Monthly archive
28 headlines
Source-linked reporting
heni.com
Lucian Freud's Large Interior, W11 (after Watteau) (1981-83) sold for $86.27m at Christie's in New York on November 9, 2022. The painting, based on Watteau, features Freud's circle including Celia Paul, Suzy Boyt, her son Kai, and Bella; a girl named Star lies on the floor. The sale surpassed Freud's prior record of $56.16m set by Benefits Supervisor Resting (1994) at Christie’s in New York.
heni.com
Gustav Klimt's Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) (1917-18) sold for $108.7m (£85.31m) at Sotheby's in London on June 27, 2023, to a Hong Kong collector after a ten-minute bidding war. The painting previously last sold at Sotheby’s in New York in 1994 for $11.66m, setting Klimt's prior auction record. The sitter's identity is unknown, with speculation it may be model Johanna Staude.
smithsonianmag.com
The painting is signed Elimar and is claimed by LMI Group International researchers to be a lost van Gogh translation of Millet’s The Reaper. It was purchased at a Minnesota garage sale for under $50 and later sold to LMI Group in 2019; a 450-page report supports the attribution to Vincent van Gogh.
news.artnet.com
The Paris court secured 135 stolen paintings valued at over €200 million ($208 million) for the family of Uthman Khatib, part of a larger 1,800-piece collection purportedly taken from a German storage facility in 2019. The works include pieces attributed to Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, El Lissitzky, and Natalia Goncharova.
heni.com
Agnes Martin, Grey Stone II (1961), sold for $18.72m at Sotheby's in New York on November 8, 2023. The work is one of only four paintings by Martin that used gold leaf. It helped set a new auction record for the artist, surpassing her previous record by $989,700.
heni.com
Constantin Brancusi’s La Jeune Fille Sophistiquée (portrait De Nancy Cunard) (1932) sold for $71 million at Christie's New York on May 15, 2018, setting a new auction record. The piece, conceived in 1928 and cast in 1932, was acquired directly from the artist and later involved figures such as Nancy Cunard, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Duchamp, and Elizabeth Stafford; previous record was La Muse Endormie (1909) sold for $57.37 million at Christie’s in 2017.
Christie’s
The artist takes his digital pen to works by Hals, Cranach and more offered in Christie’s New York Classic Week this February
audiopluginnews.com
Native Instruments introduces Cremona Quartet, a historic string collection with samples from four Italian instruments dating back to the 1600s, including Stradivari's Vesuvius violin (1727) and Stauffer cello (1700), Guarneri's Prince Doria violin (1734), and Amati Stauffer viola (1614). The recordings were made in Cremona's Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi with 32 microphones for detailed capture. The collection is available in Solo and Ensemble versions, with pricing listed as Solo $399, Ensemble $399, and Bundle $499, including upgrades from $99.
shimamura.co.jp
The page discusses a Charles Nicolas Bazin bow from Mirecourt, circa 1900, presented as a Dominique Peccatte model. It includes description of materials (Pernambuco stick, ebony frog), weight (75.2g), and a Raffin certificate (1994). The bow is linked to the idea of a self-rehairing Peccatte model originally created by Dominique Peccatte for Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume; the article provides historical context on Bazin and his workshop.
wiener-staatsoper.at
The page discusses the Antonio Stradivari violin, Cremona, 1709, known as ex Hämmerle, played by Albena Danailova, concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and notes it is on loan from the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB).
Christie’s
The Australian showman was a passionate collector, with a particular fondness for the louche literati of 1890s London and the paintings of his fellow antipodean Charles Conder. Jonathan Bastable trains the spotlight on the objects he treasured
musictech.com
The article reports on Native Instruments’ Cremona Quartet Ensemble pack featuring sounds from four historic instruments crafted by Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati housed at the Museo del Violino in Cremona. It describes a 32-microphone recording setup in Cremona’s Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi and lists the four pieces: Stradivari Violin “Vesuvius” (1727), Stradivari Cello “Stauffer” (1700), Guarneri Violin “Prince Doria” (1734), and Amati Viola “Stauffer” (1614).
Christie’s
A new show at London’s Royal Academy, Brasil! Brasil!, charts the emergence of artists such as Tarsila do Amaral, Anita Malfatti, Djanira and Alfredo Volpi — inspired by their encounters with Europe’s avant-garde, but also channelling Brazil’s vibrant indigenous cultures
kvraudio.com
Native Instruments announced the Cremona Quartet Ensemble virtual instrument for Kontakt Player at NAMM. The instrument features four historic string instruments, Stradivari, Guarneri, and Amati, recorded with a 32-microphone setup at the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy. Historic instruments include Stradivari Violin “Vesuvius,” Guarneri Violin “Prince Doria,” Amati Viola “Stauffer,” and Stradivari Cello “Stauffer.”
theartnewspaper.com
The Art Newspaper reports on the documentary The Spoils (2024), which examines two exhibitions in Düsseldorf about Max Stern’s art collection, including Stern’s forced sale in 1937 and the subsequent restitution debates. The piece notes Stern’s persecution, the sells through Lempertz, and his eventual settlements in Montreal, with coverage of Düsseldorf’s exhibitions and the involvement of the Max Stern Art Restitution Project.
costanachrichten.com
Die Stradivaris des Königs von Spanien: Legendäre Instrumente erklingen in Madrid. Die Stradivari-Instrumente der königlichen Sammlung in Madrid werden im Musiksalon des Palacio Real vorgestellt. Vier der fünf Stradivaris sollen bei einem Benefizkonzert in Madrid gespielt werden; es handelt sich um zwei Geigen, eine Viola und ein Cello, bekannt als Stradivarius palatinos.
news.justcollecting.com
The article discusses the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin, tipped to fetch between $12 million and $18 million (around £10 million to £15 million) at Sotheby’s Masters Week sale in New York. The instrument, associated with Joseph Joachim and Brahms, is part of the Golden Period of Stradivarius violins (1700–1720).
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that VC Artist cellist Zlatomir Fung has been loaned the 1696 ‘Lord Aylesford’ Stradivari Cello. The Nippon Music Foundation arranged a category A loan for two to seven years, and the instrument has a history including owners and players such as Lord Aylesford, Felice de Giardini, Emil Herrmann, Gregor Piatigorsky, János Starker, Danjulo Ishizaka, Pablo Ferrández, and Fung’s background highlights.
limedia.tw
The article discusses Chi Mei Museum's concert series, Stradivari Legends of sound, featuring six Stradivari violins including the 1709 Marie Hall‑Viotti. It covers Omobono Stradivari and Girolamo Amati instruments, concert dates across Tainan, Taichung and Taipei, and the performers and program curated by Jiao Yuanpu and Zhong Daiting.
oberlin.edu
Edna Unseld, a 13-year-old violinist from Zurich, Switzerland, won first prize and a prize package in the 2025 Cooper International Competition for Violin, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra conducted by Norman Huynh. Julia Xiaozhuo Wang finished second with $10,000, and Tiantian Lu finished third with $5,000; additional finalists earned prizes of $1,500 and an Audience Prize of $500.
telegraph.co.uk
The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin, made by Antonio Stradivari, heads to Sotheby’s New York auction in February with an estimated value around $18 million (£15 million). The New England Conservatory in Boston will sell the instrument to fund student scholarships, per the donor Si-Hon Ma. The piece has a storied provenance, previously owned by Joseph Joachim and connected to Brahms’ Violin Concerto premiere.
news.artnet.com
Masumi Shinohara is named managing director for Asia at Sotheby’s, moving from head of Japan. Nathan Drahi, ongoing Asia MD, will relocate to New York with details of his new role to be announced. The announcement notes Shinohara began January 1, reporting to CEO Charles Stewart, and relocating to Hong Kong from Tokyo, working with Asia leadership including Wendy Lin, Nicolas Chow, Jen Hua, and Jasmine Prasetio.
Christie’s
Christie’s silver specialist Jill Waddell tells the fascinating stories behind these kunstkammer marvels, from a 14th-century beaker to a full set of 17th-century playing cards
theviolinchannel.com
The Stretton Society loaned the 1683 ex Petherick Stradivari violin to Austrian violinist Leonhard Baumgartner. The instrument, owned by George Hart and later Horace Petherick, had not been played for 70 years, and Baumgartner announced plans to perform in notable halls and further explore the instrument’s potential.
christies.com.cn
Gustav Klimt’s 1907 portrait Adele Bloch-Bauer I, known as Woman in Gold, is discussed in Christie's story about its restitution after Nazi looting and the subsequent legal battles leading to ownership in the United States and Austria. The article covers Adele Bloch-Bauer, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, Maria Altmann, Randol Schoenberg, Arnold Schoenberg, Ronald Lauder, and the Belvedere Museum, and mentions the arbitration in Vienna and the U.S. Supreme Court involvement.
icma-info.com
Leonhard Baumgartner, a 17-year-old Austrian violinist, has been loaned the 1683 ex Petherick Stradivari violin by the Stretton Society. The instrument was previously owned by George Hart and later by Horace Petherick; it had not been played for about 70 years. Baumgartner was an ICMA Discovery Award laureate in 2022.
Christie’s
Head of Outsider Art Cara Zimmerman profiles the most significant artists of the category. Their genre-defying works tell powerful stories of adversity and triumph
news.miami.edu
Charles Castleman, a Frost School of Music professor, donated his 1707 Stradivarius to the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels, where it will be used by his former student Miclen Laipang. The visit included a masterclass, a three-hour lunch with King Albert II, and meetings with Princess Marie-Esméralda.