Sotheby’s: Buy At Your Own Risk, We Do Not Sell At Our Own Risk
Well this is certainly an interesting one… as I am sure many of you know, buying at auction is inherently risky – condition issues may not be disclosed, there may be gaps in provenance which obscure proper ownership, and works … More…
Gulbenkian, Case Closed!
Tales From the Dark Side: UPDATE In two previous posts, we covered the criminal activities of Angela Gulbenkian. See here and here for a refresher. Gulbenkian has been held in a Lisbon jail since December 2020 after evading UK authorities. … More…
Museums & Galleries In British Columbia Duped
Recent news reports revealed that British Columbian art dealer Steve Hoffman, based in Langley, has been supplying fake indigenous art to Canadian museums and art galleries. The works, supposedly by artist Harvey John, have been on the market for years. … More…
British & European Art: Christie’s, London
On July 15th, Christie’s presented a big sale of British and European art, which faired a little better than their competition’s. While things opening up in the UK helped bring in more material, the problem still seems to be sourcing … More…
Sotheby’s Attempt At A European & British Sale
Auction rooms need to start paying attention to what works and what does not. Putting together a large sale of ‘nothing too great’ is just not going to cut it today. On July 14th, Sotheby’s presented one of these sales. … More…
A Better Day For The Old Masters – Christie’s
On July 8th, Christie’s presented their Old Master evening sale, and this one did just a little better than their main competitor’s. My only question for the saleroom is: why did you put a Burne-Jones in this sale? Burne-Jones was … More…
B.J. Eastwood Collection – Christie’s
This month, Christie’s presented a small sale (30 works) featuring sporting and Irish art from the collection of B.J. Eastwood. Eastwood, who passes away last year, acquired most of the works decades ago. This was a perfect storm; a collection … More…
Harrison Ford’s Fine Fedora
Do you fantasize about living the life of a movie star? Maybe go back in time or take a leap into the future; or perhaps be as fearless as some of the great action heroes in your favorite movie? Well, … More…
Size Does Not Always Matter
Christie’s London celebrated the classics this week as they auctioned antiquities through 20th-century works of art and an assortment of other objects. A highlight of Classic Week was included in their Exceptional Sale, which focused on European decorative arts as … More…
Picasso & Mondrian Recovered
The city of Athens is celebrating the recovery of two important stolen paintings. On January 9, 2012, it was believed that a gang broke into the National Gallery in Athens, stealing Head of a Woman by Pablo Picasso, Stammer Windmill … More…
Old Masters – Sotheby’s, London
It is Old Master week in London, and the action started at Sotheby’s with their evening sale, which began at 6 pm, so it was an actual evening sale. The sale consisted of 50 lots, and the top work was … More…
20th/21st Century: Christie’s London Evening Sale
Following Sotheby’s lead, Christie’s presented their evening sale (which started at 2 pm London time, breakfast time in New York) on the 30th. As with Sotheby’s, this was a mixed sale of works ranging from 19th-century Impressionist to living artists. … More…
Early Evening Sale at Sotheby’s London – British Modern & Contemporary
Sotheby’s hosted a British Art evening sale to close out June, though it curiously took place in the afternoon. The sale featured Modern and Contemporary works; just 38 lots, though 4 seem to have been withdrawn before the start, so … More…
Sotheby’s – Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
A great deal has changed over the past 16 months. In the old days, an evening sale took place in the evening – usually starting between 6 and 7 pm. Today, an ‘evening sale’ happens whenever they want – this … More…
Churchill’s Cigar Butt Smokes Estimate
Sometimes when I look through the auction reports, I come across some extraordinary things that make their way to the auction block. I was surprised to see that a two and three quarter inch cigar butt, a remnant of just … More…
Many More Recoveries
In 2017, an investigation was launched when a state archaeology lab in Apulia, Italy made a discovery in a European arts catalogue… they noticed ‘decorative elements’ from a Daunian funerary stele that was in the hands of a “wealthy Belgian … More…