european art

Some folks like to do things in a big way.  They enjoy the spotlight, and blossom with a little extra attention.  We’re sort of that way, too, so we understand.  Even when it comes to selling an antique or collectible, we think it’s always more fun to make a splash.  Why do anything the conventional way when you can make it fun? Do you remember that Super Hero Auction we had last year?  We had national news coverage for that event, plus plenty of local headlines and spots on our local news networks.  Our own John discovered he looked good in ...

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I heard that the other day.  "Art is back".  It was said so matter of factly that I nodded my head as if to say, "Yes".  But really, where did it go?  Or maybe the question is not where but for whom.  It appears that the New York interior designer crowd are discovering or re-discovering painting.  They are touting the benefits of owning art.  How a painting can complete the room.  And this is pushing sales.   I've always thought that a painting can make the room.  It sets the tone and gives you something to work with in designing the remainder of the space.  But more than that, it gives to ...

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Ever since I moved to New York City in 2002, I have been an early morning (well before dawn) shopper at the flea markets along 6th Avenue.  By the time I had arrived on the scene, and I do mean scene, there were a few different parking lots and an indoor parking garage packed with hundreds of dealers set up selling every imaginable treasure, and some trash, you could ever hope to find.  Celebrities and rarities.  Sure, I was told of the good old days in the 80's and 90's, when there were many more lots and even better choices, but this was my time and I made the most of it.     I was the ...

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Few figures in Modern history evoke images of leadership, integrity and political prowess as does Winston Churchill.  His iconic speeches and steadfast direction during World War II galvanized the Allied forces in Britain and abroad. Few people realized that, though he was most revered for his rolls as statesman, orator, historian, politician and writer, Churchill was also an accomplished artist. M.S. Rau is honored to have two of his historically significant works currently in our Fine Art collection: The Tower of Katoubia Mosque, created and given by Churchill to President Franklin Delano ...

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I always seem to be getting myself into situations that need an incredible amount of translation.  Whether it's hopping on a plane to shop for antiques in Brazil (no, I didn't speak much Portuguese) or buying unsigned paintings (something I've gotten quite good at, if one can be 'good' at such things) or buying paintings from other parts of the world where English really isn't the norm.  And that's where I am now.  Translating a Russian painting.  Wait a minute, did I say translating a painting?  Yes.  This particular work by contemporary Russian artist Anatoly Belkin is full of symbolism ...

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Have you ever been absolutely compelled to buy something?  To where the piece spoke to you?  Drew you in.  Took hold of you and wouldn't let go.  Well, it happened to me.  This is a story about my introduction to the world of Old Master painting.   It was a very early Saturday morning and I was checking out the offerings of a dealer friend from Massachusetts.  Looking over his inventory and seeing much that I liked, but nothing I loved until I came across a painting that was still in its box.  I asked about it and he commented to me that he had just purchased it the night before from another ...

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  On Wednesday, June 29, the US Postal Service officially debuted their Pioneers of American Industrial Design stamp pane at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York City. After Presentation of Colors by the High School of Graphic Communication Art Navy Junior ROTC, Bill Moggridge, Director of the Cooper-Hewitt and inventor of the laptop computer, 1979, welcomed the audience.  Jessica Helfand, Design Subcommittee Chair of the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee said “It was a great day for design and designers.” Of course, our favorite was the stamp featuring two industrial sewing ...

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As redundant as it sounds, interest in Renaissance art really is in the midst of a tremendous rebirth. Evolving discoveries coupled with the strong sales performance within the past few years has led to a resurgence in and renewed appreciation for collecting these centuries-old masterworks. To give you an idea of what I mean, Sotheby's has held six sales that comprised mainly of works by the "Old Masters" which brought in over $117 million in sales...and that's only since January! Within the past few weeks, several important Renaissance works have made headlines in the art world, including ...

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As co-founders of Roland Auctions, Manhattan's newest auction house, my brother Rob and I face a recurring challenge. As soon as the property in the monthly auction is picked up, we have to start filling the gallery again.  It often takes weeks of intense appraisals and negotiations before we are able to offer high caliber fine art, antiques and decorations from Manhattan's premier apartments and estates. That's why I say we're in the business of building relationships. For instance, it required strong relationship building and negotiation skills to bring three exceptional collections to ...

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A Chinese Vase expected to sell for $800. to $1,200., was sold by Sotheby's New York for an astonishing $18 million on March 22, 2011. Described as an unusual famille rose and gold decorated vase, an Anonymous Sotheby's bidder paid $18 million for this 20 century porcelain. The Chinese Vase was among 300 lots consigned by J.T. Tai and Company, a well-known  Dealer of Chinese Porcelain; the Sotheby's Sale realized $36.3 million and took nine hours to complete. Why did Sotheby's estimate the $18 million Chinese Vase at only $800-$1,200? Sotheby's felt there was no actual support to indicate ...

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April 28, 2011Monty here. Back at the Palace, but yesterday we went on an outing!I can't tell you how exciting it was! We went in the Roller! (Sometimes I find dropped sweeties in the cushions...) We had a little walkabout at the Abbey. The detectives needed some of my expertise in sniffing the area, to make sure the crack team of Metropolitan Police Dogs had done their jobs. And of course, all was well. I particularly enjoyed a little snackum of Twiglets just behind the gift shop! The choir boys were singing up a storm, much to Kate's delight. It sounded like a lot of caterwauling ...

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April 27, 2011Monty here, upstairs today. HM is having a devil of a time deciding which hat to wear on Friday. Philip Treacy has designed some spun-sugar confections for her approval, and her favored milliner, Freddie Fox, has some very attractive designs, as usual. But we are hoping she picks our Linnet's inspired design. It is an homage to Alexander McQueen, Izzy Blow and the beautiful and loyal troops of corgis who have amused and served HM through the years. See is you can find me in the delicious kennel of corgis encircling HM's head! (I don't see the nuisance of royal cats ...

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April 26, 2011Monty here, reporting from London. I am below stairs today, helping Cook with some of the decorations for the staff quarters. She has been so busy, starting to create 90,000 canapés for the parties here on Friday. You have no idea how much work goes into canapé construction! The salmon! The pâtés! The créme fraiche! The caviar! The taramasalata! And Vol-au-vent! A veritable smörgåsbord, and who do you suppose does the taste testing? Well, of course Wills and Kate have a tiny say in the day's choices, and so does HM. But HM relies on me! Those other dogs are rubbish! ...

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April 25, 2011Good morning from London! This is the big week when Wills and Kate get married, and I will be filling you in with my wonderful behind-the-scenes (under-the-table, more accurately) insights. The security around Buck House has been tightened, and there are more policemen walking the drafty halls, which means extra biscuit crumbs and the occasional crust from a sandwich coming my way. HM has been trying out some new shoes. DofE is having a new uniform made. Kate, who has lovely ankles, comes for tea often, and is trying to befriend us. She is learning the value of fish ...

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Raoul and Jean Dufy, brothers and painters, share this exhibit, part of a French initiative that studies the artistic relationships among family members. Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), the older and the more famous of the two brothers, introduced Jean (1888-1964) to art. Starting in 1920, the two brothers maintained a close artistic relationship, sharing their cultural explorations while pursuing parallel careers with little in common. The exception is La Fee Electricité in 1937. Ironically, this art piece realized together marks also their rupture. They then  followed their own artistic ...

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Whether it's meant to tell you what to wear, what to eat or what to admire, images surround us in our media-rich society. But not that long ago, images served a much higher purpose. Images were a visual representation of the world and its principles of both order and morality. Various forms of ecclesiastical art immerged primarily to convey these principles to the masses, and the triptych was one of the first of these stunning art forms. Often referred to as the "traveling icon," the triptych, whether painted or carved, was a portable, convenient, and often times breathtaking work of art ...

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She wanted to live a bohemian life when only men were allowed to. She posed as a model for most Montmartre painters in the early 20th century. Erik Satie and Toulouse-Lautrec were her lovers among several others. She was the mother of Maurice Utrillo. His name is familiar to anyone interested in art when hers is still unknown to many. Who was this woman who painted like a man but is often only remembered in association with the successful men she met?Marie-Clémentine Valadon, a woman Renoir called Maria and Toulouse-Lautrec Suzanne, became the painter Suzanne Valadon.Born out of ...

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  It is not every day that a contemporary French artist sets a world auction record.  This is however what happened at Christie’s last week when the painting L’Année Dernière à Capri from Martial Raysse was sold for more than four million pounds.  Painted in 1962, L’Année Dernière à Capri or Last Year in Capri is representative of the female portraits Raysse was painting in the 60’s. Acidulated colors, women in bathing suits inspired from the fashion magazines, and the addition of the neon, contribute to a unique portraying of a consumerist society.  Martial Raysse was born in the south of ...

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“Politicians anxiously trying to find out just how serious the current economic difficulties are might like to take a look at the art market…The numbers can leave no one in doubt about the buyer’s readiness to part with cash.” - Souren Melikian, “What’s in a Name? At Art Auctions, Lots of Money,” The New York Times, Nov. 5th, 2010 At the outset of Sotheby’s 19th Century European Art Sale on November 4th, 2010, the expected sale price of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s The Finding of Moses was set between $3 and $5 million dollars. When the gavel fell nearly eight minutes ...

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PARIS, FRANCE  –  A La Vieille Russie is lifting the cover on a dealer’s most closely-guarded secret: its guest book, or livre d’or, containing the names of dozens of its best clients, colleagues and sources in the 1920s and 1930s.   The revelations are part of a selling exhibition that the Manhattan dealers in Russian art and antiques are mounting at Didier Aaron & Cie in Paris. Loosely timed to coincide with the Biennale des Antiquaires, the display opens September 16 at Aaron’s galleries at 118 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, minutes away from A La Vieille Russie’s former French ...

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INTERPOL, the international police agency, issued a global alert on May 22 with images of five paintings which were stolen from the Modern Art Museum in Paris last Thursday. The move inidcates that French authorities suspect the paintings may have left the country, possibly through an organized crime network. The 188 INTERPOL member countries, as well as cultural and institutional bodies, were provided with information to help aid in the investigation. A burglar entered the museum undetected, evading a security system and three armed guards on duty overnight on May 20. “These ...

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Former Christie's specialist Richard Aste has been named as the new Curator of European Art at the Brooklyn Museum. Currently, he is Associate Curator at Museo de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and working on the reinstallation of thirteen permanent collection galleries. Aste has organized several European art exhibitions there including Masterpieces of Spanish Painting from the Prado and The Journey to Impressionism. He co-curated The Age of Rodin and Masterpieces of European Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce. Prior to the position in Ponce, Peru-born Aste was a specialist at ...

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Candy may be the art world's answer to the recession blues. Sweet and palatable images abounded at last week's Los Angeles Art Show: Wayne Theibaud's ice cream cones, Jean Wells' giant chocolate Kiss and pink cupcake sculptures, and gummi bears expertly captured in oil by Jeanne Vadeboncouer. Beyond the theme of edible delights, a wide range of art styles, from California impressionists to New York abstract expressionists, Arts and Crafts-era prints to cutting-edge video installations, gave the Fine Art Dealers Association's (FADA) 15th annual show breadth. This year, heavy rains and a ...

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The three most-read press releases on ARTFIXdaily, published in the ArtWire section between September 1 and December 31, 2009, highlighted museum exhibitions: 1. Art and Illusions, Masterpieces of Trompe-l'loeil from Antiquity to the Present. On view through January 24, 2010, this major exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, explores the art of optical illusion with 140 artworks. From Roman antiquity to Old Masters to present-day painters, artists whose work masterfully "fools the eye" seems to perenially delight viewers. 2. Paintings by Jay Connaway on view at Portland Museum of ...

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The top three fall art events, garnering the greatest number of views by ARTFIXdaily readers, were listed in the Calendar section from September 1 to December 31, 2009: 1. Chelsea Antiques Fair. Held twice annually, this five-year-old London antiques show takes place in the 17th-century style Old Town Hall on King's Road. About 35 exhibitors, including many BADA and LAPADA members, are focused on educating the collector; there is an extra emphasis on encouraging new collectors at this relaxed venue. The 2010 dates are: March 17-21, Sept. 22-26. 2. Identity Theft: How a Cropsey became a ...

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