Tapiés and Chillida brake the pessimistic run
Madrid, 03/29/12 That a work by Antoni Tàpies such as Gray and Black has been sold for 190.000 euros (its starting price) should not be newsworthy. First for the quality , since it is one of his first experimentations with materials such as sand and earth, and secondly for the evident revaluation of the artist after his recent passing in February. However,...
The Louvre's new Ribera
Paris, 03/26/12 The exquisite catalogue of the 26 of March sale of the Parisian auction room comprised several religious themed works at incredibly modest starting prices. Like for example an oil on canvas of St. Jerome of excellent quality and draughtsmanship. With all the typical attributes of the Saint (the cross, the red cape and the lion) it was...
Urban art at Bonhams
London, 03/26/12 The 29 of March Bonhams will celebrate one of the most groundbraking sales in the Contemporary art category. 17 works by the Bristish Grafitti artist will go to auction, thus establishing the excellent health this new category enjoys. One of the highlights is the portrait of Kate Moss following the iconic models created by Warhol for an...
Duran's March sale saved by Sorolla and Óscar Dominguez
Madrid, 03/22/12 The few works of interest which went to the auction block managed to attract buyers. This is the most flatering statement one can apply to Durán’s March sale, where only around 20 pictures were sold from a catalogue of 119. Telephone and sewing machine (oil and ink over cardboard) by Óscar Dominguez, went up from 18.000 to 25.000 euros. The...
Hernandez Pijuán's value matures at Segre
Madrid, 03/21/12 In these uncertain times it is unusual for a Spanish painting from the 20th century to reach such high a sum, but Green Rose II by Joan Hernández Pijuán did so in Segre’s last sale. It was sold for its starting price of 60.000 euros, a number which evidences the sweet moment the artist currently enjoys in the marketplace. Christie’s, London...
The last performance by Serge Lifar
Geneva, 03/20/12 All the employes in the Geneva auction room knew that the 13 of March would be a memorable day for the firm, but nobody imagined that the private collection of memorabilia and art of the bohemian Serge Lifar would rise like the sun and multiply its total estimate by 7, to become the most lucrative sale in the bidding room's history. For the...
Asia Week pours Japanese art into Bonhams
New York, 03/12/12 The next 20 of March the British salesroom will invite bidders to find rare works from the Land of the Rising Sun. The superb collection of lacquer and Meiji ceramic by artists such as yabu Meizan, from a private collection in California, is the main dish at the Bonhams' Asian roast. The collection will also includea group of enamel...
Alfonso XIII returns to Madrid Royal Palace
Madrid, 03/07/12 Recepción con motivo de la boda de Alfonso XIII by Juan Comba decorated for many years the private rooms of Alfonso XIII, not available for visitors. Several years ago, this picture became property of one of king Juan Carlos I’s cousins, who has decided now to sell it at Ansorena auction house. Its price started in 10,000 euros but the Spanish ...
Dog Painting, an outrageous bark
New York, 03/07/12 Since Bonhams, the only bidding room in the world to organize an annual dog art sale, sold the last 15th of February Dejeuner by William Henry Hamilton Trood in 194.000 dollars and Dogs in a Kennel by the same artist in 215.500 dollars, the interest for this type of pieces has only inceased with time. In spite of being one of the best...
Ancient painting saves Alcalá’s second session
Madrid, 03/02/12 February second session at Alcalá didn’t achieve an excellent result (almost 54 per cent of paintings remained unsold), but the sale of several 16th and 17th C. important lots allowed the Madrilian auction house to compensate for the losses. Cristo atado a la columna, oil on canvas attributed to Luis de Morales, reached the highest figure for a...
The collection that Alicante didn’t want succeeds at Alcalá
Madrid, 03/01/12 Not only almost everything was sold, but also most of the lots increased dramatically their starting prices: paintings of unknown authorship multiplied their value 13 times and armchairs beginning in 900 euros realized 16,000. Alcalá Subastas put up for auction the collection of Manuel López Almagro, a Spanish philanthropist deceased in 2006...