* Federal Agents Reveal the Results of a 2 Year Sting: The Feds said 150 local, state, and federal law enforcement agents worked two years to bust 24 dealers that have been involved in selling prehistoric Indian objects that presumably were taken from federal lands. If people break the law, they should be accountable. However, this is a massive amount of resources to commit at a time when debt and government seems to be synonymous terms.
* Antiques Roadshow Painting Sale Halted: Sothebys Londona was ready to auction a Winslow Homer painting that has appeared on the British version of Antiques Roadshow when Simon Murray, the great, great grandson of Sir Henry Arthur Blake said no so fast. Apparently, the sale was halted after Murray contended that the subject matter of Homer's painting was Blake's children. Now the parties get their barristers.
* I usually list websites off to the side but with Errol Morris and his website www.errolmorris.com there is something special here worthy of note. After 14 years on the Roadshow, I love a good story and Morris finds them. This is a great discovery thanks to my colleague and friend Mark Rasmussen (www.rare-collections.com) . Check out Morris' opinion series, "Bamboozling Ourselves". Hope you enjoy it.
* The Atlantic City Roadshow several weeks ago was great for the Paintings table which enabled all six appraisers to tape twice. There were some exciting 6 figure finds that will make for some very exciting TV in your future. Unfortunately, the Ethnographic table met some terrific people but found few treasures. Doug Diehl did find a great Navajo Germantown blanket that he took to TV.
* Antiques Roadshow is experimenting with the tools for communicating ... namely Twitter (www.twitter.com) and Face Book (www.facebook.com). We are not sure how this will sort out but follow us on the floor and see what happens.
* I have commented on the auction market in my analysis of the Christies and Sothebys sales in Paris. My general sense is that more people are on the sidelines now waiting to see what happens during the next 90 days. It appears that many collectors and dealers want to get a sense of where they are with their collections before dropping prices in an effort to find buyers. Downturns mean appraisal and authentication work with offers to trade. Cash is king and the vultures are looking for opportunities. Remember the early 1980's in New York.. there will be sellers and there will be buyers. If the US auction houses and private dealers can come up with the material, the market will continue to be more attractive in the U.S. than Europe.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June Tribal auctions in Paris
The sales are over and now all we can say honestly is that it was a mixed bag. Clearly the material at Christies, Paris was inferior to the two small sales offered by Sothebys. However, Christies did not fair well with their modest offerings seeing 125 out of 322 lots failing to sell with a 39% buy in and gross sales of only 1,017,787 euros.. Not good by any standards... especially when some of the stars are included in the passed column. The major Maori figure which was also featured on the cover and ex Mert Simpson failed to break the estimate of 150,000 to 200,000 euros. The Luba bowstand that was not remotely in a league with examples considered for the Petrides exhibition failed with an estimate of 60,000 to 90,000 euros. In Lot 76 the well published Ishan door that actually was collected by Bob Armstrong in the 1960's also failed to sell. Sothebys began today with the Philippe Guimiot and Domitilla de Grunne collection offering 65 lots, 23 objects failing to sell and a gross of 2,407,400 euros. In lot 15 a very cool Fanti doll that must be considere
d one of the finest examples known sold for 55,950 euros ....undoubtedly a record for one of these. William Fagg visited us from the past when his determination that the fragmentary Yoruba housepost in lot 24 was carved in the mid 19th century making it one of the earliest examples known. Some might argue that 29,550 euros was modest for such an important and imposing (ht. 106 cm.) object. Sothebys' star for this sale was the powerful elegant Chokwe pwo mask featured in lot 53 and selling for 420,750 euros. The big disappointments started with lot 19, the major Urhobo figure that was estimated to sell between 300,000 and 500,000 euros, which considering its fragmentary condition was very optimistic. In lot 26 a major but heavily eroded Bamileke figure was offered at 500,000 to 800,000 euros. The fact that it was owned by Jacob Epstein apparently was not enough. A Maori canoe prow head collected by General Horatio Robley in 1864 in New Zealand failed to sell at the low estimate of 250,000 euros. Man
y thought this head pre-dated 1840. The Sothebys afternoon sale failed to sell 22 out of 66 lots for a total gross of 3,601,500 euros. The very unusual Kwele figure offered in lot 87 with an estimate of 450,000 to 600,00 soared to 971,950 euros. Also important to mention was the superb Kongo ivory in lot 103 that sold for 360,750 euros. For those of us that were looking was a smashing success these three sales probably fell short of our expectations. It is reasonable to speculate that maybe Paris did not get as much support from the American buyers as they have provided in the past. Considering that maybe fewer folks are traveling and uncertainty might have some buyers sitting on their paddles, then maybe these results were still in these times fairly positive.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Quick Hits
1. On November 12, 1864 marking the beginning of his second term Abraham Lincoln jotted out his victory speech; and then delivered it from the White House window balcony to the delight of 1500 gathered supporters. 145 years later on February 12, 2009 Christies sold that speech for 3.44 million dollars. President Lincoln had a message for us all today. “Human nature will not change,” he said. “In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak, and as strong; as silly and as wise; as bad and good.”
2. The Antiques Roadshow tour starts June 6th in Atlantic City for what will be season 14. Over thirty of the original appraisers are still together from the start of season one in 1996. Many exciting changes have taken place to include the expanded Roadshow website with video on demand of the appraisals and more access to the appraisers. Marsha Bemko’ staff has worked diligently to ensure that each Saturday on the road is a great experience for Roadshow guests. More time has been spent in post production on fact checking with the appraisers. We are all looking forward to the season and some of your appraisers will be “tweeting” from the floor.
3. King Tut just left the Dallas Museum of Art with over 600,000 attendees, not a bad record considering the economic downturn, swine flu, and rising travel costs to dissuade travelers.
4. John Friede’s trouble actually involved two debts – one to Sothebys and one to his brothers. The recent sale at Sothebys of Friede New Guinea objects were to satisfy the former not the latter. The New York Times reported it in the following manner: “Sotheby’s plans to auction 10 works from a tribal art collection assembled by John and Marcia Friede that the de Young Museum in San Francisco expected to own in its entirety. The Friedes promised their 4,000-piece collection to the de Young in a series of agreements completed in 2007. But a battle over the estate of Mr. Friede’s mother, Evelyn A. J. Hall, and a roughly $25 million debt owed by the Friedes to Sotheby’s have threatened to break up the collection. In October a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that Sotheby’s could take possession of 54 works. Seven will go on the block in Manhattan on May 15, and three others will be auctioned in Paris on June 17. Separately, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the City of San Francisco will allow 76 works to be sold to pay off part of a debt that Mr. Friede owes.”
2. The Antiques Roadshow tour starts June 6th in Atlantic City for what will be season 14. Over thirty of the original appraisers are still together from the start of season one in 1996. Many exciting changes have taken place to include the expanded Roadshow website with video on demand of the appraisals and more access to the appraisers. Marsha Bemko’ staff has worked diligently to ensure that each Saturday on the road is a great experience for Roadshow guests. More time has been spent in post production on fact checking with the appraisers. We are all looking forward to the season and some of your appraisers will be “tweeting” from the floor.
3. King Tut just left the Dallas Museum of Art with over 600,000 attendees, not a bad record considering the economic downturn, swine flu, and rising travel costs to dissuade travelers.
4. John Friede’s trouble actually involved two debts – one to Sothebys and one to his brothers. The recent sale at Sothebys of Friede New Guinea objects were to satisfy the former not the latter. The New York Times reported it in the following manner: “Sotheby’s plans to auction 10 works from a tribal art collection assembled by John and Marcia Friede that the de Young Museum in San Francisco expected to own in its entirety. The Friedes promised their 4,000-piece collection to the de Young in a series of agreements completed in 2007. But a battle over the estate of Mr. Friede’s mother, Evelyn A. J. Hall, and a roughly $25 million debt owed by the Friedes to Sotheby’s have threatened to break up the collection. In October a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that Sotheby’s could take possession of 54 works. Seven will go on the block in Manhattan on May 15, and three others will be auctioned in Paris on June 17. Separately, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the City of San Francisco will allow 76 works to be sold to pay off part of a debt that Mr. Friede owes.”
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Ooops.. Maybe We Don't Want It Back.....
On Antiques Roadshow we all wait for that great story we can tell about an object that has been undiscovered or lost from view. A bust of Queen Nefertiti, believed to be over 3400 years old had been on view at Berlin's Altes Museum. It was at the center of a big dispute with the Egyptian government who wanted this pristine complete bust returned as an important part of their cultural pa
trimony. Unfortunately, there was some very critical information that was missed by the very prestigious and highly acclaimed Egyptian scholars. The piece was commissioned by Germany archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in 1912 at the site of the dig. When a German prince admired the work when he was visiting the site the same year Borchardt did not wish to embarrass the man and gave him the bust. The prince proudly displayed Nefertiti in his study for ten years until 1923 when it went on public display at the museum. That also marked the beginning of the dispute with Egypt. Swiss art historian Henri Stierlin is a noted scholar in this area and has just completed a book outlining the story and the results of his research. Stierlin noted some critical differences in the carving of the figure and in the timeline of its "discovery". It was significant that none of the French archaeologists on site even mentioned what would have been an extremely important find. It will remain in Germany where undoubtedly the story will attract more visitors than maybe even the real thing might have.
On Antiques Roadshow we all wait for that great story we can tell about an object that has been undiscovered or lost from view. A bust of Queen Nefertiti, believed to be over 3400 years old had been on view at Berlin's Altes Museum. It was at the center of a big dispute with the Egyptian government who wanted this pristine complete bust returned as an important part of their cultural pa
trimony. Unfortunately, there was some very critical information that was missed by the very prestigious and highly acclaimed Egyptian scholars. The piece was commissioned by Germany archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in 1912 at the site of the dig. When a German prince admired the work when he was visiting the site the same year Borchardt did not wish to embarrass the man and gave him the bust. The prince proudly displayed Nefertiti in his study for ten years until 1923 when it went on public display at the museum. That also marked the beginning of the dispute with Egypt. Swiss art historian Henri Stierlin is a noted scholar in this area and has just completed a book outlining the story and the results of his research. Stierlin noted some critical differences in the carving of the figure and in the timeline of its "discovery". It was significant that none of the French archaeologists on site even mentioned what would have been an extremely important find. It will remain in Germany where undoubtedly the story will attract more visitors than maybe even the real thing might have.
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