August 2017 Art News

Morphy Auctions, the finest auction destination for fresh to the market collections, is excited to announce this can't-miss sale to be held on March 4th and 5th, 2017, beginning at 10am each day. A full range of decorative and functional items from the most collectible makers – including Tiffany, Loetz, Amphora, Stickley, Rookwood, Quezal, and Steuben – are represented. This event also features precious and fine jewelry at a full range of price points. All items from this sale are on display in Morphy's Denver auction gallery and available for preview now.

The noteworthy qualitative offering with Old Master and 19th century masters is strongly stamped by the Dutch and Flemish artists, enriched by Italian, French, Spanish and English artists. German masters are prominent with many works by Jacob Philipp Hackert (up to 160,000) and Oswald Aschenbach (up to 100,000). Highlights of the auction include a painting by Joos van Cleve (200/250,000) and a Madonna from the studio of Jan van Eyck (150/170,000).

The notably high quality offering of Old Masters and 19th century artists was characterised by Dutch and Flemish works. The German 19th century works for sale were particularly strong. The highlights of the auction included a fine result of 422,000, high above the estimate, for a painting by Joos van Cleve, and from the 19th century, for a painting by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (155,000). The spring auctions of Decorative Arts and Old Masters together reached a very pleasing total of 7.5 million euro.

Undisputed at the top of the auction with 616,000 was Homage to the Square by Josef Albers. Gerhard Richter followed with 360,000 for a small canvas with a curtain. Günther Uecker reached 174,000 with a small nail work, whilst a pyramid by Keith Haring and a characteristic head by Marwan both settled at 124,000, and brilliant-green grapes by Karin Kneffel reached 136,000. A sculpture by Fritz Koenig sold for 105,500. Altogether, the three auctions achieved a very pleasing total result of 8 million euro.

Among top results of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ March 20 Asian Works of Art sale was a scroll painting with the signature of Qi Baishi, which sold for $269,000 to an Eastern Chinese buyer. Following record-breaking sales during New York’s Asia Week, the March auction showed strong results across all media and time periods that demonstrate the return to buoyant buying by Greater China as witnessed industry-wide over 2016.

The May 6 and 7 Arts of the American West auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers drew hundreds of collectors and dealers to the auction firm’s Denver saleroom, with hundreds more participating globally online. The sale had a 93% sale-through rate, showing impressive interest in the category, especially for jewelry, American Indian artifacts and contemporary western art. The auction realized over $850,000.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ May fine art sales featured highlights from numerous estates, which included three of the top selling lots by Rosemarie Trockel, Henri Le Sidaner and Thomas Hart Benton. The May 23 and 24 Post War and Contemporary Art, Fine Prints and American and European Art auctions realized over 4.6 million with nearly 25% of lots sold selling above high estimates.

On May 20 & 21, 2017, Clars Auction Gallery hosted an important sale that featured exceptional works in fine art from prominent artists around the world. The art world took note of this sale and competed vigorously for several of these works driving prices well over high estimates. The sale offered important property from several major museums, collections and estates. Overall, this two-day sale realized $2.5 million.

Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates will hold a catalogued auction of antiques, fine and decorative arts, and 20th century design on April 29 beginning at 9:30 am ET. The large auction consists of institutional and private consignments, highlighted by the collection of the late Winslow Anderson (1917-2007) of Milton, WV, being sold to benefit the Huntington Museum of Art. Anderson was an important designer at Blenko Glass (1947-1953) and Lenox China (1953-1980). He also studied painting and drawing with Hans Hofmann and other influential American artists.

Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates’ annual spring auction of 18th & 19th century glass and lighting was held on May 20, 2017.  The 1000-lot sale featured the collection of glass author and scholar Joan E. Kaiser of East Sandwich, MA.