A few years ago, just before we were to sell a large collection of contemporary wall art (paintings, prints, etc.), a dealer from NYC confronted me in my auction hall and asked who exactly was responsible for the ultra-conservative estimates. When I told him I was he said, flatly, and not with a little attitude, “You are doing the artists and the art a great disservice.” What he really meant was that our low estimates, often no more than 20% of what galleries (like his) sold the work for a decade earlier, were undermining the prices he was asking for pieces by the same artists. My response was appropriately bland, “If the work is so cheap, you should bid on it.” When you buy a work of art from a gallery (and sometimes from an auction), you should compare it to buying a new car you’ve just driven off the lot. You buy a car because you want i...Read More

Nothing signals the arrival of spring like the chirping of birds. NEST celebrates the alliance of innovative designers with the birding community by providing elegant accommodations for our avian friends. Contemporary homes arent just for people anymore! Designers and Architects concentrate their talents into producing birdhouses that range from functional to conceptual, minimal to multifaceted, and portable to permanent structures. Some projects address specific needs for regional birds like the American Robin or Black Capped Chickadee, some houses deter predatory attacks, while others are more conceptual art objects. Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present NEST, an exhibition of visionary birdhouses created by award winning architects and designers. NEST features a 2 week gallery exhibit with a corresponding international online auctio...Read More

As amazing as it sounds, Henry Gasser had a lifelong love affair with New Jersey. Born in Newark in 1909, he lived, studied and worked in the Garden State right up to his death in Orange in 1981. A master of watercolors and oils, he painted everyday subjects - street life, back yards, old houses, as well as harbor and fishing village scenes. On Tuesday, March 24, John Moran Auctioneers will sell Gasser’s A Street Corner in Patterson, New Jersey, as Lot 51 in their California & American Art Auction. A painting typical of the artist’s work, it captures perfectly one of Gasser’s recurring themes – an atmosphere he liked to call "solitary silence." The work is done in casein on paper laid to paperboard under glass. Gasser earned his artistic chops at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art, a school he returned to from 1946-54 to serve as ...Read More

Nothing gives a room a shot of much needed dignity more than the placing of a finely carved bust or sculpture in a well-lit corner. And while some consider it bad form to commission work based on your own profile (that’s you Mr. Hasselhoff), no one can complain when the piece in question is considered an artistic gem. Which brings us to Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ sale of the private collection of Lars Bolander, one of Sweden’s top interior designers and a pioneer of Swedish design in the U.S. After many years of having a showroom on West Palm Beach’s “Antique Row,” Mr. Bolander has decided to move on, and is selling his nearby home and personal treasures. Among his collection are some fine crafted sculptures, particularly the busts. Lot 101 is a striking pair of early 20th Century Venetian Terra Cotta Busts, each depicting a turbaned Moor ...Read More

According to Buddhist tradition, The Four Guardian Kings are gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the universe. Virapaksa is the Guardian of the West and “The One with Broad Perception.” In addition to observing the world and protecting the people within it, he also encourages others to find safety in Buddhism. This gilt bronze figure of Virapaksa, or Guang Mu Tian Wang is one of the highlights of the Asian Works of Art sale at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on March 23-24. The figure, possibly dating to the Ming dynasty, is one of the Four Guardian Kings, or lokapala. This particular figure is depicted standing in full armor with flowing scarves around the shoulders, wearing a peaked crown and high chignon, his right hand holding a serpent, or dragon, and the other holding a precious pearl, while his face bears a ferocious...Read More

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum is running a particularly interesting show right now called Seduction: Japan’s Floating World. Running till May 10, this dazzling collection explores "The Floating World,” a term taken from Japan’s Edo Period (1615-1868) that referred to both the pleasure quarters in major cities and a pleasure-seeking way of life. The most famous of these – the Las Vegas of its time - was the Yoshiwara, a walled and moated district in Edo (Tokyo) where one could abandon the rigors of daily life in pursuit of sensual delights. Like Vegas or its friend the Playboy Mansion, it traded in sex, excess and fantasy, and its reputation as such brought it economic success and a hold on the popular imagination.  Those looking to tap into the art of  “The Floating World” won’t need to hop a plane to SF. With Asia Week New York ramping ...Read More

Ever since Marco Polo brought its wonders back to Europe in the 13th Century, westerners have been fascinated by the Far East and its cultural charms. The Chinese brought a fresh perspective to the art world, not only with their techniques but also with the materials they employed, and collectors were soon scrambling to snap up pieces of their finest. All this comes to light from March 13 to 21 with the staging of Asia Week New York, a collaboration of Asian art specialists, auction houses, museums, and Asian cultural institutions in NYC. Bidsquare will feature a number of Asia-focused sales during Asia Week, starting off with Waterford’s Art & Antiques Auctioneers’ Fine Asian & Western Works of Art Auction on Friday, March 13. Made in the Jade Jade has a special significance in Chinese history, comparable to gold or diamonds in the West, a...Read More

2015 sees us living in an age when a great bottle of wine can come from just about anywhere. New Zealand Chardonnays, Argentinian Malbecs, Spanish Riojas… it seems these days that the expertise that goes into concocting a superior drop has a very dog-eared passport. Still, for most people, French wines remain the benchmark for excellence. The place people look when they want something a little special. Good thing then, that Skinner is holding its Fine Wine sale on Wednesday, March 3, at 6:00pm. Whether it’s a case you’re after or individual bottles, Skinner is auctioning off choice offerings from many of the most esteemed French vineyards. What better place to start than 10 bottles of the Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2000. This exquisitely packaged wine comes from the vineyard established in 1853 by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild. 2000 was a gr...Read More

Collecting indigenous art can be a tricky affair. Whether it’s Aboriginal paintings from Australia, Native American artifacts or tribal masks from New Guinea, dipping you toe in the pool for the first time and making sound purchases isnt always easy. And rest assured, there are pit falls. Unscrupulous dealers, questions of authenticity, what’s good or bad…it’s enough to give even the most stoic of potential collectors cause for concern. Yet with a little guidance and some good ole fashioned common sense you can soon put together a collection that tells its own unique story without getting you burned along the way. 1. Do your homework When it comes to less expensive pieces, what the heck, go for it! However, when considering work valued over $5,000 it’s important you do your homework. Read about crafts areas you’re interested in and don’t be...Read More

Auctionata’s upcoming sale of Post-War & Contemporary Art is jam-packed with big names. Works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Joan Miró, David Hockney and others decorate the catalogue pages; suffice to say that this auction includes many of the most influential and progressive artists from the past 65 years. More than holding it’s own with the celebrated names above is Lot 48, Mel Bochner’s Blah Blah Blah. This 2014 monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment is an iconic work, containing the artist’s most well known text. Bochner, whose paintings were recently the subject of a retrospective at the Jewish Museum, has always been interested in systems involving language or numbers, and incorporates these into brightly colored paintings with provocative language taken from popular culture. “Many artists have used th...Read More