Contributors
Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
Archive for January, 2011
Rare Bugatti & Presidential Limos In Paris
January 31, 2011Artcuriel’s collector car sale in Paris later this week features a remarkable mix of automobiles, from Charles de Gaulle’s Simca –one of fifteen Presidential limousines on offer—to the 1937 Bugatti 57C Atalante (est. $791,000-$1.1 million) once owned by Parisian circus impressario Jerome Medrano.
Read more...Michael Jackson in Cement
January 31, 2011Capitalizing on the craze to stick stars’ hands and feet into wet cement, Michael Jackson agreed to it 25 years ago for a planned Walk of Fame in Las Vegas. The Walk never materialized, but they found the signed slab stashed in a casino basement and now it’s up for online bidding. The owner is hoping for $100,000.
Read more...Bonhams To Sell South African Masterpieces
January 28, 2011Last October, Bonhams scored a world record for South African art with its $3.8 million sale of Irma Stern’s “Bahora girl.” Following the strength of that success, the auction house has assembled 20 works “in a class all their own” that they’re calling “South African Masterpieces.” No fewer than 11 paintings by Irma Stern will be offered at the March 3rd sale in London, led by her “Arab Priest,” estimated at $2.4-$3.2 million.
Read more...$36.7 Million Tally For Christie’s Old Masters Sale
January 27, 2011Christie’s tally of $36.7 million for its New York Old Masters sale fell short of its $39-$56 million estimate, and its sell-through rate was just 70%. All the same, a number of works sold well above estimates at the January 26th two-session auction, at which Christie’s managed to snag two new world artists auction records.
Read more...A Titian Record At Sotheby’s
January 27, 2011A large-scale Titian painting of the Madonna and child sold for $16.9 million at Sotheby’s Old Masters auction in New York today. Although it fell short of the $20 million high estimate, the sale set a new world auction record for the artist. Numerous other works sold well above estimates at the two-part sale, which generated $87,764,751.
Read more...Early Stars At RM’s Villa d’Este
January 27, 2011Celebrating its newfound status as the official auction house for the Villa d’Este Concourso d’Eleganza, RM has announced two early major draws for its May 21st debut sale on the shores of Lake Como. The first is a very rare 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta by Pinin Farina. Equally remarkable is an immaculately restored 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Teardrop Coupe with coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi.
Read more...Sotheby’s First Contemporary Art Sale of 2011
January 27, 2011Blue chip contemporary art, which led the art market recovery last year, receives its first test for 2011 at Sotheby’s next month in London. A large oil by Gerhard Richter, “Abstraktes Bild,” headlines the February 15th evening auction, where it’s expected to bring $7.9-$11 million. High value sales are also anticipated for works by Andy Warhol and David Hockney.
Read more...Rare Keats Letter At Bonhams
January 26, 2011In 1820 poet John Keats was fatally ill with consumption, which precluded even the slightest contact with his fiancé Fanny Brawne. A rare and moving love letter he wrote to her at the time, expressing his yearning for her, will headline Bonhams’ auction of the Roy Davids Collection of Papers and Portraits on March 29 in London, where it’s estimated at $126-$190,000.
Read more...Sotheby’s To Sell Sunflower Seed Art
January 26, 2011Back in October, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei caused quite a stir with his installation of a giant mound of 100 million hand-painted ceramic “Sunflower” seeds at London’s Tate Modern. Sotheby’s will sell a hundred kilograms of the seeds, estimated at as much as $190,000, at its Contemporary Art auction on February 15.
Read more...“Little House On The Prairie” Art
January 26, 2011Since its original publication in 1932, generations have grown up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s” Little House on the Prairie.” In the early 1950’s, illustrator Garth Williams—of Stuart Little fame—created new cover art for the series, which Heritage will sell on February 11 at its Illustration Art Auction. It carries an estimate of $8-$12,000.
Read more...Rare Comics At Heritage
January 25, 2011A high-grade issue of the first Archie Comics that originally cost 10 cents is expected to sell for considerably more at a Heritage Auctions’ sale in Dallas, where it carries a $50,000 estimate. Valued at the same amount is a rare copy of the Fantastic Four#1. They’re part of the auction house’s Feb.24-26 Signature Vintage Comics & Comic Art sale.
Read more...Early N.C. Wyeth Up For Auction
January 25, 2011Way back then, N.C. Wyeth traded one of his paintings for some work by a tradesman, according to Skinner Auctioneers. The work will be sold at their American & European Paintings&Prints sale in Boston on January 28th.
Read more...Acker Concludes Strong Hong Kong Wine Sale
January 24, 2011At its first Hong Kong wine auction of 2011 Acker Merrall & Condit achieved a $10.8 million result, almost double Sotheby’s totals for its recent Hong Kong sale that included the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection. Acker offered over 1200 lots at the two-day auction on January 21-22, when the top seller was an eight-bottle lot of 1985 Henri Jayer Richebourg for $100,103.
Read more...World Records At Gooding’s Scottsdale Sale
January 24, 2011Eight cars sold for over $1 million at Gooding & Co.’s Scottsdale auction this past weekend, led by a 2006 Ferrari FXX Evoluzione at $2.1 million. The Ferrari’s price was a world auction record, one of 11 set at the Gooding event, which brought in $34.98 million. All told, the Annual Scottsdale Auction Week tally from collector car sales at Gooding & Co., RM, and Barrett Jackson was more than $116 million.
Read more...Picasso Leads Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Sale
January 21, 2011Picasso’s 1932 painting of his lover Marie-Therese, “La Lecteur,” will be the top attraction at Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale on February 8 in London, where it’s expected to sell for $19-$28.6 million. Other works of exceptional interest include Marino Marini’s sculpture, “L’Idee” del Cavaliere”(est.$5.9-$7.1 million), a Giacometti painting of his brother Diego ($4.8-$7.9 million), and a Monet river landscape, “Argenteuil, Fin De L’Apres-Midi” ($5.6-$7.2 million).
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