Prince of Liechtenstein buys historic British collection involves nine Dutch and Flemish 17th-century paintings from Lord Northbrook, including Michiel van Musscher’s Portrait of an Artist valued at £6.6m, intended for his Vienna museum.
Stolen works were found in the estate of the late collector William Kingsland and consigned to Christie’s and the Stair Galleries, leading to cancellations of sales. The items included a Giacometti bronze bust, a Copley portrait, and several other works now under provenance review. The FBI is investigating and the sales were affected at Christie’s in London and Stair Galleries in Hudson, as well as related sales.
Norman Rockwell's "Breaking Home Ties" sold for $15.4 million at Sotheby's; the painting was discovered hidden behind a fake wall in a Vermont home. The sale surpassed the previous Rockwell record of $9.2 million for "Homecoming Marine". Edward Hopper's "Hotel Window" also set a record at $26.8 million in the same sale.
The article reports that an eighteenth-century Chinese famille rose bowl from the Qianlong period (1736–1795) sold at Christie’s for $19.67 million on November 28, setting a world record price for Qing porcelain. The bowl, part of Christie’s Jade Shears and Shimmering Feathers collection from the Robert Chang Collection, was sold to Dr. Alice Cheng of Hong Kong. The piece is intricately enameled and has a paired bowl in the Percival David Foundation in London.
The Mail & Guardian reports on the backlash against returning looted artworks in Germany and Austria, noting the involvement of Jewish claimants and the broader moral and political debate. It references a 500-million dollar New York sale and potential restitutions to families, including works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, August Macke, Lyonel Feininger, and Franz Marc, as well as Klimt pieces from Vienna’s Albertina.
This article reports that Latin American art sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s from November 20–22 totaled $39.1 million, led by paintings and sculptures by Fernando Botero. It notes Christie’s $21.78 million and Sotheby’s $17.32 million totals, multiple Botero works in the top ten, strong results for Wifredo Lam, and notable Zúñiga sculptures achieving substantial bids.
Obscure Still Life Shines at Vibrant Skinner Auction mentions a 17th-century Dutch School Still Life With Butterfly, Peaches, Cherries and Chestnut selling for $149,000 on the Skinner Inc. Boston sale, and a second highlight, Still Life with Books and Pipe by John Frederick Peto selling for $? (not specified as exact price in excerpt) which set an artist record; the article discusses overall sale results of 517 lots totaling about $1.8 million, with several artists achieving record prices, including Guido Carmignani, John Williamson, and Ross Sterling Turner.