May 2017 Art News

DALLAS, Texas — A diverse collection of American Indian, Pre-Columbian and Tribal Art will interest collectors during the June 23 Heritage Auctions Ethnographic Auction.

A member of the Tewa-Hopi tribe, Dan Namingha captures the imagery of his homeland and his people in Butterfly Kachina, 1985 (est. $6,000-8,000).

Beginning in the late 1630s and increasingly through the 1640s, Rembrandt shifted away from the dynamic movement of his earlier work towards imagery characterized by stillness and calm. These are the defining qualities of the artist’s Abraham Entertaining the Angels of 1646, in which a momentous episode of divine revelation unfolds in the most hushed of ways— dramatic action replaced by subtle gesture and an astonishing luminosity, all within a panel measuring fewer than nine inches wide.

Deriving from the Latin amulētum; the phrase amulet was first used in Pliny’s Natural History and translates ‘an object that protects a person from trouble.’ Differing from talismans, which are believed to bring luck, Amulets are believed to have the power to protect their owners from harm.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.— Heritage Auctions, the largest auction house founded in the United States, has hired Brent Lewis, an art and design specialist based in Los Angeles, as Director of Design. He will begin immediately in Heritage's Beverly Hills office.

This remarkable Roman Marble Head Portrait of  Emperor Trajan (c. 98-117 A.D.) depicts the thirteenth emperor of the Roman Empire with pursed lips, a stern expression, furrowed brow and his iconic ‘bowl’ haircut that sweeps around his ears and gives heed to the idealised look of Augustus.  Trajan is captured as austere, yet stoic and his dignified appearance is wholly expected of a Roman Emperor.

The highlight of the auction is a garden picture by August Macke from 1912 which has never been shown in public, and has been in private ownership for many years (400/500,000). Further highlights include: Paul Klee with a paste picture on paper from 1933 (130/180,000), Philipp Bauknecht with a strongly coloured flower still life (100/120,000) and Emil Nolde with two watercolours including a vibrantly coloured marsh landscape at Seebüll (up to 140/160,000).

Exhibition Features Recently Acquired Contemporary Works

Pushing the boundaries of materials, making and form, 43 new objects recently acquired by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will be on view in "Making | Breaking: New Arrivals" from May 19 through Oct. 29. Presented in the museum's first-floor Process Galleries, the exhibition features contemporary works along with related sketches, prototypes and videos to reveal advances in technologies and techniques and illuminate groundbreaking design thinking.

On May 12-14, Brunk Auctions held a three day sale consisting of over a thousand lots of fine art, furniture, and decorative arts. The successful auction drew interest from across the globe culminating in strong results for the regional auction house.

A landmark $11.75 million gift to the Cincinnati Art Museum to establish the Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art was announced at the museum’s 137th Annual Meeting of the Shareholders of the Cincinnati Museum Association on May 15. The largest single monetary gift in the museum’s history, the endowment will enhance collections in the arts of South Asia, Greater Iran and Afghanistan.

First U.S. Museum Exhibition of Experimental Dutch Designer