PHILADELPHIA – This was a special year for USArtists as it coincided with the 200th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Anyone coming to town for USArtists, which ran from October 20 to 23, would surely have wanted to get over to see the landmark exhibition at PAFA and vice versa.

Boasting newly renovated galleries with lots of space, the Showplace in New York City opened its doors with an an appealing auction of estate merchandise.

The Maryland Historical Society will explore the evolution of holiday greeting cards in the new exhibit, “Season’s Greetings: Holiday Cards in Maryland, 1865-2005.”

The Museum of Modern Art presents “Elizabeth Murray,” a major retrospective comprising more than 70 paintings and works on paper dating from 1963 to 2005.

“Needless to say, the eagle has flown,” quipped Kaja Veilleux after he hammered down a rare Bellamy carved and painted eagle at his Thomaston Place auction for $101,750.

James Bakker and Robert Edwards teamed up to offer 29 lots of rare material from the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts colony including a chiffonier that fetched a record $207,000.

A good selection of Americana attracted large crowds of buyers to Nadeau’s Auction Gallery on Saturday, October 22.

Boasting newly renovated galleries with lots of space, the Showplace in New York City opened its doors with an an appealing auction of estate merchandise.

Antiques experts Leigh and Leslie Keno were among the recipients when President George W. Bush awarded the 2005 National Humanities Medal November 10.

David Smith’s iconic “Cubi XXVIII” set a new world record for a contemporary work of art at auction when it sold at Sotheby’s for $23,816,000, the highest price achieved at auction this season.