Monthly archive
28 headlines
Source-linked reporting
abc.net.au
The daughter of the American art collector who sold Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles to the National Gallery of Australia is reunited with the painting after four decades. The National Gallery of Australia purchased the painting for $1.3 million in 1973; Patti Adler, whose father Ben Heller paid $32,000 for the painting in 1957, traveled from Colorado to view it again.
news.artnet.com
Sting and his wife Trudie Styler will auction over 200 items from their art collection at Christie’s London on February 24, 2016, including works by Ben Nicholson, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt, Keith Haring, Zeng Chuanxing, Georges Braque, René Magritte, Mimmo Paladino, and Carsten Höller, with presale estimates provided for several pieces.
lrculturevulture.com
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will showcase Concertmaster Andrew Irvin’s 250 year old Gagliano violin on October 27 as part of the ASO’s River Rhapsodies Chamber Music series at 7 PM in the Clinton Presidential Center’s Great Hall. The program includes Mozart and Shostakovich pieces, with tickets starting at $23 and discounted rates for military and students.
slippedisc.com
Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana, a violin-piano duo, report that thieves stole Natascia's violin from her house in Sora near Rome. The instrument is an Oresto Martini, Mantova, 1919.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that Tarisio Fine Instruments & Bows is launching the L’Archet Revolutionnaire bow exhibition in London from October 27 to November 3, featuring about fifty historical bows from 18th century French, English, German and Italian makers including Tourte, Duchaine, Dodd, Mauchand and Pajeot; events include lectures, masterclasses and performances, all free to the public.
press.christies.com
Louise Bourgeois’s gigantic bronze spider is the subject of a Christie’s release dated 21 October 2015, announcing that the sculpture will be on display in New York for a limited period from Halloween to November 12. The press material notes the work’s significance and historical record, with prior recognition of an artist record for Spider at Christie’s New York in 2011.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that VC ‘Artist’ Augustin Hadelich was announced as the inaugural recipient of the US $100,000 Warner Music Group classical music bursary, established with support from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Carnegie Hall. The prize was awarded to a classical singer or instrumentalist aged 18 to 35 who performed in a significant solo role during the 2014-2015 season.
news.artnet.com
Orazio Gentileschi’s Danaë (1621) will arrive at Sotheby’s New York with an estimate of $25 to $35 million. The painting has a notable provenance history, including a late 1970s legal dispute between Norton Simon and Richard Feigen, and it traces back to Giovanni Antonio Sauli before passing through Grange and other collectors.
nhregister.com
Yale University has won a federal court fight over ownership of The Night Café, a 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh. Pierre Konowaloff, who claimed ownership of the artwork through his ancestors, was involved in the case, with the dispute relating to the painting’s ownership and provenance.
audiophile.no
The article discusses Sonus Faber Il Cremonese, a new speaker in the Homage Series, named to celebrate Antonio Stradivari's violin Il Cremonese. It notes the violin's history, the Cremona connection, and compares Il Cremonese to the Stradivari Homage and Lilium, including technical details such as cabinet design and four-way construction.
theviolinchannel.com
The Rachel Barton Pine Foundation announced the acquisition of the 1732 Arkwright Lady Rebecca Sylvan Stradivarius violin, to be loaned to a worthy young concert artist. The instrument is valued at about US $4 million and was donated to the Foundation’s Instrument Loan Program by Dr Joseph Sylvan.
audiophile.no
The article announces Sonus Faber's new speaker Il Cremonese in the Homage series, noting it marks the 300th anniversary of Antonio Stradivari's violin Il Cremonese from Cremona and its connection to Fondazione Museo del Violino Antonio Stradivari Cremona. It describes the speaker’s design features, drivers, and a Stealth Reflex principle, placing it in the mid-range of the Homage line and referencing the Lilium model.
audiophile.no
The article discusses Sonus Faber introducing Il Cremonese, a prestige loudspeaker in the Homage series, marking the 300th anniversary of Antonio Stradivari's violin with the same name. It notes the violin's history and the museum collaboration, and describes Il Cremonese’s design, placement in the mid-range of the Homage line, and its technical specifications.
news.artnet.com
Peter Doig’s Cabin Essence (1993-1994) led Christie’s evening sale in London, selling for £9.6 million ($14.8 million). Martin Kippenberger’s A celebrity in film, radio, television and police call boxes (1981) sold within estimate for £2.4 million. Gerald Laing’s Commemoration (1965) sold for £1.2 million, a double estimate, and Albert Oehlen’s 1989 abstract work also sold for £1.2 million. Overall, Christie’s postwar and contemporary sale totaled £35.6 million ($55 million) against a £30.7 million to £42.6 million estimate, with strong interest from Chinese buyers.
news.artnet.com
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled (The Black Athlete) (1982) led Sotheby’s sale during Frieze week, selling for £4.1 million. Other works from the same collection, including Andy Warhol portraits and paintings, also sold within or above estimates, with Warhol pieces achieving notable returns; total sale was £36.4 million.
theartnewspaper.com
Lucian Freud etchings of his muse Sue Tilley sold for more than £100,000 each at Phillips London on 15 October 2015, with 30 of 32 etchings selling for a combined £1m. A rare 1996 self-portrait and a 2002 Eli the whippet sketch also featured among the highlighted lots.
straussart.co.za
Alexis Preller, Irma Stern, Hendrik Pierneef, William Kentridge, Deborah Bell, Anton van Wouw, Cecil Skotnes, Lucas Sithole, Karel Nel and Cecily Sash are highlighted for the Strauss & Co Summer auction in Johannesburg on 9 November. Notable works include Apollo Kouros II and The Creation of Adam I by Alexis Preller, with other top pieces by Stern, Pierneef and Van Wouw mentioned among the featured lots. The auction also references prior records and international works, including Ivon Hitchens’ Long Boat.
press.christies.com
The Christie’s press release reports that A Visual Odyssey: Selections from LAC (Lambert Art Collection) achieved £14,975,123 /$22,867,015/ €19,991,791. The sale featured Christopher Wool works, including Untitled (£4,898,500) and other works by Wool, along with a Louis XV ormolu mounted ebony bureau plat, with strong cross-border interest from bidders in 42 countries and five continents.
slippedisc.com
The article reports that a 1855 Vuillaume violin seized from Czech Philharmonic concertmaster Josef Spacek was returned to him in Ekaterinburg after he provided the needed documentation; Spacek has spent extra days in Russia and is awaiting an export permit to leave with the instrument.
artnews.com
Sotheby’s announced the auction of Picasso’s Blue Period painting La Gommeuse (1901) and Monet’s Nymphéas (1908) from William I. Koch’s collection, with La Gommeuse estimated over $60 million and Nymphéas estimated $30–$50 million. The sale will take place at Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale in New York on November 5, with public display in London during Frieze week.
alta.ru
The 19th century violin seized by customs at Yekaterinburg's airport reportedly belongs to Czech violinist Josef Spaček. The instrument is valued at about 200,000 euros, and Spaček performed at the Eurasia festival in Sverdlovsk, playing a 1855 instrument by Jean-Baptiste Villeume (Vilom). The violin was detained at Koltsovo airport and is under examination; it was not declared on arrival.
vlaamsekunstcollectie.be
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA) bought the drawing Fireplace utensils and masks by James Ensor at a Brussels auction, describing it as one of the few 'hybrid' drawings. The work, a black chalk on paper piece measuring 22.2 cm by 17.5 cm, represents a half realistic half surreal composition and expands KMSKA's Ensor collection.
paulfrasercollectibles.com
Yayoi Kusama's No. Red B, a 1960 oil on canvas, sold for $7 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong during the Modern and Contemporary Asian Evening Art Sale. The work stands about 1.7 metres tall and narrowly misses Kusama's auction record of $7.1 million set by White No. 28 in November of the previous year.
news.artnet.com
Banksy’s Salvaged piece from Detroit, I Remember When All This Was Trees (2010), sold at Julien’s Auctions for $137,500 after being salvaged from the Packard Plant. The gallery 555 Gallery is set to net $110,000 from the sale, while a companion Banksy work, Donkey Documents, did not sell despite a $400,000–$600,000 estimate.
wildhunt.org
Patrick McCollum’s World Peace Violin was blessed on the United Nations International Day of Peace by Jane Goodall and Yo-Yo Ma in New York. The instrument, which Unites diverse woods and has traveled to sacred sites and conflict zones, is described as a symbol of world peace and has received blessings from peacemakers and interfaith leaders.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses Christie’s first Open sale in New York, which grossed $9.6 million from 244 of 352 lots. It highlights top results such as Damien Hirst’s Beautiful, Exotic, Erotic, Divinely, Deep, Devil, Painting (1995) selling for $509,000 and Theodoros Stamos’s Listening Hills Low Sun (1957-58) at $341,000, with other notable works by Michael Goldberg and Georg Baselitz.
italianartsociety.org
Lucio Fontana’s Concetto Spaziale, La Fine di Dio (1963) sold at Sotheby’s London for $24.7 million, setting a new record for Fontana and for post-war Italian art. The work is part of the La Fine di Dio series (1963–1964) featuring perforations and ovoid canvases exploring Spatialism.
auctionpublicity.com
The page reports Chiswick Auctions' upcoming sale of violins and other musical instruments on October 14, with items from Ealing Strings and other vendors. The sale will be without reserve and includes over 200 small violins, 4/4 violins, violas, cellos, violin bows, and violoncello bows, with prices starting at £50. Viewing times are listed and bidding options include saleroom online, telephone bids, and commission bids; sale in person at 1 Colville Road, Chiswick. Nicola Rae-Wickham is the marketing contact.