Category: Auctions
50 Old Masters from the Alana Collection coming up at Christie's NY
April 9 2022
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News has emerged that Christie's New York will be offering 50 old master paintings from the Alana collection on 9th June 2022. The collection was formed by Chilean billionaire Alvaro Saieh and his wife Ana Guzmán over a period of decades. Many pictures included were displayed at the Jacquemart-Andre Museum in Paris between 2019-20. The total value of the collection is said to be worth between $30m and $50m.
Amongst the highlights in Fra Angelico's Saint Dominic and the Stigmatization of Saint Francis estimated at $4m - $6m (pictured).
$30m Michelangelo drawing coming up at Christie's
April 7 2022
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It has been announced that Christie's Paris will be offering a drawing by Michelangelo in their upcoming May sale. The figure is based on the shivering man depicted in Masaccio’s Baptism of the Neophytes fresco at Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. It was last sold in Paris over one hundred years ago where it was catalogued as 'School of Michelangelo'. The work on paper, one of the few by the artist left in private hands, has since been upgraded by scholars.
The drawing will be offered up for sale on 18th May 2022 carrying an estimate within the region of $30m.
Sleeper Alert!
April 7 2022
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This painting of A Peasant Woman holding a Cockerel catalogued as 'North Italian School' realised £176,400 (inc. commission) over its £6k - £8k estimate yesterday at Sotheby's. The work was sold from the collection of the Marquess of Downshire. This beautiful and very yellowed Lely, from the same collection, realised £113,400 over its £20k - £30k estimate.
Christina, Queen of Sweden's Titian Coming up for Sale
April 5 2022
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dorotheum auction house in Vienna have announced that they will be offering a rediscovered Titian later in May. The painting of The Penitent Magdalen, of which many versions are known, was in the collection of Christina (1626-1689), Queen of Sweden during the seventeenth century. The provenance of the work is rather intriguing, as it later passed into the collections of Pierre Crozat and later Philippe II Duke of Orleans. It finally arrived in Britain during the 1790s. The attribution has been supported by Professor Paul Joannides and the exact provenance was researched and established by Dr Carlo Corsato.
The painting will be offered for sale on 11th May 2022 carrying an estimate of €1m - €1.5m.
Louvre swoops in to block Chardin Sale
April 1 2022
Picture: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The curious pre-emption system in France has once again swooped in to block the sale of a valuable work of art. The Art Newspaper has published news that the aforementioned €24.4m Chardin, purchased by New York dealer Adam Williams on behalf of an unknown client, has been blocked by a pre-emption from the Louvre. The French museum now has two and a half years to try and find the money to keep the painting in the country.
As it happens, the Louvre already has fourty paintings by the artist in its collection. A quick collections search shows that all of them, apart from four, are currently on public display. This is a most impressive statistic.
Bonhams April Sale
March 30 2022
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Bonhams London have uploaded the online catalogue for their April Old Master Paintings sale. This live auction will take place on 12th April 2022.
As usual, there are quite a few intriguing and unrestored pictures to peruse through. I won't spoil the fun by pointing out any that may or may not be interesting.
Chardin's Strawberries make €24.4m
March 24 2022
Video: artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new auction record for Jean-Siméon Chardin and for an eighteenth-century French painting was set in Paris yesterday. The artist's aforementioned Basket of Strawberries achieved no less than €24.4m (inc. fees).
According to the write-up from The Art Newspaper:
The work was bought by the New York dealer Adam Williams, who was bidding in the room. This was confirmed by the Old Master paintings specialist Eric Turquin who advised on the sale and wrote the catalogue entry. He also tells The Art Newspaper that the underbidder was a London gallery bidding for a private American collector and Eric Coatalem, a Parisian dealer, whose interest "pushed the picture up to €15m". Turquin will receive a small percentage of the sale proceeds.
Sotheby's April Sale
March 24 2022
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Many of you might have spotted that Sotheby's London have uploaded their upcoming mid-season sale. This online auction will be held between 31st March and 6th April 2022. Amongst the highlights are portraits descended with the Marquess of Downshire and a choice selection of English sporting pictures.
As usual with these very tempting mid-season sales, I won't spoil any fun by pointing out pictures that may or may not be interesting.
Christie's new OMP Global Head
March 23 2022
Picture: BBC
Posted by Bendor
I'm interrupting my recent AHN purdah to congratulate Andrew Fletcher on his appointment as Christie's new Global Head of their Old Masters department. Here's their press release. Andrew has previously been up the road at Sotheby's, for 20 years! And I think I've known him all that time. Which is incredibly ageing, for in my mind we're both still just getting started in the Old Master game.
But now Andrew is an experienced older hand, and I can think of few better people to take charge of an international auction house's Old Master offering, especially in such unprecedented times. AHN wishes him good luck!
The photo above shows Andrew in action in an episode of Britain's Lost Masterpieces, where he was our expert guide in the works of Jan Brueghel the Elder.
The Palace of Versailles scoop up a Nattier from Auction
March 11 2022
Picture: @DaguerreSVV
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It has been announced on Twitter that the Palace of Versailles have acquired (pre-empted at auction) Jean-Marc Nattier's Portrait of a Lady presumed to be Philippine Élisabeth d'Orléans known as Mademoiselle de Beaujolais. The painting was sold by the auction house Daguerre for €150,000.
For any of you who might be curious as to what this instrument might have sounded like, here's a rather fine Tombeau by François Campion (1685-1747) played on a historic baroque guitar.
One of Gainsborough's Earliest Portraits up for Sale
March 9 2022
Picture: Cheffins
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Interesting news that the auction house Cheffins will be auctioning off one of Thomas Gainsborough's earliest portraits later this month. The portrait of an unknown lady was discovered by the art historian James Innes-Mulraine in 2016 where it was purchased at a provincial auction house catalogued as 'Circle of Arthur Devis'. Fortunately, research proved otherwise and the painting was eventually accepted by Hugh Belsey, compiler of the artist's portrait catalogue raisonné, as an early Gainsborough dating to c.1742.
The portrait will be sold on 23rd March 2022 carrying an estimate of £30,000 - £50,000.
Rediscovered Gabriel Loppé Mountain Views up for Sale
March 9 2022
Video: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The French auction house Artcurial have made this video about a pair of monumental Mountain landscapes by Gabriel Loppé (1825-1913) in their upcoming sale. The canvases of The Matterhorn seen from the Gornergrat and The Mer de Glace and the Grands Charmoz, Chamonix both sent to London in 1874 where they were displayed in a gallery in Conduit Street. The paintings had been considered lost until they were rediscovered rolled up in cylindrical shipping boxes in 2014. The video features the independent expert William Mitchell who catalogued the pictures for auction.
They will be sold on 23rd March 2022 carrying estimates of €300k - €400k and €350k - €450k respectively.
Meat Company buy Triptych
March 4 2022
Picture: heraldo.es
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Interesting news from Spain that one of the country's largest meat producers the Jorge Group have recently purchased a triptych at auction. The local church of Santa María in the Zaragoza town of Maluenda had sold the painting in 1946 to fund restoration works after a disastrous fire. The triptych, whose whereabouts was unknown since the 1946 sale, reappeared at auction in Madrid the other week where it was spotted by the art historian José Luis Cortés. The new owners of the artwork, which was catalogued as by a follower of Jan Gossaert, will now have the painting returned to Zaragoza where it will be put on display.
Sleeper Alert!
March 3 2022
Picture: La Suite Subastas
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News on Twitter this afternoon (via. auctionradar) that the following Portrait of a Man catalogued as 'Flemish School 15th - 16th century. In the Italian renaissance taste' realised €288,000 over its €8k - €12k estimate at the auction house La Suite Subastas in Barcelona today.
Update - @artidbits on Instagram has shared this image of a painting formerly in the Spiridon Collection in Rome which was later sold in Amsterdam in 1928. The exact relationship between these two paintings is unclear.
Magritte realises £59.4m
March 3 2022
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Despite the absolute horrors unfolding in Eastern Europe at the present, Sotheby's London managed to sell René Magritte's L’empire des lumières (1961) for a record-breaking £59.4m (inc. commission) last night. Both modern and contemporary sales realised high prices. The Now Evening Auction realised £29,982,500 (inc. commission) and the Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction realised £192,161,150 (which included the Magritte, of course).
Neighbouring London auction house Phillips also made headlines by announcing they would be donating the entirety of their fees from the 20th-century and contemporary art evening auction in London to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. The donation from the Russian-owned auction house amounts to £5.8 million ($7.7 million) for the charity.
Unexportable Velázquez sells for €4.27m
March 3 2022
Picture: abc.es
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned portrait of an unknown gentleman attributed to Diego Velázquez achieved €4.27m (inc. commission) at the Abalarte auction house in Madrid yesterday. Two collectors were said to be involved in the final few bids. Furthermore, the new owner will have to keep the work in the country as it was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the authorities in Madrid in 2007.
Portrait of first Female French Academician coming up for sale
March 2 2022
Picture: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The French auction house Artcurial have uploaded the online catalogue of their upcoming Old Master & 19th Cent. Art sale due to be held on 23rd March 2022. Alongside the aforementioned €12m - €15m Chardin is this rather interesting portrait. Ascribed to 'French School 17th century', it depicts the flower painter Catherine Duchemin (1630-1698), who was not only the wife of sculptor François Girardon but also the first ever female artist accepted into the French Academy of Art. The catalogue note, which provides an interesting biography of the painter, is well worth a read.
The painting will be offered for sale carrying an estimate of €100,000 - €150,000.
Christie's Reveals July Highlights
February 24 2022
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The FT have published an article revealing two highlights from Christie's July Old Master Paintings sale in London. Both highlights come from the collection of philanthropists Cecil and Hilda Lewis. The first is a very pleasing Still Life (dated to 1633) by Jan den Uyl (1595/96–1639) estimated at £2.5m - £3.5m (pictured). The second is Lucas Cranach’s The Nymph of the Spring (c1540) which will be offered for between £6m and £8m. These two pictures were purchased by the couple in 1988 and 1990 respectively.
£10m - £15m Freud coming up at Christie's
February 18 2022
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London will be offering a £10m - £15m painting by Lucian Freud in their upcoming 20th / 21st Century Sale on 1st March 2022. Girl with Closed Eyes was painted in the mid 1980s and is being marketed as a hark back to Venuses by the likes of Giorgione, Canova and Modigliani. The model for the picture was Janey Longman whose mother Elizabeth had been a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth II's wedding.
According to their website:
The canvas was sold as soon as it was painted and, having been in the same private collection ever since, now comes to market for the first time. It has been exhibited only occasionally in the three and a half decades of its existence, notably in the landmark retrospective Lucian Freud Paintings, which toured the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Hayward Gallery in London and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin in 1987-88.
Velázquez Portrait coming up for sale in Madrid
February 17 2022
Picture: abc.es
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Madrid that a Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman by Diego Velázquez is coming up for sale at the auction house Abalarte on 2nd March 2022.
The owners of the painting, which is part of the collection of the Vizcondes de Roda, had tried to sell it in the 2000s until the Spanish Government stepped in to declare it an Asset of Cultural Interest. Press reports do not make it clear whether the painting would be allowed to leave Spain or not.
Interestingly, the report linked above suggests that scholars believe the intricate lace ruff is a later addition by another hand. It is thought that the face is the work of the artist himself. The likes of the late Alfonso Pérez Sánchez (former Director of the Prado) and Carmen Garrido have supported the attribution.
The painting will be sold on 2nd March 2022 carrying an estimate of €2.5m - €3m.
