There is a common joke artists like to tell ( to each other or themselves )  to combat criticism. The deeper you are in the ground the higher your work will sell for, "I'll be famous when I die! You'll see!" It is true for some, of course, not for all. This melodrama provides a powerful pang of irony for museum tours looking for an interesting plot twist. The artist who fetched millions at auction had drowned their sorrows, struggling for, and in some cases, never knowing artistic recognition; Vincent Van Gough, Paul Cezanne, Édouard Manet and Paul Gaugin to name a few. Even more fascinating are the Outsider artists, whom might not have even asked for secular success, that grow more and more popular as the decades roll on.  Bill Traylor with his drawings, Courtesy Alabama State Council on the Arts, Photo-Horance Perry, 1946 On September 10t...Read More

With another successful September NYC Asia Week almost over, the Asian Art world will set their sights towards the regional auction houses. There is now a great indication for the Asian Art categories that will be trending over the next couple of months. Despite the market still being focused on Chinese items – including mark and period porcelain, jade carvings, furniture and paintings – collectors and lovers of Asian Art should also pay close attention to Himalayan Buddhist sculpture and Japanese Meiji Period decorative works.  Many of these types of artworks will be offered as part of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers Two-Day auction of Asian Works of Art on September 25th and September 26th. While many regional auction houses have recently been more conservative with the number of Asian Art objects offered for sale, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers w...Read More

Among the highlights in Skinner’s September 27 Fine Prints & Photographs auction are three flower studies by Robert Mapplethorpe whose extensive and provocative body of work has established him as one of the most important artists of the 20th-century. Lot 128, Robert Mapplethorpe, Flowers, Gelatin silver print mounted to thin board, 1984; Estimate $15,000 - $25,000 Mapplethorpe was born in 1946 in Floral Park, Queens. He studied drawing, painting, and sculpture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and began using a Polaroid camera in 1970 to produce photographs that could be incorporated into mixed-media collages and assemblage constructions including magazine imagery and found objects. In 1975 he acquired a Hasselblad medium-format camera, which he used to make portraits of friends and acquaintances, as well as socialites and celebrities like Jo...Read More

Cobblestone pathways rise above and divide the city street like a stubborn historical underbite. Rounded stones glisten and guide visitors through rows of Federal-Style and Victorian brick houses, all banded together on steep inclines and winding declines. Lush shrubs, falling blossoms and antique lanterns are nealty clasped like brooches - linking modern day life to a colonial past. Beacon Hill, the picturesque neighborhood overlooking Boston Common Park, uncorks nostalgia and revives centuries of rustic resilience.  Drawing on nearly 15 years of interior, lighting and furniture design experience, Marc Houston of Marc Houston Lifestyle & Interiors is guided by an emphasis of authenticity, precise craftsmanship, architectural detailing and material experimentation. Unbound by formula, period or trend, Houston employs a thoughtfully edited m...Read More

Chairs. We sit in them. Yet, their basic function has been a focal point of reinvention by artisans and designers for millennia. An inexhaustible object that identifies status, mirrors fashion and best of all serves an enjoyable purpose. Its how you choose to sit that presents an outstanding (pun intended) array of artistic options. We've selected several outlandish chairs from Rago Auctions upcoming Mid-Mod (09/23) and Modern Design (09/24) sales that challenge and inspire the ordinary act of resting your bum.  Lot 879, Forrest Myers, Cut Out easy chair, Anodized aluminum, USA, ca. 1971; Estimate $2,000 - $3,000 A paper airplane is what first came to mind with American sculptor, Forrest Myers angular construct. For those of us who like to get straight to the point of things - this ought to satisfy your seating needs.  Lot 837, Frank Gehry,...Read More

This month, Bidsquare will see a flash of exciting Jewelry auctions. Included in the first wave of wondrous things will be Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, September 10th – 12th, Important Jewelry auction. Highlighted by Leslie Hindman are the following popular designs by Bvlgari in their upcoming catalog. Lot 500, Bvlgari, An 18 Karat Yellow Gold, Diamond and Mother-of-Pearl "Serpenti" Bracelet; Estimate $12,000 - $18,000 The Serpenti collection by Bvlgari is immediately recognized by its serpentine forms that wrap in various fashions such as this flexible link bracelet with mother-of-pearl plaques. Lot 505, Bvlgari, An 18 Karat Yellow Gold "B.zero-1" Ring; Estimate $800 - $1,200 Another example stamped with BVLGARI is this 18 karat yellow gold “B.zero-1” ring. The accordion, flexible design creates striated bands to compose a cuff that is stam...Read More

Introducing animal print at home can be a tricky - you don't want to scare off the neighbors with ferocious taste but wild patterns are unmatched in design divinity. We found an easily accessible living room that sophisticates cocktail hour by adding a splash of nature. Here's how you can stir up an unforgettable combination of interior ingredients by browsing rare and authentic items on Bidsquare.  Luckily, one of the central items in this room shot is easily found on Bidsquare in a range of prices and styles. The ever important, bar cart - a special carriage for your precious wine & spirits! Lot 1100, Art Deco, Bar Cart, Early 20th-Century; Estimate $200 - $400 This Art Deco example goes above and beyond a typical rectangular design. A fully stocked cart like this would make an exceptional host out of all of us with three goblets and sixt...Read More

Autumn is almost here and that means the beginning of the Fall Asian Art season! Bidsquare is on the scene with Skinner Auctions, Asian Works of Arts sale on September 15th. Featuring over 500 lots of Asian Art from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia and the Himalayan region, Skinner Auctions catalog has a wide variety of items for every level of collector.  The Chinese section of the auction features spectacular finds in numerous categories including porcelain, jade carvings, snuff bottles, textiles, painting and metalwork. One of the major highlights is lot 333 a Pair of Large Bronze Cloisonné Roosters. Lot 333, Pair of Large Bronze and Cloisonné Roosters; Estimate $20,000 - $30,000 Dated to the 19th/20th Century, the pair of roosters stands at a massive 38 ½ inches in height. Each rooster is realistically modeled and features a colourful, a...Read More

You never truly know what to expect at an online auction. Sometimes, shining stars end up unsold and back in their boxes while discrete underdogs roll over into overnight sensations. Watching items sink or swim in the nature of a live sale and an entertaining element that can be easily accessed every week on Bidsquare. Even if you aren't the one bidding, the thrill of rising offers and the impulse to root anonymous bidders forward awakens the competitive beast inside all of us.    Since its launch in Fall 2014, Bidsquare has seen over $476M in online bids placed through the platform. Without the need to search the far reaches of the web or subscribe to individual auction catalogs, Bidsquare provides a marketplace for collectors to stay up to date on fresh-to-market items. The constant flow of exclusive catalogs that surface each week has ke...Read More

Not all that glitters is gold, and not all that is coined is to be spent! Commemorative coins are coins that were issued and minted to commemorate historic events or highlight a particular issue. Rago’s upcoming 400+ lot Coins and Currency Auction contains several of these commemorative coins. Rago Coins and Currency Cataloger, Samuel Grillo, explores a few of his favorite commemoratives below. Commemorative United States coinage has been minted for over a century. From 1892 to approximately 1954, about 57 different designs were minted, with some designs spanning several years. Commemorative coins produced during this period are known as “classic” commemorative coins. Most of these coins had a mintage of between 10,000 and 50,000 pieces. While commemorative coins can come in any denomination, or no denomination at all, the most common comme...Read More