Auctions 2015

AUCTIONS
1.LONDON.- 2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, and a copy of the first engraved version, published by John Pine some 500 years later could sell for £15,000 when it goes under the hammer at Bloomsbury Auctions on Thursday 21st May in the auctioneer’s bi-annual Important Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper sale.
More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/78284/Magna-Carta-to-sell-for--pound-15-000-in-800th-anniversary-year#.VXtNTLN0zIU/

2.BERLIN (AFP).- Watercolour paintings and drawings by Adolf Hitler from about 100 years ago are to go up for auction in southern Germany this month, an auction house said Tuesday. Some of the works, which date from 1904 to 1922, are signed A. Hitler, the catalogue of Nuremberg-based Weidler auctioneers showed on its website.The 14 watercolours and drawings are expected to go under the hammer between June 18 and 20 for between 1,000 euros and 45,000 euros ($1,128-50,700) each. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/79197/Watercolours-by-Hitler-to-go-under-the-hammer-at-Weidler-auctioneers-in-Germany#.VXtbjrN0zIU

3. SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Bonhams announces it will offer 125 lots of important American Indian Art from the collection of world-renowned horse trainer Mario Luraschi of Paris, France, on September 14 in San Francisco. Luraschi has trained horses and coordinated stunts for television and films for decades, as well as developed numerous live shows. During time he spent filming in the United States, he frequented Santa Fe, New Mexico, and other centers for Native American art, turning his love for the Old West into a remarkable collection from which Bonhams is pleased to offer a selection of the very finest pieces. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/79160/Native-American-art-from-the-collection-of-Mario-Luraschi-on-offer-at-Bonhams-in-fall-2015#.VXtefrN0zIU

4. PARIS.- The African and Oceanic Art sale on 24 June at Sotheby’s in Paris will open with the vision of two pairs of husband and wife collectors: that of the great contemporary art gallery owners Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert, and that of Daniel and Carmen Klein, who chose the theme of "Kongo gesture" to assemble an impressive collection of works from this ancient kingdom of Central Africa. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/79110/Sotheby-s-Paris-announces-African-and-Oceanic-Art-Sale-to-be-held-on-24-June#.VXtfnbN0zIU

5. LONDON.- On June 10 Sotheby's will present its inaugural London sale in the field of Aboriginal Art. This landmark auction is the first to be held by a major auction house outside of Australia. Showcasing work by indigenous Australians spanning more than 200 years, the sale is focused around a selection of works from the Thomas Vroom Collection, one of Europe’s largest and most important collections of Aboriginal Art. Of the 75 lots on offer, 64 come from the collection of Thomas Vroom, and a further 11 from collections in the UK, USA, Italy and Australia.
http://artdaily.com/news/78707/Sotheby-s-London-to-stage-first-sale-dedicated-to-the-field-of-Aboriginal-artworks-#.VYR4srN0zIU

6. SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- An Okvik Eskimo ivory figure purchased in Alaska in the 1960s from the local hunter who found it in the St. Lawrence Island area highlights Bonhams' Native American Art sale on June 1 in San Francisco. The 6 and 1/4 inch figure is estimated at $40,000-60,000. Ultimately this figure sold for $25,000 including the premium.  More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/78583/Rare-Okvik-Eskimo-figure-leads-June-Native-American-Art-Auction-at-Bonhams-in-San-Francisco#.VYSMUrN0zIU

7. LONDON.- Russian art collectors are turning to works by early 20th century Russian painters, according to the international auction house Bonhams which is offering several examples of work by artists of this period in its forthcoming sale of Russian Art in London on 3 June. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/78485/Early-20th-century-Russian-art-is-new-collecting-trend-says-Bonhams#.VYSUjbN0zIU

8. PARIS (AFP).- The government of France has intervened to stop descendants of the country's former royal family from including some heirlooms of historic importance in an auction to take place later this year, Sotheby's said on Wednesday. Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin on Tuesday slapped "national treasure" designations on three objects among some 200 lots that are due to go under the hammer in Paris on September 29, the US-based auction house said, confirming a report by the newspaper Le Figaro. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/79096/France-steps-in-to-save-royal-items-from-auction-to-take-place-later-this-year#.VYSZNLN0zIU

9. LONDON.- “Tonight’s result is testament to the truly outstanding quality of the works on offer. To follow our highest totals for Impressionist and Modern art sales in New York, with another sensational sale in London, emphasises the strength of what is undoubtedly a truly global market. Our worldwide network of specialists are working with a broader collector base than ever before, so whether it’s New York, London, or any of our worldwide selling locations, we are seeing incredibly strong results across the board,” said Melanie Clore, Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe & Co-Chairman Worldwide, Impressionist & Modern Art. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/79575/Sotheby-s-auction-achieves-the-second-highest-total-for-any-sale-ever-held-in-London#.VZGR8LN0zIU

10. With a final result of €11.1 million, Sotheby's auction of African and Oceanic art achieved the second highest total in this field in France since the market opened. The highest bid went to the Masque-double, which sold for €5,411,000 (estimate €2-3 million), establishing a world record for a Baulé piece and the second highest price for any African mask. A majestic female head, probably of a Queen Mother, from the Casier collection, reached a final price of €855,000, a world record for an Akan work. The Durand-Dessert collection achieved great successes, with an ancient Moba sculpture from Togo selling for €243,000 and a Lega ivory mask from the Democratic Republic of Congo selling for €291,000. More Information: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2015/arts-afrique-oceanie-pf1508.html

 11. Christie’s Paris’ African, Oceanic and American Indian art sale achieved €11,565,175 / £8,211,274 / $12,952,996 with strong sell-through rates of 78% by lot, 96% by value and 45% of the lots selling above high presale estimates. Leading the auction was the highly anticipated William Rubin Kota, a work epitomizing the links between African and Modern Art, in the great tradition perfected by the celebrated William Rubin, art historian and Director of Painting and Sculpture at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Collectors paid an honorable tribute to this iconic Kota sculpture, as it reached €5,473,500 / £3,886,185 / $6,130,320, making this work the most valuable work of African art ever to be sold at Christie’s France, 2nd most important price achieved for an African work of art sold in France, and 3rd in the world. More Information: http://www.christies.com/sales/african-and-oceanic-art-paris-june-2015/

12. PARIS.- Africa is at the heart of this Parisian collection which gathers over thirty works of art, constituting the largest session dedicated to Africanism in 20 years in Paris. The sale includes 11 paintings by Jacques Majorelle as well as a collection of works of art by Belgian artists from the same movement. Estimated at 1.8 M€ / 2 M$, the collection will be previewed in Paris in September and in Brussels and Marrakech in late October, before being sold on November 9th 2015. More Information: http://artdaily.com/news/80002/Largest-session-dedicated-to-Africanism-in-20-years-in-Paris-to-be-offered-at-Artcurial#.Va7M1BNViko

13. Sotheby's May 15th auction of African, Oceanic & Pre-Columbian Art in New York brought an impressive total of $12,144,375 USD. The sale was led by several extraordinary works, the quality and rarity of which are seen once in a generation at auction: The Luba Male Ancestor Statue by the Master of Warua which sold for $3,610,00 USD; a Monumental head of a Marada Malagan from Tabar Island, which sold for $1,054,000 USD; and an Edo Terracotta Head from Benin Kingdom which sold for $1,930,000 USD. These artworks were intensely pursued by an expanding group of increasingly sophisticated and well-informed collectors, and each set a world record price for its category. This result affirmed Sotheby’s strong leadership in this growing market, and solidified the status of this field as a major collecting category. More Information: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2015/african-oceanic-n09347.html