Monthly archive
21 headlines
Source-linked reporting
tarisio.com
The article discusses the Lady Blunt Stradivarius, a 1721 Stradivarius violin, and its planned auction by the Nippon Music Foundation in Tokyo to benefit Japan earthquake and tsunami victims. It notes the instrument’s record auction history and comments from Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, highlighting the instrument’s rarity and provenance.
theatlantic.com
The Atlantic reports that Nippon Music previously paid over $10 million for a 1721 Stradivari violin named Lady Blunt. The foundation will auction the instrument to benefit victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, with proceeds going to relief efforts; the instrument is described as one of the best-preserved Stradivaris and was formerly owned by Lady Anne Blunt. The sale is coordinated by Nippon Music Foundation and Tarisio, which currently holds the auction record for a Stradivari at $3.6 million.
tarisio.com
The Nippon Music Foundation offered the sale of the Lady Blunt Stradivarius of 1721 to support Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. The violin was sold on June 20, 2011 for $15.9 million to an anonymous bidder.
theglobeandmail.com
The Globe and Mail reports that Cherkley Court in Surrey, England was sold to Longshot, a consortium of 14 English investors, with plans to convert the estate into a hotel and golf club; the sale price was not disclosed, and the deal follows a legal settlement involving Beaverbrook U.K. Foundation and the Beaverbrook Gallery.
auctionpublicity.com
The article reports Sotheby’s London offering The Duerckheim Collection, a major collection of German art from the 1960s and 1970s, in the Contemporary Art Auction Series in June. It highlights works by Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and other artists, noting 59 artworks expected to realise in excess of £33 million across Contemporary Art Evening and Day Auctions on June 29–30, 2011.
gallerix.org
The Austrian museum must return Gustav Klimt's painting Litzlberg am Attersee to the heir of its original owner after investigations concluded the work was confiscated by the Nazis. The piece, now in MdM Salzburg, is valued at about €30 million (roughly $44 million).
artforum.com
According to AFP, Salzburg’s Museum of Modern Art will return a 1915 Gustav Klimt painting, Litzlberg am Attersee, to the Canadian descendant Amalie Redlich. Georges Jorisch, Redlich’s heir, plans to donate nearly $2 million from sales of the work to the Salzburg museum; the painting was stolen by Nazis.
seattletimes.com
The painting, Litzlberg am Attersee by Gustav Klimt, is owned by MdM Salzburg and worth up to euro30 million ($44 million). Nazi seizure and restitution discussions involve Amalie Redlich’s heir Georges Jorisch, with Salzburg authorities evaluating restitution.
sudouest.fr
The article reports that Bernard Magrez acquired a Stradivarius violin (produced 1700–1720) for his Institut culturel, with an estimated cost of 2 to 3 million euros. The instrument will be loaned to established violonists, such as Matthieu Arama, concertmaster of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, in exchange for performances at venues connected to Magrez’s patronage.
Christie’s
Christie’s announced two Hong Kong sales comprising more than 400 classical and modern Chinese paintings and calligraphy works valued above HK$330 million. The consignments included private collections from several countries and many works appearing publicly for the first time.
latimes.com
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) acquired eight artworks for roughly $2.7 million as part of its Collectors Committee Weekend fundraising. Notable purchases include Christian Marclay’s video work The Clock and Ai Weiwei’s 2006 spherical sculpture bought for $400,000.
artnews.conteart.com
The article reports that Spanish investigators recovered two stolen paintings, Goya's The Apparition of the Virgin of Pilar and El Greco's The Annunciation, which had been missing for 14 years. It notes the works were privately owned at the time of theft and recovered from a private house near Alicante; it also mentions a 2004 El Greco auction at Christie’s in London for 789,250 pounds.
spiegel.de
The article discusses the downfall of violin dealer Dietmar Machold as Austrian and Swiss authorities investigate alleged embezzlement and fraud related to a proposed multi-million euro deal involving a collection of historic string instruments. The story mentions a potential 40 million euro order for a private university and orchestra, Machold’s bankruptcy, and a high-profile pursuit leading to his arrest.
artnews.conteart.com
Mark Rothko’s undisclosed 1961 painting Untitled #17, oil on canvas, 93 x 76 inches, is the highlight of Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York on May 11, 2011, with an estimate of $18,000,000–$22,000,000. The work comes from a private collection and is one of only ten paintings to come to light since the Rothko catalogue raisonné was published in 1998, and will be included in the supplement to the catalogue raisonné.
bbc.co.uk
BBC News reports that a young Ayrshire musician had her violin stolen during a break-in and later had it returned anonymously to her family home in Dalry. The teenage girl, who had been invited to play with Nicola Benedetti, was described as delighted, and police were continuing to trace the break-in suspects.
luxartasia.com
The article reports that Sotheby’s Meiyingtang Collection of Chinese ceramics sold poorly, with only about 70 percent of lots sold and total auction receipts of $51.2 million, roughly half of the pre-sale estimate; two post-sales boosted the total to $88.4 million. It notes strong competition from J.T. Tai ceramics as a counterpoint and mentions reserve prices not met. A 18th-century Qing Dynasty vase and a blue and white Palace Bowl later sold post-sale for $25.6 million and $11.5 million respectively.
vecernji.hr
The article reports that John Michael Maughan, aided by two teenage boys, stole a Stradivarius violin worth £1.2 million from Korean violinist Min-Jin Kym at a cafe near Euston station in London, and also stole a Peccatte bow (£62,000) and another bow (£5,000). During the trial, it was noted that the violin and bows were offered for £100 in a nearby internet cafe, and a £30,000 reward was issued for the instrument’s recovery.
bild.de
The article reports that a V-Mann involved in recovering a stolen Stradivari violin seeks 150,000 euros in compensation, plus five percent of the violin’s value, from the police. The instrument had been stolen in 2008 near Hannover and recovered with the thieves detained; the undercover operative had already received 160,000 euros from the insurance.
n-tv.de
The article reports on a police V-man who helped recover a stolen Stradivari violin from Rittergut Bennigsen near Hanover and later sought a reward from the police. The Hanover Regional Court dismissed his claim, stating rewards require a concrete agreement. The instrument was insured for 1.5 million euros, and the man had previously received 160,000 euros from the insurer; no agreement existed for additional rewards.
carleton.edu
Carleton College’s music faculty and St. Olaf College musicians will perform an afternoon program for strings and piano, featuring Franck’s Sonata in A and Beethoven’s String Quartet in F, Op. 135. Performers include Hector Valdivia (violin), Mary Horozaniecki (violin), Elizabeth Ericksen (viola) of Carleton, and David Carter (cello) and Kathryn Ananda-Owens (piano) of St. Olaf; the event is at Carleton Concert Hall at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, and is free and open to the public.
vivrearia.blogspot.com
The page reports that Christie’s will auction a previously undocumented Mark Rothko painting, Untitled #17, at the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York on May 11, with an estimate of $18,000,000–$20,000,000. The work, one of only 10 paintings to come to light since the 1998 Rothko catalogue raisonné, has been in private hands since 1965 and was acquired directly from Rothko by the present owner.