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23 headlines
Source-linked reporting
latimes.com
Orazio Gentileschi’s Danaë was purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum for $30.5 million at Sotheby’s in New York; the painting is the first of a three-work commission for Giovanni Antonio Sauli in 1621, with Lot and His Daughters already in Getty’s collection and the third panel in an unidentified New York private collection.
aa.com.tr
The stolen Pablo Picasso painting Woman Dressing her Hair (1940) was recovered in Istanbul after an undercover sting, with negotiations over several weeks and arrests of two men in Fatih. The painting was reportedly stolen from a New York collector and valued at up to $8 million during negotiations, with proceeds aimed at selling for about $7 million.
news.artnet.com
Orazio Gentileschi's painting Danae sold for $30.5 million at Sotheby’s New York, exceeding the previous record of $4.1 million. The work was acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum, with a pre-sale estimate up to $35 million, and had been on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The article notes other Gentileschi works sold in the past and mentions reactions by art writers.
elespanol.com
Gentileschi y la lluvia dorada de Zeus, Dánae, de Orazio Gentileschi, se vendió en Sotheby’s por 30,5 millones de dólares, adquirido por el museo J. Paul Getty en California. La obra superó el rango de estimación de 25 a 35 millones y fue la pieza destacada de una subasta que totalizó 53,47 millones de dólares, con otras obras de Jordaens, Rubens y Botticelli también en la puja.
nytimes.com
Orazio Gentileschi’s 17th-century painting Danaë, a subject of the Baroque era, was purchased by the Getty Museum in a Sotheby’s New York sale. The work set an auction record for the artist at $30.5 million. Sotheby’s and the Getty announced the acquisition; the painting is part of a trio commissioned in 1621, with Getty already owning Lot and His Daughters since 1998.
readingeagle.com
The article discusses violinist Vadim Gluzman performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto on the ex-Auer Stradivarius, a 1690 instrument previously owned by Leopold Auer and loaned by the Stradivari Society. Gluzman describes the violin as part of his identity and explains how he has learned to live with the instrument.
antiquesandthearts.com
Frida Kahlo painting Dos Mujeres (Salvadora y Herminia), 1928, was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The work will be on view January 27 to March 1 in a special presentation, and after conservation it will be installed in the Art of the Americas Wing. It is Kahlo's first painting acquired by any museum in New England.
bostonglobe.com
The MFA has acquired Dos Mujeres (Salvadora y Herminia) by Frida Kahlo, one of just 12 Kahlo paintings in US museums, entering the MFA’s permanent collection. The painting, created in 1928, depicts two Mexican women and was previously in a private US collection for about 90 years before the MFA purchase.”
theviolinchannel.com
The 1714 Antonio Domenicelli cello, reported lost on The Violin Channel in November, was found undamaged in a stolen 2007 maroon Acura ATL in Los Angeles. The instrument bore the label Antonio Domenicelli Fecit en Ferrara 1714 and was owned by Hollywood session musician Cameron Stone.
artslife.com
Chiara Faglia reports that New York hosts Old Master Week January 27–30, 2016, with Sotheby’s presenting six auctions of European paintings, drawings, and sculptures from the 14th to 19th centuries, including two private collections, The Road to Rome and Alfred Taubman’s collection. Highlights include works such as a painting by Thomas Gainsborough titled The Blue Page, and works by Raffaello Sanzio and Albrecht Dürer, with a major emphasis on Orazio Gentileschi’s Danaë estimated at 25–35 million USD that will be auctioned on January 28.
ktar.com
The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix hosts a new exhibit titled Stradivarius: Origins and Legacy of the Greatest Violin Maker, detailing Antonio Stradivari’s impact on violin making. The exhibit features more than 50 tools and instruments and includes a 1728 Stradivarius violin on public display for the first time in America.
slippedisc.com
The Général Dupont Stradivarius (1727), once owned by Arthur Grumiaux, is loaned to Frank Peter Zimmermann and will be played for the first time in the German premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s second concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic.
azcentral.com
Kerry Lengel reports for azcentral.com that the Musical Instrument Museum exhibit on Stradivarius instruments delves into the famed violinmaker's multimillion-dollar mystique. The article discusses the enduring intrigue surrounding Stradivari and the value placed on his violins.
news.artnet.com
Lucian Freud’s Head of Esther (1983) and Head of Ib (1983–84) are heading to auction at Christie’s in London with a pre-sale estimate of £2.5 million–3.5 million ($3.5 million–5 million). The paintings depict Esther Freud and Isobel Boyt, and the article notes Freud’s prominence in the New Figuration movement and the various retrospectives where the works have been shown. The piece includes quotes from Christie’s Francis Outred and contextual biographical details about Freud’s family.
dw.com
German task force reports that five works in the Gurlitt trove have been confirmed as Nazi-looted items. The announcement followed a review of roughly 1,200 works found in Cornelius Gurlitt's Munich apartment and comes as the panel defends its slow progress on restitution claims. Henri Matisse's Seated Woman is mentioned as a notable work in the collection.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses a legal fight between Gagosian Gallery and Pelham Europe over discovery related to a $100 million-plus sale of a Picasso sculpture, with a Qatar royal family representative alleging purchase in 2014 for about $42 million. It mentions a mystery third-party buyer allegedly ready to acquire the work after a Picasso show at the Museum of Modern Art. The piece notes potential public disclosure if Pelham Europe’s request is granted and references comments from Gagosian and Pelham Europe’s legal representatives.
invaluable.com
The article features insights from Sandra Germain of Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, John Schofield of Eldred’s Asian Arts, and Deric Torres on what is selling well and the forecast for 2016. Notable examples include Joan Miró (1942) sold for $264,000 and Wayne Thiebaud (1964) sold for $420,000; online bidding is expected to rise in 2016.
vanityfair.com
Pamela Romanowsky is commissioned by Sotheby’s to create a short film bringing Orazio Gentileschi’s baroque painting Danaë to life for an Old Master Paintings sale. The painting depicts Danaë with Zeus in a shower of gold, as interpreted on Gentileschi’s canvas; the film is tied to the auction lot of Danaë.
artforum.com
The article discusses dealer Larry Gagosian filing court documents asserting he owns Picasso’s Bust of a Woman, 1931, a plaster bust of Marie-Thérèse, rather than the Qatar royal family. Gagosian reportedly purchased the sculpture from Maya Widmaier-Picasso for about $106 million, and cites prior lawsuits involving Pelham, the family’s agent, and an agreement in 2014 to pay $42 million for the piece.
news.artnet.com
The article reports that the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in a California lawsuit over resale royalties brought by artists including Chuck Close and the estate of Sam Francis against Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and eBay. It notes the California Resale Royalties Act of 1976 requires a 5% royalty on art sold for more than $1,000, and that a California appellate court ruled the interstate portion unconstitutional. Reactions from Sotheby’s and supporters suggest the core act remains intact outside California, while critics point out the decision preserves California law without the out-of-state clause.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that the current owner of the 1727 General Dupont Grumiaux Stradivarius denies the violin was left unattended on a German train. The piece notes prior ownership transfers to a Chinese buyer via Rare Violins of New York and mentions Jennifer Koh as a former player of the instrument.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports a replica of the 1740 Carlo Bergonzi violin known as the Kreisler instrument was stolen in San Francisco, valued at about US $35,000. The theft occurred from an unattended car in Harding Park and included three bows and a case; one bow is stamped Ernst Kresuler. The instrument was owned by a former member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Contact the San Francisco Police Department at +1 415 759 3100 with any information.
wright20.com
117 is Frank Stella 1936–2024, Double Gray Scramble, a 1973 screenprint on Arches 88 paper, 29 h × 50½ w in (74 × 128 cm); estimate $20,000–30,000; result $50,000.