Just south of the New Mexico border lies a region that once was home to a triumphant ancient civilization with highly sophisticated ceramic art. A World War II airfield in the part of England known as Robin Hood's legendary home has become one of the largest antiques markets in the country, indeed, in all of Europe. Nan Gurley had her recent Short and Sweet event, giving 40-plus dealers and the more than 100 early buyers the last opportunity to do the three-hour show until this fall. Joel I. Zakow, a longtime presence in the art world, died on March 29. He was known for his expert conservation and restoration of paintings. Gary Erwin Samuelson, 55, of Weston, Conn. died April 22. He was self-employed in the construction business, specializing in Eighteenth Century restorations. An Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century Chinese eight-panel screen was the high lot at Skinner's Asian works of art sale on April 29 when it sold for $226,000. "The Civil War in Maryland: Rare Photographs from the Collection of the Maryland Historical Society and its Members" is on exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society. through October 14. John Moran's recent auction offered a selection of Native American lots that were the highlight of the sale. "I am thrilled," Jeffrey R. Brown said simply after he outlasted all comers for a stunning painting of Gloucester Harbor by William Morris Hunt for a record $391,000 at Grogan & Company's recent sale. Chocked full of Americana consigned from a variety of local New York State homes, Copake Auction's recent cataloged estate sale attracted attention from throughout the country. A late arrival to Randy Inman Auctions' Spring Toy Sale, a 1930s Buddy L bus in 8+ to 9 condition, took the blue ribbon at the event when it sold for $12,100. Nearly 40 important works on paper, including watercolors, pastels and pencil drawings, by leading American artists will be shown at Adelson Galleries May 9-June 30. More than 50 dealers gathered for the 2006 Armonk Antiques Show April 22-23, which was sponsored by the North Castle Historical Society. Judging from the activity at the New York Botanical Gardens recently, visitors were at the Antique Garden Furniture Show to spiff up their gardens and landscape. "This should be the star of the show," commented Gene Shannon of Henri Fantin-Latour's oil on canvas, "Bouquet d'Hiver," shortly before it crossed the auction block. Cornelia "Corky" Hadsell Mott, a longtime antiques dealer who helped revitalize the the Cannondale section of Wilton, Conn. while maintaining its architectural history, died on April 27. It may be possible that folks in the West have never heard of William Ranney but that will change with the Buffalo Bill Historical Center's new exhibit on the artist. "Treasures from Olana: Landscapes by Frederic Edwin Church" will join 18 paintings, never before seen together outside of New York State, by the Nineteenth Century landscape painter (1826-1900). On May 18, the Museum of Arts & Design will premiere a focused exhibition on the design, production, social history and cultural impact of the Eames lounge chair. On May 3 at Sotheby's, Pablo Picasso's "Dora Maar au chat," sold to an anonymous buyer for $95,216,000, making it the second most expensive painting ever sold at auction. With three sales devoted to Chinese art, Christie's Rockefeller Center saleroom recently became the beating heart of this market segment for a day. Collectors of American toys and mechanical banks knew a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they saw it at Morphy Auctions' spring sale. In a serious bid to make Naples a Mecca for antique buyers, the Naples Woman's Club has sponsored a new antiques show featuring well-known quality dealers. Whether portrayed demure and chaste or bold and independent, women were arguably the most common subject for American artists in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. The crowd was prepared as a variety of jukeboxes and slot machines crossed the block at Preston Evan's Opportunities Auction recent two-day event. Frank H. Boos, 70, president of the Frank H. Boos Gallery in Troy, Mich. and known for the colorful collection of bow ties he wore on the PBS television show Antiques Roadshow, died on May 9. Six times each year the South of England showground becomes the hallowed grounds for antiques hunters and sellers at the Ardingly International Antiques and Collectors Fair. As ambassador of the newly formed United States of America to France from 1776 to 1785, Benjamin Franklin captivated the citizens of Paris upon his arrival and was quickly elevated to celebrity status. The Zimmerman House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence open to the public in New England, conducts tours now through January. "From Wood to Architecture: Recent Designs from Finland" takes a fresh look at the possibilities offered by the oldest of building materials: wood. Smythe's spring Currency & Stock and Bond Auction, consisting of 1,400-plus lots, realized more than $1 million. Topping $620,000 for more than 1,700 lots offered, Clars Auction Gallery's two-day spring estate auction was its highest grossing April auction ever. Oskar Schlemmer's (1888-1943) "Halbfigur diagonal (Half-Figure Diagonal)," painted in oil over pencil on paper in 1941, was knocked down for a winning $380,000 at Nagel's recent auction. "When they said I was ahead of my times, I said, 'No I'm not, I'm of my time, you are behind the times,"' Man Ray once said. And his times were electrifying if not, in the beginning at least, electrified. The middle years of the Nineteenth Century continue to challenge scholars of American decorative arts, who have never found a way to neatly sum up the decades between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. With spring weather adding to the ambiance, the Concord Antiques Show was filled to capacity with dealers offering antique furnishings, household accessories and even some Revolutionary War items. A rare oversized watercolor by Jacob Maentel attracted a great deal of attention during Pook & Pook's two-day auction May 12 and 13, quadrupling its high estimate to sell for $420,000. "It was really hoppin'," commented Tony Zipp in regard to Crocker Farm's auction of American stoneware and redware that took place this past Saturday, May 20. Thanks to longtime Hartford philanthropists Melinda and Paul Sullivan, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art's exhibition "Samuel Colt: Arms, Art and Invention" is back on the museum's 2006 schedule. The world's best collection of Hudson River School paintings returns, after a two-and-a-half year national tour, to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, June 2-December 31. On Memorial Day Weekend when people traditionally reopen their camps and cabins, The Brick Store Museum debuts its newest exhibition, "Camp Maine: Rustic Furniture & Accessories, 1860-1940." Just in time for the release of the film The Da Vinci Code, the Portland Museum of Art is displaying its rarely seen "Mona Lisa" painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. A feather in the cap for Wendy Management, The Spring International Art and Antiques Show was a highly successful upscale event of unprecedented quality. On May 3 at Sotheby's, in a packed salesroom, Pablo Picasso's "Dora Maar au chat," one of the artist's most spectacular depictions of his lover and artistic companion, sold for $95,216,000. Heritage Auction Galleries' recent auction of celebrity, music and entertainment memorabilia realized $1,531,494 with top billing going to a wristwatch worn by singer Buddy Holly. Christie's recent Magnificent Jewels sale totaled $39 million and was filled with diamonds, including the rarest of colored diamonds, and brilliant gemstones. The Aguttes Auction House, in association with the Cabinet d'Expertise Dan Coissard, recently concluded a successful sale of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century paintings at Drouot-Richelieu. Topanga, Calif.-based show organizers Bill Caskey and Liz Lees will host a new show at the 69th Regiment Armory November 16 to 19, replacing the Connoisseur's Antiques Fair. It was a time of liberation, the glitz and glamour of movies and their stars, of dance crazes and all that jazz - it was the Roaring Twenties when a generation's fads were de rigueur. The 30th annual Westchester Collectors Glass Show and Sale was filled to the brim with sparkling, gleaming and glittering glass. Spoons, forks and knives earn a place at the table in an exhibition that sheds new light on the history of flatware and sets its place amid the sumptuous pleasures of dining. Adapting to a changing marketplace, Atlantique City's parent company, F+W Publications, has appointed a new team to produce and manage the semiannual megafair. In the past two months, Eli Wilner's firm has loaned a total of 73 frames for both Sotheby's and Christie's to help showcase paintings being offered in their sales. The Museum of Modern Art is presenting through July 10 "Against the Grain; Contemporary Art from the Edward R. Broida Collection," an exhibition of more than 100 paintings, sculpture, drawings and prints. Fifteen rarely seen photographs of the city's built environment, taken by a little-known but important photographer of the 1930s, are on view at the Museum of the City of New York through June 13. . The Birmingham Museum of Art will offer an exhibition of Miao textiles, "Amongst the Clouds: Textiles of the Miao People from Southwest China," June 4 to August 27. Twenty-one print dealers gathered in the Boston Public Library did a brisk business at the recent Boston Print Fair, which made its spring debut. For the second consecutive year, Haughton International Fairs and The Frick Collection joined forces to present the International Fine Art Fair. The Antiques & Garden Fair, a partnership of Stella Show Mgmt Co and the Chicago Botanic Garden, recently ushered in an early spring in the Windy City. It was classified as "the best pottery auction" ever at the Lambertville auction house and the Craftsman Auction presented by David Rago, Jerry Cohen and Suzanne Perrault was the place to be. Freeman's recent sale of Americana got off to a roaring start with a series of estimate-smashing results, beginning with three early American medals. Sales of Indian and Southeast Asian art and Modern and contemporary Indian art finalized Christie's Asia Week with the week's total from seven sales a record $46,218,400. The first gathering of the faithful, May 8-14, for thrice-yearly Brimfield Antiques Market was good even though the weather was not. Fine prints and photographs from estates, trusts, and private and institutional collections brought nearly $1.8 million at Bonhams & Butterfields recently. Sotheby's successful sale of American paintings recently brought $60,029,600 and set records for several artists including a Norman Rockwell that fetched $9.2 million. |
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