Monthly archive
23 headlines
Source-linked reporting
abc7chicago.com
The article discusses the theft of the Davidoff Stradivarius violin, valued today at over $3 million, from violinist Erica Morini's New York City apartment in 1995. It covers Morini's prominence, the lack of forced entry, and the circle of people close to Morini who might be suspects, including remarks from violinist Frank Almond and violin dealer Brian Skarstad about Morini and the instrument.
artnews.com
Franz Marc, Die Füchse (Foxes), 1913, is being sold at Christie’s after restitution to the heirs of its original Jewish owners. The work is estimated at around £35 million ($46.8 million). Lucian Freud’s Girl with Closed Eyes (1986–87) will also be offered in the March sale with an estimated £10 million ($13.5 million). Die Füchse will be exhibited at Christie’s Hong Kong and New York before the London auction.
news.artnet.com
Gustav Klimt and Marc Chagall artworks looted during World War II are set to be returned from France’s public collections. The National Assembly voted unanimously to adopt a bill to restitute 15 works to the descendants of the Jewish families who owned them before World War II; the bill now heads to the Senate for confirmation.
Christie’s
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["The Collection of Pierre Durand Totals $4,885,750 - Christie's", 'The Collection of Pierre Durand Totals $4,885,750']. Its account reports that new York – The Collection of Pierre Durand totaled $4,885,750, far surpassing the sale’s total high estimate of $3,000,000.
theartnewspaper.com
Sandro Botticelli, The Man of Sorrows (around 1500), sold at Sotheby’s Master Paintings and Sculpture Part I auction in New York for $39.3 million ($45.4 million with fees). The work struggled to meet its unpublished pre-sale estimate above $40 million, and it was backed by a third-party bid. The sale was the second-highest Botticelli price at auction, following a 2021 record $80 million (with fees) for Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel.
news.artnet.com
Sandro Botticelli, The Man of Sorrows, sold for $45.0 million (hammer price $39.3 million) at Sotheby’s, short of its estimate of over $40 million. Three bidders participated in the sale, with bids helped by a third-party guarantee; the work was attributed to Botticelli’s workshop before being reattributed to Botticelli in 2009. The sale took place in Hong Kong as part of Sotheby’s Old Masters offerings.
theartnewspaper.com
The article reports that the French National Assembly approved the restitution of 15 Nazi-looted works to Jewish heirs, including Gustav Klimt's Roses Under the Trees and a Chagall work Le Père from the Centre Pompidou. The move is expected to be endorsed by the French Senate on 15 February, and the works span institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre, and the Compiègne Castle Museum.
artnews.com
Sotheby’s Old Masters sale in New York generated $91 million with buyer’s fees, led by a Botticelli Man of Sorrows (ca. 1500) which sold for $45.4 million. The auction total was below the previous year’s $114.5 million and featured 55 lots with a 74.5 percent sell-through; two paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael and others were withdrawn before the sale.
robbreport.com
France has finalized restitution of 15 artworks looted or sold under duress by the Nazis, including Klimt and Chagall pieces. The collection includes Marc Chagall's The Father and Gustav Klimt's Rosiers sous les arbres, which has been in the Musée d’Orsay since 1980 after government acquisition. The bill passed in the French National Assembly and was expected to be approved by the Senate; Stiasny’s Klimt inheritance and the painting’s wartime journey are noted.
The Forward
Pauline Baer de Perignon traced the collection of her great-grandfather Jules Strauss, which exceeded 500 paintings before Nazi looting. Her research helped return works including a Nicolas de Largillière portrait that was subsequently exhibited at Sotheby’s New York ahead of auction.
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto has been granted a trial loan of the Golden Period Stradivarius nicknamed Scotta, effective immediately through Tarisio. The instrument, circa 1709, has a history including ownership by Frida Schytte (Frida Scotta) and a path through Emil Hermann, Barbara Kempner, the Busch Ensemble, and Marlboro Music Festival before returning to the market after more than 30 years.
webwire.com
Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room, My Heart Is Dancing into the Universe (2018) is jointly acquired by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The artwork will have its East Coast debut at the Hirshhorn in a show to be announced, and will travel to Buffalo, NY in 2023 for display at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
artnews.com
Nicolas Poussin, Agony in the Garden, ca. 1626–27, oil on copper, has entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection as a gift from Barbara and Jon Landau. The work, which had been owned by the Landau family for 22 years, joins the Met’s existing Poussin holdings to total seven works by the artist at the museum.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses a U.S. Supreme Court case about Camille Pissarro’s Rue Saint-Honoré, dans l’après-midi. Effet de pluie (1897), which Lilly Cassirer Neubauer sold in 1939; it later became part of Spain’s Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. The dispute centers on choice of law rather than the painting’s provenance, with Justice Breyer asking whether everyone can agree it is a beautiful painting.
Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s documents the market development behind Sotheby’s to Offer a Collection of Five Paintings by Claude Monet Charting the Artist’s Radical Journey from Impressionism to Abstraction | Press Release. Its account reports that lONDON, 18 January 2022 – This March, Sotheby’s will present five works by Claude Monet painted during a formative fifteen-year period during his career, charting the artist’s pivot from an Impressionist painter to the father of Abstract Expressionism.
proaudio.de
The article reports that e-instruments is offering the Stradivari Cello separately, previously part of the Cremona Quartet released in September 2020. It highlights features such as NI NKS compatibility, multiple articulations, legato transitions, vibrato, mic positions, and CPU-friendly options, and notes the cello is a faithful recreation of Antonio Stradivari’s Stauffer cello from around 1700 recorded in Cremona.
Christie’s
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["Christie's Announces the Sale of\xa0The Private Collection of William S. Reese - Christie's", "Christie's Announces the Sale of\xa0The Private Collection of William S. Reese"]. Its account reports that new York – Christie’s is honored to present The Private Collection of William S.
die-stiftung.de
The Franz-Hofmann-und-Sophie-Hagemann-Stiftung paid 285,000 euros to the heirs of the Jewish former owner of a Guarneri violin, ending a long dispute over the instrument. The payment followed the resignation of the four-member board, and the foundation’s assets were halved by the settlement.
themontrealeronline.com
Artists: NAC Orchestra. Instruments: Yosuke Kawasaki, violin; Jessica Linnebach, violin. The page discusses a concert titled A Journey Beyond presented by the National Arts Centre Orchestra, with accompanying biographical details about Yosuke Kawasaki and Jessica Linnebach.
news.artnet.com
Rene Magritte, L’empire des lumières (1961) is highlighted as potentially fetching over $60 million at Sotheby’s London sale, a figure that would exceed Magritte’s current record of $26.8 million set in 2018. The work is part of a series of 17 paintings in the same motif, and Sotheby’s notes the strong demand for the composition.
independent.co.uk
The Independent reports that floorboards once walked by Sir Ernest Shackleton were used to craft a violin by luthier Steve Burnett to mark the centenary of Shackleton’s death. The instrument incorporates driftwood from a Scottish beach and includes a transcription of all 28 Endurance expedition crew names and a poem titled Oratory by Mel McMahon.
telex.hu
The article reports that the Franz Hofmann and Sophie Hagemann Foundation paid 285,000 euros in compensation to the heirs of Felix Hildesheimer, a Jewish music dealer who purchased a Stradivari-like instrument in 1706. The restitution process followed a long dispute over a violin allegedly looted during the Nazi era. The instrument, associated with Cremona craftsmanship, was eventually acknowledged as lost due to Nazi persecution, leading to a monetary settlement.
theguardian.com
The Guardian reports on a new book recounting Pauline Baer de Perignon’s investigation into looted art, including works by Monet, Renoir and Degas, and how it led to a major museum returning art to the Strauss family.