Stories for November '20
(Young Collectors)Plan B
The Young Collector
If we have learned anything from the past few months (please, let us have learned something), it might be that our plans are not plans. Our plans are all too often more like ideas. We have ideas about what we want, ideas about how things will go, and ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Gurleys Move Thanksgiving Sunday Show to New Hampshire
Gurley Antique Shows will be running the firm’s annual Thanksgiving Sunday Antique Show at a new location—the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, the same venue that hosts the annual New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association (NHADA) show during Antiques Week in New Hampshire.
The show will be held on Sunday, ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Nine Photographs Offered at Auction Draw a Lawsuit
No auction house wants to sell an alleged fake, but when the alleged fake is copyrighted, there can be additional trouble.
Nine photographs offered in three sales by Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries in December 2019 and January and March 2020 have prompted a lawsuit filed by Iconic Images, Ltd., owner of the ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Hanging with Tom Jewett and Butch Berdan
We are all spending much more time now in our houses and apartments because of COVID-19. Because we all might enjoy staring at someone else’s walls for a change, this column gives our readers an idea of what some of their colleagues, fellow collectors, and other readers surround themselves with ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Letter from London, November 2020
Quite a mix has resulted from my attempts to look back at some earlier summer sales and to keep as up to date as possible. There are a few old masters and a couple of tortoises, a pair of old shoes, two Dutch dolls with a political edge, and a ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Leigh Keno and Barn Star Team Up for Fall Antiques at Rhinebeck
Barn Star Productions has announced that Leigh Keno will be a sponsor of the upcoming Fall Antiques at Rhinebeck Online Show, November 13-15, on the Ruby Lane platform (www.rubylane.com).
Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions said, “We are extremely fortunate to welcome Mr. Keno to our team presenting our fourth online ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Delaware Antiques Show Goes Online
The 57th Delaware Antiques Show will be smaller, will last longer—a full week, November 7 through 14—and will be online on InCollect.
There will be no charge to browse the show anytime from 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, until 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 14. For $100 the show can ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Folk Art Horology: Clocks and Watches in American Folk Paintings
Since the 13th-century invention of mechanical timekeeping, clocks and watches have appeared in art, never by accident or unintentionally. And even before their arrival, artist depictions of water clocks, sundials, and sandglasses also represented fleeting time, human mortality, technological sophistication, owner affluence, self-discipline, or even just the time of day.
My ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story) Winter Is Coming
“We’ve lost it all...but at least we don’t have to pay sales tax.” That glass-half-full assessment came from an over-80-year-old longtime dealer set up in the corner of a large tent at the Black River Antique Show in Ludlow, Vermont, on a cold and rainy morning in early October.
She said ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Winter Show to Go Online
The 67th Winter Show, January 21-31, 2021, will be presented online. Dealers will create a gallery viewing room with thumbnail images and a 3-D gallery space and will also be able to share video content. There will also be lectures and discussions. “We are excited about our platform,” said Helen ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Exhibitions, November 2020
Rob Rey, Bioluminescence: Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, acrylic on canvas, 30" x 20".
—Through November 12 —New York City
Rehs Contemporary Galleries presents Taking Flight, an exhibition to benefit the American Bird Conservancy. The art on view was created by seven artists who each have their own unique style, though all the featured ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Auction Prices Realized, November 2020
Here are a few notable prices of antiques sold recently at auction, as provided by press releases. All prices include the buyer’s premium when charged. We’re always looking for news of prices realized at auctions, particularly unusual or top lots. Send pictures, complete descriptions, and information to A.P.R., Maine Antique ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Calder Mobile Brings $1,872,500, Setting Record for Hindman
Triple Cross, a 1947 standing mobile by Alexander Calder (1898- 1976), sold for $1,872,500 (includes buyer’s premium) at Hindman in Chicago on October 1. The 31½" x 37" x 11¾" sculpture, estimated at $600,000/800,000, set a record for the highest sale price in the Chicago auction house’s 38-year history. The ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Harold Gordon, Creator of Fake “Bingham” Secretary, Sentenced
On September 29 Harold Gordon, 71, of Templeton, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, to five years of probation. Gordon was also ordered to pay restitution to Connecticut dealer Allan Katz in the amount of $84,500.
On January 29, 2019, ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Inaugural Jewelry Sale at Andrew Jones Auctions
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Andrew Jones Auctions
Andrew Jones Auctions in Los Angeles, California, held its inaugural fine jewelry, watches, and timepieces auction on September 16. The sale was highlighted by the collection of Mary and Lou Silver of Indian Wells, California, who “amassed a broad and wonderful collection of ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)The Sale on Everyone’s Radar: The Banks Estate at Brunk Auctions
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Brunk Auctions
Andrew Brunk opened his September 12 sale of the estate of William “Bill” Nathaniel Banks Jr. (1924-2019) with a brief biography: “He had great taste, a warm smile, and always bought the best.”
William Banks, the only child of Evelyn Wright Banks, a native ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Native American Art
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
by Alice Kaufman
Photos courtesy Bonhams
What were the results of the August 31 Native American art auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles? According to department director Ingmars Lindbergs, “Very good. Extremely good.” That translated to $107 million in sales, $110,000 over the low estimate for the sale.
Lindbergs is ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Americana Auction
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates held its summer Americana auction at the firm’s gallery in Mt. Crawford, Virginia, August 27, 28, and 29. The three sessions combined to offer more than 1700 lots from multiple consignors and ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Farrin Back in Full Gear
Farrin’s Country Auctions, Randolph, Maine
As best we can define “normal” these days, business at Rusty Farrin’s auction company in Randolph, Maine, is back to normal, as long as everyone understands that normal now means wearing a mask and keeping 6' apart. But there is a sad change evident. His August ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Gamage Has the Ball and It’s Second Down and Ten from the Fifty
Bruce Gamage, Jr. Antiques, Rockland, Maine
For Bruce Gamage, it was second down and ten from the 50-yard line. But the next play didn’t happen until five months later. His last planned auction had been set for the middle of March. In the Rockland, Maine, Elks Lodge, the tables were all ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)North American Decoys at Auction
Guyette & Deeter, Inc., St. Michaels, Maryland
Photos courtesy Guyette & Deeter, Inc.
Good collectors make for good collections, and good collections make for good auctions. Such was the combination at Guyette & Deeter’s August 21 and 22 absentee and online decoy auction that brought $4 million (with buyers’ premiums). The auction ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Novel Approach to the Novel Virus Problem
Barridoff Galleries, South Portland, Maine
Photos courtesy Barridoff Galleries
Here’s an idea that falls right into the “Why didn’t anyone else think of this?” category. On August 15 Barridoff Galleries held its latest art auction in South Portland, Maine. To encourage absentee bidding in this “Age of COVID,” the buyer’s premium was ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)George Nakashima Furniture Sells Well in Virginia
Cox & Graves Auction Co., Fredericksburg, Virginia
George Nakashima Furniture Sells Well in Virginia
by Walter C. Newman
Photos courtesy Cox & Graves Auction Co.
A group of six pieces of furniture crafted at the Nakashima studios in New Hope, Pennsylvania, recently came to auction in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The pieces were offered by the ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Skinner Americana
Skinner, Marlborough, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Skinner
Skinner’s annual August Americana auction, held online August 3-13, included over 600 lots from multiple consignors. A Boston-area collection gathered carefully in the 1960s and 1970s from the best dealers of the day was the source of many of the highly desired lots. Stephen Fletcher, head ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Eldred’s Summer Marine Auction
Eldred’s, East Dennis, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Eldred’s
Every seat beneath the tent on the terrace was occupied for Eldred’s August 13 marine sale in East Dennis, Massachusetts. While seating was spaced to allow for social distancing, it still meant that 40 or so hardy souls were on site for bidding. And bid ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Online Americana, Fine Art, and Marine Auction Tops $1.5 Million
Rafael Osona Auctions, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Rafael Osona Auctions
Rafael Osona Auctions, Nantucket, Massachusetts, held an Americana, fine art, and marine sale on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9. The auction was conducted totally online and included the estate of Linda Loring of Boston and Nantucket, and other private collectors. ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)California Paintings Bring Strong Prices
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Scot Levitt, Bonhams’ vice president and director of California and Western art, began a discussion of the August 4 Los Angeles auction with statistics: hammer sales totaled $2.2 million, and 138 lots sold. The sale was 92% sold by value and 85% by lot. “We ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Pook Firearms, Militaria, and Ephemera
Pook & Pook, Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Pook & Pook, Inc.
Auctioneers sell whatever comes their way. It was firearms, militaria, and ephemera at Pook & Pook on July 30, including a mix of autograph material from the estate of the much-loved manuscripts dealer Joseph Rubinfine (1938-2019), who produced scholarly catalogs ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Hybrid Sale of American Art
Bonhams, New York City
Photos courtesy Bonhams
An online sale offering 68 lots of American art was held at Bonhams New York on the afternoon of July 29 in what the auctioneer described as a “hybrid sale behind closed doors.” Bids were taken from the phones, online, and from absentee participants, with ... (Read More)
|
(Show)The Virtual Newport Show
The Newport Show: Antiques, Art and Exquisite Objects
The 2020 edition of The Newport Show: Antiques, Art and Exquisite Objects, normally held during one of the busiest summer weekends for the resort town of Newport, Rhode Island, shifted to an online format that lasted for seven days. Now in its 14th ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Thomaston Embraces the “New Normal”
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine
Photos courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
The English language is a constantly evolving system. Meanings change from year to year, and sometimes from month to month. What “gay” meant in the 1940s is not what it means today. The word “awful” used to mean something that ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Buyers Near and Far Bid Up Case’s Two-Day Sale
Case Antiques, Inc., Auctions & Appraisals, Knoxville, Tennessee
Photos courtesy Case Antiques, Inc.
Case Antiques, Knoxville, Tennessee, traditionally offers major auctions in January and July. In this unusual year they were divided into what might be called “before” and “after” sales. Both were in the firm’s new two-day format with Saturday and ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)NAADAA Online Antique, Art & Jewelry Show
The National Antique & Art Dealers Association of America
Online antiques shows have been one way dealers have kept in touch with their audience since so many in-person shows have ceased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Incollect, the online selling platform run by Antiques & Fine Art publisher John Smiroldo, hosted an ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Historical Ephemera and Photography, Including African Americana
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s Auctions
A slight bit of rebranding was in play during the June 26 sale held by Cowan’s Auctions. That event, billed as “American Historical Ephemera and Photography,” followed sales in prior years that went under the guise of “Historical Americana” and “American History.” Potato. Potahto. ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Confederate Flag Leads the Charge at Poulin’s
Poulin Antiques and Auctions, Inc., Fairfield, Maine
Photos courtesy Poulin Antiques and Auctions
The Civil War came to life again at Poulin Antiques and Auctions’ three-day offering from June 19 to 21 in Fairfield, Maine. But along with some major six-figure firearms, it was items of wool, cotton, and silk, rather than ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Rodrigue Collection Stars in an Art-Focused Sale
Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, Louisiana
Photos courtesy Neal Auction Company
Neal Auction Company sales are traditionally strong in works by southern regional artists, and for many years the principal name to conjure with has been George Rodrigue (1944-2013) of “Blue Dog” fame. This year’s summer estates auction, held June 12-14, included ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Alamo Artifacts and Pennsylvania Prizes
Burley Auction Gallery, New Braunfels, Texas
Photos courtesy Burley Auction Gallery
A large and impressive collection of Texas and other American historical artifacts, memorabilia, armaments, furniture, and pottery was sold on June 6 at a Texas Hill Country auction house.
The 445 items that crossed the block at the Burley Auction Gallery in ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Online American Art Sale
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Unlike other auction houses, Christie’s has held online-only American art sales since 2016. Offering lots over a two-week period was not a new endeavor, and the 87-lot sale that ran from July 23 through August 7 appeared to run seamlessly. The auction totaled $3,973,250 with ... (Read More)
|
1 (800) 752-8521 • PO Box 1429 • Waldoboro, ME 04572
