There’s a huge spider on the sidewalk outside of Christie’s. It’s made of bronze, stands 21-feet tall, and might sell for around $6m when it comes up next week at the Contemporary Art auction in New York. It’s one of Louise Bourgeois’s iconic masterpieces. She said the design was inspired by her mother, a tapestry weaver, whom she adored. Ms. Bourgeois also adored spiders, and crafted several gigantic ones.Presumably the sculpture will be removed from the sidewalk and brought inside a museum or great hall after the auction which will also feature Andy Warhol’s “Silver Liz,” estimated at $16-$19m, and his “Four Campbell Soup Cans,” expected to go for $7-$10m at the November 8 evening affair.
Will Bourgeois Spider Spin $6m?
November 04, 2011
Teenaged Rembrandt Peale Painted Washington
April 23, 2013Charles Wilson Peale, the famed painter of George Washington, took his 17-year old boy (named Rembrandt) along for a sitting with the Founding Father. The teenager painted to acclaim and went on to recreate portraits of Washington for decades. One of those, known as a “porthole” copy, will be offered by Heritage next month, with a high estimate of $175,000.
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Iwo Jima Monument To Sell
February 21, 2013Iconic monuments don’t come on the market as a rule, but tomorrow is the exception. At a sale of World War II artifacts in New York, Bonhams will offer the original Iwo Jima Monument, as sculpted in Washington, D.C in June-September 1945. Felix de Weldon conceived the depiction of Marines raising the stars and stripes on Mount Suribaci, following a photograph by Joe Rosenthal. Last displayed on the hangar deck of the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum in New York, the statue comes with all sorts of related materials, including original pencil sketches for its design. To take home the 10,000 pound icon, expected to pay $1.2m-$1.8m. Plus shipping, of course.
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Maritime Art At Bonhams
January 22, 2013In the mid-19th century, when sailing vessels ruled the seas, stormy voyages were a favorite theme of maritime artists. One of the most accomplished was James Edward Buttersworth, whose masterpiece may be his depiction, circa 1855, of the famous Clipper ship Flying Cloud emerging from a hurricane. When the painting comes up for auction later this week at Bonhams’ Maritime Paintings & Decorative Arts sale in New York, it’s expected to realize $200,000-$300,000.
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Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
