As pixels continue to expand within our pocket sized devices, the potential for photographic opportunity has doubtlessly peeked. Gone are the days when people can be heard exclaiming "Oh, nobody brought a camera!" a sentiment lost when sacred, fleeting moments used to dance away from us in the form of epic sunrises and cake-faced birthday moments. The rapid consumption of personalized cinema is even more apparent in portraiture, where sitter and artist are now often one in the same.  On June 11th, Grogan & Company, Fine Art and Jewelry Auctioneers, will present their June Auction. The sale will open with a selection of fine artworks to highlight 19th and early 20th-century painters within the marine genre, portraiture, still life and landscape. Followed by nearly 200 lots of jewelry as well as silver goods, modern sculptures, ceramics, work...Read More

The name Hermès has long been synonymous with the very best in high end luxury items. Established in 1837 by Thierry Hermès, the company has progressed from making high-quality wrought harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade, to its current status as a world leading luxury manufacturer specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewellery, watches, ready-to-wear, and more. Scarves sit snuggky among the quality goods produced by Hermès, and on Tuesday, June 13 Leslie Hindman Auctioneers offers bidders the chance to grab them by the handful, when they stage their online only Hermès Scarves sale. Over 150 items are set to go under the hammer, predominantly in silk, with such a vivid array of colors that all are sure to find a scarf in a design to their liking. Demand is sure to be strong, so dont be shy! T...Read More

Buying a used car can be a real headache. Traipsing across miles and miles of bitumined lots trying to find that gem in the rough, hounded by sales people filling your head with over-the-top diatribe about the wonder of each and every vehicle your eyes happen to pass over. The whole thing can quickly become a nightmare, leaving you exhausted and bewilded - soon enough, youre trading in your drivers licence for a bus pass... On Sunday, June 4 Thomaston Place Auction Galleries offers bidders the chance to give that typical used car experience a great big miss when they offer six unique vehichles in their 20th Century Decorative Arts sale. Consisting of four cars, a motor home and a motor bike, this streamlined selection is yours for the taking, all without having to leave the comforts of your own living room. Now thats the way to go car hunti...Read More

"Going up?" asks the cherry lipped girl in the elevator, her powdered face is crowned by a beehive hair style which oddly personifies the question. You step in and notice another occupant whose substantial mustache, blue-toned sunglasses and a pungent scent of aftershave enhances the developing confusion. As the elevator climbs, you watch the buttons light up (ting, ting, ting) and silently wonder how much caffeine the barista injected into your latte this morning.  The doors open...your office computers have been replaced by metal boxes with springing keys and metal hammers, wildly dragging papers to and fro! Earth toned optical illusions pop off the walls - stacked folders swallow up wooden desks and globed lights hang from the ceiling - according to The New York Times, its May, 1963! Hot dog! Youve rewound to retro! Bidsquare is excited ...Read More

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries will be holding their sale of Asian and Indo-Persian Arts on June 2. This sale features 270 works from the Asian continent including China, Japan, India, the Himalayan region, and the Middle East. A particularly stunning aspect is a collection of 20 paintings by the Chinese modernist painter Wang Chi-Yuan (Wang Jiyuan) 王濟遠 (1893-1975). Born in Anhui (or Anhwei) Province in China, he studied at the Shanghai College of Art during the 1910’s where he learned both traditional Chinese and Western painting techniques. After trips to Europe and Japan, he heavily promoted Western-style painting techniques to students and colleagues. He was able to combine traditional Chinese aesthetics with modernist ideas of perspective, brushstrokes, lighting and sensuality. Wang was proficient with various mediums including ink,...Read More

Kara Mann is the founder and creative director of KARA MANN, the design firm she established in Chicago in 2005. In 2011, she expanded her firm to Manhattan, where she continues to work with an international roster of discerning clients and industry leaders on both residential and commercial projects. The New York Times describes her signature style, a balance of sophistication and edge, as “interiors with a subversive side.” In addition to numerous residential projects, Mann is currently working on a major renovation and re-imaging of the boutique Talbott Hotel in Chicago. In addition, she recently launched a new line of furniture for the venerable American brand, Baker Furniture. Follow Kara Mann: @karamanndesign Kara Mann got her start in Chicago after studying fine art, with a focus on ceramics, at Tulane University. She received a degr...Read More

Where other people see junk, Clare Graham sees limitless artistic possibilities. The 67-year-old obsessive collector and found-object artist stockpiles massive quantities of everyday items - bottle caps and buttons, dominoes and Scrabble tiles - in his Highland Park, Los Angeles studio, where he sets about turning them into sculpture, furniture, or anything else that takes his very active imagination. On Saturday, May 20, Rago offers bidders the chance take home a piece of Clare Graham magic when they offer works by the Californian artist in their Modern Design sale. Comprising five lots, these wonderful pieces combine vivid color and stylish design so seemlessly that occasionally, one has to remind oneself that they are made from recycled material. The transition is complete! Lot 2188 is a real eye-catcher - a chaise longue made from alumi...Read More

Pug, grog, fire, wedge, ball, wheel, coil, slip, throw, bat; if you arent familiar with ceramic vernacular you might notice the abrupt, Neanderthal-like language used to navigate the clay studio dialect. However, activating these one syllable words into an artistic process has proven to produce pristine and inventive aesthetics - some embracing the stone age, physicality of the sediment while others masquerade within the finer qualities. It is the choice of the maker to refine or reveal the primitive components of the medium. Consider the method of construction, glaze work, firing process and ideological concept in which the clay will be managed - all finished ceramics land somewhere on the creative gamut - it just depends on the intonation and interpretation determined by the speaker of the clay.  Coming up on May 21st, Rago Auctions will ...Read More

In early September of 1981, thousands of people gathered on the lawn of Colorado State University for a chance to catch a glimpse of the Pope of Pop, Andy Warhol. The Pop Art Exhibition, made possible by contemporary art collectors John and Kimiko Powers, included interviews, radio and TV appearances, and autograph signings with the art legend. The exhibition lasted less than a month, attracting tens of thousands of visitors, and while everyone who attended left with a greater understanding and appreciation for Warhol’s works, some left with a little something extra to commemorate the occasion. Lot 671 in Rago Auctions Upcoming Post-War/Contemporary Art Auction on May 6th, features one such ‘something extra’ – a commemorative screen-printed t-shirt sporting Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Can. Lot 671, Andy Warhol “Campbell’s Soup” screen-p...Read More

Short and sweet will be the order of the day when Skinner holds their Fine Prints & Photographs sale on Friday, May 19. With just 170 lots up for grabs, bidders will need to have their wits about them if they hope to walk away with one of the prized works on offer. This is a sale where quality, not quantity, is at a premium. Nestled snuggly in the back end of the sale is the forty or so works of photography being offered. A host of big names are represented here, including Ansel Adams, Cecil Beaton, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Jim Marshall, Ernst Haas, and Edward Burtynsky. A great catalog for people looking to get serious about collecting quality work, at price points that won’t blow the doors off the bank balance. Lot 166, titled Oxford Tire Pile #5, Westley, California, is by noted Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. Burtynsky made t...Read More