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July 2025 Market Intelligence

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Fine art

Soundbites from the Christie’s 2025 Art + Tech Summit

Christie’s

Christie’s examines Soundbites from the Christie’s 2025 Art + Tech Summit and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.

Fine art

Rare, Mind-Bending M. C. Escher works haul in $7.8 million at auction

news.artnet.com

M. C. Escher, Bond of Union (1956) is pictured courtesy Christie’s. The article reports a $7.8 million haul for a cache of Escher drawings at Christie’s, part of the sale titled the Art of Infinity, which included 65 lots and saw works surpassing the prior Escher record in the medium.

Fine art

The National Gallery of Art announces new acquisitions expanding the national collection

nga.gov

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida's Isabelita and Thor (1893) is listed among the acquisitions. Notable works by Jules Breton, Richard Hunt, Graciela Iturbide, Nicolas Party, Kay WalkingStick, William T. Williams, and others are highlighted. The press release notes over 200 new works added through gifts and purchases to broaden the National Gallery of Art's collection.

June auctions see Stradivari and del Gesù violins command high prices

pocketmags.com

The Strad article reports that a Guarneri del Gesù violin from 1736 sold for €3.3 million (£2.85 million) in Paris at a Claude Aguttes sale on June 3, and a 1714 Stradivari violin, known as the da Vinci, ex-Seidel, sold at Tarisio for $15.34 million (£12.29 million) on June 9.

A unique pairing in The Strad: a violin blending Guarneri del Gesù and Montagnana

pocketmags.com

The Strad article discusses a remarkable violin examined by Balthazar Soulier, noted for displaying hallmarks of both Guarneri del Gesù and Montagnana. The piece references Fridolin Hamma’s Meisterwerke Italienischer Geigenbaukunst (1931) and reports on ongoing research by Michael A. Baumgartner and Jan Röhrmann to document surviving del Gesù violins.

Lost Stradivarius violin resurfaces in Tokyo after Nazi-era seizure

jfeed.com

The 1709 Mendelssohn Stradivarius, once owned by Lili von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, resurfaced in Tokyo decades after it disappeared during the Nazi era. The violin’s provenance was confirmed through matching historical photographs and research by Carla Shapreau and Jason Price, with prior identification by Bernard Sabatier and Charles Beare.

Fine art

Phillips’ Summer on Park Auctions Achieve a Combined Total of $3.5 Million

Phillips

Phillips details PHILLIPS’ SUMMER ON PARK AUCTIONS ACHIEVE A COMBINED TOTAL OF $3.5 MILLION, including the artists, works, estimates, and sale context documented in the release.

Fine art

Marwan: A Soul in Exile, Christie's Arab art summer exhibition

Christie’s

Christie’s examines Marwan: A Soul in Exile, Christie's Arab art summer exhibition and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.

Man arrested in search for 285-year-old violin stolen from London pub

classicfm.com

The Metropolitan Police arrested a man in connection with the theft of an 18th-century violin believed to be worth £150,000 from the Marquess Tavern in north London. The instrument, made in Florence in 1740, belonged to a Philharmonia Orchestra member, David Lopez Ibanez, who was dining there after rehearsal when it was taken; three bows and a cotton bag were also stolen.

Man arrested over theft of £150,000 violin, BBC reports

bbc.co.uk

BBC News reports that a 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a violin worth more than £150,000 from The Marquess Tavern in Islington. The instrument, made in Florence in 1740 and owned by David Lopez Ibanez, has not been recovered. Ibanez described the violin as his voice.

Man arrested over theft of £150,000 violin stolen from pub in Islington

standard.co.uk

The violin, an 18th-century instrument valued at more than £150,000, was stolen from The Marquess Tavern in Canonbury Street, Islington. A 43-year-old man was arrested on June 25 on suspicion of theft and later released on bail; the violin has not been recovered. The owner, David Lopez Ibanez, said the instrument, made in Florence in 1740, was his voice and priceless to him.

Stradivarius violin missing since second world war resurfaces in Japan

theviolinchannel.com

The 1709 Stradivarius known as the Mendelssohn has resurfaced in Tokyo after being stolen in Nazi-era Germany. Researchers Carla Shapreau and Jason Price discuss its history, including ownership by Lilli von Mendelssohn-Bohnke, the Mendelssohn & Co bank, postwar movements through Paris and London, and its 2005 acquisition by Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura under the name Stella.

Fine art

Explore Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting on show in London

Christie’s

Christie’s examines Explore Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting on show in London and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.

Fine art

Phillips Presents the 2025 Summer on Park Series

Phillips

Phillips details PHILLIPS PRESENTS THE 2025 SUMMER ON PARK SERIES, including the artists, works, estimates, and sale context documented in the release.

Fine art

Hauser and Wirth owners leave U.K. amid wealth exodus, and more art industry news

news.artnet.com

The article discusses Hauser and Wirth leaving the U.K. amid a wealth exodus and includes additional market updates from Artnet News, such as record sale results at Christie’s Old Masters, a Sotheby’s Old Masters sale with new records including Diana de Rosa, a Man Ray watercolor auction hint, and news that Blum gallery plans to cut staff and cease brick‑and‑mortar operations.

Hiding in plain sight: the case of the stolen Mendelssohn Stradivari

tarisio.com

Jason Price reports on the rediscovery of the 1709 Mendelssohn Stradivari, a violin once owned by the Mendelssohn family of Berlin and missing for nearly eighty years. The piece discusses the instrument’s provenance, its connection to Lilli von Mendelssohn-Bohnke, and the broader changes in the violin industry and due diligence in certification and selling.

Stradivarius once hidden from Nazis may have resurfaced

newser.com

The article discusses a 316-year-old Stradivarius violin, the Mendelssohn, reportedly resurfacing in Japan after being placed in a Berlin bank by a Jewish assets-seizing family during Nazi Germany, with photos from a 2018 Tokyo exhibition suggesting it is the instrument Stella (1707) and provenance tracing to Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura around 2005.

Fine art

Canaletto view sets a £31.9 million auction record in London

ARTnews

Canaletto's Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day sold for £31.9 million including fees at Christie's London. The result set an auction record for the artist and accounted for more than half of the Old Masters evening sale total.

Fine art

Sotheby's to Offer Rediscovered Old Masters, Renaissance Bronzes, Silver, Maiolica & More from the Davidson Collection | Press Release

Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s reports on Sotheby's to Offer Rediscovered Old Masters, Renaissance Bronzes, Silver, Maiolica & More from the Davidson Collection | Press Release. Its source account states that sotheby's to Offer Rediscovered Old Masters, Renaissance Bronzes, Silver, Maiolica & More from the Davidson Collection | Press Release | Sotheby’s.

Fine art

Canaletto auction record smashed at Christie’s London

artnews.com

Canaletto, Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day (circa 1732), sold for £31.9 million with fees ($43.7 million) at Christie’s Old Masters sale in London, setting a new Canaletto record. The painting’s estimate was £20 million and it was initially guaranteed, then backed by a third-party guarantee; it sold to an anonymous phone bidder via Christie’s director Alice de Roquemaurel. The work measures 86 by 13 cm and had previously not sold at auction since 1993.

Fine art

Canaletto Venice painting once owned by first UK prime minister sells for record

bbc.com

Canaletto's Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day, circa 1732, was sold to an anonymous bidder for £27.5m (£31.9m with fees) at Christie’s in London, setting a new auction record for the artist; the work previously hung at Number 10 Downing Street during Sir Robert Walpole’s tenure. The painting’s provenance and its notable past sale in 1993 and the earlier pendant work by Canaletto were also noted in the report.

Fine art

Canaletto painting achieves record £31.9 million at Christie’s, Venice scene goes under the hammer

artlyst.com

Canaletto's Venice Ascension Day painting The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day sold for £31.9 million at Christie’s, setting a new auction record. The work, painted around 1732, was previously part of Robert Walpole’s offices and has a well-documented provenance, including early ownership at 10 Downing Street. The sale underscores Canaletto’s prominence in 18th-century view painting.

Fine art

Why the Benin Bronzes are being returned, and who gets them

news.artnet.com

Sarah Cascone reports that the Netherlands returned 119 Benin Bronzes to the Nigerian government, and a week later the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston transferred two Benin works to the Oba of Benin. The keynote is the dispute over whether returns should go to the Nigerian state or to the Oba, with ceremonies in Lagos and New York City.

Fine art

New world record for Canaletto as view of Venice sells for £31.9m

europesays.com

Canaletto's Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day sold for £27.5m (£31.9m with fees) at Christie’s in London, setting a new auction record for the artist. The painting, dated around 1732, measures 86 by 138 cm and was previously associated with Robert Walpole; the pendant Grand Canal from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto sold for £18.6m in 2005 at Sotheby’s. The work’s sale occurred in Christie’s Old Masters evening sale on Tuesday (1 July).

Fine art

Historic Canaletto masterwork shatters the painter’s auction record

news.artnet.com

Canaletto’s Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day sold for £31.9 million ($43.9 million) at Christie’s Old Masters in London, setting a new auction record for the artist. The work measures 34 by 54 inches and is noted for its remarkable preservation and pivotal point in Canaletto’s career; its provenance includes Robert Walpole, Britain’s first prime minister. The prior Canaletto record was the Grand Canal from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto, sold at Sotheby’s London in 2005 for £18.6 million ($24.6 million).

Fine art

CLASSIC WEEK Led by Canaletto's record-breaking masterpiece Realising over £31 million

press.christies.com

Canaletto’s Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day led the sale with £31,935,000 ($43,910,625) (€37,236,210); the overall Old Masters Evening Sale and The Exceptional Sale totalled £60,844,240 ($83,660,830) (€70,944,384). Other highlights included Jan Davidsz. De Heem’s still life sold for £3,670,000 ($5,046,250) (€4,279,220) and Titian’s Portrait of a nobleman sold for £3,428,000 ($4,713,500) (€3,997,048).

Fine art

New world record for Canaletto as view of Venice sells for £31.9m

theartnewspaper.com

Canaletto, Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day, around 1732, sold for £27.5m (£31.9m with fees) at Christie’s in London. The painting had been owned by Britain’s first prime minister, Robert Walpole, and was previously sold at Ader Tajan in Paris in 1993 for 66m French francs (£7.5m).

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