Rago Art and Auction Center – Art Glass
November 27th, 2011 by adminRago’s Great estates Auction on December 3rd features a selection of art glass from Tiffany, Durand, Stueban, and many more. Visit www.ragoarts.com for more info.
Auction News
Sotheby’s New York – Important Tiffany
November 27th, 2011 by adminThis December, Sotheby’s is honored to present a highly important Three-Panel window executed by Tiffany Studios depicting a lush field of magnolia blossoms in the Important Tiffany auction. This exquisite window was included in the landmark museum exhibition, “Masterwork of Louis Comfort Tiffany,” which debuted at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC in 1989, and traveled to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and four different venues in Japan. The “Masterworks” exhibition was the first major retrospective to examine the top achievements in the various artistic disciplines of the Tiffany firm. To this day, the items that were selected for inclusion are revered by collectors representing the firm’s best work. This Magnolia window, formerly in the early collection of Bruce and Adele Randall, demonstrates Tiffany unparalleled artistic ability to portray the beauty seen in nature in the medium of glass.
Also in this auction, Sotheby has on offer a carefully curated selection of leaded glass lamps, favrile glass and patinated bronze works. Highlights include a superb “Wisteria” Table lamp and a magnificent “Trumpet Creeper” Chandelier.
Sotheby’s New York – Isreali and International Art
November 27th, 2011 by adminSotheby’s is pleased to present our annual auction of Israeli & International Art on December 14th. This year we are honored to present Property from the Collection of Lillian and Jack Cottin, New York, a collection that notably includes three large, rare synagogue interiors by Marc Chagall from 1931 and 1935, which have been in the collection since 1945. Other highlights include important works by Mordecai Ardon, Reuven Rubin and Nahum Gutman.
We look forward to welcoming you to our galleries this December.
Rago Arts and Auction Center – Siver and Jewelry Auction
November 27th, 2011 by adminAdditional lots have been added to Rago’s Siver and Jewelry Auctions on December 2nd and 4th. Visit www.ragoarts.com for more info.
Sotheby’s – Un Intérieur Parisien des Années 30
November 23rd, 2011 by adminView auction results on line at Sothebys.com
Swann Galleries – The Complete Poster Works of Roger Broders
November 23rd, 2011 by adminDecember 15, 2011
A stunning collection of the entire output of posters by the master Art Deco designer Roger Broders. Features travel posters, including variants, for locales along the route from Paris to the Cote d’Azur.
Sotheby’s – Important Canadian Art
November 23rd, 2011 by adminThe November 28th auction offers for sale historical and post-war works of art. Included in this auction are paintings by Group of Seven members J.E.H. MacDonald, A.Y. Jackson, and Arthur Lismer. In addition, two fine and recently-uncovered canvases by J.W. Morrice are a highlight, as are David Milne’s superb still life from 1928, three early watercolours, one from his New York period and two from Boston Corners, and two of his much-sought-after colour drypoints. An outstanding Marc-Aurèle Fortin is expected to draw attention, as is a stunning canvas by Jean-Paul Lemieux that has not been exhibited in Canada.
The post-war section of the sale is strong with major works by the Painters Eleven, represented by a powerful Jack Bush, and works by Harold Town, William Ronald, Jock Macdonald, Kazuo Nakamura and Tom Hodgson. The Automatistes of Quebec are represented by Jean-Paul Riopelle, Marcelle Ferron, Jean McEwen, Claude Tousignant, and other Montreal painters such as Yves Gaucher, Jean Dallaire, and Jacques Hurtubise. More contemporary works, from one end of the country to the other, include important work by Alex Coville, Ed Burtynsky, Takao Tanabe, Christopher Pratt, Dennis Burton, Gershon Iskowitz, Jack Shadbolt, and Tony Scherman.
Sotheby’s – Fine Watches
November 23rd, 2011 by adminThe fine watches sale on the 13th December has a wide selection of collectable timepieces, from early pocket watches to modern wristwatches, that will appeal to all watch enthusiasts.
Among the highlights we are delighted to be offering a Millennium wristwatch by Dr George Daniels, one of the greatest watchmakers of the 20th Century. This extremely rare handmade watch incorporates his revolutionary patented ‘Co-Axial’ escapement which represents the first advancement in escapement design since the invention of the lever escapement in 1754.
The sale also includes a large selection of pocket watches including beautiful enamel pieces and technically interesting horological mechanisms. The major premium wristwatch brands are represented and feature sort after models from Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cartier, Daniel Roth and Audemars Piguet.
For those collectors wishing to acquire a Patek Philippe there is a selection of vintage and modern items including a fine pink gold reference 130 and the iconic reference 3970 complication.
Sotheby’s New York – Hunters & Gatherers: The Art of Assemblage – A Selling Exhibition
November 22nd, 2011 by adminFor enquiries please contact:
Lisa Dennison, Lisa.Dennison@sothebys.com, +1 212 894 1424
Lara Barak, Lara.Barak@sothebys.com, +1 212 894 1577
For most of history, human beings were hunters and gatherers. Until the invention of agriculture, about 10,000 years ago, to subsist meant to comb the wilds, foraging for edible plants and animals. The impulse to scavenge is thus embedded in our genes, and through the centuries it has found powerful expression in the world of art.
Artists are a particular type of hunter-gatherers. Since ancient times, they have assembled works from assorted materials, both natural and man-made, in arrangements in which the artistic whole transcends the sum of its parts.
The focus of this exhibition is the accumulative tendency in art that has been broadly labeled as “assemblage.” Much of the work in this realm before the 20th century has been the product of artists from pre-Columbian America, Africa and Oceania. From the 17th century, Native Americans actively traded with Europeans for precious commodities such as metal and glass beadwork, which they ingeniously incorporated into ceremonial items, clothing and weaponry. These decorations conveyed status and added luster and allure to a wide range of objects including masks, rattles and headdresses.
During the same period, a rich sculptural tradition emerged on the other side of the globe, in the Chiloango River Region in central Africa. Power figures, carved of wood in human or animal form, were used to harness spiritual forces for protection, healing or revenge. A ritual expert drove metal objects into the figure to awaken the spirit. The potent physical presence of these figures, bristling with nails, blades and spikes, still resonates with the power of these awe-inspiring rituals.
In the early 20th century, African artworks began to arrive in Europe, catalyzing a seismic shift in the course of western art history. They had a profound influence on many artists, including Picasso and Braque, who were soon to create an artistic revolution of their own, when they inserted fragments of the real world onto the surface of their canvases, heralding the advent of collage. Building on these innovations, Dada and Surrealist artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray and Kurt Schwitters exploited the collision of the rational and non-rational through the use of readymade objects and the chance arrangements of forms. Neo-Dada and Pop artists also incorporated found and manufactured objects into their art; in his Combines, Robert Rauschenberg expressed the desire to bridge the gap between art and life.
The practice of assemblage has continued into the 21st century, with artists enthusiastically using non-traditional materials in both intimate and environmentally-scaled artworks. Many of these follow the cooler conceptual strategies of Duchamp, while others mine Africa’s heritage, not only in the sense of formal properties, but by tapping into their cultural, social and historical resonance as well. Nick Cave, for example, explores issues of ceremony and ritual in his beautifully crafted Soundsuits, referencing both tribal and Indian art in their various guises. El Anatsui stitches together mesmerizing metal tapestries out of recycled liquor bottle caps. Others, including Anselm Kiefer and Huma Bhaba, incorporate clay and other natural materials into their paintings and sculpture.
Juxtaposing western and non-western art histories, this exhibition is itself an assemblage of different time periods, cultures and artistic forms, resulting in striking visual encounters. In some cases, there is a direct reference to the notion of hunting and gathering, while in others, materials are recuperated into hybrid compositions that are playful, enigmatic and dynamic. Ultimately, it is the fluidity of ideas and the dialogues between objects that create the universe of Hunters and Gatherers.
Quinn’s Dec. 10 auction spans Old Masters to modern art, with a premier selection of French paintings as its centerpiece
November 22nd, 2011 by admin
Leon Augustin L’hermitte (French, 1844-1925), oil-on-canvas harvest scene, 32 by 38 inches, est. $100,000-$150,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Some of Washington DC’s most elegant homes were the sources for Quinn’s Auction Galleries’ upcoming sale of international fine and decorative art, with an afternoon session dedicated to Asian art and antiquities. The Dec. 10 event includes 750 lots led by a selection of French paintings whose overall quality surpasses that of any seen in previous Quinn’s auctions.
“We’re particularly excited about the French paintings in this sale, especially the oil-on-canvas harvest scene by Leon Augustin L’hermitte, which is expected to make $100,000 to $150,000,” said Quinn’s Executive Vice President Matthew Quinn. According to the consignor’s family records, the 32 by 38-inch artwork by L’hermitte (French, 1844-1925) was purchased from New York art dealers in the 1930s for a mere $200.
“Only recently, a L’hermitte of similar size and subject matter sold for $278,000 at Sotheby’s, so we feel the one in our sale could very well bring a similar amount,” said Quinn.
Eugene Boudin (French, 1824-1898), ‘Sur la Plage,’ watercolor and pencil on paper laid to board, 5½ by 10 1/8 inches, est. $20,000-$30,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
An excellent watercolor and pencil on paper laid to board painting by Eugene Boudin (French, 1824-1898) is initialed by the artist and dated “66.” The 5½ by 10 1/8 inch work is a classic scene of women at the beach with parasols and is titled Sur La Plage (On the Beach). Purchased at Sotheby’s in 1984 for $16,000, it is now estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
An exceptional Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) aquatinted lithograph, Tete de Femme, pencil-signed and numbered “2/125,” was created in 1930. With a 2005 auction price of $11,400 as a comparable, it is entered in Quinn’s sale with an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.
Abraham Hendricksz van Beyeren (Dutch, 1620-1690), still life with fruit, oil on panel, 24 by 19¾ inches, est. $8,000-$12,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Old Masters are a fitting complement to the French artworks in the sale and include a painting by the accomplished Dutch artist Abraham Hendricksz van Beyeren (1620-1690), whose works have sold in the past for as much as $100,000. On Dec. 10, Quinn’s will offer an especially nice van Beyeren oil-on-panel still life that depicts ripe peaches and plump bunches of grapes in a beautifully detailed silver taza. The artist-monogrammed work was executed circa 1675-1676 and measures 24 by 19¾ inches (framed). The painting comes to the auction block from a London art dealer and has been conservatively estimated at $25,000-$35,000.
A signed and dated 1670 oil-on-panel painting by Jan van Hutchenberg (Dutch, 1647-1733) depicts a hunting party at rest in the Roman Campagna. Consigned by the same London art dealer as the van Beyeren, the 13- by 16-inch picture titled An Elegant Company Making Merry near Classical Ruins is expected to bring $12,000-$16,000.
Another noteworthy painting is a Eugene Claude oil on canvas, approximately 30 by 50 inches, that Quinn says “has all the elements for which the artist is known.” This particular painting incorporates asparagus, beets, pomegranates, a rabbit and chicken. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000.
Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Ship of Fortune,’ 1633, first-state etching, 4½ by 7 1/8 inches, est. $13,000-$15,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image
Three Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606-1669) etchings are entered in the auction, including a 1633 first-state etching of Ship of Fortune. First-state examples of this particular etching are very rare, according to Quinn. “To our knowledge, this is probably only the third one to emerge in the last 25 years,” he said. Measuring 4½ by 7 1/8 inches, it carries an estimate of $13,000-$15,000.
The two other Rembrandt etchings to be auctioned include The Omval, second state, 1645, estimated at $8,000-$10,000; and The Raising of Lazarus, undetermined state, 1631-32, with an estimate of $2,000-$4,000.
The Saturday morning session features a broad range of classic art, from 17th-century Old Masters to late-19th-Century Impressionist works, but collectors of modern works will not be left out. The array of desirable modern paintings awaiting bidders includes such highlights as Montana artist Theodore Waddell’s (b. 1941-) 72-inch-square oil-on-canvas still life titled Blackfoot Horses, est. $8,000-$12,000; an autumnal oil-on-canvas landscape by Brown County, Indiana artist Derk Smit (1889-1985), est. $3,000-$5,000; plus one other work by Smit.
American carved oak Renaissance Revival hunt board, circa 1860-70, the design incorporating a carved deer-head trophy mount with real antlers, est. $3,000-$5,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
In addition to art, Quinn’s will offer 40+ lots of American, English and European silver; as well as decorative art, including an estate collection of Rookwood pottery. The majority has come direct from private residences in the DC area. A furniture highlight is a circa-1860 to 1870 American carved oak Renaissance Revival hunt board of unusual design. Its cabinets are carved with high-relief depictions of fish and fowl, and its top has a carved anthemion crest flanked by scrolling acanthus over a carved deer-head trophy mount with real antlers. An impressive piece, it is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.
The afternoon session commencing at 3 p.m. is devoted exclusively to Asian decorative art and includes a fine selection of 200+ snuff bottles. Nineteen of the bottles have provenance from The Estate of Edmund F. Dwyer, and were part of the collection sold on Oct. 12, 1987 at Christie’s. A choice example from the assortment in Quinn’s sale displays an opalescent snowstorm ground with red glass overlay carved with a continuous river scene and figures. Dating from sometime between 1750 and 1820, the bottle is estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
Two of 19 Chinese snuff bottles to be auctioned; these two examples being ex Estate of Edmund F. Dwyer, sold at Christie’s on Oct. 12, 1987. At left: circa 1750-1820 bottle, opalescent snowstorm ground with red overlay carved with continuous river scene with figures, est. $3,000-$4,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Additionally, the Asian session includes Chinese scrolls, beautifully carved jade pieces and other sought-after 18th- to 20th-century Chinese decorative artworks from DC and Baltimore-area estates.
Quinn’s Dec. 10 auction sessions will commence at 11 a.m. (International Fine & Decorative Art) and 3 p.m. (Asian Art & Antiquities). The gallery is located at 431 N. Maple Ave., Falls Church, VA 22046. For additional information, call Matthew Quinn at 703-532-5632 or e-mail matthew.quinn@quinnsauction.com. Visit Quinn’s online at www.quinnsauction.com.