Art holds a majority share of this week’s unique lots, with Keith Haring’s “Dog” leading the pack at a Phillips Edition auction, selling for more than $460,000 — a world auction record for the editioned work. A portrait by the Russian artist Philip Maliavin was the top lot at Bonhams Russian art sale this month with a “Portrait of a Young Girl in a Pink Dress” sitting pretty at a final bid of $398,000. At Sloans & Kenyon’s estate catalog auction, a portfolio of gelatin silver prints by Ansel Adams sold well above its estimate at $76,480. And finally, Aiden Lassell Ripley’s watercolor on paper “The First Covey” sold for $60,000 to an internet bidder at Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches June estates auction. Read on for more notable sales.
Keith Haring’s ‘Dog’ Has His Day At Phillips, Fetches Record $460,375
LONDON – Phillips’ Editions sale on June 6 far exceeded its high estimate, totaling $4,035,981 with 86 percent sold by lot and 89 percent sold by value. The sale was led by a world auction record for Keith Haring’s “Dog,” 1986, which sold for $460,375. Haring’s work is the recent focus of an exhibition at Tate Liverpool. The sale posted ten new artist records, with proceeds benefiting the Ars Publicata project, an endeavor spearheaded by Jörg Schellmann to create a global online directory of authentic information on artist editions and their publishers. For information, +44 20 7318 4010 or www.phillips.com.
Maliavin’s ‘Portrait Of A Young Girl’ Charms To $398,000 At Bonhams
LONDON – A portrait by the Russian artist Philip Maliavin (1869-1940) was the top lot at Bonhams Russian art sale on June 5. “Portrait of a Young Girl in a Pink Dress” achieved $398,000. During the 1920s-30s, Maliavin traveled all over Europe and the United States fulfilling commissions from wealthy and aristocratic families. Stylistic evidence suggests that “Portrait of a Young Girl in a Pink Dress” was painted in the mid to late 1920s, and although the identity of the sitter is unknown, she is likely to have been a member of a European aristocratic family. For information, +44 20 7468 8210 or www.bonhams.com.
Tiffany Desk Lamp Lights Up Wintergarden Antiques Auction
MONSON, MASS. – Quaboag Country Club was the site of Wintergarden’s antiques auction on June 1, with a sale that was rife with everything from antique advertising and toys and games to crocks and jugs and still and mechanical banks. Antique lighting, too, was a popular category and as proof, two related items spurred bidding interest. A Tiffany & Co desk lamp realized $978, while a leaded glass shade finished at $489. For more information. 413-267-3786, 413-539-1472 or www.wintergarden.com.
Playful Antique Holiday Music Box Cranks Out $1,280 Winning Bid
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. – “We were all very pleasantly surprised,” said the Benefit Shop’s Anna Graziosi. She was referring to an antique holiday music box that was offered in the firm’s June 5 Red Carpet auction. The music box featured a silver-toned metal crank on front. Depicted were two children throwing a ball and one building a snowman. With moving pieces and measuring approximately 12 inches long by 10 inches tall by 8 inches deep, the music box fetched $1,280. “We did not have that much information about it, added Graziosi, “and with such little info, we definitely did not expect the results we got. We have four more coming up at our next auction and are very excited for them to cross the block.” For information, 914-864-0707 or www.thebenefitshop.org.
Was It Thoughts Of Picnics Or Provenance?
WINDSOR, CONN. – June 8 was a halcyon day for Nadeau’s sale of decorator’s custom, outdoor furnishings and decorative accessories. That may have helped propel an eight-piece teak outdoor lot with six Barlow Tyrie folding chairs, round table and a large umbrella to a $6,985 selling price. Besides the notable maker, however, the set also had going for it provenance to the estate of Deborah G. Black, Greenwich, Conn., a noted agricultural research scientist at Union Carbide Corporation, later professor of economics at Hunter College and longtime volunteer within the Greenwich community. For more information, 860-246-2444 or www.nadeausauction.com.
New Auction Record Set For A Single Print By Carrie Mae Weems
NEW YORK CITY – A new auction record was set for a single print by Carrie Mae Weems at Phillips’ sale devoted to women in photography on June 7. The untitled (Man Smoking) from the “Kitchen Table” series, 1990, (shown) extinguished its high $35,000 estimate to sell for $70,000. Rachel Peart, head of sale, characterized the sale as “a celebration of women’s enduring contributions to the field of photography, both through their roles in front of and behind the camera. We saw tremendous enthusiasm from bidders across the globe with participation on six continents, leading to a particularly impressive response for works by women photographers.” As expected, Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California” led the auction, bringing $87,500. New records were set for Graciela Iturbide, whose “Mujer ángel, Desierto de Sonora, México” sold for five times its low estimate at $20,000, as well as Bob Adelman and David Montgomery. For information, www.phillips.com or 212-940-1300.
An American Masterpiece, Ansel Adams’ Portfolio Gleans $76,480 At Sloans & Kenyon
CHEVY CHASE, MD. – At Sloans & Kenyon’s June 8 estate catalog auction, a portfolio of gelatin silver prints by Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) was offered in a beige linen clamshell box. “Portfolio VI”: with eight out of ten gelatin silver prints, each signed, numbered 62/100, each with portfolio stamp on reverse mount and numbered respectively, VI-1, V-3, V-4, VI-5, VI-7, V-8, VI-9 and VI-10 together with title page, colophon, dedication page and introduction by Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, New York, Parasol Press 1974, sold well above estimate at $76,480. The portfolio was one of five lots by the American master and featured provenance to Lunn Gallery in Washington, DC. For information, 301-634-2330 or www.sloansandkenyon.com.
Ripley Work Hunts $60,000 Bid At Auction Gallery Of The Palm Beaches
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – Aiden Lassell Ripley’s (American, 1896-1969) “The First Covey” (shown), a signed watercolor on paper, 18 by 30 inches, sold for $60,000 to an internet bidder at the June 8 estates auction conducted by Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches. Another sporting art piece, this one by Ogden Minton Pleissner (American. 1905-1983) titled “The Flight at Dawn,” signed watercolor on paper, 17 by 28 inches, went to a phone bidder at $36,000. For information, 561-805-7115 or www.agopb.com.
24,780 Smackers For Csàky’s ‘Le Baiser’ Sculpture At Amero Auctions
SARASOTA, FLA. – Amero Auctions’ top producing lot in its June 2 auction was a Joseph Csàky (1888-1971) “Le Baiser” bronze sculpture, which went to a phone bidder for $24,780. Created circa 1930, the 50½-inch-high Cubist representation of an intimate moment was numbered 4/8. Csàky was a Hungarian avant-garde artist, sculptor and graphic artist, best known for his early participation as a sculptor in the Cubist movement. He moved to Paris in 1980, became a French citizen in 1922 and became one of the first sculptors in that city to apply the principles of pictorial Cubism to his art. For information, 941-330-1577 or www.ameroauctions.com.
