Monthly archive
36 headlines
Source-linked reporting
cso.org
Erica Morini, a prominent Austrian violinist and longtime soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, played the 1727 Davidoff Stradivarius violin. The instrument, purchased for Morini by her father, was later stolen from her New York apartment in 1995, in a case linked to an FBI top ten art crime. A documentary titled Stolen: The Unsolved Theft of a 3,000,000 Violin covers the case and features CSO members and staff.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses Anne H. Bass's death in 2020 and her collection of 19th- and 20th-century masterworks to be auctioned by Christie’s for an estimated total of $250 million. Highlights include works by Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Mark Rothko, with top pieces like Rothko’s Untitled (Shades of Red) (1961) and No. 1 (1962), and Monet canvases Le Parlement, soleil couchant (1903), Nymphéas (1907), and Peupliers au bord de l’Epte (1891). The sale is scheduled for the week of May 9 in New York, consigned by Bass’s daughters Hyatt and Samantha Bass, and will compete with Sotheby’s Macklowe trove for a combined headline moment in the season.
artlawandmore.com
Jean-Siméon Chardin’s painting of a stack of strawberries sold for €24 million (£20 million) with fees at Artcurial in Paris, exceeding the artist’s auction record. The work, The Basket of Wild Strawberries, painted in 1761, was previously associated with Eudoxe Marcille and his descendants, and its sale established a new auction record for an eighteenth-century French painting.
salonprivemag.com
Christie’s Latin American Art sale totaled $27,741,240 with 82% sold by lot and 138% hammer above the low estimate. The top lot was Fernando Botero’s Man on a Horse, which realized $4,320,000, and Diego Rivera’s La bordadora brought $4,140,000. Other notable results included Tomás Sánchez’s Llegada del caminante a la laguna ($1,800,000) and Rufino Tamayo’s Personajes en la sombra ($882,000).
cremaoggi.it
The article reports that Francesco Di Roma was acquitted of robbery and Stefano Barca was convicted to three years and a 1,200 euro fine for receiving a stolen violin in Cremona. The instrument, a Stradivari built by Cremonese luthier Formaggia, along with its case and a bow, were reported stolen from Massimo Serventi’s studio in Cremona.
news.artnet.com
Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin’s The Basket of Wild Strawberries sold at Artcurial in Paris for €24.4 million ($26.8 million) with premium, setting a new auction record for the artist. The buyer was New York dealer Adam Williams, and the result surpassed the prior auction record for a Chardin and marked a record for any 18th‑century French painting sold at auction.
firstonline.info
Marilyn Monroe is depicted in Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, which Christie’s plans to lead its marquee week sales next May with an estimated forecast around $200 million. The painting comes from the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich, with proceeds benefiting the foundation.
seenandheard-international.com
Francisco Fullana, Olivier Brault, Susanna Perry Gilmore (violin), René Schiffer, Mimé Y. Brinkmann (cello) with Apollo’s Fire conducted by Jeannette Sorrell performed at Bath Church, Akron, Ohio on 22.3.2022. The program included Marco Uccellini’s La Bergamasca (arr. Sorrell), Vivaldi concertos for two violins and two cellos, Bach Violin Concerto in D minor BWV1052r, Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major BWV1048, and a traditional piece arranged by Sorrell.
architecturaldigest.com
The article discusses Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe portrait Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, noting Christie’s estimate of at least $200 million and the possibility of setting a new world record for artwork sold at auction. It references the work’s limited run of five Marilyn portraits from 1964 and includes quotes from Johanna Flaum of Christie’s and Patrick Moore of the Andy Warhol Museum.
Christie’s
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["Christie’s To Offer Andy Warhol’s Legendary Shot Sage Blue Marilyn - Christie's", 'Christie’s To Offer Andy Warhol’s Legendary Shot Sage Blue Marilyn']. Its account reports that new York – Christie’s is honored to announce Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol will lead its Marquee Week of sales in May.
salonprivemag.com
The Christie’s Historic Shanghai to London sale series reports a combined total of £249,070,155, RMB 2,087,955,108, $334,003,078, and €297,389,765, with strong sell-through rates and global bidder participation. Notable lots include Franz Marc’s The Foxes, Francis Bacon works including Triptych 1986-7 and a surreal Picasso, as well as Lucian Freud pieces; Shanghai’s Bund One sale also contributed RMB 222,030,200.
artnews.com
Francis Picabia’s Pavonia (1929) led Sotheby’s first Surrealism sale in Paris, selling for a hammer price of €8.5 million (€10 million with premium). The sale totaled €33 million with premium across 23 lots, achieving a near-sell-through rate. Other notable prices included Hans Arp’s L’O et l’U de l’oiseau (1928) at €3.4 million (€2.7 million hammer).
hyperallergic.com
MFA Houston acquired Diego Rivera's 1928 painting La Bordadora for just over $4 million at Christie’s on March 11. The work had not been publicly shown for nearly a century and portrays working-class life in Rivera's abstract realist style.
press.christies.com
Pablo Picasso’s Tête de femme (Fernande), the first major sculpture by Picasso, will be a highlight of Christie’s New York 20th Century Evening Sale in May at Rockefeller Center. The sculpture is a deaccessioned work owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is being offered to benefit future acquisitions for the Museum’s collection; the estimated price is in the region of $30,000,000.
theviolinchannel.com
The 1714 'da Vinci, ex-Seidel' Stradivari violin, formerly owned by Toscha Seidel, will be offered for sale in June 2022 via Tarisio, with exhibitions in multiple cities and a June 9, 2022 auction. The instrument was acquired by Seidel in 1924 and later sold after his death in 1962; the piece has historical significance linked to Seidel and Leopold Auer circle.
journalchc.com
Enrico Tedde, violinist with Orchestre des Champs Élysées, had his Degani violin stolen on a train near Gare Montparnasse. The instrument, built by Giulio Degani in the late 19th century, along with its bow and case, was found near a Paris flea market at Porte de Clignancourt and identified as the missing instrument. Tedde expressed emotional relief and plans to thank the person who found it at a Paris concert on May 15 for the orchestra's 30th anniversary.
Christie’s
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["CHRISTIE'S UNVEILS FIRST HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HUBERT DE GIVENCHY COLLECTION &ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION TOUR - Christie's", "CHRISTIE'S UNVEILS FIRST HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HUBERT DE GIVENCHY COLLECTION &ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION TOUR"]. Its account reports that paris \- Christie's unveils the first major works from Hubert de Givenchy's collection.
robbreport.com
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is deaccessioning a 1909 bronze cast titled Tête de femme (Fernande) by Pablo Picasso, with an estimated value around $30 million to be sold at Christie’s in New York. The sale will benefit acquisitions for the Met’s permanent collection, with a duplicate version retained by the museum and donated by Leonard Lauder.
unionesarda.it
The article reports that a green rectangular case found at a Paris flea market led to the recovery of a valuable late 19th-century violin belonging to Enrico Tedde, a Sardinian violinist, and associated with Giulio Degani Venezia 1899. The instrument, valued at around €100,000, was stolen three months earlier on a train to Gare Montparnasse, and was confirmed by the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées.
theartnewspaper.com
Picasso’s first Cubist sculpture, Tête de femme (Fernande), deaccessioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is to be auctioned at Christie’s in New York, with an expected price around $30 million. The work was donated as part of Florene M. Schoenborn’s bequest and is one of two casts the Met reportedly has; Christie’s will show it in Hong Kong and London before the May sale in New York.
Phillips
Phillips’s preserved release documents Phillips’ New Now Sale Realizes $8.4 Million With Strong Demand for Blue Chip and Emerging Artists Across the Board and details the principal works, sale terms, or market results.
unionleader.com
The article discusses a 308-year-old Stradivarius violin titled the “da Vinci, Ex-Seidel,” estimated at $15 to $20 million and set for a June 9 online auction by Tarisio. It notes Tarisio’s previous Stradivarius record of $16 million in 2011, and mentions that the instrument could fetch a premium due to its playability; Toscha Seidel is a former owner, and the violin has historical ties to The Wizard of Oz and CBS radio. It also mentions tour viewings in major cities before the official New York auction.
bostonglobe.com
The Boston Globe reports on the American premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Violin Concerto No. 2, titled Scherben der Stille or Shards of Silence, performed by violinist Leonidas Kavakos with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons at Symphony Hall. The piece was co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, the BSO, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus and lasts about 30 minutes in a single movement with multiple subsections.
journalchc.com
The article reports a Padua court ruling regarding two violins stolen twenty years earlier, a Lanaro violin from 1999 and an Igino Siega from 1933, sold online to a Milanese violin teacher who paid 12,500 euros. The seller was convicted of fraud and ordered to pay the costs and damages, including 2,000 euros to the original maker and 12,500 euros to the purchaser, Roberto Compagnoni, who had bought the violins online.
Christie’s
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["Christie’s Historic Shanghai to London Sale Season Realised a Combined Total of£282,523,743 / RMB 2,365,820,207 / $378,453,843 / €337,559,649 - Christie's", 'Christie’s Historic Shanghai to London Sale Season Realised a Combined Total of£282,523,743 / RMB 2,365,820,207 / $378,453,843 / €337,559,649']. Its account reports that christie’s regularly leads the auction world in market share across numerous categories, with record-breaking sales and a focus on great collections.
theartnewspaper.com
The Art Newspaper reports that the appeals court upheld a 2021 decision in Phillips’ favor in a dispute with Chinese collector Zhang Chang over Gerhard Richter’s 1963 painting Düsenjäger, following a complex litigation saga dating back to 2015. The case involves Zhang’s purchases at Christie’s and Phillips and related loans and guarantees.
Phillips
Phillips’s preserved release documents Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale Achieves £30 Million and details the principal works, sale terms, or market results.
news.artnet.com
Sotheby’s London spring sales totaled £221.4 million ($297.2 million) with René Magritte’s L’empire des lumières (1961) selling for £51.5 million, later rising to £59.4 million with fees. Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary chair in Asia, oversaw the sale, which included a broader 53-lot Modern and Contemporary evening sale after a separate ultra-contemporary session, within presale estimates of £170.4 million–£223.3 million.
Phillips
Phillips’s preserved release documents Phillips to Donate 100% of its Buyer’s Premium and Vendor’s Commission from its 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale to Benefit the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and details the principal works, sale terms, or market results.
artnews.com
René Magritte’s L’empire des lumières (1961) led Sotheby’s London sale with a price of £59.4 million ($79.8 million), setting a new auction record for the Belgian Surrealist. The Sotheby’s sale total was £221.4 million ($297.2 million) with 66 of 74 lots sold. Other record setters included Shara Hughes, Flora Yukhnovich, Hilary Pecis, and Robert Nava.
news.artnet.com
Franz Marc’s The Foxes (1913) sold for £42.7 million ($57 million) to a phone bidder, setting a record for the artist. Lucian Freud’s Girl With Closed Eyes (1986–87) fetched £15.2 million ($20.2 million), and Francis Bacon’s Triptych 1986–87 sold for £38.5 million ($51.3 million). The sale total was just over £249 million ($334 million), within presale estimates, with a 90 percent sell-through rate.
artnews.com
René Magritte's L’empire des lumières (1961) sold for £59.4 million ($79.8 million) at Sotheby’s in London, setting a new auction record for the Belgian Surrealist. The sale beat Magritte's previous record of $26.8 million and occurred during an in-house guaranteed evening sale, with bidding starting at £40 million and finishing at £51.5 million.
theartnewspaper.com
René Magritte’s 1961 L’Empire des lumières sold for £51.5m (£59.4m with fees), setting a new auction record for the Belgian Surrealist. The sale was part of Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary evening auction in London, which totalled £221m across two parts.
press.christies.com
The press release reports that Christie's Shanghai to London sale series realized £249,070,155, RMB 2,087,955,108, $334,003,078, and €297,389,765, marking a record for any evening at Christie’s London. It highlights records for Franz Marc’s The Foxes (Die Füchse) and Francis Bacon’s Triptych 1986-7, and notes sell-through rates of 90% by lot and 93% by value, within the context of a first-of-its-kind relay auction between Shanghai and London.
mondexcorp.com
The Kandinsky painting Bild mit Häusern (Painting with Houses) was sold under Nazi pressure during World War II and has been returned to the descendants of its former Jewish owners, the Lewenstein family. The work, valued at more than $20 million, was originally bought by Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum director for a fraction of its value; after a long restitution process, the heirs received the painting.
economictimes.indiatimes.com
The 1909 Kandinsky painting Bild mit Haeusern (Painting with Houses) was sold under duress to Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum in October 1940 and has now been transferred to the heirs of Emmanuel Lewenstein, a Jewish art collector. The settlement was announced by the city of Amsterdam after a nine-year saga.