of gold, … More…

Another Little Chinese Vase
vase

Another Little Chinese Vase

Wow, it happened again! Another Chinese vase made its way to auction with a low estimate and soared beyond the consignor’s dreams as wealthy Asian collectors battled it out.  A 15-inch tall blue, red and white ‘lotus’ vase from the … More…

Difficulties On The American Side – Sotheby’s New York
Daniel Garber’s Environs of Milford

Difficulties On The American Side – Sotheby’s New York

On September 17th, Sotheby’s presented a selection of mid and lower-level American paintings and the results were a bit disappointing (unless otherwise noted, all sold prices include the buyer’s premium) Taking the top spot was a beautiful Daniel Garber’s Environs … More…

A Banjo vs. The Charging Bull
Tales from the dark side

A Banjo vs. The Charging Bull

Wall Street’s iconic Charging Bull took a hit earlier this month… literally. According to reports, Tevon Varlack, 42, of Dallas, Texas, attacked the bronze sculpture resulting in some serious damages. The creator of the sculpture, Arturo Di Modica, assessed the … More…

Pompidou Centre Theft And Destruction
Tales from the dark side

Pompidou Centre Theft And Destruction

The Pompidou Centre in France has been the epicenter of theft and destruction this month. A Banksy mural, which appeared on a sign for the museum’s parking lot in 2018, was retrofitted with Plexiglas to prevent it from being stolen.  … More…