Category: Auctions
Christie's New York May Sales
May 10 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have uploaded their upcoming Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings and Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings from a Private Collection - Selling Without Reserve sales online. The auctions will take place on 20th and 21st May 2025 respectively.
Sotheby's New York May Sale
May 9 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's New York have uploaded their upcoming Master Paintings & Sculpture sale online. The live auction will take place on 22nd May 2025.
Henry Singleton's 'The Surrender of the two sons of Tipu Sultan' coming up at Bonhams
May 2 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the highlights of the upcoming Islamic & Indian Art sale at Bonhams in London is Henry Singleton's The Surrender of the two sons of Tipu Sultan. The work, which is rather famous due to it portraying an important event captured by an artist who as it happens never went to India, has been consigned by a descendant of Major General Sir David Baird who is actually depicted in the scene. The work will be offered on 22nd May 2025 carrying an estimate of £200,000 - £300,000.
£20m+ Canaletto coming up at Christie's London
May 2 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have announced that they will be offering Sir Robert Walpole's Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day by Canaletto in their July 2025 Old Master Paintings Evening Sale. The painting, which measures 4 1/2 feet wide, will be offered carrying an estimate 'in excess of £20 million'.
According to their press release:
Having only appeared at auction twice in its 300-year history, in 1751 and 1993, this picture is in a remarkable state of preservation with the surface of the painting beautifully textured and the rich impasto of the figures intact. Inaccessible to scholars throughout much of its history, it has only recently come to light that the picture hung at 10 Downing Street, where it is first recorded in 1736, in the collection of Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745). This illustrious early 18th century provenance makes it – along with its pendant of the Grand Canal – the earliest recorded work by the Venetian master to be hung in an English house, predating King George III’s purchase of Consul Joseph Smith’s Canalettos by a quarter of a century. Exceedingly ambitious in both scale and conception, this highly evocative view is testimony to Canaletto’s prodigious talent and exacting technique, painted at the highpoint of his career. It is his earliest known representation of a subject to which he would return repeatedly, marking the starting point for Canaletto painting such festivities. This picture will be on on view at Christie’s New York from 3 until 15 May, followed by Hong Kong from 22 to 28 May, before returning to London for the pre-sale exhibition from 27 June to 1 July.
Er... what are those doing there? (ctd)
May 2 2025
Picture: Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden GmbH
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Following on from the strange encounter with some wind turbines last year, it appears that more defaced 19th century paintings by Eike Heinrich Redel (born 1951) are coming up for sale in Germany. This particular example entitled 'Ich habe eine große Meise', which translates to 'I have a big tit' (the bird kind), carries an estimate of 1,400 - 2,800 EUR.
National Museum of Serbia acquires Uroš Predić for €169,500 at Dorotheum
April 30 2025
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dorotheum in Vienna have announced that the National Museum of Serbia acquired Uroš Predić's A Girl in their 19th Century Paintings sale the other day. The work achieved €169,500 over its €15,000 - €20,000 estimate.
In case you'd like to know more about this artist, here's their online catalogue note:
Uroš Predić is regarded as one of the most significant Serbian painters of the 19th and 20th centuries and a leading figure of academic realism. Born on 7 December 1857 in Orlovat, then part of the Austrian Empire (now Serbia), he pursued his artistic education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna between 1876 and 1880, where he was influenced by the traditions of the Vienna Academy and its professors, including Christian Griepenkerl and the principles of Realism. These influences are evident in his meticulous technique and his commitment to achieving lifelike representation. After completing his studies, he initially worked in Vienna before returning to his hometown of Orlovat in 1885.
Northern Treasures at Artcurial
April 29 2025
Picture: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm very late to the news that Artcurial in Paris will be auctioning off a significant private collection of early works from Northern Europe tomorrow. The sale contains some rather high value lots and includes works by the key figures associated with the artistic produce of this part of the continent.
Sale of €30m Klimt Falls Through
April 24 2025
Picture: Kinsky
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Austrian press have reported that the sale of Gustav Klimt's Fräulein Lieser, which made €30m at Kinsky in Vienna last April, has fallen through. The article above (which lays out the complicated provenance of the picture) suggests that the sticking point surrounded the winning bidder's desire, seemingly represented by Patti Wong & Associates of Hong Kong, to have 'declarations of indemnity from all heirs of Adolf and Lilly Lieser before the purchase was concluded.' It seems that one heir had refused to sign such an agreement.
Wright of Derby Self Portrait coming up at Sloane Street Auctions
April 24 2025
Picture: Sloane Street Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular art watchers might remember the reappearance of this late Self Portrait by Joseph Wright of Derby in 2017, which was discovered and unveiled by Archie Parker at LAPADA that year. The picture is now coming up for sale at Sloane Street Auctions on 2nd May 2025 carrying an estimate of £60,000 - £80,000.
£3m Hans Eworth coming up at Sotheby's London
April 23 2025
Picture: artscouncil.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Returning again to the UK Arts Council's 'Private Treaty Sales' page, the following portrait of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by Hans Eworth has been announced as part of the Sotheby's London Old Master's Sales in July 2025. The painting, which descended with the Earls of Westmorland until it entered a private collection around the late 19th century, carries a guide price of £3m.
$30m - $50m Monet coming up at Christie's New York
April 18 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York will be offering a $30m -$50m painting by Claude Monet in their upcoming sales next month. Interestingly, Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule (1891) will be unveiled to the public by the auction house in Taipei, Taiwan, tomorrow.
According to the artnews.com article linked above:
“Taipei, in particular, has really had strong interest in classic Impressionism,” Fusco said. “We have seen strong bidding coming from clients in that region for Monet and Impressionist pictures. And we expect that we’ll see a lot of the Western clients having the opportunity to view the work in person.”
Sleeper Alert!
April 18 2025
Picture: Wannenes
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News on social media (via @auctionradar and others) that the following picture catalogued as 'PITTORE CARAVAGGESCO DEL XVII SECOLO' realised 190,000 EUR over its 2,000 - 3,000 EUR estimate at Wannenes in Genoa the other day.
Temporary Export Ban on Agostino Brunias Pair
April 18 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Government has placed a temporary export ban on two paintings by Agostino Brunias. The pair were sold at Sotheby's London last July and made £240,000 and £180,000 respectively (inc. commission). Any interested UK institution has until 15th July 2025 to make a pitch to keep them in the country.
Bonhams April Sale
April 18 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Bonhams London have uploaded their upcoming Old Master Paintings sale online. Bidding will take place between 23rd - 30th April 2025.
As usual, I won't point out what may or may not be interesting.
Kaplan to Sell Rembrandt Drawing for Big Cat Conservation
April 11 2025
Picture: artnews.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnews.com have published news that Thomas Kaplan (the philanthropist and figure behind the Leiden Collection) will be auctioning off the following Rembrandt Drawing of a Lion to help raise funds for big cat conservation. The sale is purported to happen next year with the drawing carrying an estimate in the'“multiples of tens” of millions.'
Dorotheum Sale
April 10 2025
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dorotheum in Vienna have uploaded their upcoming Old Masters sale online. The auction will take place on 29th April 2025. Do click on the link above to scroll through the lots.
Burgundian Portrait coming up at Sotheby's London
April 8 2025
Picture: Sotheby's via. Arts Council
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Following on from last weeks announcements on the Arts Council Website, the following painting catalogued as 'Burgundian School, circa 1500 Portrait of a Gentleman bust length in dark costume and hat' has been announced as part of Sotheby's London's Evening Auction in July. The artwork carries a guide price of £500,000.
Marie-Guillemine Benoist coming up in France
April 4 2025
Picture: Thierry-Lannon
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A portrait by Marie-Guillemine Benoist, rediscovered with the help of the art agents Turquin, is coming up for sale at Thierry-Lannon in France next week. Signed and dated 1806, the portrait depicts the playwright and administrator Jean-Louis Brousse-Desfaucherets, who had many works performed during the revolutionary period in France. The painting will be offered with an estimate of 120,000 - 150,000 EUR.
Middle Eastern Works by David Roberts coming up at Sotheby's
April 4 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A large and rare collection of Middle Eastern views by David Roberts, R.A. will be coming up for sale at Sotheby's London on 29th April 2025. The 35 works on paper on offer include views of Petra, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sidon and Baalbec, amongst other studies.
Constable, Stubbs and more coming up at Christie's London
April 2 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Eagle eye watchers of the Art Council Private Treaty Sales page will spot that several paintings from the upcoming Christie's London Part I sale have been published online.
Some of the more exciting lots are John Constable's The Ferry (pictured), a picture which has been on long-term loan at Tate and will be offered with a guide price around £2m. Additionally, the list features a rather fine George Stubbs of a Prancing Horse in a Landscape with Two Dogs estimated at around £1.2m.
Other intriguing lots include this rather interesting painting of King Charles I by Cornelis Johnson signed and dated 1622, which carries an estimate of around £200,000.
Click on the link above for more details regarding these pictures and other upcoming lots.
