Trade News from Around the World
Online auctioneer eBay, San Jose, Calif., is cutting back its live auction businesses in an effort to sell more high-end art and antiques on the Internet, reports the Associated Press. The move this month will result in the layoffs of 13 of 21 employees in the Chicago office of subsidiary Butterfield and Butterfield, eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said July 13. A review of the Chicago office’s activities found much of the merchandise first inventoried there actually is being sold in Butterfield and Butterfield’s San Francisco office, Pursglove said, reducing the need for a physical Midwest presence.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, has received a $10 million gift from Andrea and Charles Bronfman. The gift will support the renovation and reinstallation of the museum wing which houses its renowned archaeology collection, recognized as the foremost collection of Biblical, Jewish, early Christian, and Islamic antiquities in the world. The existing wing was built in 1965 when the Israel Museum was first opened, as the founding gift to the then fledgling museum, given by Baroness Minda de Gunzburg, Phyllis Lambert, Edgar Bronfman, and Charles Bronfman, in honor of the 70th birthday of their father Samuel.
American Military Appraisals, LLC (AMA), Torrington, Conn., officially opened online business on July 12. The site provides on-line appraisals for guns, swords, and uniforms. George Juno determines the appropriate market value for these rdf_Descriptions based on their condition, authenticity and rarity.
Two former top managers at Scottsdale’s Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction, Phoenix, Ariz., have left the company and started a competing collector-car sale. Andrew and Josephine Alcazar told the Associated Press July 11 that the inaugural Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction would take place January 18 through 20 at a to-be-announced location. The Barrett-Jackson auction, a four-day event, is set for January 18 through 21. Andrew was general manager of the Barrett-Jackson auction, essentially was the right-hand man to auction owner and president Craig Jackson. Josephine, Andrew’s wife, was director of catering operations. They left the auction earlier this year. Andrew said that the Russo and Steele auction would be a low-pressure, small-venue event aimed at the hottest part of the old-car hobby: European sports cars and American muscle cars.
The Juliette K. and Leonard S. Rakow Research Library, a comprehensive library on the history and art of glass, has opened the doors of its new permanent home at the Corning Museum of Glass, Five Museum Way, Corning, N.Y. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the library expands the museum’s evolving campus, providing improved facilities for researchers, superior storage for the collections, and more efficient work areas for the staff. The museum campus encompasses a distinguished collection of buildings whose architecture celebrates spirited and innovative uses of glass.
The Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn., will be undergoing a major facelift and has chosen a renowned artist and designer to help with the endeavor, says the AP wire. Maya Lin – best known for her design of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington – will design a new facade and landscaping for the downtown Hartford art museum. The 156-year-old Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in the nation, is running out of space to accommodate exhibits and visitors.
