The article reports that violinist Rachel Barton Pine, who plays the Joseph Guarneri del Gesu violin insured for almost $20 million, had a dispute with an American Airlines captain who would not allow the instrument as carry-on. The FAA and American Airlines allow such instruments on a first-come basis if they fit in the overhead bin or under a seat, but the pilot insisted on not allowing it. Pine ultimately did not board that flight, and American apologized to her.
The article discusses the recovery of a Stradivarius owned by Roman Totenberg, a renowned violinist, which had been stolen from his office at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge 35 years earlier and recovered last year. It mentions details about Totenberg, his daughter Nina Totenberg, and the thief Phillip Johnson, with context from NPR.
The Moscow Times reports that Reuning & Son Violins removed sale details for the Stradivari cello known as the “Stuart,” said to have been bought by Sergei Roldugin, a close associate of Vladimir Putin. The cello, made circa 1732, was reportedly purchased for $12 million according to Putin, via a Kremlin statement. The piece notes the instrument’s association with Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm of Germany and mentions Antonio Stradivari as the maker.
The article reports that information about the sale of a Stuart cello, previously bought by Sergei Roldugin, was posted on the Reuning auction house site and then disappeared from several pages. It notes that the cello, named Stuart, had been played by Stephen Honi ngberg and that two other Stradivari cellos named Paganini (1707) and Gore-Booth (1710) were discussed, with Paganini sold in 2012 and Gore-Booth in 2013. The archived page still shows the instrument with photo. The piece references journalist Alexander Kolyandrotch and concerns about reputational risk related to Roldugin’s mention in the Panama Papers. The article mentions that the purchase date is around January 2016 and that the buyer’s identity and price are not being sought.
The Seattle Times reports that Rafael Carrabba, a Seattle-based master luthier, and his four-person team restored a famous Stradivarius cello worth about $10 million that had been stolen in 2004 and later recovered near a Los Angeles dumpster. The project, conducted in Carrabba’s Queen Anne shop, unfolded as a demanding, emotionally taxing restoration that the craftsman described as almost spiritual.
A centuries-old Korean Buddhist painting sold for US$1.805 million at a Christie’s auction in New York. The work, from the 16th century and painted at the request of a wife of Jungjong, a Joseon Dynasty king, was the top bid for an ancient Korean painting at Christie’s. In the same auction, 27 ancient Korean art pieces were offered, with 25 selling and total sales at US$3.78 million.
The New England Conservatory becomes the new owner of the 1714 Stradivarius violin, which Joseph Joachim bought in 1849 at age 18 and used as his principal instrument. The instrument was left to NEC by Si-Hon Ma’s estate, a former NEC graduate and Cleveland Orchestra member, who died in 2009. Ma had purchased the instrument from the Rembert Wurlitzer company in New York in 1967, and it had previously been owned by an American collector, Hugh Long.
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston has been gifted the 1714 Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin from alumnus Si-Hon Ma’s estate. The instrument, previously owned by Joseph Joachim, was purchased by Ma in 1967 and is loaned temporarily to NEC student Alexi Kenney, who recently received an Avery Fisher Career Grant.
The painting discovered in a southwest France attic is attributed to Caravaggio and could be worth 120 million euros (about 137 million USD). The work is believed to depict Judith beheading an Assyrian general and may have been painted in Rome in 1604-1605. Eric Turquin art expert agency commented on its exceptional condition and long-forgotten state.
Paul G. Allen’s landscape-painting exhibition, Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection, is presented across multiple US venues and features about 39 paintings from a private collection. The show is co-organized by the Portland Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, and the Paul G. Allen Collection, with major support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and Vulcan Inc.
Eric Turquin valued the painting at about €120 million ($137 million) and stated the work shows the light and energy typical of Caravaggio. Nicola Spinosa called the canvas a true original of the Lombard master, though some experts dispute Turquin's authentication and two Caravaggio experts questioned attribution to Caravaggio or Finson.
The article reports that Mark Landry, a homeless busker in Montreal, had his violin stolen and that L’Orchestre Métropolitain arranged to buy him a replacement from Maison du Violon. The orchestra’s president, Jean Dupré, and Francis Lapointe of Maison du Violon described helping Landry by providing a new instrument at cost to restore his ability to perform.
Kippy Stroud’s estate will have a portion of her art collection sold to fund the Fabric Workshop and Museum, including four Georgia O’Keeffe paintings. Christie's in New York will auction some of the most valuable pieces on May 19 with estimates for O’Keeffe works between $7.8 million and $12 million.
The article discusses Marion Boulton "Kippy" Stroud's plan to sell portions of her art collection, including four Georgia O'Keeffe paintings, to fund the Fabric Workshop and Museum. The sale is coordinated through Christie's in New York on May 19, with O'Keeffe works expected to fetch $7.8 million to $12 million.
Elizabeth Blair reports on how the Panama Papers reveal insights into the art market's opacity, mentioning Pablo Picasso and a groundbreaking 1997 auction experience. The article discusses how offshore and opaque practices intersect with high-profile art dealings.
The Modigliani painting allegedly looted by Nazis was sequestered in Geneva after the Panama Papers leak identified its current owner. The work is believed to be Seated Man With A Cane (1918), linked to Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner who fled Paris in 1939, and was reportedly valued at $25 million (22 million euros). The painting was associated with wealthy art collector David Nahmad via the offshore company International Art Center (IAC), amid revelations from the Panama Papers.
The article discusses how the Panama Papers shed light on the art market's opaque practices, including the 1997 Christie's auction of the Ganz collection featuring Picasso and other artists such as Amedeo Modigliani.
Amadeo Modigliani's 1918 painting Seated Man with a Cane has been sequestered in Geneva amid Panama Papers revelations. The work is at the center of a dispute with the Nahmad family and the estate of Oscar Stettiner over ownership claimed to have been seized by Nazis; the IAC was named as a holder, and authorities began a criminal procedure.
Swiss prosecutors seized Seated Man with a Cane, 1918, by Amedeo Modigliani from a Geneva storage facility linked to the Nahmad family, following a restitution dispute connected to Oscar Stettiner. The painting was confiscated after authorities audited Rodolphe Haller’s storage unit in Ports Francs Geneva.
Panama Papers reporting traced the disputed ownership of Basil and Elise Goulandris’s collection of more than 80 major works. A purported 1985 sale transferred 83 paintings to Wilton Trading for $31.7 million, while lawsuits and a criminal investigation examined the transaction and ownership.
The Leopold Museum in Vienna will return two Egon Schiele watercolors looted from Karl Maylaender to his heir Eva Zirkl. The museum had previously considered five Schiele works in question and will keep three, following a restitution process that involved Austria’s Jewish Community. This case follows past Schiele restitution cases connected to the Leopold Museum, including Portrait of Wally, and parallels other restitution narratives involving Klimt works.
Pablo Picasso Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), 1955, is discussed in relation to the Ganz Collection sale arranged in part by billionaire Joe Lewis. The $206 million Ganz Collection sale at Christie’s New York, including Picasso’s Women of Algiers (version O) at $31.9 million, is connected to the Panama Papers revelations about Lewis and the handling via Simsbury International Corp., and Spink & Son.
Egon Schiele drawings were returned by the Leopold Museum to the descendant of Karl Maylaender, with two watercolors including a self-portrait going to Eva Zirkl and three remaining drawings staying with the museum. The settlement follows Austria’s restitution efforts and recalls past cases such as Portrait of Wally and Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I.
The article discusses how the Panama Papers reveal connections between the art market and offshore tax havens, including a Modigliani portrait once thought looted from the grandson of a Jewish art dealer. It follows legal actions led by Philippe Maestracci and involves the Nahmad Gallery and an offshore entity connected to the Panama Papers investigation.
The Leopold Museum in Vienna settled a dispute over five Nazi-plundered drawings by Egon Schiele with the descendants of the former owner. Two watercolors, including Schiele's self-portrait, were to be returned to Eva Zirkl, while three drawings remain at the museum. The settlement follows a history of restitution efforts in Austria, with prior notable cases including the 2006 Klimt restitutions and the 2010 Portrait of Wally settlement.
The article reports Zhang Daqian’s Ink Splash painting Peach Blossom Garden (Taoyuan Tu) selling at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for 271 million HKD, setting a new record, with buyer Liu Yiqian of Shanghai Long Museum. It notes prior sale of a chicken-cup at 280 million HKD and provides context of Zhang Daqian’s market position and other high-priced China paintings at auction.
Zhang Daqian’s 1982 hanging scroll Peach Blossom Spring sold for 34.7 million dollars including buyer’s premium at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, setting a world auction record for the artist. The sale occurred during the first part of Sotheby’s Fine Chinese Paintings sale in Hong Kong and attracted over 100 bids; the painting went to Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei, founders of the Long Museum.
Liu Yiqian pays a record US$35 million for a painting by Chinese master Zhang Daqian, titled Peach Blossom Spring, at a Sotheby’s sale in Hong Kong. The work fetched HK$270.7 million including buyer’s premium, marking the highest price for a Zhang Daqian piece at auction.
Mark Rothko's No. 17 is slated to lead Christie’s forthcoming sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art in New York, with estimated price range of $30-$40 million. The 1957 blue canvas was exhibited in 1961 during Rothko’s traveling retrospective and has a documented exhibition history including Whitechapel Art Gallery and Fondation Beyeler. This would mark the painting’s third sale in its history.
The article discusses Michael Duff of Berg Bows, who aims to recreate a Nikolai Kittel cello bow once owned by Janos Starker. Starker endorsed Duff, and Duff is developing a synthetic version of the bow that remains affordable for young musicians; the piece notes Duff’s process, including studying data from “The Bows of Nikolai Kittel,” borrowing the original bow for two days, and making design choices such as using African blackwood for the tip.
Mark Rothko’s No. 17 (1957) leads Christie’s New York Evening Sale of Post-War & Contemporary Art on May 10, 2016, with an estimate of $30-40 million. The work is described as a rare blue canvas emblematic of Rothko’s late-1950s development, connected to the Seagram Murals and Rothko’s 1961-1963 retrospective trajectory.