Monthly archive
25 headlines
Source-linked reporting
m-news.artron.net
The article reports that Ingles & Hayday will auction a violin, made in 2012 at the J&A Beare Workshop, to benefit Luthiers Sans Frontières, at Sotheby’s in London on May 13, 2014. The instrument is linked to the Lafont Guarneri of 1736; other lots include a 1680s Grancino cello and works by Gagliano, with estimates from £800 upwards.
news.artnet.com
Alexander Forbes, drawing on reporting about Cornelius Gurlitt, discusses the closing of the case regarding his Munich art trove. The article notes that an April 7 agreement allows Gurlitt to reclaim a large portion of the collection not eligible for restitution, while some works must be returned to heirs, including a Matisse. The Bavarian government’s provenance research is to be completed within one year.
lesliedinaberg.com
Huguette Clark family treasures by Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir will be auctioned by Christie’s in New York, with an evening sale on May 6 and a dedicated sale titled An American Dynasty: The Clark Family Treasures on June 18. The collection is linked to the late Huguette M. Clark and her Bellosguardo Estate in Montecito. The total collection is expected to realize in excess of $50 million.
news.artnet.com
Doreta Peppas discovered a box of Vincent van Gogh paintings her late father recovered from a Nazi train in Greece during World War II. The stash, which also included a Cézanne nude and a Van Gogh sketchbook, is valued at about $100 million; authentication has involved X-rays and expert analysis, with a stamp on a Van Gogh portrait authenticated as a Nazi mark by the Bundesarchiv.
elpais.com
El artículo informa que quedan solo diez violas creadas por Antonio Stradivarius y que solo dos podrían pertenecer al periodo dorado del maestro. Una viola, apodada Macdonald, será subastada por Sotheby’s el 26 de junio, con precio de salida de 45 millones de dólares (32,5 millones de euros). Fue presentada en París y tocada por el violinista David Aaron Carpenter; el lugar de la subasta y las condiciones fueron descritas por Tim Legend, experto en instrumentos.
resmusica.com
The article from ResMusica reports that Sotheby’s and Ingles & Hayday will auction the Stradivarius alto Macdonald, made in 1719 by Antonio Stradivarius. The instrument is named after former owner Godfrey Bosville, Baron Macdonald III, who acquired it around 1820. Expert Tim Ingles notes it is in perfect condition with no restoration for 300 years, and that no Stradivarius alto has been sold since 1954. The instrument, once bought in 1964 for Peter Schidlof of the Amadeus Quartet, features spruce top and a single-piece maple back. The asking price is estimated above 45 million USD, with the current record being the Stradivarius violin Lady Blunt (1721) sold for 11.9 million USD in 2011 to the Nippon Music Foundation for earthquake relief in Japan.
nbcnews.com
NBC News reports a rare Stradivari viola, regarded as one of the finest, is on display in Paris ahead of a sealed-bids sale in June and is expected to fetch more than $45 million, potentially setting a world record for the most expensive musical instrument sold.
rte.ie
The article discusses a rare Stradivarius viola nicknamed the 'Macdonald', valued at $45 million (€32.6 million) and potentially the most expensive musical instrument ever sold. It notes the instrument was made by Antonio Stradivari in 1719, is one of only 10 Stradivarius violas remaining, and is up for sealed bids at Sotheby’s with bids due by 26 June; the previous record was the 1721 Lady Blunt violin sold for $15.9 million in 2011 to benefit tsunami and earthquake victims.
exame.com
The article reports that the Macdonald viola, made in 1717 by Antonio Stradivarius, regarded as the most famous violin, will be auctioned in New York with a potential price exceeding US$45 million. Sotheby’s notes the instrument’s exceptional preservation and quality, and the sale will be conducted via sealed-bid envelopes in cooperation with Ingles & Hayday.
lexpress.fr
A Stradivarius alto known as the Macdonald, crafted in 1719 by Antonio Stradivari, is estimated to fetch over 32.6 million euros at auction. The instrument, one of only ten altos by Stradivari in the world, was described by experts as a rare, highly valuable piece, with Sotheby’s seeking bids until June 26.
pasadenastarnews.com
The article describes Margaret Batjer assembling eight rare Stradivari violins for Strad Fest LA, culminating in a $750 gala at the California Club in Los Angeles that raised $535,000 for LACO programs. Notable instruments named include the 1666 SERDET, 1708 RUBY, 1711 KREISLER, 1714 LEONORA JACKSON, 1715 TITIAN, 1716 MILSTEIN, circa 1720 BEECHBACK, and 1720 RED MENDELSSOHN; ownership and provenance are mentioned for several of them.
pressherald.com
The article describes Mark O’Connor, a Maine-made violin by Jonathan Cooper of North Gorham, damaged backstage at a concert in Sioux Falls, SD. The violin, valued at $15,000, had become deeply significant to O’Connor, who compares its sound and personality to Stéphane Grappelli.
gazette.com
The article reports that Wayne Smisek and his wife Betz donated a violin once owned by Thomas Jefferson, valued at $350,000–$400,000, to the Colorado Masonic Library and Museum in Colorado Springs. The firearm? (no) The donation was announced at a Garden of the Gods Club luncheon and the violin, previously owned by the J.W. Forrester family, had connections back to a slave named Ben, and was associated with Jefferson.
news.artnet.com
The article reports that an untitled 1947 oil on canvas by Joan Miró, stored for decades in a Manhattan vault, will be offered for sale by Sotheby’s on May 8 with an estimate of $4 to $6 million. The piece’s authenticity is supported by A.D.O.M., and the narrative references Miró’s activities in New York in 1947 and relationships with people such as Thomas Bouchard and Diane Bouchard.
phys.org
No clear price data is provided. The article discusses a blind study where ten world-class soloists tested old Stradivari violins against newer, cheaper violins, with the newer instruments winning. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and involved violins by Stradivari and other older Italian makers; co-author Joseph Curtin and lead author Claudia Fritz are named.
latimes.com
The Los Angeles Times reports on a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing highly accomplished violin soloists cannot reliably distinguish old Stradivari violins from newer ones in blind tests. In a follow-up experiment, soloists tended to rate newer violins higher when age was concealed, with several Stradivari instruments among the old ones.
news.artnet.com
The article reports that Germany is returning a rare self-portrait by Wilhelm von Schadow to the estate of Max Stern, a Jewish Canadian art dealer, after Stern was forced to sell many works to the Nazis. The work was sold at Lempertz in 1937, later acquired by the Düsseldorf City Museum in 1972, and its tainted provenance was clarified in a 2012 discovery; the painting is being returned through the Max Stern Art Restitution Project to Concordia University in Montreal.
theadvocate.com
The article discusses a 1719 Stradivarius viola known as “the Macdonald,” one of only two Stradivari violas still in private hands. Sotheby’s expects it to sell for more than $45 million in a private sale, potentially setting a record for a musical instrument sold privately or at auction. The Macdonald was acquired by the Amadeus Quartet member Peter Schidlof in 1964 and is now being sold from his estate; bidding may occur through June.
Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s considers the Pritzker family’s collecting history and its wider impact on architecture, museums and cultural philanthropy.
news.artnet.com
Jeff Elrod is discussed in the article with a hold recommendation as his work at Luhring Augustine has strong demand. The piece notes Elrod’s “Rabbit Ears” show and prices in the current show range from $50,000 to $95,000. Christian Rosa is not mentioned in the provided excerpt.
seattletimes.com
Gauguin painting recovered after years in Italian man’s kitchen; the work is a still life by Paul Gauguin from 1889 titled “Fruit on a Table or Still Life With a Puppy,” valued by auction-house experts at about $15 million. Pierre Bonnard’s “Woman With Two Chairs” was also recovered, valued at about $2 million.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports an exclusive behind‑the‑scenes preview of The Paris Experiment, a rigorous blind study led by acoustic researcher Dr. Claudia Fritz and violin maker Joseph Curtin, comparing six old Italian violins (including five by Antonio Stradivari) with six new violins. The study involved ten soloists and is linked to three forthcoming scientific papers, with a related video created for The Strad Project.
news.artnet.com
Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, London (1903) is discussed as part of Cornelius Gurlitt’s hidden art stash. The article notes the work’s provenance and mentions related pieces by Renoir, Cézanne, and Picasso; it cites auction results and valuations, including a 2007 Christie’s Monet sale and an Independent estimate of £8 million, with the broader context of Nazi-era looting and provenance research.
theguardian.com
Two works by Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard were stolen from a London collection in 1970 and bought for about £300 in 1975 by an Italian Fiat worker, who kept them hidden for nearly 40 years before their recovery is announced by Italy's culture ministry in Rome. The Gauguin still life (1869) is valued between €10m and €30m (£8m-£25m) and Bonnard's La Femme aux Deux Fauteuils is valued around €600,000 (£500,000). The paintings were recovered and investigations are ongoing regarding their rightful ownership.
nationalpost.com
The National Post reports that a Paul Gauguin still life stolen from a London-area collector was recovered after hanging in a Sicilian autoworker’s kitchen for 40 years. Italian authorities estimate the painting’s worth between 10 million and 30 million euros (about 14 to 40 million USD). The work, depicting fruit, is linked to Gauguin’s motifs and may be from 1889, measuring 46.5 by 53 cm.