A table designed by Diego Giacometti auctioned for £106,000 at Bonhams, New Bond Street, as part of its Post War and Contemporary Art and Design sale. Entitled Table Torsade, and cast circa 1965, it had belonged to the late English actor James Mason (1909-1984) since the late1960s. Austrian painter Arnulf Rainier’s Der Psychiatrist likewise far surpassed its estimate of £8,000 – 12,000, selling for a remarkable £54,000. Following a fierce bidding battle, David Hockney’s “Richard Neville Naked” sold for £27,600. The picture was used, alongside ... Read the full story

A WONDERFUL collection of pieces by innovative contemporary silversmith Stuart Devlin will highlight Matthew Barton Ltd’s auction of Silver, Works of Art and Objects of Vertu. The sale will take place on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 in West Kensington at 25 Blythe Road, W14. Amassed over fifteen years by a collector in Cheshire, the sale will include 55 pieces by Stuart Devlin dating from the late 1960s to the 1980s. Iconic pieces include a three branch silver candelabrum with filigree globes and a matching snuffer which are estimated at £1,500-2,500; a wonderfully ... Read the full story

Jack Jones artist (1922-1993) is a Welsh national treasure. Often referred to as the ‘Welsh Lowy’ because of his inspiration from the industrial surroundings of his childhood home, Swansea. A self-taught artist he preferred to describe himself as the ‘Leonardo of the slag heap’. His paintings have a certain quality that while depicting the poverty from his childhood memories, (he once said the slag heap was his playground) they have a huge sense of community and the figures appear as strong individuals. He held solo shows in both London and Swansea and his ... Read the full story

(ABERDEEN, Miss.) – The estate of the late Virginia Sykes, a longtime resident of Aberdeen, Miss., will be sold at an on-site auction on Saturday, Mar. 27, beginning at 10 a.m., by Stevens Auction Company, based in Aberdeen. The absolute auction (everything goes, regardless of price) will be held at 301 High Street in Aberdeen, located about 35 miles southeast of Tupelo, Miss., on U.S. Route 45. “Mrs. Sykes’ story is one of history, romance, dedication and Southern grace, all of which can be seen through the wonderful collection of antiques and fine items ... Read the full story

On March 18th, 2010, PBA Galleries in San Francisco will offer selected books and manuscripts from The Library of Roger Wagner. The collection reflects Mr. Wagner’s keen interest in a wide range of literary arts, science, history, and human endeavor. The material ranges from the 15th through 20th centuries, and touches upon nearly every aspect of the progress of civilization. One of the most important features of the auction is a section of manuscripts, letters and other material from the personal archives of Henry Miller. Bruce MacMakin, Senior Vice President at PBA ... Read the full story

Sotheby’s London has announced that it will present for sale, in its New Bond Street galleries in London, An Exceptional Eye: A Private British Collection,o n Wednesday, July 14, 2010. The single-owner sale of some 250 lots will have at its heart an exquisite group of 18th and 19th century British Watercolours and Drawings and Portrait Miniatures, which ranks as one of the finest collections of its kind to have come to the market in recent memory. Magnificent Regency furniture will also be offered alongside English sculpture, vertu, clocks, ceramics, glass, ... Read the full story

Christie’s New York has announced the sale of one of the greatest private American collections of Modern Art to come to auction: The Collection of Mrs. Sidney F. Brody. Remarkable for its extraordinary depth and quality, the collection boasts a wealth of master works by the towering figures of the Modernist movement, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Georges Braque, Edouard Vuillard, Marino Marini, and Henry Moore. The total value of the works to be offered is expected to exceed $150 million, making it one of the most valuable single-owner ... Read the full story

Fins & Feathers Plantation will be heading to the online auction block and David Graham will be looking to see who will continue the endeavor he started. Graham developed what was once a raw 1,240 acres of paper company land on the South Newport River into an exclusive hunting & fishing retreat. Working with Ronnie Chambers, Graham constructed a hunting lodge, luxury cabins, and an expansive operations center with boats, Jeeps, recreational vehicles, and kennels. Then they focused on habitat improvement, creating an environment where outdoor enthusiasts of all ... Read the full story

Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC today announced the signing of an exclusive 25-year licensing agreement for the United Kingdom with Countrywide, the U.K.’s largest estate agency and property services group. Under the agreement, Countrywide has the exclusive license to the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand across the United Kingdom and Channel Islands. Countrywide will create a new subsidiary called United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty to operate its new luxury brokerage business in those regions. As part of the ... Read the full story

Sotheby’s New York 23 March 2010 sale of Chinese Works of Art will feature paintings, ceramics, jades and furniture including a number of Imperial works from distinguished private collections. Among the highlights of the sale is A Fine and Rare Imperial ‘Zitan’ Stand and Base – zitan is widely recognized as one of the most luxurious of materials, so much so that it was said to be reserved only for use in the Imperial court (est. $180/250,000). Chinese painting is well represented in the auction and leading the selection is Bada Shanren’s Two Mynas on a Rock ... Read the full story

(OCEANSIDE, N.Y.) – Three early Detective Comics from the late 1930s sold for a combined $77,790 at a multi-estate sale held the weekend of Feb. 27-28 by Philip Weiss Auctions. The top lot of the sale was Detective Comics #28, from June 1939 and featuring Batman in only his second comic book appearance. The unrestored example brought $30,510. A copy of Detective Comics #1 (March 1937), with cover art by Vin Sullivan depicting the Fu Manchu-style Oriental villain Ching Lung on the cover, made $28,250; while a copy of Detective Comics #2 (April 1937), showing a thug ... Read the full story

Cordier Antiques & Auctions, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, has hired Edward E. Rowe to head the company’s Onsite and Variety Auction department. He will oversee the planning and execution of onsite, estate and multi consignor variety auctions for the firm. Mr. Rowe has worked in the auction business since 2005 and became a licensed auctioneer in 2009. Prior to joining Cordier Antiques & Auctions, Mr. Rowe spent over forty years in the transportation industry. Mr. Rowe is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. He also served in the United States Army and is ... Read the full story

BOSTON, Mass. – March 9, 2010 – www.skinnerinc.com – Skinner, Inc. announced today that it will host an auction of 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts on March 27th at 10 a.m. in Boston. The auction features a wide array of Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco, Mid-century Modern and Studio Movement material, including works by Tiffany Studios and George Nakashima. The auction will be held at Skinner’s gallery at 63 Park Plaza in Boston. “This auction will prove to be a treasure hunt for beginning and advanced collectors, notes Jane Prentiss, ... Read the full story

Bonhams achieved superb results last weekend at the Collectors’ Motor Car and Automobilia sale in Oxford, fetching a grand total of £1,017,317 and an 86% sale rate with 44 out of 51 car lots selling. The top price (£166,500) was paid, as expected, for a fabulous 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Fastback with coachwork by H J Mulliner, while the other Bentley in the sale – a 1964 Bentley S3 Continental Coupé with coachwork by H J Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd surpassed its estimate of £40,000 – 50,000, fetching an impressive £62,000. The 1989 Ford RS200, Group B ... Read the full story

Sotheby’s Amsterdam saleroom was filled to overflowing as the company’s offering of the world-renowned BAT ArtVenture Collection, formerly known as The Peter Stuyvesant Collection became the most heavily sale attended in Sotheby’s history in Amsterdam. The sale – Sotheby’s first auction of 2010 in Amsterdam – exceeded all expectations, achieving the remarkable total of €13,590,475 ($18,597,750 / £ 12,263,600), well in excess of pre-sale expectations (Est. €4,364,200-6,276,300). Presale interest had been huge and more than 500 clients had registered ... Read the full story