Irma Stern was born in South Africa. In her 20’s she gained some recognition in Europe, but hometown reviewers called her work “ugliness as a cult.” Stern died in 1966 and has had the last word as her paintings now sell in the millions, and there’s a museum in Cape Town dedicated to her art. Bonham’s is selling “The Pink Sari,” never before on the market, at its South Africa sale later this month.Irma Stern traveled the world but found life changing inspiration on the island of Zanzibar where she painted the woman in the sari, along with many other works of art. With South African art prices soaring in the past 5-years. “The Pink Sari” has a high estimate of $1.2m when it comes up in London on March 21.
High Estimate For Rare Irma Stern Painting
March 06, 2012
Aston Martin Sells For Record $4.95m
May 20, 2013Until this past weekend, the record for an Aston Martin at auction was the $4.6m paid for a DB5 with celebrity credentials, having seen use in “Goldfinger.” That price was eclipsed on Saturday, when a factory-restored 1960 DB4GT “Jet” Coupé sold for $4.95m at a Bonhams auction in the UK. Offered for the first time in 30 years, the unique car — the only GT with body by Bertone — has won various Concours d’Elegance awards, including ‘Best In Show’ at the Villa d’Este and 1st in the Italian Coachworks Class at Pebble Beach.
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Milton Berle’s Jokes Laugh To The Bank
May 8, 2013For $158,000 a bidder got Milton Berle’s library, including books and boxes of bound scripts and personal correspondence, but he didn’t get the comedian’s thousands of one-liners and jokes carefully catalogued over the decades. That file went for another $65,000 at Bonham’s Entertainment auction this week.
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1952 Vincent Black Shadow Rules Field At Bonhams
April 29, 2013Mechanical failures prevented a specially equipped Vincent Black Shadow from setting a new 24-hour speed record in 1952 at Monthéry in France, the race for which it had been created. Nothing stood in the restored ex-works bike’s way, however, at Bonhams International Motorcycle sale at Staffordshire, where it sold yesterday for $175,860. Another bike posting a solid result was a 1914 Indian Model F, formerly owned by screen icon Steve McQueen. A European telephone bidder claimed it forjust under $50,000, well above its $43,000 high estimate.
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Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
