El Greco early masterpiece restituted to the heirs to the Julius & Camilla Priester Collection is highlighted as part of three Old Master paintings restituted and to be offered at Christie’s Old Masters Evening Sale on 7 December in London; the works include El Greco’s Portrait of a Gentleman (1570), a trompe l’oeil church interior by Emmanuel de Witte, and a portrait by the Master of Frankfurt, with estimates listed for each.
The article reports Moldova customs confiscating an 18th-century Guadagnini violin titled Ida Levin, valued at two million euros. The confiscated instrument was carried by Moldovan violinist Alexandra Conunova and belongs to Swiss violinist Cedric Berger, who had lent it for concerts.
The article reports that a 1785 Guadagnini, described as the ‘ex-Ida Levin’, arrived in Moldova with soloist Alexandra Conunova and was seized by customs officials at Chisinau Airport amid criminal charges; Conunova says she plays the violin on loan from a Swiss sponsor and does not own it, and the Moldovan minister of culture has apologized, though the violin remains held at the airport.
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["Christie's Announces Beeple's\xa0HUMAN ONE:\xa0The Artist’s First-Ever Dynamic Physical Artwork + Video NFT - Christie's", "Christie's Announces Beeple's\xa0HUMAN ONE:\xa0The Artist’s First-Ever Dynamic Physical Artwork + Video NFT"]. Its account reports that new York – Beeple is back at Christie’s, materializing in the form of the unprecedented HUMAN ONE, the artist’s first ever physical work of art.
Sputnik Moldova reports that the General Prosecutor’s Office provides details about the confiscation of a violin thought to be Stradivari, seized at Chișinău International Airport and valued at about two million euros; the case involved INTERPOL and concerns the possible export under the Paris Convention rules.
The article discusses a Stradivarius violin found at the border, valued at about 2 million euros, belonging to Moldova-born violinist Alexandra Conunova. It notes the instrument is a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from 1785, named Ida Levin, and that it was lent by Swiss master Cedric Berger.
The article reports that a Stradivarius violin from around 1700, valued at about 2 million euros, was found in a woman’s luggage at Chișinău International Airport. The instrument was seized and will be deposited at the National Bank of Moldova while authorities investigate suspected contraband; Mariana Cherpec from the Prosecution General's Office says a penal case has been opened.
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["Christie's Announces The Nile Rodgers Collection Sold to Benefit The We Are Family Foundation - Christie's", "Christie's Announces The Nile Rodgers Collection Sold to Benefit The We Are Family Foundation"]. Its account reports that all net auction proceeds will benefit We Are Family Foundation , a non-profit organization co-founded by Rodgers and Foundation President, Nancy Hunt, that promotes cultural diversity while nurturing and mentoring the vision, talents, and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world.
The Chelsea Symphony will perform Remembrance concerts on October 29 and 30 featuring Tim Kiah’s Our Dear Friend, a piece commemorating cellist Kurt Behnke, and Kamala Sankaram’s viola concerto 91919 with Brian Thompson as soloist. The program also includes Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, Saint-Saëns’s Suite for Cello and Orchestra with Violet Wang, Lars-Erik Larsson’s Trombone Concertino with Morgan Fite, and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres with Veronica Riner; Reuben Blundell and Matthew Aubin will conduct at St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church in Manhattan.
Pablo Picasso artworks were auctioned at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, raising a combined $109 million from eleven pieces. The sale was hosted by Sotheby’s in conjunction with the MGM Resorts Fine Art Collection.
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["20th / 21st Century: London and Paris Sales Realise a Combined Total of £139,341,024 / $190,959,204 / €164,180,079Market Confidence Reflected in Average Sell-through Rates of 90% by Lot and 92% by Value - Christie's", '20th / 21st Century: London and Paris Sales Realise a Combined Total of £139,341,024 / $190,959,204 / €164,180,079Market Confidence Reflected in Average Sell-through Rates of 90% by Lot and 92% by Value']. Its account reports that - The combined total realised for the Day and Online Sales was £19,632,275 against a low estimate of £8,983,900.
The Violin Channel reports the six finalists for the 2021 International Violin Competition Premio Paganini in Genoa, Italy: Louisa Staples, Olga Artyugina, Ava Bahari, Lara Boschkor, Nurie Chung, and Giuseppe Gibboni. The winner will receive €30,000, two years of representation by the Utopia Media Agency, and various performance opportunities, plus the rare honor of playing the 1743 Il Cannone Guarneri del Gesù violin.
The article reports that the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin restituted Camille Pissarro's Une Place à la Roche-Guyon, an artwork once owned by Jewish lawyer Armand Dorville, and subsequently purchased it back for the museum. Dorville’s heirs facilitated the restitution and Dorville’s collection had included works by Delacroix, Manet, Bonnard, Renoir, and Pissarro.
The article describes Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov creating the Violinmaster Telecaster Relic inspired by Joshua Bell's 1713 Stradivarius violin. It notes design features such as a flame maple body, carved Stradivari profile, spruce top, violin F Holes replicas, purfling, a round-lam ebony fingerboard, a new floating bridge with interchangeable saddles, and three piezo pickups plus two TV Jones ThunderBlade pickups.
Camille Pissarro, A Square in La Roche-Guyon (1867), was restituted by Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie and bought back after being looted from Armand Dorville's heirs in 1942. The painting will remain on display; the sale back to the museum followed Dorville’s heirs selling the remainder of his collection at a 1942 Nice auction overseen by the Vichy authorities.
No author listed. The article reports that Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie returned and repurchased Camille Pissarro’s painting Une Place a la Roche-Guyon, looted by the Nazis from Armand Dorville’s collection. The museum did not disclose the purchase price. The artwork was acquired by Dorville in 1928 and was part of Parisian and German collections before restitution efforts continued post-World War II.
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["20th / 21st Century: Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian, London Realises a Total of\xa0£64,561,000 / $88,254,887 / €75,923,736Strong Sell-Through Rates of 90% by Lot and 92% by Value - Christie's", '20th / 21st Century: Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian, London Realises a Total of\xa0£64,561,000 / $88,254,887 / €75,923,736Strong Sell-Through Rates of 90% by Lot and 92% by Value']. Its account reports that - FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSFUL FORMAT OF CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONALLY FOCUSED EVENING SALES IN MARCH AND JUNE OF 2021, THINKING ITALIAN IS PRESENTED AS A KEY ELEMENT OF THE 20TH / 21ST CENTURY: EVENING SALE, LONDON.
The Violin Channel reports that the 2021 International Violin Competition Premio Paganini in Genoa, Italy, ran October 15–24, 2021, with 24 opening-round candidates listed. The first prize includes €30,000, a contract with Shanghai Utopia Media Agency, and multiple engagements, plus the chance to perform on the 1743 Guarneri del Gesù Il Cannone violin. The opening-round candidates are Laura Llozi, Chaowen Luo, Arseniya Sibileva, Louisa Staples, Belle Ting, Jacqueline Tso, Yukiko Uno, Qingzhu Weng, Hanae Yakuro, Rino Yoshimoto, Arata Yumi, Galiya Zharova, Christopher Tun Andersen, Olga Artyugina, Ava Bahari, Lara Boschkor, Yige Chen, Jung Min Choi, Nurie Chung, Sofia Devutskaia, Nazar Fedyuk, Giuseppe Gibboni, Kingston Ho, and Areg Navarsardyan.
The article discusses 13-year-old violinist Christian Li being named Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Young Artist in Association. It covers his achievements, prior prizes, his instruments (1737 ex-Paulsen Guarneri del Gesù and a François Peccatte bow), and his ongoing relationship with the MSO.
Martin Bailey discusses Vincent van Gogh's Wheatstacks (Meules de Blé), watercolour (June 1888), which is estimated to fetch $20m-$30m and will be sold at Christie’s in New York on 11 November; the sale follows a complex negotiation involving the descendants of two Jewish families from the Nazi era and the heirs of Edwin Cox.
The Violin Channel reports that cellist Anastasia Kobekina will play the 1698 De Kermadec-Bläss Stradivari cello on loan from the Stradivari Foundation. The article details the instrument’s history, Kobekina’s background, and her professional engagements.
The article discusses Banksy’s Love Is in the Bin (2018), which sold at Sotheby’s in London for £18.6 million ($25.4 million), a new record for the artist. It notes the work’s prior destruction moment from the Girl With Balloon shredder incident and mentions that the buyer was reported as a European woman, with a male bidder from Asia later confirmed as the successful purchaser.
Banksy Brings Down the House at the Contemporary Art Evening Auction by Sotheby’s notes the record-breaking sale of Banksy Love is in the Bin (2018) for £18,582,000 at the Contemporary Art Evening Auction, with other works by Gerhard Richter, Lucian Freud, Cy Twombly, Alighiero Boetti, Bridget Riley, Yayoi Kusama, Avery Singer, Flora Yukhnovich, Hilary Pecis and Salman Toor.
The article discusses how museums are reexamining the Old Master canon to include artists of color and non-white subjects, accelerating a market shift. It cites Diego Velázquez and Juan de Pareja, noting the Met’s 1970 purchase of Pareja as a turning point, and highlights institutions like the Philbrook Museum of Art and the Flint Institute of Arts. It mentions the impact of Black Lives Matter and quotes dealer Robert Simon on the growing interest from collectors and museums.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Guilt of Gold Teeth (1982) is up for sale at Christie’s New York in the 21st Century Evening Sale on November 9. The consignor bought it at Sotheby’s in 1998 for $387,500, with potential proceeds over $40 million. The painting’s central figure is Baron Samedi from Haitian Vodou.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s The Guilt of Gold Teeth is described as the top lot for Christie’s 21st Century Art Evening Sale in New York, with sale details including dates and locations; the work’s provenance notes and past record sales for Basquiat are cited.
The article discusses Joshua Bell, widely regarded as one of the world’s best violinists, performing with his four-million Stradivarius to inaugurate Ibermúsica’s new classical season, featuring Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy Op. 46 and Bruckner’s Romantic Fourth Symphony under conductor Alan Gilbert at the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid.
Pablo Picasso’s Femme accroupie en costume turc (Jacqueline), 1955 is highlighted as part of The Stella Collection to be offered at Christie’s New York in November with an estimate of $20 million to $30 million. The collection includes works by Picasso, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque and Max Ernst, among others, acquired directly from artists or via noted galleries; the piece depicts Jacqueline Roque and is tied to Picasso’s Femme d’Alger series.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Donut Revenge, a monumental 1982 painting, is highlighted by Christie's in a press release dated 7 October 2021 for the Hong Kong 1 December 20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale. The release references Basquiat’s 1982 market context, historical references to Caravaggio, Roy Lichtenstein, and Willem de Kooning, and describes the central figure with Basquiat’s distinctive style.
Sotheby’s documents the market development behind An Artist's Perspective: Property from the Collection of Anish Kapoor | Contemporary Art. Its account reports that s otheby’s is delighted to offer a superb selection of works from the collection of one of the most important artists of our time, Anish Kapoor.
The article reports Christie’s Postwar to Present sale, which realized $34.4 million from more than 200 lots, with Curio Cards as a notable NFT group and top prices for Helen Frankenthaler and Philip Guston. It mentions blue-chip names like Guston, Kusama, Mickalene Thomas, and Allison Zuckerman, and notes buyers seek novelty and quick profit.
The U S Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal for the restitution of a Camille Pissarro painting looted by the Nazis in 1939. The work, Rue Saint-Honoré, Après-midi, Effet de Pluie, has been displayed at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, which argues it was acquired in good faith. The CA-based heirs of Lilly Cassirer claim rights to press restitution against the Spanish institution in U.S. court; the family originally sold the painting in 1939 and later received a $13,000 payment from the German state after it was looted.
Banksy’s Girl with Balloon (Diptych) (2005) is unveiled in London and highlighted for Christie’s 20th/21st Century: Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian, London, 15 October 2021. The work is a two-canvas diptych with a boyish girl stencil and a red heart-shaped balloon, with an estimated price of £2,500,000–£3,500,000.
Peter Doig’s 1990 Swamped is highlighted as a leading work in Christie’s 21st Century Art Evening Sale in New York during Marquee Week, with previous records noted and exhibitions planned in London and Los Angeles. The painting’s world auction records and notable exhibitions are discussed, including past sale in 2015 and current record projections.