When it comes to high design no one has made a greater contribution than the Italians. From fashion to automobiles to furniture and beyond, the little European country with the oversized boot has always shown a rare gift for the successful combination of innovation and style. Their work has produced many imitators down through the years, but alas, very few peers. On June 2, Italy celebrates Festa della Repubblica, it’s National and Republic Day, commemorating the institutional referendum held in 1946 following World War II and the fall of Mussolini. In an effort to shine our own light on the wonders of Italy, we explored the catalog of Rago’s Modern Design sale, set down for Sunday, June 5, and found a host outstanding examples of cutting edge Italian design. What better place to start than Lot 719 - a piece by legendary architect, designer...Read More

On inspiration, Ed Moses said, "Im never inspired. Im obsessed. And I look forward every day to paint." Considered one of the most innovative and central figures of postwar West Coast art, Moses is still painting at age 90. Moses created more than 50 new works for a survey exhibition at William Turner Gallery last month. Ed Moses, Photo Credit: Christina House/For The Times Santa Monica Auctions has eight works of Moses’ in its upcoming Live Public Auction June 5th. Let’s take a look at a few… Ed Moses, Cargo-1, 1988, Estimate $50,000-60,000   Left: Ed Moses, Gacos, 1988, Estimate $30,000-50,000; Right: Ed Moses, Nambe #8, 1987-97, Estimate $30,000-50,000   Ed Moses, Waft, 1972, Estimate $3,000-4,000   Left: Ed Moses, B-Z-Z-Z, 2004, Estimate $20,000-30,000; Right: Ed Moses, Zook #4, 2004, Estimate $25,000-45,000 View all upcoming auctions a...Read More

Bidsquare and the Association of Professional Art Advisors are pleased to present the third session in One Art Nations four-part webinar series: The Four Stages of Collecting - Part III: Managing Your Collection. On Tuesday, May 31, Andrea Wood will be discussing how utilizing a registrar can be an asset to your collection, weighing in on topics such as finding a qualified contract registrar and what a registrar does. Art collectors of all levels are invited to register for the complimentary webinar. Register here. Talk Details Participants will also learn about the importance of collections data management, inventories and databases, proper installation, storage, packing and shipping, fine arts insurance, condition reports and conservation, and managing loans to exhibitions. In other words, if you collect art or are interested in starting ...Read More

American artist Ralston Crawford made possibly the most important decision of his life one day on the lot at the Walt Disney Studios in California. Deciding it was time to re-embrace his art, he turned his back on his position at Disney to return east and study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art and at the Barnes Foundation. Influenced by the work of Matisse and Picasso, he had his first one-man show in 1934. Crawford is best known for his abstract representations of urban life and industry. Yet on Wednesday, May 25 it will be a depiction of rural life that puts the artist center stage in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ American & European Art sale. Selling as Lot 110, the oil on canvas titled “Smith Silo, Exton” was painted by Crawford in 1936 and is expected by many to be the sale topper. The American & European Art sale offers a strong catal...Read More

What did Herbert Hoover and Napoleon Bonaparte have in common? Besides being heads of state, both had a taste for fine gambling chips, apparently. At least that much is to be gathered from the offerings included in the annual sale of gambling memorabilia to be held by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. The May 21 Two of a Kind auction includes antique playing cards, rare books, cheating devices, gambling equipment, poker chips, artwork, and vintage advertising. The aforementioned chips come from the collection of Dale Seymour, the author of a well-known reference work on the subject, Antique Gambling Chips, in which these and many other of the chips in the sale first appeared. Pair of Napoleonic Chips, Lots 393-94, Estimate $3,000-5,000 each Seymour ranks the pair of Napoleonic chips (Lots 393 – 94), which bear an imperial bee symbol at t...Read More

If you met Pook & Pook, Inc.’s Vice President Jamie Shearer at a gun show or exposition recently, he has probably shown you a long rifle coming up for auction and offered to tell you the story of its maker, famed Lancaster, Pennsylvania gunsmith, Melchoir Fordney. It might have seemed like an overblown tall tale, but it wasn’t. In fact, the odd circumstances surrounding Fordney’s death are just as wild as they are true.   Pennsylvania (or Kentucky) long rifles are a truly American art form. Used by frontiersmen, their long barrels and interior rifling made them much more accurate than their European contemporaries. Fordney’s work in the early 19th century fell under the Golden Age of Pennsylvania long rifles and his weapons were as intricately beautiful as they were useful. However, the gunsmith’s career, and his life, were cut short when h...Read More

Jad Attal, Modern Specialist at Rago, discusses the work of Carlo Bugatti.  Carlo Bugatti was an Italian furniture designer during the Art Nouveau era. His eclectic striking designs are immediately recognizable. View the video below to learn more.  

The same thing happens just about every year. Spring finally arrives, putting a much-needed end to your winter hibernation and your calendar, that had previously looked as baron as a Mongolian plain, is suddenly jam-packed with a whirlwind of enticing social engagements. The question is, will your wardrobe and for that matter, your jewelry box be up to the demands that will suddenly confront it? Good thing then that Fortuna Auctioneers & Appraisers is staging their Spring Jewels: Fine Estate & Signed Jewelry sale on Tuesday, May 17. Nearly 400 lots of antique, contemporary, and estate jewelry, including pieces from iconic design houses such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Hermes, Chanel and Tiffany & Co. The sale also includes a fine variety of cuff links, object dart, watches, colored stones and diamonds.   Lot 209 - the Chaumet diamond an...Read More

Saturday, May 7 sees the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby. Twenty three-year-olds, trained to the minute, doing battle over 2000 meters of the famed Churchill Downs racecourse in what has been regularly dubbed “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sport.” Over one hundred thousand people are expected on course, decked out in assorted finery, savoring an afternoon in the sun fueled by a steady supply of Mint Juleps. Here at Bidsquare we dont feel that you have to be in Kentucky wearing a big hat to celebrate the Derby or the wonderful four-legged creatures competing throughout the day. Below weve picked out a handful of lots from sales featured on our site that will help bidders inject a little "Sport of Kings" flavor into their collections, all from the comfort of their own living room. Mint Juleps remain optional... What better place to start th...Read More

Meredith Hilferty, Director of Fine Art at Rago, discusses the Abstract Expressionists represented in Ragos May 7, 2016 Post-War and Contemporary Art auction.   View the full catalog here.