John Constable, Beaching a Boat, Brighton, currently in the Tate Gallery, is recommended by the UK Spoliation Advisory Panel for return to the heirs of Baron Ferenc Hatvany. The painting was lost in 1945 and belonged to a Hungarian collector with provenance through Isabel Constable and the Dowdeswell and Cheramy collections, with later possession by the Soviet Economic Officers’ Commission.
The painterly work discussed is Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, whose private sale exceeded $75 million in 2013 to an unidentified collector. The piece was brokered by Sotheby’s and later publicized by trade insiders, including Anthony Crichton-Stuart.
Robert Rauschenberg works Gull (Jammer), 1976; Melic Meeting (Spread), 1979; Vow (Jammer), 1976; Bande de Sureté / Twin City / Nipples (Cardboard), 1971 are discussed as acquisitions by six US museums through a gift/purchase program initiated by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Museums involved include the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and three New York institutions: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The program funds acquisitions over three years with potential donations, and some works are already on view at MoMA and with other institutions.
Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (circa 1515) is discussed as being sold in a private transaction brokered by Sotheby’s for between $75 million and $80 million. The work, once owned by King Charles I of England and previously attributed to Boltraffio, has a damaged panel and signs of over-painting.
Jean-Michel Basquiat with Oxidized Portrait by Warhol, 1987. Photo: Tseng Kwong Chi, courtesy Eric Firestone Gallery. The article reports a $1 million lawsuit filed by Basquiat’s sisters alleging that Christie’s is offering works attributed to Basquiat that are not authenticated by his estate; the sale stems from Alexis Adler’s collection and includes various works such as sketchbooks, prints, and collages.
Amy Cappellazzo, Christie’s chairman for postwar and contemporary development, is profiled in Vogue discussing her influence on the contemporary art market. The piece notes record prices, such as Francis Bacon’s 1969 painting sold at Christie’s, and describes Cappellazzo’s role in Christie’s dominance over Sotheby’s.
Irma Stern Dakar Woman sold for R6.6 million; Stanley Faraday Pinker Love sold for R3,410,400; Alexis Preller Red Angel sold for R2,842,000; Maggie Laubser A Harvest Scene at Oortmanspost Farm sold for R2,273,600. The RB Stuttaford Will Trust and the Estate Late Mrs DE Stuttaford-Burton sale realised over R3.1 million; other highlighted works include Robert Gwelo Goodman views sold for R522,928 and R409,248. The auction total was R40 million with an 88.49% sell-through rate.
The article reports that Richard Prince and his gallery Gagosian settled with photographer Patrick Cariou, ending a lengthy copyright dispute over Prince’s Canal Zone paintings that incorporated Cariou’s photographs. The case began in 2009, with a 2011 ruling prompting destruction of some materials, and an appellate reversal in 2013 on most counts; the settlement concludes the matter with no further infringement claims.
Christy Brown archive, including unseen photographs, sketches and poetry, remains in Ireland after being auctioned at Bonhams in London for €44,820. The National Library of Ireland and the Little Museum of Dublin purchased the collection, with support from Direct Medical.
Matisse painting Woman in a Blue Dress in front of a Fireplace was on display at Henie Onstad Art Centre (HOK) since 1968 and is being returned to the family of Paul Rosenberg. The work, valued at about $20 million, was looted by the Nazis during World War II and previously changed hands several times before ending up at Onstad.
The article discusses Jackson Pollock, Number 5 (Elegant Lady), 1951, with an estimated price of US$ 15-20 million for Christie’s May 2014 Post-War and Contemporary Art sale. It notes the painting’s provenance involving Martha Jackson and Alfred Schmela and mentions E.ON as the owner planning to use the proceeds to support art and culture activities, including Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf.
Henri Matisse, Profil Bleu devant la cheminée (Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace), dated 1937, stolen on 5 September 1941 from the Rosenberg family and later restituted to the Rosenberg heirs. The painting had been displayed at the Henie Onstad Kunstenter (HOK) in Norway; Art Recovery International and Chris Marinello helped resolve the case and the HOK agreed to restitute the work, marking a notable restitution under the Washington Principles.
Jackson Pollock Number 5 (Elegant Lady), 1951 is mentioned with an estimated price of US$15,000,000 to US$20,000,000. The painting has been in the E.ON collection and on loan to Museum Kunstpalast, and will be offered at Christie’s New York in May. The article notes provenance involving Martha Jackson and Edith Mezger, and discusses public-private partnerships in Germany.
Vincent van Gogh, Le café de nuit (The Night Café) (1888) will remain at Yale University Art Gallery after a Connecticut court ruled against the heir of Ivan Morozov. The painting, valued at $120 million, was originally confiscated by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and donated to Yale in 1961.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, On the Shore of the Seine (Paysage Bord du Seine) (circa 1879), stolen in 1951, is returning to the Baltimore Museum of Art in The Renoir Returns, March 30–July 20. The painting, which resurfaced at auction in 2012, was previously owned by Saidie A. May and later acquired by the BMA; a 1951 insurance payment and a 2012 auction are part of the timeline leading to its current exhibit.
Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as a Lute Player” (c. 1616–18) was acquired by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, in a January Christie’s auction for an amount described as not near the low estimate of $3 million. The work, now not on view, was funded by the Charles H. Schwartz Endowment Fund as 2014.4.1 and is associated with Gentileschi’s Caravaggisti circle and Florence’s cultural context.
An interview with UCCA director Philip Tinari addresses the institution’s program, audience and position within China’s rapidly developing contemporary-art ecosystem.
Sotheby’s reports on Xu Bing’s monumental phoenix sculptures at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the labor history embedded in their materials.