The Monterey County Herald via AP reports a 205-year-old instrument crafted in 1798 by Jose Carbajal, a Salinan Indian, vanished from Mission San Antonio de Padua's museum. The theft, which replaced the violin with a cheap imitation, was only noticed when John Warren of the New World Baroque Orchestra arrived to borrow the instrument; detective Jim Miller notes no value has been placed on the missing item.
Dora Maurer article notes a Nazi-looted still-life titled Le Pate de Jambon, attributed to Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow since 1936, expected to be returned to the original owners’ family after evidence of sale by relatives in 1936.
The Independent reports Sotheby’s sale in New York of 48 paintings and sculptures brought in $194,289,600 (£104,788,369), the highest total for an Impressionist and Modern Art auction since May 1990 before the market crash. Highlights included Gauguin’s Maternite (II) at $39,208,000 and Modigliani’s Jeanne Hebuterne at $31,368,000, with Henry Moore’s Three-Piece Reclining Figure: Draped at $8.4 million and Mondrian’s New York/ Boogie Woogie at $21 million.
Monet painting from Claude Monet, London Parliament series, titled London, the Parliament, Effects of Sun in the Fog (1904), sold for $20.1 million at Christie’s; presale estimate was $12 to $18 million. The sale was part of Christie’s two-day auction totaling $128.2 million, with commissions noted.
Monet's painting London, the Parliament, Effects of Sun in the Fog, 1904, sold for 20.1 million dollars to Samir Traboulsi, in New York auction. The work had been in the family of Monet's dealer Paul Durand-Ruel for 100 years. Sotheby's David Norman commented on guarantees and patience, and additional records for Henry Moore and Constantin Brancusi were noted.
Joan Miró's La caresse des étoiles (1938) appeared as the final important painting in Christie's Impressionist and Modern sale, triggering a strong bidding surge that helped push the final tally to $128 million and the Miró to $11.76 million. The painting, discovered in the collection once owned by Nathan Halpern and never published before the sale, was noted for its expressive pseudo-cartoon figures and bold red, blue, and black color scheme. Claude Monet’s view of the House of Commons beyond the Thames subsequently sold for $20.16 million, aligning with high-end estimates.
Gauguin's Maternidad II sold for 39.2 million dollars (30.7 million euros) at a Sotheby's New York sale, part of a session in which Paul Gauguin, Amedeo Modigliani, Piet Mondrian and Henry Moore set new records. The work, created around 1899 in Tahiti, was among pieces with high private ownership and had sparked interest including a potential acquisition by the Paul Getty Museum; the buyer was not identified.
Monet. Artwork: London, the Parliament, Effects of Sun in the Fog (1904). 20.1 million (selling price). Overall sale total: 128.2 million. Christie's Rockefeller Center sale in New York. Date: Nov. 4, 2004.
Monet painting fetches $20.1 million. The work is Claude Monet’s 1904 London Parliament series painting London, the Parliament, Effects of Sun in the Fog and was bought at Christie’s by Samir Traboulsi, with a presale estimate of $12 to $18 million.
The post reports that Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey purchased a Giovanni Batista Guadagnini cello made in 1760 in Parma for 341,250 pounds, the highest price for a Guadagnini cello at auction. It mentions that Wispelwey may perform with the instrument in Japan the following March and cites the official site.
The Art Newspaper reports on the second Frieze fair in London, noting strong sales and positive mood despite inclement weather. Highlights include pieces by Rachel Whiteread, Franz West, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Richard Hamilton, and Jake and Dinos Chapman, with sales of works by the Beckers, Matthew Barney, and Richard Prince.
Tess Crebbin describes the first International Boris Pergamenschikow Scholarship Award Ceremony, noting performances by Bohorquez with a three-cellist Bach piece, Nicolas Altstädt, Julian Arp, and Danjulo Ishizaka with Mara Mednik. Highlights include Arp's Debussy Cello and Piano Sonata, Ishizaka's Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso, and praise from Bernard Greenhouse and Frans Helmerson.
David content describes Land's End Chamber Ensemble, a Canadian group, and their first CD featuring Antheil's second violin sonata, Gordon Rumson’s Three Preludes for Piano, and Takemitsu's Between Tides. Malcolm Tattersall provides a review noting first-rate performances and excellent production.