Monthly archive
19 headlines
Source-linked reporting
classicfm.com
Sophia Alexandra Hall reports that the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec received a violin bow made from a cancer patient Karine’s hair. The bow, named the Bow of Hope, debuted with concertmaster Catherine Dallaire on the one-year anniversary of guest conductor Bramwell Tovey’s death, and the event raised funds for the Quebec Cancer Foundation.
portal.lviv.ua
The article reports that the Stradivari violin, made in 1730 by Antonio Stradivari, was allegedly attempted to be illegally exported from Ukraine via a passenger bus. The incident occurred at the Palanka-Mayaки-Udobne border crossing on the Odesa region, where border guards found a bag with the instrument; the owner did not respond, and the case was sent for examination with the court to determine the instrument’s fate. It also notes a previous similar attempt in spring involving a 1742 Stradivari violin.
usaartnews.com
The Back Room: The Klimt Connection discusses the market dynamics around Gustav Klimt, focusing on his work Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) sold at Sotheby’s London for £85.3 million ($108.4 million), and the broader implications for the European and Asia Pacific art markets.
news.artnet.com
The article discusses the Jackson Pollock Studio’s NFT collection titled Beyond the Edge, released in partnership with Iconic. Four NFTs in editions of 100 (plus a 25-edition set of all four) were priced at 0.8 ETH ($1,500) each and sold within hours, totaling over $450,000. The sale included phygital pairs with hand-numbered prints, and buyers spanned 25 countries, including NFT collector Pranksy who purchased all four NFTs.
valahia.news
David Garrett brings his EUR 3.5 million Guarneri del Gesù violin to Bucharest for a concert at the Roman Arenas on August 18, as part of the ICONIC 2023 tour.
mediafax.ro
David Garrett, renowned violinist, will give a concert in Bucharest at Arenelor Romane on August 18, starting at 20:00, playing a Guarneri del Gesù violin valued at 3.5 million euros. The article also notes his reinterpretations of classical works and mentions collaborators Franck van der Heijden and Rogier van Wegberg, as well as Romanian piece Hora Staccato by Grigoraş Dinicu.
Christie’s
Christie’s documents the market development behind ["London, Live and Online Realised a Combined Total of £87,173,345 / $110,958,445 / €101,787,207 - Christie's", 'London, Live and Online\nRealised a Combined Total of\n£87,173,345 / $110,958,445 / €101,787,207']. Its account reports that london – Christie’s summer edit of Classic Week in London realised a combined total of £87,173,345 / $110,958,445 / €101,787,207, which is a 27% increase in £ and a 35% increase in $ on the total for the equivalent sales series in 2022.
news.artnet.com
Gustav Klimt’s Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) sold for $108.4 million at Sotheby’s, setting an auction record for Klimt. The painting’s buyer remains undisclosed, with the article noting that the track has gone cold and suggesting the buyer may be connected to a Hong Kong power broker, according to market chatter. The piece also references Sotheby’s handling of the sale and contextualizes it within a cautious art-market climate.
usaartnews.com
The article discusses Jackson Pollock's paint-splattered studio floor in East Hampton, its historical preservation by the Jackson Pollock Studio, and the planned NFT collection titled Beyond the Edge launching July 20 in partnership with Iconic Moments.
nbss.edu
The North Bennet Street School Violin Making & Repair alumni Justin Hess won a double gold medal at the Violin Society of America competition in Anaheim, 2022, for his violin, with NBSS graduates Evan Davenport, Peter Bingen, Edwin Halloran, Christopher White, and Andrew Ryan also earning awards for various instruments. The article highlights the breadth of NBSS alumni achievements at the largest violin-making competition, noting the event’s return in 2022 with over 430 instruments from more than 20 countries.
zpal.pl
The page reports the results of the Mirecourt International Violin and Bow Making Competition 2023. Paweł Kubacka won the First Prize in the violin category and the Second Prize in the viola category; Piotr Pielaszek won the Special Luthier Prize. The page lists winners for violin, viola, cello, and double bass across instrument-making and bow-making categories, with additional prizes such as the Vatelot Foundation Prize and Special Musician Prize.
zpal.ogicom.pl
The article reports the 2023 winners in the Mirecourt International Violin and Bow Making Competition as announced by Związek Polskich Artystów Lutników (ZPAL). It lists winners in instrument-making categories for violin, viola, cello, and double bass, as well as winners in bow-making categories, including Paweł Kubacka receiving First Prize for violin and Second Prize for viola, and Piotr Pielaszek receiving the Special Luthier Prize.
cremonasera.it
The piece discusses Berchtesgaden and the Berghof, including Hitler’s Berghof and the Eagle's Nest, and notes an extraordinary local fact about Cremonese violin making: about one violin per 1,000 inhabitants, suggesting Cremona would have around 70 instruments by Stradivari, Amati or Guarneri del Gesù. It references Allied interest after 1945 in uncovering secrets potentially hidden in these structures, including the violin case as part of the wider narrative about the area and its treasures.
theviolinchannel.com
The article covers the 2023 winners of the Mirecourt International Violin and Bow Making Competition, held July 6–9, 2023, in Mirecourt. It lists winners in both the bow-making and instrument-making categories across violin, viola, cello, double bass, and related prizes, noting several repeat prize recipients.
theviolinchannel.com
Gyehee Kim (South Korea) won first prize in the violin division with a $130,000 cash award; the Grand Prix is $100,000 with a $30,000 Gold Medal, plus prize tiers for 2nd to 6th places. Violin prizes awarded to Ravil Islyamov, Chaowen Luo, Daniil Kogan, Elena Tarosyan, Yiying Jiang, Michael Usov, and Inna Yakusheva; cello prizes awarded to Lee Youngeun, Zaitseva Maria, Park Sanghyeok, Sendetckii Ivan, Lee Dongyeol, Stepanov Vasily, Yeeun Kang, and Danila Vladyko.
france24.com
The article reports that Antonio Stradivari's original house and workshop in Cremona, Italy, has been transformed into a learning center and pilgrimage site for luthiers and musicians. It notes that the Stradivarius workshop was moved and demolished on the ground floor, that two work benches were installed for apprentices, and highlights the terrace where violins were dried in sunlight, contributing to the varnish color.
salonprivemag.com
Gustav Klimt’s Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) sold at Sotheby’s in London for £85.3 million / $108.4 million, a European auction record for Klimt. Patti Wong represented a Hong Kong collector in the bidding, which lasted about ten minutes, surpassing previous records for Klimt and related portraits.
straitstimes.com
Liu Kang’s Pounding Rice (1953) sold for $698,500 at Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Art auction, setting a personal record. Georgette Chen’s Lychees and Peaches (1940–1945) sold for $2.02 million, and Cheong Soo Pieng’s Seated Balinese Lady (1981) sold for $203,200, with all works exceeding pre-sale estimates.
sothebys.com
Georgette Chen’s Lychees and Peaches, a still life from the 1940s, led Sotheby’s Singapore Modern & Contemporary Art sale with SG$2 million (US$1.5 million). The auction realized SG$15.1 million (US$11.1 million) with a 93% sell-through rate across 56 lots, and works by women artists drew strong bidding, reflecting a rising market trend highlighted by Sotheby’s insights.