Chait's bet
Berverly hills, CA, 01/31/12 While in Manhattan more than 30 galleries prepare for the ocassion and sales rooms like Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, iGavel, and Doyle receive the last lots for consigment for the sales scheduled that week, more than 4.000 kilometres away, the gallery and auction room I.M Chait, located in Los Angeles, also makes a contribution presenting a...
Heritage Auctions' Hammer price of the year
Dallas, 01/31/12 Adding up more than 677 million dollars, the texas auction firm, which began operating scarcely 10 years ago, has made 2011 the most lucrative year in its history. Several records can be forseen for some collecting categories but, without doubt, Comics continue to be the firms signature specialty. The numbers speak for themselves: 26...
The Hispanic society puts up for sale one of its treasures
New York, 01/30/12 The economic crisis continues to nurture the market. The Hispanic Society of America in New York needs funds and will auction off one of the most famous coin collections in the world, a fundamental piece in the study of Spanish numismatics. The lot wonderfully illustrates the history of the Iberian penninsula from the fifth century B.C to...
Ansorena's shocking start of 2012
Madrid, 01/27/12 Half of the painting lots up for sale where left unsold in Ansorena's first sale of the year. The first twist took place just hours before the bids began, with the retrival of three works property of the family José Maria Ruiz-Mateos. The works were part of the assets confiscated to the businessman and his sons by Spains' National Court due...
The Getty's new Pollaiuolo
New York, 01/26/12 This week the city that never sleeps has housed the latest edition of Master Drawings week. Obligating 23 dealers to loose some of their slumber by making them open the doors of their galleries during the evenings too. In spite of the inmense American participation, there were also some foreign galleries such as the Spanish gallery José de...
Durán's weak start of the year
Madrid, 01/26/12 The first sale of the year in Durán Auctions did not meet expectations. Although it began well, thanks to several Spanish Old Master lots from the seventeenth century, which started in the majority of cases under 300 euros. Highlights included the bid for the Penitent St. Jerome of sober execution and tones, which started in 550 euros and...
Ritcher, Bacon, Freud, Boetti...
London, 01/25/12 Amist the Old master sales scheduled this week in New York, the London sales room brings forward the highlights of its upcoming Contemporary art sale. After the third most luvrative year in its history, Sotheby's seeks to outperform its greatest rival, Christie's, during the first week of February, something it has been longing to do since...
Records in Sotheby's Americana Week
New York, 01/23/12 Americana is at its best. As surprising as it ay seem, antique works with US stamp manufacture are registering records not only for their field but for any category. In total, 17,900,261 dollars, the highest total for this series of annual sales in five years. Without doubt, the Friday and Saturday sales were the ones to drive up results,...
The Alorda collection at Christie's
London, 01/19/12 It is an art collection, but not all the works are art. It is an important sale, but not everyone is interested. It is a Modern and Contemporary art sale, but not all the lots are from our era. The AD Foundation (Alorda-Derksen) sells part of its collection for the first time in its history. A mix of genres, mediums, names and techniques with a...
A South African bronze coin fetches 184.000¢
New York, 01/17/12 Heritage Auctions has gotten off to a good start in the new year. Its two currency sales, the first focused on the currency section managed to attract an astonishing seven million dollars, while the second specialized in American coins achieved bids for 64 million dollars. In total, together with the sale 2-3 january covered in this...
Variety in January at Durán Auctions
Madrid, 01/16/12 A Great variety, is what Durán brings us in their January catalogue, with room for everything, from antiquiety to coins and wrist watches, from old masters to modern prints, from sculpture to silver, and from jewellery to fountain pens, without forgetting furniture and decoratives arts. Although many of the works offered are medium...
Dutch and Flemish painting
Madrid, 01/10/12 'More and more' seems to be the motto of the auction house Ansorena, which once more summons collectors for its 26 and 27th of January sale. A revolutionary approach to the economic depression in spain, because while the rest of bidding rooms in the country reduce their dates with the public, Ansorena increases them, and always with an...
NASA's right of first refusal
Miami, 01/09/12 In November 2010, Heritage auctions sold in 388.000 dollars James Lovell's Apollo 13 check list. A sum 15 times its starting price. The checklist is notorious for being the prop of a highly dramatic scene in the film starting Tom Hanks Appolo 13. After the sale NASA contacted both Heritage Auctions and commander James Lovell to...
Brushtip Hollywood
Sherman Oaks. California, 01/09/12 As it is now a custom in California, the auction houses try their best in providing some sort of background for the lots they offer. The last is almost comical, it is no longer the legacy of a star washed away by time or the unknown supporting actress who had a bit part in a major blockbuster, but the collection of the respectable lawer...