If you went to Carnegie International this year looking for a survey of contemporary artwork and artists, what you encountered is probably not what you expected. What's on view is a mix of commissioned works, found works and historical works, some of it beautiful, most of it disconcerting and altogether quite heavy. It's a tour … Continue reading I found the end of the world and it’s in Pittsburgh
Upon the 2014 death of Richard Mellon Scaife, a billionaire heir of the Mellon fortune, it was announced that his collection would split into two Pennsylvania museums – Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Scaife’s taste in art may be as conservative as many of his political views. … Continue reading The Remains of a Great Collection — Richard Mellon Scaife’s Paintings at Freeman’s
The recent International Perfume Bottle Association (IPBA) auction featuring Nicholas Dawes of the Antiques Roadshow saw one lot soar to $38,400. That hammer fell on a 1917 Baccarat Egyptian bottle. Other top lots included a rare 1922 Rosine bottle, Antinea ou au Fond e la Mer or bottom of the sea, which sold for $18,000. … Continue reading Perfume Bottle Soars to $38K at IPBA Event
The next generation of buyers, living in a virtual world, is more conversant with Instagram or Twitter than TV programs. It is true that there will always be buyers for antiques, high or low; but without a solid base of general interests, dealers will fight an uphill battle of selling slow-moving merchandise on top of incremental show cost
PopCityMedia reports that giant sculptures depicting steel workers and made from steel beams from a bridge will soon loom over Pittsburgh's Southside. The neighborhood was home to many of the city's steel mills. The sculptures, collectively known as The Workers, will be placed in Riverfront Park. The City of Pittsburgh and the Heinz Endowments commissioned the … Continue reading Giant Steel Worker Sculptures Coming to Pittsburgh
Several works by Abstract painter Nathan Dunn kicked off today's auction at Gray's in Cleveland. The artist is closely associated with Cleveland's rival city of Pittsburgh. Dunn studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology and became best known for his works throughout Pittsburgh, Ohio, and West Virginia. He also painted in Cape Cod, Massachusetts during the … Continue reading Pittsburgh Abstraction Kicks Off Tuesday Auction
In 1934,during the Great Depression, the WPA workers built the main Post Office on Broadway in Nashville. The impressive Art Deco building on Broadway, flanked by the old Customs House and the Estes Kefauver Federal Courthouse on one side, and the Union Station on the other, went largely unappreciated by the residents. Ten years ago, … Continue reading Pop Art on the Bible Belt
Changing locations is usually difficult for well established antiques events and event organizers always prefer to remain in their established venue and hope, if they must move, that the cloud will have a silver lining. But for this year’s New York Ceramics Fair, loosing the lovely surroundings of the National Academy Museum on 5th Avenue … Continue reading New York Ceramics Fair Releases Numbers
Two classical sideboards at auction recently caught my attention. The first has massive carving on the back splat remotely comparable (in terms of the scale of the carved area) only to one in storage at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. This sideboard is being offered at Dargate auctions in Pittsburgh December 5. The description … Continue reading Classical Sideboards at Auction
The School Sisters of Notre Dame in Baltimore are about to receive a little divine love from the Holy Grail of Baseball Cards. A newly discovered T206 Honus Wagner card, left to the convent by the brother of a member of the order when he passed away, will be auctioned off on Nov. 4 in … Continue reading Baltimore Nuns Auctioning Baseball Card to Raise Money for Diocese
Urban Art & Antiques 