Bloomberg reports guitarist Eric Clapton is set to sell a painting by Gerhard Richter for as much as 20 times what he paid for it in 2001. Painted in 1994, Abstraktes Bild (809-4) is now valued at some $20 million and will be offered tomorrow at Sotheby's in London. In 2002, a 40-year retrospective of Richter's work was held at the Museum of … Continue reading Guitarist Clapton Set to Sell Richter for 20x 2001 Purchase Price
Move over Picasso, with a pre-sale estimate of $80 million, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, became the highest-priced artwork to ever sell at auction during Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale. This version of the iconic masterpiece achieved $119,922,500 million. Painted between 1893 and 1910, the works show an agonized figure against a red sky. The National Gallery, Oslo holds one of two … Continue reading Something to Scream About
In this series, the UAA team will list some of the interesting items that we have found in auctions, antique shops, shows or eBay. We neither own the items or have the capability of examining the items in person in some cases. It mainly serves as an inventory record of what interests us (not necessarily in … Continue reading A Gaggle of Interest, Americana Week Edition
There's a growing consortium of folks out there, dealers and promoters included, who say that antiques can be sold purely for their looks without reference to the intrinsic value. Buyers today, they say, don't care what a thing is, only what it looks like. In that case, I ask, what's so great about antiques? Take … Continue reading If It’s Just About the Look, Antiques Lose
Revenue at the auctioneer Sotheby's has gone up, way up. The company reported record first half revenues of $489.4 million, the highest ever first half consolidated sales of $3.4 billion and its highest ever quarterly net income of $127.2 million in the second quarter. “This is the best quarter in Sotheby’s history,” said Bill Ruprecht, President … Continue reading Chinese Buyers Help Bring Record Revenue to Sotheby’s
Most paintings from Flanner & Buchanan Corporate collection sold well, a reminder of the successful sale of Judge Buchanan’s personal collection (also at Heritage Auctions) two years ago. One of the highlights from Buchanan’s personal collection sale was a painting of forest interior by William Trost Richards during his brief Pre-Raphaelite period. It was … Continue reading Heritage Auctions American Sale Review
In this series, the UAA team will list some of the interesting items that we have found in auctions, antique shops, shows or eBay. We neither own the items or have the capability of examining the items in person in some cases. It mainly serves as an inventory record of what interests us (not necessarily in … Continue reading A Gaggle of Interests – Jan 8, 2011
Each year the biggest auction houses in New York have their American sales. A few months before Antique Week, the events provide a good opportunity not only to see items that may not be on public view again for sometime, and see others before they move through the retail chain. Saturday provided the opportunity to … Continue reading America At Preview
After an intense bidding battle that lasted almost 6 minutes in Sotheby’s New York Fine Books & Manuscripts sale, John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for ‘A Day In The Life’ finally sold to a round of applause to a private American collector on the telephone for $1,202,500, almost double the presale high estimate (est. $500,000-700,000). Bidding rapidly became a … Continue reading John Lennon’s Handwritten Lyrics ‘A Day In The Life’ Sells For $1,202,500
On June 3, former Sotheby’s senior vice president Leila Dunbar will give a presentation titled “Stories In Hand – Baseball History Told Through its Memorabilia” at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York as part of its annual symposium on baseball and American culture. The 2010 Symposium runs June 2-4, featuring lectures … Continue reading Leila Dunbar to speak on June 3 at Cooperstown Baseball Symposium
Urban Art & Antiques 