Another Cautionary Tale Surfaces from the World of eBay Auctioneer William J. Jenack would discover, much to his dismay, that a "thief" was conducting his own online auction on eBay, fraudulently using photographs and descriptions obtained from Jenack's September 22 online catalog. Read More... Folk Art: Easy to Love, Hard to Define What is folk art? We still cannot tell you for sure, but we know it when we see it. We think. Read More... Amish Quilts from the Espirit Collection Return to Lancaster The situation had reached the point of "We do it or we lose it" -- either the Lancaster museum would bring them back to their home in Pennsylvania or they would be sold to another institution or dispersed at auction. Read More... The Joys of Buying Art with 'Other People's Money': Museum Acquisitions in 2001 Clearly, there was much joy in museum land last year, as institutions throughout the United States solicited donations, received bequests and purchased artwork and other objects in large quantity. Read More... The Joys of Buying Art with 'Other People's Money': Museum Acquisitions in 2001 Clearly, there was much joy in museum land last year, as institutions throughout the United States solicited donations, received bequests and purchased artwork and other objects in large quantity. Read More... Cover Stories The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico: Treasures from the Museo Franz Mayer This major traveling exhibition on display at Winterthur through January 12 is an eye-opener for East Coast visitors whose knowledge of Hispanic culture in the New World may be defined by Zorro reruns. Read More... The Redfield Letters Two new volumes detail more than 800 letters to and from Edward Willis Redfield, spanning over seven decades and giving further insight into the artist and his life. Read More... The Victorian Nude Exposed As Nineteenth Century British artists took on the nude — that most natural of human states — their work became a lightning rod for social, political and cultural change, instigating not only new attitudes toward art and the human body, but new laws and a new word: pornography. Read More... American Vernacular Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco's new book, "American Vernacular: New Discoveries in Folk, Self-Taught, and Outsider Sculpture," gages change in the folk art field over the past two decades. Read More... Federal and Empire Treasures: The Lighthouse Clocks of Simon Willard Lighthouse clocks are among the most expensive examples of early American clocks, yet they are also are among the most poorly understood. An exciting and informative exhibition now on view at the Willard House and Clock Museum sheds new light to the subject. Read More... Webb House at 250 "A house divided against itself cannot stand," say the scriptures. The Webb House, celebrating its 250th birthday this year, stands quite solidly, however, despite a few sagging walls. Read More... Hungarian Ceramics from the Zsolnay Manufactory, 1853-2001 Real ceramic gurus know Zsolnay because of their iridescent glazes during the Art Nouveau period, but even within these ceramic circles few realize the range of this company's production. Read More... An American Vision: Henry Francis du Pont's Winterthur Museum Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the museum, a first-ever traveling exhibition of Winterthur's unparalleled collection of American decorative arts and paintings is on view at the National Gallery of Art, the only venue for the show. Read More... Celebrating 90 Years with The Bruce Museum The museum's fine art collection has grown through other generous donations from artists, museum trustees, directors and prominent figures in the art world. Read More... Negotiating History: German Art and the Past CHICAGO, ILL. — An exhibition of works on paper created by German artists ranging over the past two centuries highlights the summer's exhibition schedule at The Art Institute of Chicago. "German Art and the Past: Prints and Drawings from Friedrich to Baselitz," on view through September 22, brings together 40 important prints and drawings. The exhibition features selected works recently acquired by the Art Institute by, among others, Philip Otto Runge (1777-1810), Erich Heckel (1883-1970) and Sigmar Polke (born 1941). In all, nearly 30 artists are represented. Read More... Negotiating History: German Art and the Past Negotiating History: German Art and the Past Read More... Thomas Eakins: A Force in American Art Eakins's passion for truth, adherence to ideals and commitment to artistic freedom got him into a lot of trouble, but he created an enduring and inspiring legacy. The current retrospective that concludes its international tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 2 confirms his greatness. Read More... Small Wonders Rarely viewed treasures from the collections of exhibition sponsors Estée Lauder and Tiffany & Co. will share the spotlight with historic aromatic adornments and an inventive jewelry genre expressly created for holding precious scents. Read More... Rendezvous with the Sea A striking exhibition of French maritime history is currently on display at the Peabody Essex Museum featuring 175 works with a distinctly French decorative flair. Read More... Made in America: Coverlets and Their Weavers "Made in America: Coverlets from the Collection of Foster and Muriel McCarl" at Williamsburg's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center is a tribute to the Pennsylvania couple's devotion to these vintage textiles and a major advance in our understanding how they were made. Read More... American Anthem: A Song of Praise to the Nation "Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum," on view through January 5, takes a fresh look at aspects of this country's cultural heritage through the museum's permanent collection and includes major new acquisitions donated in honor of the opening of the new building. Read More... Hamilton Collects American Art Hamilton alumni have lent works from their personal collections for the display, and many are on public exhibition for the first time in decades. Read More... In Search of a National Landscape: William Trost Richards and the Artists' Adirondacks 1850 - 1870 In Search of a National Landscape: William Trost Richards and the Artists' Adirondacks 1850 - 1870 Read More... Matières de Rêves: Stuff of Dreams from the Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Wadsworth Atheneum Exhibitions always begin with a curator's dream, and Penelope Hunter-Stiebel went into her reverie when she revisited the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and realized the entire collection was languishing in storage during an extensive renovation project. Read More... Fire & Ice: Treasures from the Photographic Collection of Frederic Church at Olana On view at the Dahesh Museum of Art through August 24, "Fire & Ice" represents the first exploration of Frederic Edwin Church's interest in photography and its relationship to his paintings and to Olana. Read More... Ralph Fasanella's America Fasanella, who parlayed his humble origins, union activism and social conscience into an impressive group of bold and colorful paintings, is one of the greatest American self-taught artists of all time. Read More... Abbe Museum Dedicates New Bar Harbor Building The museum has opened a building whose architecture and exhibitions point to a different approach for museums exhibiting Native American culture. Read More... Tiaras Great jewels have inspired hot passions and dark deeds through the ages, so no one should be surprised that tiaras -- assembled from hundreds of important gems -- embody the triumph, excess and decline of the most privileged people in the world. Read More... Drawn Home: Fritz Vogt's Rural America COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Between 1890 and 1900, itinerant folk artist Fritz G. Vogt roamed the turnpikes and dirt roads of five New York counties west of Albany and created more than 200 distinctive architectural portraits featuring farms, homes, and businesses. Read More... Greuze the Draftsman Jean-Baptiste Greuze has been accorded only one comprehensive show of any sort since his death in 1805. Nonetheless, his work has enthralled connoisseurs during and since his lifetime. While most of his paintings have long ago entered public collections, his drawings are actively sought today by collectors both public and private. Read More... American Stories Drawn from the Lyman Allyn Art Museum's permanent collection, this evolving exhibition is dedicated to presenting a broad chronological range of American art and to exploring aspects of the stories that are connected to the creation of those artworks. Read More... Utopia and Reality: Modernity in Sweden 1900-1960 A closed chapter or not, modernism still plays a central role in the contemporary discussion of architecture and design. Young artists, architects, and designers who are active today all relate in one way or another to the aesthetic and ideological heritage of modernism. Read More... Goya: Images of Women Although many of the rumors and legends surrounding Goya's long and productive life have been debunked in recent years, there remain gaps in our knowledge, as well as many questions regarding authorship and interpretation of his work. Few artists are as difficult to define as Goya. Read More... Spotlight on Art of the American West With its boundless prairies, vast forests, soaring mountains, mighty rivers and exotic Native American population, the West was a magnificent stage that challenged the best of the young nation's artistic talent. Read More... The New Way of Tea NEW YORK CITY — In a major two-part exhibition, "The New Way of Tea," on view concurrently at Japan Society and the Asia Society and Museum through May 19, visitors will encounter the vital art and experience of the contemporary Japanese tea ceremony -- also known as the Way of Tea. Read More... H.C. Westermann at Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Think of the work of Alexander Calder, Joseph Cornell, Marcel Duchamp, René Magritte, Elie Nadelman and the Surrealists, and you have some sense of the diverse elements in the work of this idiosyncratic American artist. Read More... The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England Examined are not just decorated family registers, but a host of artifact genres in the Seventeenth through Nineteenth Centuries, such as printed and handwritten family records, lithographed family trees, family silver, gravestones, portraits, and miniatures and mourning jewelry. Read More... The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England "The Art of Family" examines not just decorated family registers, but a host of artifact genres in the Seventeenth through Nineteenth Centuries, such as printed and handwritten family records, lithographed family trees, family silver, gravestones, portraits, and miniatures and mourning jewelry. Read More... Furniture of the American South 1680-1830: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection The first major exhibition of Southern furniture in 50 years, the collection highlights the taste, technology and cultural diversity of furniture from the South's three principal regions: the Chesapeake, the Low Country and the Backcountry. Read More... Capturing Nureyev: James Wyeth Paints the Dancer NEW YORK CITY — Over the course of what is now a relatively long and productive career, Jamie Wyeth has created memorable paintings of animals and birds, views of rural Pennsylvania, and evocations of the Maine coast and its islands. At 55, the third generation painter of the famed Wyeth clan continues to seek new and challenging themes, often invoking the sense of fantasy and whimsy that runs through the work of his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth, and his father, Andrew Wyeth. Read More... Baseball as America NEW YORK CITY — "Baseball As America," the first major exhibition to examine the relationship between baseball and American culture, will premiere at the American Museum of Natural History on March 16, and, after it closes on August 18, will subsequently travel to nine leading museums across the United States. Read More... H.W. Janson and the Legacy of Modern Art In the mid-1940s, H.W. Janson, author of the influential textbook "History of Art," built what he proudly called "the finest collection of contemporary art assembled on any American campus" at Washington University in St Louis. This March, Salander-O'Reil Read More... Benjamin Brecknell Turner: Rural England through a Victorian Lens Approximately 40 exquisite photographs of a bygone era, taken by one of photography's great early artists, are on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through April 21. Read More... French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin The Dahesh Museum of Art celebrates the beginning of its eighth year of public programs with its first exhibition devoted entirely to the art of drawing, organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Read More... Russel Wright: Creating American Lifestyle Wright, one of the Twentieth Century's leading industrial designers, is the focus of a comprehensive new exhibition at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum which features more than 350 artifacts. Read More... Impressionism Transformed: The Paintings of Edmund C. Tarbell A nationally admired American Impressionist, Tarbell was renowned for his refined and distinctly New England interiors as well as vibrant outdoor paintings of his family. Read More... Impressionism Transformed: The Paintings of Edmund C. Tarbell A nationally admired American Impressionist, Tarbell was renowned for his refined and distinctly New England interiors as well as vibrant outdoor paintings of his family. Read More... Delicate Deception: Delftware at Historic Deerfield, 1600-1800 Delftware, with its rich, long history, continues to reveal much about the daily life and special occasions of its early American users. Read More... China Institute Exhibition of Chinese Bronze Mirrors The first exhibition of Chinese bronze mirrors to be shown in New York City will be on view at China Institute Gallery from February 7 through June 2. "Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors," from The Cleveland Museum of Art, features more than 90 bronze mirrors dating from the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), a span of roughly 2,500 years. Ju-hsi Chou, curator of Chinese art at the Cleveland Museum, organized the exhibition. A fully illustrated catalog is available. Read More... Henry Moore at the National Gallery of Art This large and diverse exhibition, the first retrospective in nearly two decades, offers rewarding viewing for those familiar with Moore's signature sculpture, as well as those to whom his idiosyncratic work is new. Read More... As Beauty Does: Winterthur Honors Collectors for Their Devotion to the Decorative Arts Since the early 1970s, when the world first became aware that a pair of Norfolk, Va. collectors were assembling antique American furniture in a spectacular way, the name Kaufman has appeared in more footnotes than anyone can remember. Read More... Auction Watch Mebane Flasks Soar at Glass Works Sale Stellar prices were repeatedly achieved during the first session of the single-owner absentee auction featuring the early American glass collection of the late Bob Mebane. Read More... Overwhelming Interest In Harvard University Neo-Classical Wall Brackets at Christie's Important English furniture representing Neo-classical design in England went 69 percent sold with 230 lots offered, 138 of which found buyers. Gross sales were$3,213,804. Read More... Manhattan Collector Purchases Stuart Church Portrait for $34,000 at Braswell Separated into an antiques and estate auction and a Twentieth Century design sale, the event drew more than 400 registered bidders who vied for a wide range of material comprising more than 1,000 lots. Read More... Opportunity Knocks at Christie's, Where Buyers Find Bargains With the big January sales just around the corner, sellers seem reluctant to consign in October. Buyers of midrange objects, meanwhile, appear to have backed off for the moment, waiting for economic and political clouds to pass. Read More... Waving the Flag Sotheby's two-session sale of Americana combined the timely appeal of patriotic memorabilia with the timeless attraction of fine Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century furniture and garnered $2,678,706. Read More... Tradewinds Hosts 21st All-Cane Auction America's premier cane auction house produced, once again, many highlights despite uneasy economic times. Read More... The Elephant in the Gallery Was the elephant trade sign offered at Christie's a portent of things to come? It certainly demonstrated that whimsical folk art on a large scale can command top dollar. Read More... Cobbs Auctions 'Unexpected Game' for Unexpected Price A rare and desirable painting by one of America's premier sporting illustrators brought a record price paid at auction this past weekend in Peterborough, N.H. Read More... Rare Britains Set Marches to $35,200 at Bertoia's The mounted soldiers, set 39, retained the original box, consisted of 72 figures, and had been consigned by Connecticut collector Dimitri Ilyinski. Read More... Rare Manuscript, First Edition Set Records in New York The top lot came in the form of a George Washington autographed manuscript, which revealed his early military career and was entitled "Remarks." According to Christie's, Washington himself had asked his biographer to burn the work. Read More... Washington Figural Clock Attracts Major Players and a $96,250 Winning Bid at Jenack The gallery reported a full house in attendance at their new, state-of-the-art facility. "We have seating for 225 and had to bring out an additional 50 chairs," commented auctioneer William Jenack, "and there were still a ton of people standing." Read More... Record Prices for Pristine Modern at Butterfields Nearly 450 lots of furniture and decorative arts were offered to bidders in the salesroom as well as via the Internet for a total of $937,419, a sum which met 99 percent of the pre-sale dollar expectation. Read More... Willis Henry Cooks up a Fun Country Sale with a Recipe for Success Henry masterfully seasoned the pot with anecdotes that induced a warm, folksy atmosphere. At the end of the afternoon the crowd had satisfied their appetites. Read More... Slater's Americana Auctions Political Campaign Memorabilia This Indiana gallery's 25th such sale totaled more than $125,000 for some 700 lots and focused mainly on "smalls" such as buttons, ribbons, medals, and badges. Read More... Wethersfield Highboy Brings $149,500 at Gustave White Connecticut dealer Marguerite Riordan picked up the slack by entering a bid of $90,000, with a telephone bidder, later identified as New York City dealer Leigh Keno, eventually claiming the piece. The highboy was one of seventy lots offered at auction of Mrs. Jean Braman's estate. Read More... Pook & Pook Moves into New Auction Facility with 500-Lot Sale When Ron and Debbie Pook were asked if they missed not having their September 21 sale - which grossed $2.6 million - in the firehouse at Ludwig Corner, the answer was a very quick "no." Read More... International Dealers Set Their Sights on the Levy Estate in Connecticut Contents from the Bridgewater, Conn. home of the late Julien Levy attracted bidders from California to Athens, Greece, at Fairfield Auction. With a total of 261 bid cards issued, including 94 phone and absentee bidders, it was their best-attended sale of the year. Read More... Nadeau's Massachusetts Sideboard Still the 'Best' Albert Sack rated the sideboard "best" in his 1950 classic, "Fine Points of Furniture." Apparently, the experts still agree. Read More... Bidders not Bugged by $280,000 Dower Chest at Pook & Pook The right front foot of the chest had suffered over the years, probably from bugs, but no one seemed to care. All the raves were for the paint. Read More... Big Price for Small Painting in Boston Skinner art specialist Colleene Fesko commented, "It is a little gem that captured a big, beautiful Yellowstone view." Read More... Korean Jar, Chinese Furniture Head Asian Offerings at Christie's An Eighteenth Century blue and white Choson Period porcelain jar fetched $559,500, and a late Sixteenth Century huanghuali Luchan bed brought $350,500. Read More... Florida Auction House Claims Civil War Firearms Records According to the gallery, a Colt Model 1855 First Model Revolving Percussion Two-Band Army Rifle in .44 caliber, identified as the personal firearm of General Albert J. Meyer, founder of the Signal Corps, reached $30,800. Read More... Sports Memorabilia Totals Top $6 Million Estimate for MastroNet "We knew it was coming," explained Mastro. "We went from zero to $3 million in nothing flat during the initial days of bidding. Considering recent events in the stock market, it appears that more and more people want to invest in something tangible." Read More... On-Site Rhode Island Sale Hosts 300 Enthusiastic Buyers Gustave J.S. White Co. conducted the auction on the premises of the Hutchins house at 27 Sakonnet Point Road. The house, barn and guesthouse were built in 1918, and all of the articles offered had been on the property for several generations. Read More... Folk Art Finishes Strong at Skinner A half-dozen weathervanes with uncommon motifs excited considerable interest. A silhouette fox weathervane ran to the front of the pack at $4,700 and featured a molded zinc head that retained patches of old gilt. Read More... Bertoia's Moves $1.2 Million in Dolls, Toys and Mechanical Banks The top lot of the sale, a 21-inch French Bisque Bebe incised "A.T.," drew applause when it ended with a new owner at $55,000. Read More... Elmer Stennes Tall Case Clock Chimes in as Top Lot for New Hampshire Estate Sale A total of 245 bidding numbers were issued at Boyd for the 430 lots offered, generating a gross of $175,000. A two-and-a-half-hour preview preceded the sale. Read More... Leyendecker's 'Thanksgiving' Tops Connecticut Illustration Art Sale Joseph Christian Leyendecker's oil on canvas generated a war between eight telephone participants, audience members and absentee bids. The hammer came down at $26,000, just above the low estimate of $25,000. Read More... Cherry Tree Reports 'Old-Fashioned' Offerings Highlight Kirkpatrick Family Collection While the usual ratio of retail buyers to trade at the auction house is between 25 percent and 75 percent, strong retail attendance which reversed those figures for a 75 percent retail crowd. Read More... Vintage Jaguar Races to $50,000 at Owl's Head Transportation Museum Benefit Auction Museum director and benefit auctioneer Charles Chiarchiaro commented, "We sold seventy-five percent of the cars we had up for auction. We put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces." Read More... De Vlaminck and Hartley Lead Robust Barridoff Auction Nearly 300 pieces of fine American and European Art crossed the auction block on July 31 at Barridoff Galleries during their annual summer auction. "This was the most exciting sale we have ever had," commented auctioneer Rob Elowitch. "It was a quality auction and was our highest grossing to date by far." Read More... Bard Painting Tops Julia Auction For the second time within a one-week span, an impressive example of James Bard work came to auction, and once again the artist not only achieved a substantial price, but also claimed honors as the top lot of the auction. The most recent Bard painting to sell was offered at James Julia's "Spectacular Maine Auction" on Thursday August 22. It achieved a final price of $145,500, including premium. Read More... Orville Wright Poster Flies To $19,500 At Swann Swann Galleries' August 7 sale of vintage posters featured Hans Rudi Erdt's Wright/Flugvorführungen, Berlin, 1909, advertising Orville Wright's Model A bi-plane flying exhibition over Tempelhof field in Berlin, which sold for a record $19,550. The Model A was the Wright Brothers' third attempt at producing airplanes for mass production. Read More... Bidder Reels in Tiffany Fish Lamp for $128,800 at Fontaine's Also underlining strong prices across the board was a Handel Poppy lamp - featuring an 18-inch diameter shade reverse painted with vibrant red, pink and orange poppies - which sold for $56,000. Read More... Bard Ship Portrait Headlines Northeast Maritime Sale James Bard's large 1868 portrait of the side-wheeler "Milton Martin" led the auction at $96,000, sold with a single bid from Michael Florio representing the Quester Gallery of Stonington, Conn. Read More... Maynard Dixon Painting Takes Top Honors at $7 Million Coeur d'Alene Event Despite concerns over the previous week's stock market volatility, bidding was strong across the board as 16 new artists' records were set, with 92 percent of lots finding buyers. Read More... Stoneware and Earthenware Offerings Lead Virginia Auction Lot 1, a rare A. Keister & Co. three-gallon pitcher from Strasburg, Va., with freehand cobalt decoration, sold after heated bidding to a Virginia collector for $21,000. Read More... 'Woman with Flower Basket' by Graves Gathers $209,000 in Maine The circa 1925 painting was one of five by Graves that had been consigned from a local home. Measuring 30 by 25 inches and signed in the lower right, the painting was knocked down to a phone bidder. Read More... Lloyd Ralston Collection Yields $31,000 J&E Stevens Mechanical Bank Three hundred lots were sold during the first session, with toys ranging from cast-iron still and mechanical banks, cast-iron toys, tin windups and comic characters to the toys that Ralston concentrated on late in his collecting career: Cast-iron trains. Read More... California Dealer Wins Canadian Ship's Figurehead at Eldred's Dressed in classical style and standing on a scrolled base, the figurehead can be seen in Marian Brewington's "Ship Carvings of North America." Read More... Kahn Collection's Steep Estimates Discourage Bidders while Connecticut Treasures Have Broad Appeal at Northeast High reserves deprived both the Kahns and Northeast Auction of substantial profit and, at least for the moment, frustrated collectors in their pursuit of some well-known masterpieces. Read More... Dealer Wins Rare Powers Portraits in Ossipee, N.H. The paintings were consigned from a direct descendent and were offered for the first time. Both have been exhibited at the museum in Springfield, Vt., and at Colonial Williamsburg, in addition to having been published. Read More... Anonymous Buyer Pays $7.59 Million for the 'Holy Grail' of the Coin-Collecting World At the conclusion of the auction, the director of the United States Mint signed a Certificate of Monetization turning the coin into legal United States tender, the first time the United States Government has ever monetized a coin in this way. Read More... George Washington Portrait Returns to America from France, Sets Record A painting of George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the American revolutionary forces, painted in 1782 by Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), sold in a small country auction in the Loire valley of France for $5 million, a record for an American painting sold in Europe. Read More... Exceptional Goose at Guyette & Schmidt Rounds Out an Exciting Week of Offerings in Maine Transcending the boundaries of decoy collecting into the folk art world, the rare piece attracted a great deal of attention from Americana dealers throughout the country. Read More... Ohio Wall Cupboard Surprises Bidders, Takes Top Slot in Its Home State "What we've found in the last 12 months held up throughout this sale. If they liked it, it sold; if they didn't, even God couldn't give it away," said Garth's auctioneer Tom Porter. Read More... George IV Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Show the Way in Maryland Twenty-two hundred lots crossed the block at Alex Cooper, with approximately 550 bidders, including those on the phones and left bids, in competition for items in the six estates offered, which included the estate of John W. Staggers, Esq, removed from historic Snowden House "Oaklands at Conte," Prince George's County, Md. Read More... Southwest Blanket Has Skinner American Indian Sale Covered According to Douglas Deihl, director of American Indian and ethnographic art, "The market is very strong right now for weavings, pottery, photography and baskets." Read More... Tradewinds Auctions Dickens Cane for $8,960 The cane had a silver panel inscribed, "Charles Dickens / Gad's Hill / to J.T.F. 1869," and once belonged to the Eastmans of Eastman Kodak. Read More... But Wait - Another Record! Sotheby's Old Master Auction Raises the Bar for the Entire Category History was made on July 10 when a completely unknown early work by Sir Peter Paul Rubens brought £49.5 million, making it the most expensive painting ever sold in pounds. Read More... Gemmill Americana Collection Boosts Latest Alderfer Sale Items from the estate of Kenneth and Helen Gemmill included a Chippendale chest of drawers attributed in "Hornor's Blue Book of Philadelphia Furniture" to Philadelphia cabinetmaker Jonathan Shoemaker. Read More... Blackwood/March Reports Record Gruppe, North Shore Tea Table Lead 340 Lots in Massachusetts The top lot of the sale, a 30- by 36-inch Emile A. Gruppe oil painting of nudes in a landscape, sold to a private buyer for a world auction record of $36,960. Read More... This Year's Most Expensive Work of Art Totals $23.9 Million in London "Nu au collier" depicts Picasso's favorite muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, and dates from the apogee of their relationship when Picasso and Walter had retreated to Boisgeloup. Read More... American Paintings, Wooten Desk Top Ivey-Selkirk Auction The rarity of Lucioni's paintings at auction brought forth intense interest. The "Steeple Through the Birches, Manchester, Vermont," 1955, attracted numerous telephone bidders and sealed bids to more than double the presale estimate. Read More... Letter Signed by Jefferson and Madison Heads La Jolla Sale Early American History Auctions' mail bid event consisted of 1,363 lots of autographs, coins, currency and Americana. Read More... Russ Auctions a Well-Received Collection of 14 Guy Wiggins Canvases Wiggins was a personal friend of the Old Lyme family of George Cummings, who had consigned additional furniture and decorations. Items from a Manhattan estate, and fine art and antiques offered on behalf of the Florence Griswold Museum and other shoreline estates were featured. Read More... Howard Horse Weathervane Fetches $51,000 in New Hampshire The vane, a cast zinc and copper trotting horse example from a local estate, was the largest made by the West Bridgewater, Mass. firm, and was won by a dealer. Read More... Horner Dining Room Set Tops New Orleans Event An impressive stand-out in the American furniture category, the carved oak dining room suite was attributed to R.J. Horner Co., New York, and sold for $44,850. Read More... Bellamy Eagle Soars into Dealer Hands for $20,700 "We expected this piece to do well," Jack DeStories, Fairfield Auction owner, said, indicating that he had found the carving in a box while gathering other things for the sale. Read More... Records Fall for the Foster Collection of Marine Art at Phillips The Glen S. Foster collection was responsible for $8.2 million of a $13,999,555 auction in which many paintings fetched five and ten times their high estimates. Read More... Bert Savage's Rustic Inventory Finds Eager Buyers "I was flabbergasted by the great number of inquiries and comments I have received ever since the word went out that I would be handling [this] sale," Jim Dickerson, auctioneer, said. "It was evident that Bert was a highly respected and loved person in the business." Read More... A $180,000 Van Erp Lamp Illuminates New Jersey Arts and Crafts Auction The Craftsman and David Rago organizations conducted a recent auction at Rago's gallery featuring more than 1,100 diverse lots offering a bird's-eye view of the Arts and Crafts market. Read More... Tiffany Goldfish Vase Swims to $532,000 at Sotheby's Two determined bidders on the phone vied for the tour de force of American glass making, driving the price far above the presale $100/150,000 estimate. The vase, which was purchased by an American private collector, was included in a sale of Twentieth Century Decorative Works of Art that totaled $6,714,710. Read More... Americana, Aggressive Bidders, and a Gross of $2.3 Million in Elegant Surroundings "We've created an environment that is very gallery-like so that buyers can focus on individual pieces," said Skinner's Chief Executive Officer Karen Keane. "After a lot of agonizing, we decided that we really needed to be in a major urban location to do that." Read More... Northeast Continental Sale Totals $2.5 Million The firm continues to maintain a strong presence in the English and Continental market, with three sales annually. The latest event in Portsmouth featured competitive bidding on the floor and via telephone. Read More... For Skinner, a Salem Secretary Steals the Show At its expanded premises in downtown Boston, Skinner provided fireworks in the form of a "gentleman's secretary" made by Edmund Johnson of Salem, Mass., between 1793 and 1811. Read More... Dealer Purchases Seifert Watercolor for $58,000 in Hudson, N.Y. Sale Approximately 120 bidders were on the floor, with additional left bids and phone bidders, in competition for the 339 lots offered. The auction grossed over $500,000. Read More... Farmhouse Treasures Offered at Applebrook The auction featured a two-generation collection from a South Windsor, Conn., farmhouse packed with Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century country furniture, samplers, paintings, pottery, china and accessories. Read More... Previously Unknown Pair of Whale Oil Lamps Ignite Bidders in Virginia Jeff Evans, Green Valley Auction's owner, was invited to a house outside of New York City to evaluate some glass that had been passed down through the family over the years. They were not aware they had anything special. Read More... Rare Byrdcliffe Cabinet Brings New World Record at Briggs' The collection and inventory of the scholar, historian, collector, and dealer Robert Edwards of Swarthmore, Penn., featured American decorative arts dating from 1860 through 1960. Read More... Single-Owner Clock Collection Reaps Timely Rewards in West Palm Beach All in all, 147 items were sold, consisting of 20 watches and 127 clocks. What made this auction so unusual was the fact that they were all part of a collection assembled over 50 years. Read More... Big Money for Old Glory Riding a wave of post-September 11th patriotism, American flags brought record prices at Sotheby's when a 75-lot consignment, assembled over a number of years by Philadelphia-area collector Thomas S. Connelly, reached $1.3 million in heated bidding. Read More... Record for Greene & Greene Set by California Dealer at Missouri Sale A bid of $311,000 purchased the circa 1908 chiffonier, designed by Charles and Henry Greene and executed in the workshop of Peter Hall. Read More... Tradewinds Continues Raising Canes to a New Level in Massachusetts Henry Taron of Tradewinds Antiques held his spring all-cane live auction at the King's Grant Inn, bringing in a gross of $417,732, the highest ever for the firm. Read More... Boneshakers, Bluebirds and Indians Ride to Success Once Again at 11th Annual Copake Event A sum of $18,150 was paid for a circa 1880s adult tricycle from the Victor, Overman Wheel Company, Chicopee, Mass., while a bid of $8,800 won a late 1880s 46-inch Springfield Roadster model #3. Read More... Sculpture Sees a New Auction High Set by Brancusi's 'Danaïde' at Christie's "The auction was an explosive start to our spring fine art auction season," said Christopher Burge, the evening's auctioneer. "The price achieved by the Brancusi can be attributed to a variety of factors, not least the original gold leaf the artist finished it with and its record of private ownership." Read More... Record $1.2 Million Price Tag for a Korean Porcelain Jar at Butterfields The jar stemmed from a San Francisco Bay area private collection and had been in the United States since 1950. It was estimated to bring $150/250,000. Read More... Mechanical Banks and Miniature Furniture Tally $1 Million for Bertoia The Fancy Goods and Toys Spring Sale at Bertoia was highlighted by dollhouse furniture, with almost every conceivable furniture accessory, rare tables, chairs, chandeliers and complete room trimmings placed on the bidding podium. Read More... Pennsylvania Americana Stirs a Full House for Conestoga "We are privileged to be handling this kind of material," said auctioneer Phil Nissley. The sale included more than 130 pieces of spatterware china and design spatter, Leeds soft paste china, 45 pieces of early decorated stoneware, redware, French faience, Canton china, Staffordshire, and Flow Blue china. Read More... World Records Set at Shannon's Spring Art Auction The Greenwich Civic Center bubbled over with enthusiasm for Shannon's spring art auction, which ended up breaking six world records - more depending on how you want to count them - to become the top-grossing art auction in Connecticut's history. Read More... Monumental Money for Meissen in Maryland Garnering the highest bid of the auction was a pair of Meissen pate-sur-pate, rose-ground parcel-gilt porcelain snake-handled covered urns, Nineteenth Century, bringing $33,000 from a dealer-collector. Read More... East Coast Private Collector Purchases Historically Important Paul Storr Seal Box in Pennsylvania The circular seal box, engraved with the royal seal of King George III, included a royal document on parchment empowering one Phinius Bond with "Full Power" to negotiate parts of the John Jay Treaty with President George Washington. Read More... Arts of the West Week in San Francisco Ropes a $2.2 Million Total for Butterfields More than 1,200 lots were offered over three days of auctions involving multiple specialty departments, including the Antique Arms and Armor, Arts of the West and Native American, Pre-Columbian, and Tribal Arts departments. Read More... From London to Amsterdam in Three Days: The Dreesmann Collection Totals $32 Million Christie's sale in Amsterdam focused on Dutch Pictures and Works of Art from Seventeenth to the Twentieth Centuries, realizing $12,423,685 in a packed sale room. Read More... America's Cup Telescope Brings $22,000 at South Bay Featured were antiques, fine arts, and sporting items consigned from numerous estates and consignors. Two hundred sixty-three bidding paddles were issued, with much competition from overseas, for the 330 plus numerous A-lots crossing the block. Read More... European Interest at Kaminski Patriot's Day Auction Approximately 250 bidding paddles were issued during the two-day event, in addition to lively phone bidding from Europe, in competition for the 700 lots offered. Read More... Malcolm Ivey Acquires Phillips-Selkirk, Hosts Inaugural Sale Ivey, formerly the managing director of Phillips-Selkirk of St Louis, acquired the 180-year-old Midwest auction house from Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg on February 4. Read More... Eldred's Reports Classic Results for Stellar Americana, Marine Offerings Of two William Merritt Chase paintings, a portrait of William A. Putnam, Sr, brought $8,625, and a river landscape, which opened at $50,000, was finally hammered down at $250,000. Read More... Antiquorum Auction Doubles Estimates, Establishes New Highs with the Help of a Timely Patek Philippe The firm's 600-lot event realized a total of $23,325,518, Antiquorum's best watch sale ever and the second best international watch auction total to date. Read More... Folk Portrait, Blanket Chest Attract Top Bids at Garth's The top-selling lot was an oil-on-board portrait of a dour-looking woman wearing a reddish-brown dress with a lace collar and a white bonnet. Attributed to Sheldon Peck from his Vermont period (pre-1828), the painting fetched $46,750. Read More... Fabergé 'Winter Egg' Ices Previous Record with a $9.57 Million Price Tag Embellished with more than 3,000 diamonds and rose-cut diamonds, the Winter Egg was given by Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, on Easter in 1913. Contained within the egg is a "surprise" -- a basket of delicate spring flowers symbolizing the rebirth and seasonal change associated with Easter. Read More... Nadeau Notes Great International Interest in Spring Auction There was standing room only at Nadeau's annual spring auction, as well as a record-breaking amount of phone and absentee bids coming from throughout the US and Europe. One of the top lots was the famous Russian Lady sculpture, which was mounted atop of the downtown Hartford bar The Russian Lady Cafe for more than 20 years sold at Nadeau's on March 23 for $52,900. The statue originally stood atop the Rossia Insurance Company in Hartford, Conn. until the 1970s. It is signed "Edmund Schulte Beckum, sculptor, February 8, 1914-1915, Bronxville N.Y."
Read More... Rare 'Red Baron' Beaker, Civil War Sword Highlight Julia Firearms Sale On Monday, March 11, and Tuesday, March 12, James D. Julia Auctioneers traveled to Portsmouth for their Annual Spring Firearms Auction. A number of historical items were offered, including a solid silver beaker made for Baron von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron. The beaker was probably commissioned by Richthofen after he won the Pour le Merité, and it sold for $28,750, attracting the attention of Richthofen's grandnephew, who traveled to the sale to see the cup.
Read More... Western Offerings Make a Fine Showing in Montana Manitou Galleries of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Santa Fe, N.M., held its 15th Annual Auction and Dealer Show on March 14, 15, and 16. Gross sales exceeded the highest previous gross for this auction by over $150,000. Highlights of the sale included a fine 10 ½ - by 18-inch gouache by C.M. Russell that sold for $63,250, a 20- by 30-inch oil by O.C. Seltzer that sold for $50,600, and a Bill Gollings oil, 24 by 20 inches, which sold for $12,100 Read More... Custom Designs at the Heart of a $1.1 Million Rago Modern Auction "The collecting trend seems to be moving toward the more individual pieces as opposed to the corporate or repeated forms of furniture," stated gallery expert John Sollo. Read More... Swann Modern Lit Offerings Write New Records The sale featured a private collection of works by Ernest Hemingway and Joseph Conrad, including a copy of the first and only edition of Hemingway's first book. Read More... Inman's Spring Event Sees Stellar Results for West Coast Toy Brands The 36-year cast-iron automotive and fire toy collection of Iowa physician Dr Jim Collins; the impeccable childhood toys of the late Dr R. William Alexander of Reading, Penn.; and the blockbuster Walter Youree Collection from Oregon comprising approximately 600 lots of pressed steel and aluminum vehicles highlighted the auction. Read More... At Alderfer's Latest, Fine Art Was the Hot Topic A Daniel Garber painting was won by a Northern New Jersey collector in the audience for $242,000, setting a record price for a single item sold by the auction company. Read More... A $1.5 Million Record High for Dennis Auction Service Is Fueled by Yeats Painting Many of the key items in the sale were from the Otto estate in Phillipsburg, N.J. Otto, who made a fortune from Volkswagen, was an avid collector whose criteria was "the best of the best." Read More... Rare Stickley Trapezoidal Bookcase Headlines Jenack Auction According to the gallery, the fury of bidding activity was in part due to the slump of the stock market and the economic down turn of 2001, as clients hope that antiques and collectibles will provide a solid place to invest. Read More... Kiesler Nesting Tables Hatch World Record at Butterfields A crowded gallery broke into applause after a collector paid nearly $190,000 for the brushed aluminum two-piece coffee table, one of three examples known. Twentieth Century decorative arts, furniture, art glass and fine art offered totaled more than $1.255 million. Read More... Sotheby's Auctions the 'Highly Esoteric' Ellsworth Collection of Chinese Bronzes for $1.67 Million Joe Hynn-Yang and Mee-seen Loong of the firm's Chinese Works of Art department commented, "We were particularly pleased to see the level of private participation given that this was the first single-owner sale of archaic bronzes since 1983." Read More... Up-and-Down Sales of American and European Prints and Paintings at Skinner Bring a $1.2 Million Total and a Surprise Top Lot Twenty-eight percent, or 151 of the 538 lots offered, did not meet their reserve prices and were bought in, which a Skinner spokeswoman attributed to the "slower economy" in New England. However, the prices for a number of paintings and prints far exceeded their estimates. Read More... Burlington County Sampler Tops Pook & Pook Sale Of the 20 American and English needlework samplers offered during Pook & Pook, Inc.'s February 22 and 23 auction, the top lot brought $57,500 (including the 15 percent buyer's premium). The Burlington County, N.J. needlework sampler, wrought by Rachel Haines in 1830, is referenced in "Girlhood Embroidery" by Betty Ring in a discussion of a very similar sampler, which is itself identified as one of the most famous New Jersey samplers.
Read More... Two-Day Sale At York Town The large crowd at York Town's two-day February auction drew almost 600 registered bidders, and there was serious competition for many lots. Top lot was a painting by Stephen Etnier titled "Union Station, Portland, Maine" that brought $20,250 (est $6/8,000). Read More... Horner Clock Strikes $106,000 At $2.4 Million John Fontaine Event John Fontaine held a February 15-17 sale, where more than $2.4 million was generated, including 12 percent buyer's premium. Top lot at the centerpiece Saturday sale was an important R.J. Horner grandfather clock that sur-passed estimates at $106,000.
Read More... Ships Set Sail at Skinner as Old-Time Nautical Arts Collection Goes on the Block An old-time collection of nautical art and antiques and locally made clocks and weathervanes, all from the estate of the late Concord, Mass., collector Edward B. Thomas, added handsomely to Skinner's February 24 auction of American Furniture and Decorative Arts. The marathon, 842-lot sale began at 10 am and finished in eight hours, grossing $2,546,000 Read More... Banking on Recovery: Market Rebounds with $6 Million Total at Northeast Reports that the recession is over and the recovery is underway were bolstered by results at Northeast Auction on Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, where sales reached $6,056,382 including premium. The total was the Portmouth auctioneer's largest yet for its annual March event, and just shy of Northeast's all-time record, $6.25 million. Read More... Rare Rice Paper Copy of the Declaration of Independence Reaches $25,875 at EAHA Early American History Auctions, Inc. (EAHA) completed its February 9 Mail Bid Auction, consisting of 1,106 lots of autographs, coins, currency and Americana. Read More... After Nearly 30 Years in Storage, a Revolving Shaker Stool Spins to $21,000 Several other lots in the Cambridge, Mass. auction had been stored since 1973 at a small facility south of Boston, and only brought to light recently. Read More... Paper Profits at Northeast's March Auction The gallery may be better known for American furniture, but it hit the jackpot with works on paper. Three lots alone added $717,000 to the weekend's take, which reached $6,056,382, including premium, in two days of sales. Read More... Vintage Posters Offered by Swann Galleries Achieve Record Prices Swann's best poster sale to date featured works by master Alphonse Mucha. A complete set of "The Times of the Day, Paris," 1899, in superb condition, realized $47,150, doubling the previous record. Read More... Peckham Portrait Brings $182,500 in Bolton, Mass. Tucked away in a private home for the past century, "Little Girl in A Red Dress Holding Toys" emerged as the top lot in Skinner's February 24 auction of American Furniture and Decorative Arts. Read More... Cottone Reports $1.2 Million Auction as 'Best to Date' Despite a winter storm that left much of the area without power, determined buyers filled the hall and numerous phone bidders kept the prices on some 700 lots strong. Read More... Battle for Delaware Valley Chair Results in a $25,300 Winning Bid at Wiederseim The five-slat, ladder-back armchair, found in an attic, generated a lot of presale interest and retained its original, crusty red painted surface. Read More... Horner Clock Ticks to New Record in Pittsfield, Mass. The highly carved mahogany grandfather clock, standing 10 feet tall, with carved figures and nine-tube Westminster chime movement, brought $106,400. Read More... Few Shadows Found in Washington, D.C. Groundhog Day Auction Weschler's selection of Native American pieces offered the most action as bidding opened on American works. Topping this segment of the sale was a Zuni polychrome jar from the late Nineteenth Century. Read More... Windsor Chair Suits Massachusetts Bidder at New Jenack Facility Strong prices were noted by the gallery throughout the sale from the capacity crowd of more than 200 registered and more than 120 absentee/phone bidders. Read More... Rare Courtenay Figure Rides to the Top of Ralston/Kurtz Sale The mounted knight by English maker Richard Courtenay topped all other lots at the first combined Lloyd Ralston-Henry Kurtz Ltd toy and miniature soldier auction. Read More... World Records Set at Christie's Post-War, Impressionist Events The firm's evening sales of Post-War Art and Contemporary Art realized a total of $13,641,689. Four world auction records for individual artists were realized. Read More... Fairfield Estates Sale Attracts Best Attendance Ever Nearly 300 bid cards were issued and buyers from six states were successful either in person, by phone or by absentee bid. The varied selection of lots came from more than 20 consignors. Read More... Packed House Vies for Toy Trains in Connecticut The New England Toy Train Exchange conducted their winter auction featuring 395 lots of toy trains dating from 1912 through the 1980s. There was standing room only as auctioneer Mark Tobias kept the action up at 85 lots an hour. Read More... Titanic Costume Rises to the Top of 2,400 Lots Offered by RRAuction.com The site's first sale of the year indicated that the autograph market is still strong, with some 800 bidders pushing the sale's total to more than $400,000. Read More... Phillips-Selkirk Twentieth Century Design Event Features Historic Art Deco Windows The catalog, published in a creative and portfolio size, featured on the cover one of two American Art Deco cast metal figural window frames, depicting a centaur, complete with opaque glass. The windows were once part of the Gateway Hotel in St. Louis. Read More... More than 650 International Bidders Participate at Jackson's The most recent auction at the Cedar Falls, Iowa gallery kicked off their winter season and saw widespread interest, with total sales of over $1,108,000. Read More... Newcomb Pottery Vase Highlights Neal Sale in New Orleans Vigorous bidding energized the atmosphere at Neal Auction Company's latest estates offering, which featured Southern, American and European art; Southern silver; and American furniture and porcelain from Southern collections. Read More... Rare Linke Bedroom Set, Sormani Consoles Lead $328,000 Litchfield Auction The six-piece bedroom set, to the layman, seemed a nicely matched suite of early Twentieth Century furniture. But to the connoisseur, of which there were obviously a few among the buyers, it was an example of a Louis XV-style suite by the turn-of-the-century Parisian ebonist Francois Linke. Read More... Provenance and Patina Work Magic at the $12.6 Million Copeland Sale During the course of the ten-day pre-sale exhibition, nearly 3,000 ascended to the top floor of the York Avenue auction house just to glimpse the residue of a gracious way of life unequaled in our time. Read More... A Memorable Sale Befitting Collectors with a Passion for Folk Art Just about every seat in the front part of the gallery was filled, with a good number of people standing and others in the second tier of seats. Twenty Sotheby's staff members were on hand, handling the phones and registering bids for those not in the salesroom. Read More... Sotheby's Important Americana: Solid, but not Sizzling What the three sessions on January 17 and 18 lacked in sizzle, they made up for in solid sales: $3.6 million on 442 lots. The buy-in rate was about average, twenty percent. Read More... In the Middle of It All: The Contents of Israel Sack, Inc., Hit the Block One of the most famous doors in America, known for the best part of a century to celebrated collectors and those seeking fine antiques, closed for good on Sunday, January 20, when the contents of Israel Sack, Inc, was sold at Sotheby's. Read More... Christie's Achieves Records in Small but Stellar Sale What Christie's lacked in volume it made up for in the magnitude of a few stellar lots at its sale of Important American Furniture, Silver and Folk Art. The auction grossed $10.3 million on just 390 items, a fraction of the number of lots offered across town at Sotheby's. Read More... Sotheby's Logs an Unprecedented $27.3 Million Americana Week Total More than 3,000 people passed through the York Avenue auction house during ten days of presale exhibitions and chairs were scarce at the six single-owner sales. Read More... Pent-up Demand Propels Prices at Christie's In all, the gallery's two-day sale of Important American Furniture, Silver and Folk Art reached $10.8 million. Read More... Stoddard Bank Collection Raises the Interest of Buyers at Bertoia Still and mechanical bank collectors faxed, phoned, mailed, bid live by Internet and in person for banks, tallying a figure of nearly $700,000 at Bertoia's. Read More... Tel el Amarna Vases from the MIT Museum Bring $43,700 at Grogan The two-day auction comprised property from two prominent local estates and several private collections, was attended by some 1,000 people, and netted more than $1.4 million. Read More... Yasuyuki Cloisonné Tops Massachusetts Asian Art Sale A large consignment from the estate of a Mid-Atlantic collector comprised a significant portion of the sale as did a yatate collection from the Strong Museum of Rochester, N.Y. Read More... Hemphill Folk Art Collection Soars Past the Half-Million Mark in Georgia Hemphill (1929-1998), an avid collector, was one of the founders of The American Folk Art Museum and later its first curator. Read More... Butterfields' American and California Paintings and Sculpture Sale Grosses $3.3 Million "I just think it shows a tremendous amount of strength in the California market, in general," said Scott Levitt, the event's director. Read More... James Julia: Bidders Wanted Uncle Sam The sale included the only known photographic image of Sam Wilson of Troy, N.Y., the original progenitor of Uncle Sam. The 1852 tintype, taken two years before Wilson's death, had come directly from the family and was inscribed on the reverse. Read More... Ceramics at Illinois Twentieth Century Art and Design Auction Pronounced 'Exceptionally Strong' An important circa 1902 Van Briggle "Despondency" vase illustrating the Art Nouveau influence the artist gained in Europe sold over the estimate to a phone bidder for $32,500. Read More... Maine Auction of Morgan Rank Folk Art Collection Grosses $300,000 The top lot, six life-sized wood carved standing figures holding babies, by Tyrone, brought a high bid for the top figure of $13,000, the others all going to different buyers. "We requested anyone who would be interested in buying them as a single lot," said a spokesman for the gallery, "but they wanted them individually." Read More... Massachusetts Shilling, 1812 Broadside Lead EAHA Sale Early American History Auctions' latest mail-bid event, based in La Jolla, Calif., consisted of 1,551 lots of autographs, coins, currency and Americana. Read More... Strong Results for Maps and Atlases in Arizona Old World Auctions recently featured 614 lots of original rare antique maps, atlases, globes and related material. Bidding was by mail, phone and via their Web site. Read More... Trade Talk Philadelphia's Fall Art & Antiques Show Those who did not come to this show missed a good one. Prices seemed a bit steep overall, but as any dealer will tell you, "There is not a great deal out there and when something wonderful comes along, it is not cheap." Read More... Good Looks, Good Times, Good Sales: The Modern Show "This market really appeals to the young new collector, as opposed to a mature [one] that already has major pieces in place in their home. Young people are still furnishing their homes and they get so excited about their finds." Read More... Houdini Arrives and Antiques Disappear in Atlantique City Although the gate may have been lighter than years past, the sale of large furniture items was helped by the show's free 200-mile furniture delivery service, a convenience unique to this event. Read More... Rhinebeck Brightens October Skies "If there is anything like a recession-proof show, it's got to be Rhinebeck," said one dealer. Read More... Seduced by Style Brian and Anna Haughton's revamped 40-dealer show is an aesthete's paradise, transcending time and place with objects that begged to be loved for their beauty alone. Read More... Lord Hindlip Retires from Christie's after 40 Years Hindlip joined the front counter at Christie's on October 1, 1962. He became chairman of Christie's International in May 1996, having served as chairman of Christie's London from 1986 to 1991, and as chairman of Christie's Europe between 1991 and 1996. Read More... New Manager, New Look for the Washington, Conn. Antiques Show Want to pump up a show, turn it completely around and give it life and pizzazz? Then give Lou Marotta a call. Read More... Putnam Hill Chapter DAR Show The 26th annual event was steeped in tradition -- the tradition of antiques, the tradition of Putnam Cottage (celebrating its 310th anniversary), and the tradition of the Putnam Hill Chapter DAR. Read More... New York Americana, Folk Art Dealers Form Association The merchants' association seeks to acquaint the public with the quality, range and depth of Americana in the city. Read More... VADA Never Looked Better People came in at the opening gun and a great many of them stayed on for hours. "One lady in the first wave was here when the show closed at 5 pm." Read More... Identity Found: The Fall Hartford Antiques Show Hartford, as it has long been called, seems to have resolved once and for all the question of what it is and who it is for: It is "brown furniture" and proud of it. Read More... Fall's First Blush Heralded by Wilton DAR Antiques Marketplace The annual harbinger of the fall antique season drew a gate of approximately 2,000 attendees. A line of early buyers queued to enter at 8:30 am proved that for the committed treasure hunter the usual Sunday morning activities of church and brunch were momentarily shelved. Read More... The Adirondacks Come Alive with a Flock of Dealers More than 300 people attended to preview and most of them were buyers. "They came out in the rain and had every intention of finding something to add to their vacation home or their collection," Michael Gannon said. Read More... Hildene: Antiques in the Meadowlands The show, with 70 dealers, is a benefit for The Friends of Hildene and this year attracted a "good gate, not a barnstormer," according to Linda Turner. Read More... The New York Armory Antiques Show It is September as it should be, with an armory on Park Avenue filled with antiques. And to make it even better, Diane Wendy reports, "We had good gates, a number of the dealers sold well, and people were in the spirit of attending antiques shows." Read More... Gauging the Mood in Chicagoland: The Hinsdale Antiques Show As has been the case during the past year, some exhibitors did exceptionally well, some did fairly well, and others were not so fortunate in their sales results. Read More... Dealer Richard Hall, 65 Richard was regarded as a "character" by those that knew him, passionate about both his storytelling and his antiques. He was widely known and well liked throughout the show circuit that he traveled for many years. Read More... Brimfield Closes the Season with Smiling Faces There were good buys to be had, and one does not necessarily have to be first to find them, as more and more is unpacked and put out throughout the day. Sometimes it even pays to amble. Read More... Fort Ward Museum Acquires Important Civil War Sketch The drawing of Fort Lyon, near Alexandria, Va., was executed by soldier John Avery, who was stationed at the fort in 1862 and 1863. Read More... Well-Known Vermont Dealer Killed by Drunk Driver Richard Hall, a specialist in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century furniture, was struck Sunday evening, September 22, while walking home. Read More... Farmington: The Show Goes on as Summer Ends Early buyers willing to cough up the $25 surcharge had already enjoyed a three-hour head start to check out their favorite dealers, but with such a large show -- 495 dealers -- there was truly something for everyone. Read More... ICA Plans First Art Museum to be Built in Boston in Nearly 100 Years The 62,000-square-foot facility will provide both an exhibition space to showcase works by leading contemporary artists and a center for public performances, educational activities and waterfront access. Read More... The Michener Art Museum Publishes the First Major Scholarly Work on Pennsylvania Impressionsim The book features color reproductions of classic Pennsylvania Impressionist works by artists such as Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, Fern I. Coppedge, John Folinsbee, Robert Spencer and William Lathrop. Read More... The 42nd Papermania Show Attracts Large Crowds in Connecticut Despite brisk activity at the opening of this most recent outing, the show opened on a somewhat somber note as the late promoter and beloved dealer Paul Gipstein's recent passing was recognized. Read More... Indianapolis Museum of Art Announces $74 Million Expansion Slated for completion in 2005, the plans feature an enhanced museum with three new wings, 50 percent more gallery space, an outdoor garden court, and expanded educational and family facilities. Read More... Historic Deerfield Acquires Rare First Edition Book The book describes Deerfield's defining moment, the attack by the French and their Native American allies on February 29, 1704, considered one of the seminal events in the history of frontier New England. Read More... Bonhams Acquires Butterfields from eBay The acquisition was funded entirely from Bonhams' own resources, without recourse to external borrowing, and comes just a year after Bonhams merged with Phillips Auctioneers. Read More... The Contemporary Arts Center to Open New Building in the Heart of Downtown Cincinnati Designed by the London firm of Zaha Hadid Architects, the new Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in the city's busiest intersection will become one of the most centrally located contemporary art institutions in the nation. Read More... The W.M. Randolph Hearst Foundation Challenges the Albany Institute of History & Art with a $200,000 Grant If the community helps raise $200,000 by December 31, the foundation will match each contribution dollar for dollar, providing essential funding for the institute's education programs. Read More... A Happy 25th Anniversary in Nantucket It's a good team: The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) and the Antiques Council. The "team's" most valuable players were NHA director Frank Milligan, NHA president Arie Koppelman, a host of full-time, year-round NHA staff; the committee, consisting of individuals from around the country who come to Nantucket for the summer and work full-time on the show; the Antiques Council, under the direction of Nantucket show liaison Victor Weinblatt; and a roster of fine dealers from around the country. Read More... Marion Antiques Show Seventy dealers moved into the Fish Center on Thursday, August 15, and set-up continued into early evening and again the next day at the Marion Antiques Show. At 5:30 pm on Friday, people began arriving to enjoy not only the displays of the exhibitors, but a spread of food that was not only tasty, but beautifully presented among special flower arrangements. Read More... Our New Hampshire Antiques Week Roundup Coverage begins with the Americana Celebration Antiques Show, where a record number of early-birds rushed toward the four buildings and the outdoor dealer tents in search of something special. Read More... Start of Manchester Antiques Show Advertising for the show invited people to visit "80 of the finest Americana and country dealers from over thirty states." The show opened to 38 booths, causing some grumbling from a number of the visitors. Read More... Record Crowd Greets Riverside Sixty-six dealers were set-up, including nine showing for the first time, and show manager Linda Turner produced an interesting mix of exhibitors. "I am happy," she said the day after the show closed, noting that there were more than 1,000 people at the August 6 afternoon opening. Read More... Barn Star's Flagship Event Offers Best of Country Furniture and Folk Art One of the best things about Midweek in Manchester is that it feels like two terrific shows for the price of one. Read More... Shoppers Storm Dealer's Show in Search of Treasures Fifteen minutes after the opening of the 45th New Hampshire Antiques Show, aisles and booths were thick with customers, some of whom carried walkie-talkies or wore headsets, the better to relay crucial details to their partners shopping in really not-so-distant reaches of the 64-dealer exhibition. Read More... Good Picking at Bedford Market "More people waited around this year for the Pickers Market Antiques Show than ever before," Frank Gaglio, show manager said, "and many of the exhibitors reported very good sales." Read More... Christie's International Reports Auction Sales Totaling $989 Million "Against the volatility of the financial markets," said Edward Dolman, CEO, "the relative strength of the art market has been readily apparent." Read More... Chase Family Funds Nazi-Era Provenance Project at the Wadsworth Atheneum The gift enables the Wadsworth to hire a research assistant; photograph the objects; publish and update findings on the museum website; and subscribe to the Art Loss Register, the leading international database of lost and stolen art. Read More... Jacqueline M. De Groff Appointed Curator of The Drexel Collection De Groff has taught art history for 12 years, including courses on "The Italian Renaissance in Florence" and "Baroque Art in Rome." A resident of St Davids, Penn., she earned her BA and MA in art history from Temple University. Read More... Historic Homewreck: Out-of-Control SUV Severely Damages Hartford's Oldest House "What an irony," remarked Bill Hosley. "The family stood up to the wrecking ball of urban renewal and for 100 years fought to preserve this remarkable sanctuary to Hartford's glorious past....We are determined to make it right and assure that the light of [the city's] history is never extinguished on Main Street." Read More... A Little Summer Magic, Please Rhinebeck's one-day show celebrated its fourth edition on July 27 with the second highest attendance since its inception. Read More... Large, Expensive and Audacious: Thieves Make Off with Two Maxfield Parrish Murals in Los Angeles The owners of Edenhurst Gallery at 8920 Melrose Avenue - Don Merrill, Tom Gianetto and Dan Nicodemo - have stopped answering their phones and have closed their doors in the media aftermath of one of the biggest art heists in recent memory. Read More... A Taste of Maine - and Lots More While the show did give visitors a taste of what Maine antiques dealers had to offer, it also showcased exhibitors from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Read More... Nan Gurley Presents Antiques Show in Portland The event, timed with the Maine Antiques Dealers Association Antiques Show and located just one mile down the road, drew over 200 people to the early buying and another 500 before the show closed. Read More... Gala Opening at the American Folk Art Museum An estimated 1,000 people began lining the streets of Manhattan early on Thursday evening, July 11, to view the much awaited exhibition, "American Anthem Part II; Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum." Read More... National Portrait Gallery Acquires Millais Masterpiece Millais's painting of Louise Jopling is widely acknowledged as being among his greatest portraits; James McNeill Whistler, who also painted Jopling, called it "a superb portrait" and "a great work." Read More... Rhode Island Historical Society Names Bernard Fishman as Executive Director Fishman, currently executive director of the Lehigh County Historical Society, replaces Michael Gerhardt who has served a interim executive director since September of 2001. Read More... Sorry, We're Closed: Connecticut Historical Commission Shuts Down Four State Museums "This is a stupid thing they're doing," said Christopher Riley, who runs the Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine. "We're about the only thing in the department that makes money. So rather than cut the bureaucratic side of things, they cut us." Read More... London's Summer Olympia: A Sleek 30th Anniversary Makes for a Successful Fair The fair introduced some changes this June, not in order to reinvent itself (there is after all a well developed tried and trusted format), but to add a gleam to the existing polish -- figuratively and literally. Read More... Continuing a Fine Tradition of Antiques in the Churchyard Promoter/manager Vivien Cord said glowingly, "This show is magic." Judging from the steady stream of cars entering the show throughout the day, and the familiar sight of a dealer writing up a sales ticket, there are many people who would agree with her. Read More... The Wadsworth Atheneum Unveils Details for Its 2004 Expansion The 160-year-old art museum's plans call for razing the Goodwin building and replacing it with a new structure that will house 14,700 square feet of space for temporary exhibitions and contemporary art. Read More... Wilton Showgoers Brave the Heat for Cool Finds Despite the productivity of the weekend, in selling and educating visitors in genres from tramp art to mocha ware, the heat may have discouraged visitors from lingering. Read More... Philadelphia's Darrel Sewell to Retire, Kathleen Adair Foster Named McNeil Curator of American Art Sewell arrived in 1973, the year when the department of American art was founded, to become its first curator. His contributions to the entire field are remarkable. Read More... The Cleveland Museum of Art Names Dr Charles L. Venable Deputy Director of Collections Venable, whose artistic expertise is in American and European decorative arts, has served in positions of increasing responsibility at the Dallas Museum of Art since 1986 when he was appointed curator of decorative art. Read More... Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Purchases Rare Morris Secrétaire The imposing secrétaire is one of only six examples known and "represents the influential firm of Morris & Company at its highest level of excellence," says Dr David Park Curry, curator of American arts at the museum. Read More... Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Plans January 2003 Reopening The date coincides with the celebration of the Lunar New Year, the traditional start of the year for many Asian cultures, and culminates an eight-year, $160.5 million public/private partnership. Read More... Piper Trust Awards $200,000 Grant to Arizona's Heard Museum The funds will strengthen the museum's initiative to draw more local residents and families with children on a year-round basis. The grant was one of five given to arts and culture organizations by the Scottsdale-based foundation. Read More... Finding the Proverbial Needle in a Haystack at the Farmington Antiques Weekend Three hours head start gave early buyers a decided advantage over the general admission crowd if they knew what they wanted, but one needs to have a plan when going into a 557-dealer show. Read More... The Greater York Antiques Show Inside the York Fairgrounds' Memorial Hall, buyers eagerly inspected the treasures for sale at Jim Burk's annual Americana show after traveling from around the country to attend. Read More... Brandywine: A Blueprint for Antiques within an Antique Catherine Saunders-Watson never met an antiques show she didn't like, but if she had a preference, it is for those that are held in buildings that are, themselves, antiques. Read More... A Half a Billion Dollars Worth of Artwork Spanning Six Centuries: The International Fine Art Fair The installation of air conditioning was an immediate improvement on last year's fair, and the Armory was made much more comfortable for strolling through an event that deserved an entire afternoon of one's time. Read More... Sanford L. Smith & Associates Announce a New Show ART 20, at the Park Avenue Armory November 21-24, will feature exhibitors from the United States, Europe, Canada and Latin America offering a range of art from the Twentieth Century. Read More... The Courtauld Institute of Art Appoints Harvard's James Cuno as Director "This was by no means an easy decision but the directorship of the Courtauld was an opportunity I could not pass up." Read More... 41° 55' 38" North, 073° 53' 56" West Marks the Spot: The Rhinebeck Antiques Fair Looking for the epicenter of the antiques trade? Try Rhinebeck, where controlled pandemonium prevailed as management stayed just ahead of the surge that filled four buildings housing 185 dealers. Read More... New Life for Hartford's Oldest House Culminating a four-year, $1.3 million restoration and redevelopment effort, the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society will reopen the 1782 Butler-McCook House & Garden on June 15. Read More... Cleveland Purchases Important Bourgeois Sculpture at Auction The rare 1984 marble sculpture by 91-year-old Louise Bourgeois was won by the CMA for 1.3 million, a record for a work by the artist. Read More... Brimfield: The Rite of Spring For mainstream America, spring means getting the back yard in shape. Yet for a select group, those just slightly outside of the mainstream, these fancies are about as far from their minds as Mars is from planet Earth. Read More... Sotheby's Confirms Taubman 13D Filing The company confirmed June 3 Taubman's intention to explore a possible sale or merger of Sotheby's or the sale of his stake in the company. Read More... The Speed Art Museum Launches Interactive Digital Brochure The Speed has decided to digitally promote the upcoming 2003 exhibition, "Millet to Matisse: Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century French Painting from Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland." Read More... Date Change Proves to be a Postive Move for Litchfield County Antiques Show "The change was very positive, but who expected a snow storm?" asked Karen DeSaia, liaison for the Antiques Council. Read More... CHS Receives a Major Grant to Conserve Its Works of Art on Paper The Connecticut Historical Society recently received a $50,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to conserve 404 works. Read More... Restoring a Gilded Age Icon One of America's most famous mansions, The Breakers, is undergoing its first major architectural restoration in 107 years, a $2 million project undertaken by The Preservation Society of Newport County. Read More... The Decorative Arts Trust Recognizes Robert L. McNeil At the trust's spring symposium, held on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Philadelphian Robert Lincoln McNeil, Jr, was honored with the Award of Excellence for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the arts in America. Read More... A Fifth and 'Best' Year for the Chicago International Antiques and Fine Art Fair Produced by Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc and managed by Sanford L. Smith & Associates, Ltd, this prestigious fair welcomed 16 members of LAPADA, the Association of Art and Antique Dealers in the United Kingdom. Read More... In First Quarter Results, Sotheby's Holdings, Inc., Announce Significant Decrease in First Quarter Operating Expenses and Impressionist and Modern Art Sales Leading Competition by 20 Percent According to CEO William Ruprecht, the company's first quarter "was substantially better than our plan and we expect that 2002 will bring us back to profitability on the operating income line, especially as the economy recovers from last year's downturn." Read More... Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Calder Foundation Inaugurate Displays of Sculpture on Franklin Parkway Thanks to a $5 million grant, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway has become the site for a spectacular and buoyant display of artistic treasures that will augment the enjoyment of any stroll along the parkway for years to come. Read More... The Philadelphia Museum of Art, LACMA Receive Major Mellon Foundation Grants The foundation, with assets of approximately $4 billion, awards grants on a selective basis to institutions in higher education; museums and art conservation; performing arts; population; conservation and the environment; and public affairs. Read More... John D. Block Leaves Post at Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg "Although I have very much enjoyed my tenure with Phillips, I have decided that the time has come for me to realize my ambition to start a business of my own," he commented. Read More... Artprice.com Expands Its Internet Appeal The company's editor-in-chief, Peter Hastings Falk, announces that all 65,000 biographies in his three-volume "Who Was Who in American Art" are now accessible online. "The Internet is the most ideal medium for making our updated records quickly available to researchers." Read More... Linda Kaufman, Penny Ashford, Richard Chilton Join Winterthur's Board of Trustees "I envision Winterthur playing an even stronger role in increasing the public's awareness and appreciation of American decorative arts," said Kaufman. Read More... With Flying Colors The Southport-Westport Antiques Show proved once again that excellent dealers, a hard-working committee, professional management and lovely surroundings create a winning combination able to withstand the gloomiest forecasts, whether economic or meteorological. Read More... Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair: An All-Season Event The Chicago Botanic Garden and Stella Show Mgmt. Co. from New York City joined creative forces to produce the Midwest's largest antique and garden fair. Exhibitors from the United States and Europe entertained more than 12,000 garden antiques lover, and there was definitely something for everyone in a wide variety of prices. Read More... The Many Faces of Antique Garden Furniture at the New York Botanical Garden There was some concern by the show committee that the wet weather might keep people away, but one of the dealers was quick to reply "these people are gardeners - they will come out in any weather." And that is exactly what they did. Read More... No Jail Time for Former Sotheby's Chief Executive Diana Brooks was sentenced to six months of home detention for her role in the price-fixing scheme with Christie's. Read More... The Bedford Spring Antiques Show Despite a cautious buying audience, the 17th annual show brought out a loyal contingent of antiquarians from the town and its environs, and pleased most dealers with satisfying sales. Read More... International News Briefs Former Sotheby's chairman A. Alfred Taubman is sentenced to a year in prison....The European Union opens its own investigation into Sotheby's and Christie's 'cartel agreement'....Thieves make off with nine Expressionist paintings from the Bruecke-Museum. Read More... Norman Hirschl, Co-founder of Hirschl & Adler Galleries "If you look at the dealers today who are the next generation, the ones who are now 45-60 years old, I would vouch that at least half of them had worked at Hirschl & Adler. They came and worked and he encouraged them. The grounding and enthusiasm and support he had for the field was incredible. That is quite a legacy." Read More... Vision Accomplished: The Chicago World Antiques Fair "[The] committee provided advice and counsel...helping the company to create the vision for a premier Chicago event...ensur[ing] a successful event for dealers and guests." Read More... Dolphin Combines Two Shows and over 200 Dealers in Illinois Venue Dolphin Promotions, Inc brought the combined Chicago O'Hare Spring Antiques Show and the Antique Native American Art Show to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center April 5-7. Read More... American Arts Flourish In Philadelphia This year's presentation left little doubt in anyone's mind that Philadelphia's reputation as the "best American antiques show" is well-deserved. From clockwork organization to impeccable display, superlative offerings, record attendance on preview night and the following day, and strong sales, the 41-year-old show approached perfection. "From an operational point of view, it has been a terrific show," agreed manager Josh Wainwright. "More important, it's the best-looking show we've had in the 12 years that I've been here, both in the quality of the material and the way that it was displayed. Sales across the board were phenomenal, reflecting that quality."
Read More... Center City Antiques Show "Someone told me that it takes five years to measure the success of a show and we have just completed our fifth year," Barry Cohen, manager of the Center City Antiques Show, said two days after the April 7 close of his show. He added, "We maintained a good gate, the dealers sold better than last year, we had many favorable comments from those attending, and we are looking forward to our sixth year in Philadelphia." Read More... Navy Pier Antiques Show Frank Gaglio came on the loud speaker at the Navy Pier Antiques Show at 9:50 am on Friday, April 5, warning deal-ers that "the show will be opening in ten minutes." At the same time, the cell phone rang in the booth of exhibitor John Keith Russell and a short conversation took place. After signing off, John said, "That was a very local call, one of the people in line just outside the door asking about some things in the show." An-other look at how the cell phone has changed this world. What has also changed at the Naval Pier Terminal Building is the antiques show. It has gotten better with age. Visitor upon visitor remarked that "it never looked better" and "where do the dealers keep finding all these wonder-ful things. Read More... The Connecticut Spring Antiques Show: Setting Down Roots at the Expo Center The revival that the Connecticut Spring Antiques Show has been enjoying over the past several seasons continued on March 23-24, when the relaxed fair opened with minimal fanfare and a healthy contingent of knowledgeable buyers on Saturday morning at 9 am. Read More... The Wilton Season Gets Underway In a town with approximately 500 Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century houses, it is most appropriate that one of the country's best Americana antiques shows is staged each season of the year. Read More... A Tribute to Albert Sack A common passion for American decorative arts was a theme sounded throughout the evening, as one speaker after the next offered his or her recollections of Sack, a man who ennobled the antiques profession through his integrity, generosity and lifelong commitment to the field. Read More... Triple Pier: The Second Weekend To the delight of collectors and antiques dealers, Stella Show Mgmt. Co took over Piers 88, 90 and 92 for yet another weekend on March
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