An Assyrian gypsum relief from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, circa 883–859 BC, sold for $31 million at Christie’s antiquities auction in New York, tripling its pre-sale estimate of $10 million and setting a new record for Assyrian art. The seven-foot-tall gypsum slab depicts a deity and came from a three-piece set unearthed by Sir Austen Henry Layard from Nimrud; it was acquired by an American missionary and later passed to Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, circa 1500, sold for $450,312,500 at Christie’s New York on November 15. The painting’s provenance and restoration history are discussed, including its attribution and notable prior owners, and the article notes previous auction records and related figures such as Picasso and Louis XII. The piece mentions Dmitry Rybolovlev as consignor and Yves Bouvier’s role, as well as Diana Modestini’s restoration work.
The Restitutiecommissie provides a binding opinion on the restitution dispute over Painting with Houses by Wassily Kandinsky, currently in the possession of Amsterdam City Council. The report, RC 3.141, covers the period 1940–1945, with the original owner listed as a private individual and loss location in the Netherlands.
A violin and its accessories worth up to $30,000 were stolen from a car parked Downtown. The owner, Kayla Waldron, is a senior at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, who bought the instrument in high school. The case remains unsolved with possible clues from surveillance and a man who tried to sell the violin for $20.
Jackson Pollock, Number 16, 1950, oil on masonite, originally bought by Nelson Rockefeller for $306 in 1950 and donated to MAM Rio de Janeiro, is expected to fetch as much as $18 million at Phillips’s November 15 sale.
Sotheby’s documents the market development behind A Captivating Cézanne Landscape Comes to Auction from the Art Institute of Chicago. Its account reports that n the 1890s Paul Cézanne became mesmerized by the way reflections appeared in running rivers near his home in Provence, intrigued by the way the endless motion of the water along with the shifting sunlight continuously changed the angularity of objects’ appearance.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum deaccessioned three paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe to be offered at Sotheby’s in New York in November, with Calla Lilies on Red (1928) estimated at 8–12 million, A Street (1926) estimated at 12–18 million, and Cottonwood Tree in Spring (1943) to be included in the American art sale; the total estimated value is upwards of $21.5 million for the museum’s acquisitions fund.
Georgia O'Keeffe, 1931. (Bettmann / Contributor) is mentioned in a Sotheby’s news page about three works by O'Keeffe coming to auction: A Street from 1926 (estimate $12–18 million), Calla Lilies on Red from 1928 (estimate $8–12 million), and Cottonwood Tree in Spring from 1943 (estimate $1.5–2.5 million). The sales are scheduled for 14 November (Contemporary Art Evening Auction) and 16 November (American Art Auction), with exhibitions in Los Angeles and Dallas ahead of New York openings.
Framing Provenance with Pissarro’s “Pea Harvest” discusses the restitution-related legal battle over Camille Pissarro’s 1887 painting La Cueillette des Pois (La Récolte des Pois), which was seized from Musée Marmottan Monet and restituted to the heirs of Simon Bauer. The article references Bruce and Robbi Toll as the buyers from Christie’s who lent the gouache to the museum, and it situates the case within French art restitution law and provenance research.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra concert at Kleinhans Music Hall features JoAnn Falletta conducting three works, including Dark Mountains by Robert Paterson and Rachmaninov’s third symphony; the article highlights crisp acoustics and the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber. It notes this program will be offered again on Saturday night, October 13, at 8:00 p.m.
The Stradivarius once owned by Roman Totenberg, stolen in 1980 and recovered in 2015, is loaned to Juilliard student Nathan Meltzer. Jill, Nina, and Amy Totenberg presented the instrument on long-term loan to Meltzer, with Rare Violins of New York involved in the arrangement and restoration.
Verena Dobnik of AP reports that the Stradivarius stolen from violinist Roman Totenberg has been found and loaned to Juilliard student Nathan Meltzer. The instrument, recovered in 2015 after being stolen in 1980, is now on long-term loan to Meltzer with the Totenberg family and Rare Violins of New York involved in its restoration and public return.
Zao Wou-Ki is discussed in relation to a record auction where his triptych Juin, Octobre 1985 (1985) sold for $65 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, contributing to discussions of Chinese artists achieving high auction records. The article mentions the prior record of $137 million for Qi Baishi’s 12-panel painting (2017) and notes that the Wou-Ki sale set a new record for a Chinese-French artist. The piece also covers Wou-Ki’s collaboration with architect I. M. Pei and his development of his abstract style of “imaginary and illegible writing.”
NPR | Nina Totenberg reports on the return and restoration of the Totenberg-Ames Stradivarius, once stolen and later recovered by the FBI. The piece details the violin’s restoration by Rare Violins of New York and the effort to ensure it can be played in concert halls again, with co-owners Ziv Arazi and Bruno Price involved in finding a buyer who would support young musicians.
The Violin Channel reports the launch of a long-term rare instrument loan platform called In Consortium, founded by Bruno Price and Ziv Arazi of Rare Violins of New York, to connect benefactors with promising young string soloists. The first instrument in the collection is the 1734 Ames/Totenberg Stradivarius, loaned to Nathan Meltzer, an 18-year-old American violinist and VC Young Artist.
Gerhard Richter’s Hände (1963) sold for $2,678,043/€2,323,566. Joan Mitchell’s Perch and Twirl (1973) sold for £3.12 million ($4 million). Christopher Wool’s Untitled (P271) sold at Phillips London after previously selling in New York. Günther Förg’s monochrome work sold for £393,000 ($515,754). Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Nets (APQ) (1999) sold for £405,000 ($607,000. The Karshan collection, including two Gerhard Richter paintings, was part of the sale and was guaranteed.
Banksy’s Girl with Balloon, 2006, sold for £1,042,000 ($1.4 million) at Sotheby’s in London, tying the artist’s auction record in pounds. The sale was followed by the shredding incident, and the evening overall saw substantial activity led by Jenny Saville’s Propped and a 100% sold rate for works from David Teiger’s collection.
Banksy’s Girl with a Balloon appeared to shred itself after selling for $1.4 million at Sotheby’s on Friday night. The article reports Sotheby’s Frieze week contemporary art sale totals, including a top £35.9 million ($47.1 million) from 25 works from the David Teiger estate, and records for Kai Althoff and Daniel Richter, with Jenny Saville’s Propped selling for £9.5 million ($12.4 million).
Christie’s London kicked off Frieze Week with a contemporary sale that totaled about $161 million. The event reportedly aimed for a tempered, Brit-centric lineup and followed previous high-profile Frieze Week strategy shifts, including several single-owner and curated ensembles. The sale’s pre-sale estimates were in the £87.8–126.7 million range ($114–165 million), and the final result was £84.6 million ($110 million) including buyer’s premium, with eight of 53 lots unsold.
Egon Schiele, Dämmernde Stadt, 1913, is discussed in a restitution context involving Elsa Koditschek and events around 1928–1941 in Vienna; the article is titled A Restituted Masterpiece by Egon Schiele and appears in Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art section, dated Oct 5, 2018
Sotheby’s documents the market development behind Record-Breaking Jenny Saville Leads London Frieze Week Auctions. Its account reports that amidst the buzz of activity of Frieze week in London, the Contemporary Art Evening Auction took place in Sotheby's New Bond Street galleries, and was immediately preceded by the sale of works from the collection of David Teiger, whose outstanding collection of contemporary painting and sculpture…
Sotheby’s documents the market development behind $65 Million Zao Wou-Ki Masterwork Highlights Triumphant Week of Sales in Hong Kong. Its account reports that the Asian art market continues to thrive following terrific auction results in Hong Kong.
Zao Wou-Ki Juin, Octobre 1985 (1985) sold for $65 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, setting a new auction record for the Chinese-French artist. The painting was part of Sotheby’s Modern and contemporary art auction, which brought in $200 million. The consignor was Chang Qui Dun, who reportedly bought the work in 2005 for $2.3 million and realized a large return.
Francis Bacon's Figure in Movement (1972) is discussed, noting its provenance from Magnus Konow and its 2018 London auction context. The painting, measuring 198 × 148 cm, is described with references to Bacon’s muse George Dyer, influences from Michelangelo and Muybridge, and elements like Letraset and Picasso-like cubist spills.
Zao Wou-Ki’s painting titled Juin-Octobre 1985 (1985) sold for $65 million, breaking records for a work by an Asian artist at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. The sale is reported by Artsy in an article by Nate Freeman, dated Oct 1, 2018.