The granddaughter of Marc Chagall says she feels lucky after a rare $1 million Chagall work, Study for Over Vitebsk, stolen from The Jewish Museum in Manhattan last year, was recovered and returned. The 1914 watercolor and gouache on paper was authenticated by Bella Mayer, a Chagall Committee member, and turned up in a Topeka postal package marked undeliverable. The painting had been on loan from a private collector in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The article reports on the exhibition French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin, organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art and presented at the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York City, running through May 18. Works highlighted include Theodore Gericault’s Man Clutching a Horse in Water, Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s Head of a Young Woman, and Alphonse Legros’s Head of a Man.
The Northern Echo article reports that police recovered a ukulele, a violin, and thousands of pounds worth of gold jewellery during a raid on a Middlesbrough property. A man was being questioned, and a phone number is provided for anyone who believes the items belong to them.
The article discusses a Córdoba exhibition of string instruments dating from the 17th century, with about 80 violins, violas, cellos, and double basses on display. Luthier José Peñalver and curator Julián Salcines describe the collection, which visitors could handle and even play, including a 1646 Amati violoncello and an Ornati from 1633 and a Montagnana from 1723 valued at 323,000 euros.
The article reports Christie’s London Impressionist and Modern sale achieving a high total with four new world records, selling 11 paintings over £1 million and a sale total just over £41 million (£58.2 million in USD). It notes the previous London sale record of £76.5 million set in November 1989 and mentions comparable results from Sothe’s in London and New York sales, with quotes from Christie’s Jussi Pylkkänen and Melanie Clore. It also describes notable works such as Monet’s Prairie de Limetz (1888) and other works tied to the Saint Francis of Assisi Foundation.
The Rockefeller 3rd collection of Asian art has a new permanent gallery at the Asia Society headquarters in New York. The Asia Society and Museum expansion costs $38 million and will host a rotating display of Rockefeller works and other Asian art.
Camilo José Cela y Rosario Conde regalaron el miró rasgado a su hijo; este vendió la obra en Italia en 1996 por 37 millones de pesetas, pero Jordi Vilafranca recibió alrededor de 4 millones de pesetas. El heredero está implicado en demandas penales y civiles; la obra fue adjudicada en una sala de subastas en Prato y su última cotización en una galería italiana fue de 877,977 euros.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has acquired six major works by American painter Frank Stella, donated by gift and partial purchase from Peninsula collectors Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson. The works include early pieces such as Polk City (1963) and Zambezi (1959); five of the works will eventually be on public view at Quadrus in Menlo Park, while one is to be hung in the museum. The total appraised value is described as likely in the seven figures, though the museum declines to estimate exact value.
The page reports a BGH decision dated February 7, 2002, case I ZR 304/99, regarding copyright in the integration of a protected artwork into a new Gesamtkunstwerk, and discusses damages and considerations under UrhG §§ 14, 23, and 97 Abs. 1. It includes the leitsatz about creative Bearbeitung, author’s personality rights, and damage assessment, as well as the instance history (OLG Frankfurt am Main, LG Frankfurt am Main) and a Tatbestand involving the works by Hundertwasser and related framed prints.
Francis Bacon paintings Man In Blue VII, Head, and Portrait of Man with Glasses IV are listed for auction at Christie’s in London and are anticipated to raise over £1m (€1.4m). The article notes Bacon’s later works and his posthumous rising reputation, including a 1954 work and other pieces described as among his darker, angst-ridden canvases.
Bacon Estate and Dealer Settle A Two-Year Suit Over Pricing discusses the settlement between the Francis Bacon estate and the artist's dealer Marlborough U.K. and Marlborough International over alleged undervaluing of Bacon paintings in England, with each side bearing its own costs and avoiding a lengthy trial.
The Art Newspaper reports on Collect, the Crafts Council's new international fair for decorative arts, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It discusses the significance of placing decorative arts on par with fine art and mentions key figures such as Karen Turner and artists like Ron Arad, John Makepeace, Danny Lane, and Grayson Perry. The article notes Collect as Europe’s first international crafts fair and its endorsement by the V&A.