Achieving the sale’s highest price, $14,080, was Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928-1987) “Daily News, 1967,” Warhol Factory, New York City, screenprint, one of 35, 50 by 30 inches ($8/12,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
NEW YORK CITY — La Belle Epoque Auction House offered 439 lots of fine art, decorative arts, furniture, Asian antiques and collectibles from estates in its July 27 Multi-Estates Summer 2024 auction. More than 1,000 bidders from around the world were registered for the auction online and “We were pleased to welcome many in person bidders in the room successfully winning” some of the top lots, shared La Belle Epoque’s gallery manager, Molly Carew. “We were very pleased with the results of the sale and so were our consignors.”
Andy Warhol’s screenprint of “Daily News 1967” surpassed its high estimate of $12,000 and finished as the highest-priced lot of the sale. Selling to an online buyer for $14,080, this example was one of a limited edition series of 35 prints from the Warhol Factory, New York City. With neon green, pink, red and orange color blocking and floral adornments, the print featured the partially obscured November 13, 1967, headline: “LBJ To Kremlin, Y’All Come.” The work was featured in Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné, edited by Frayda Feldman and Jorg Schellman (New York: Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., 1985). Warhol is always a highly sought-after artist and Carew provided some insight to the success of this particular print: “It was a limited edition of 35, so there are not many available in the retail market. The vibrancy of the color and the condition of the poster were very good.” It sold to a private collector, “though there was interest in the print from multiple Warhol galleries around the world.”
The only original painting to finish among the top 10 lots was William Moore Davis’ “Montauk Point.” Being by a highly collected artist, the oil on canvas depicting a hazy sunset scene was sure to draw some attention. With water cresting over rocks in the foreground, a lighthouse and sailboat decorate the horizon of the cloudy scene. “Montauk Point” went out at $5,760.
“Margaret Bourke-White atop the Chrysler Building” by Oscar Graubner (American, 1897-1977), circa 1930, 26¼ by 23¼ inches framed, soared past estimates to finish at $4,800 ($400/800).
Several black-and-white photographs earned top spots in the auction, led by Oscar Graubner’s circa 1930 shot of “Margaret Bourke-White atop the Chrysler Building.” Graubner worked as the darkroom assistant of Bourke-White (1904-1971), a photojournalist known for her work with LIFE magazine and, according to Britannica, “She is recognized as having been the first female documentary photographer to be accredited by and work with the US armed forces.” In this photograph, her assistant captured her in action, perched atop one of the Chrysler Building’s iconic eagle gargoyles. An interesting tidbit about Bourke-White: “She was one of the only female photographers to ever scale the Chrysler Building to take photographs,” shared Carew. The framed photograph went out at $4,800.
“Two Kids Dancing,” a 1940 photograph by Helen Levitt sold to an in-person buyer for $3,200. Taken on the streets of New York, the photograph depicted “Two mixed-race children dancing together in the street.” Carew went on to explain, “There was so much segregation at that time in America, and particularly in Brooklyn, but these children see right past it. It was a really beautiful moment that Levitt captured.”
A vibrantly painted vase or ceramic vessel featuring Joan Miró’s characteristic bold colors and abstract cubism was signed “Miró” and made $3,520. According to Carew, “It had Miró written on it but it wasn’t consigned with any certificate of authenticity. It was a really beautiful piece though, and we had multiple bidders actively bidding on it during the sale.”
This 19-by-13-inch bronze “Horse” sculpture by Fernando Botero (Colombian, 1932-2023) was bid to $3,200 ($1/2,000).
A 19-inch-high example of Fernando Botero’s bronze “Horse” sculpture also galloped across the block. What drew bidders to Botero’s “Horse”? Carew noted, “It was a limited edition of eight, signed ‘Botero’ on the leg of the horse, was solid bronze, in excellent condition and highly decorative.” Marked “3/8,” the chunky horse was bid to $3,200.
Two sets of collectible sterling silver ingots from the Franklin Mint, Flags of the United Nations and The International Locomotive, each with a certificate of authenticity signed by William F. Krieg, exceeded their estimates. Both sets were hallmarked First Edition Proof Sets, minted in limited edition. Dated March 15, 1974, the complete Flags of the United Nations collection included 135 ingots, guaranteed to contain 65,000 grains of solid sterling silver. However, in this set, one of the ingots, the example with the flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (now Belarus), was missing. Housed in a two-drawer mahogany display cabinet, the collection and accompanying information booklet sold for $3,520.
The other collector’s set, The International Locomotive, was dated August 5, 1974, and contained 52 solid ingots depicting “the most important locomotives of all time.” In total, the collection was guaranteed to contain 45,000 grains of sterling silver. A plaque on the case identifies the proof as being “struck by the Franklin Mint expressly for Albert P. Tarasuk, MD.” In a two-drawer wooden case, the silver locomotives finished at $2,816. Both silver sets were sold to the same in-house bidder.
This Herend porcelain Indian Basket fish platter with strainer, Hungary, accented with 24K gold, 24 inches long, swam to $2,880 ($300/600).
Soaring past its $600 high estimate to achieve $2,880 was a Herend fish dish. The oblong porcelain platter and strainer were painted in the Indian Basket pattern with blue, purple and orange flowers and a 24K gold rim. The Indian Basket pattern originated in the 1850s and, per the catalog, “Much of the Oriental porcelain exported to Europe was shipped via East Indian companies, and the Eastern influence is further reflected in the Japanese-style arrangements portrayed here.” Both the dish and the strainer were stamped on the bottom with the blue “Herend Hungary Hand Painted” trademark, which dates the set to circa 1960-85, though it was purchased in 1982 directly from the Herend Factory.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. La Belle Epoque’s next sale will be in the fall and dates are yet to be announced. For information, www.labelleepoque.com or 212-362-1770.
