A Rolex Pussy Galore at Auction
The starting line included 130 collector’s watches. The race was comfortably won by several Rolexes, synonymous with reliability and elegance.
Auction
Magritte: Number One Among the Moderns
He now ranks alongside Picasso, Monet, Vinci, Giacometti, Matisse and Van Gogh in the select circle of 24 artists whose works have sold for over $79 M at auction.
The Château in Coigny: From the Franquetots to the Talleyrands
Illustrious families have succeeded each other at the Franquenot Chateau, an imposing yet understated residence in the département of La Manche. A new chapter begins with the sale of its contents.
An Upswing for the First Half of 2022 at Drouot
With total sales revenue of €295.7M, the Drouot Group recorded a 7% increase in the first six months of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021, confirming its central position in the art market.
Passion Soulages: The Art of the Print
On the occasion of a second auction on the theme of Pierre Soulages, the art of engraving, some thirty etchings, lithographs and serigraphs, partly from the collection of Claude C., will go up for auction on Monday, September 19, at 5, avenue d’Eylau in Paris.
€837,545 for A Precious Eighth-Century Umayyad Parchment!
Enriched with gold illuminations and intricate calligraphy, Islam’s holiest texts were available in sumptuous forms. However, it was a more sober version that attracted the most attention at a recent auction.
A World Record for French Sculptor Valentine Schlegel
There has recently been renewed interest in the sculptor and ceramist, who died last year at 96. The price of her works is rising steadily, as witnessed by the sale of her studio contents—with a world record to boot.
The Richard Mille Polo-Proof Watch
The RM053 DLC is a unique piece made by Richard Mille for the Argentinian polo player Pablo Mac Donough, who is considered the world’s greatest player. The watch is designed for the needs of a sport both elegant and violent.
The Edmonde and Lucien Treillard Collection: Man Ray and His Fellow Surrealists
In this second sale of the Treillard Collection, photos, screen prints and Surrealist objects by Man Ray will go hand in hand with pictures by several of his artistic collaborators, including Jacques-André Boiffard.
A Rembrandt Bugatti Captivated by the Elephant
One of Rembrandt Bugatti’s most iconic animals comes from the collection of René de Knyff, a racing driver and friend of his no less famous brother, Ettore.
Berthe Morisot in Brittany
Three works by Miró, watercolors by Dufy and paintings by Utrillo and Renoir will surround this oil on canvas by Berthe Morisot.
Chinese Automaton Clock: An Eighteenth-Century Gem
This clock made in China in the 18th century to please the Qianlong emperor not only gives the time—it comes alive from top to bottom to pay tribute to the sovereign.
Photography Market is Losing Steam
International auction houses are planning another week of photography sales even as some, like Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips, have posted mixed results.
Art Market Overview: The Rise of Günther Förg
According to Artprice, demand is high for works by German artists in general and Günther Förg (1952-2013) in particular.
Collecting History: “Œuvres Choisies” Celebrates Important Art Patrons and Collectors
The Hôtel Drouot welcomes visitors to the new installment of its regular collegial exhibition, known as the “Œuvres Choisies” (“Selected Works”). The exhibition presents some of the most exciting works to come up for sale in the upcoming months.
The Creuzevault Collection, a Family Affair
Germaine Richier, Jean Dubuffet and Bernard Buffet are the names to remember from the collection gallerist Henri Creuzevault left to his children. It proves that it is not always quantity but rarity that counts.
Art Market Overview: Oscar Murillo’s Comeback
The Colombian painter is back in the market’s good graces, after a resounding debut was followed by a dramatic decline in his performance at auction.
“The Bird Trap,” a Flemish Bestseller from the Bruegel Dynasty
One icy winter, Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted his Brabant village, Sint-Anna-Pede. In this unique work, his son, Pieter Bruegel the Younger, delivers his version of the composition, one of the famous family’s most highly-prized works.
The Middle Ages Under Angelic Protection
Held following a court order, this sale gave pride of place to the Medieval and Renaissance periods with sculptures and paintings.
Phillips in the Hot Seat After the Invasion of Ukraine
Phillips auction house finds itself in a storm following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
François-Paul Journe: A New Star in Luxury Watchmaking
The most daring will sport it on their wrists; others will prefer to keep it safely hidden. With a six-figure estimate, this watch by François-Paul Journe consolidates the success the designer has enjoyed in recent years.
The Aristophil Collection: An Immersion Into the Creative Lives of Authors and Artists
The next two sales of autographs from the Aristophil Collection include a few items that have never come up for auction before, but also a collection of historic objects and some treasures, paintings and drawings.
“La Villa Bleue à Nice”, a Previously Unknown Work by Matisse
This oil painting by Henri Matisse has never been on the market before. Long in a European collection, the work, which comes with its original support, is drawing interest from French, British and American collectors.
David Hockney, a High-Tech Artist
The success of this printed landscape created on a tablet computer by the British artist, now living in Normandy, attests to changing artistic mentalities.
A Chandelier by Koloman Moser in the Light of Beauty
This rare hanging lamp showcases Koloman Moser’s talent and the humanist ideas of the Wiener Werkstätte.
T is for Tapestry: Volume 2
The creation of the royal tapestry workshops under Louis XIV broke with the mural approach specific to medieval and Renaissance tapestries. In these spaces dedicated to the service of power, the loom established roots as an art of the multiple, which was also dependent on painting.
Art Market Overview: Omar Ba, a Young Talent in the African Art Scene
Recently exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2019) and the Centre Pompidou in Paris (2020), Senegalese artist Omar Ba (b. 1977) is now considered one of the most promising artists in the African scene.
A Princess of Royal Blood Glorified by Jean-Marc Nattier
There are painters who evince little liking for feminine charms—as roundly demonstrated by the fine Rigaud retrospective at the Château de Versailles—and those who beautify their models. And princesses de sang royal (princesses of royal blood) were placed in the top rank of Olympian goddesses by Jean-Marc Nattier.
Art Market Overview: German Artists in 2021
The most successful German artists in the market in 2021, according to an Artprice report, are none other than Wassily Kandinsky, Sigmar Polke, Lucian Freud and Gerhard Richter.
Travel Posters
France pioneered this highly desirable specialty, which is increasingly popular with collectors.
The Collection of Marie Bell: A Woman of the French Art Scene
From the theater to illustrated plates, Marie Bell’s life reflects a time when artists of all kinds performed together.
The Hispano-Suiza H6: Limousine of Kings
About a hundred cars from different local collections will come up for sale during a three-day online auction. The frontrunner is a rare 1921 Hispano-Suiza H6.
Great Burgundy Vintages
A report on a fine sale dedicated to nectars of Burgundy, staged by the Richard Auction House (Mr. Bernard) in Villefranche-sur-Saône on December 18.
An Abstract Score by Richard Mortensen
Some €50,000/80,000 will be needed for The Yellow Sound, a series of 91 gouache and graphite drawings by the Danish painter Richard Mortensen (1910-1993).
A Clever Monkey Cigar Lighter by Fabergé
Although the imagination and craftsmanship of Fabergé goldsmiths no longer need proving, their timeless creations always make an impact.
District 13 at Drouot: A Young Fair Already Mature
Though the two previous editions were canceled, the third edition of District 13—purely French this year—now consolidates the happy marriage between street art and Drouot.
Art Market Overview: Gerhard Richter’s Comeback
2021 marked the German painter’s recovery in the market, when he was crowned the world’s best-performing living artist at auction, according to Artprice.
T is for Tapestry
In the late Middle Ages, tapestry production, whose origins lay in the East and classical antiquity, was one of the most prominent crafts in Western Europe. Numerous widely-scattered workshops in France already foreshadowed the royal factories of the future.
Lange & Söhne Timepieces Score Big Time
The German watchmaker’s precision models confirmed their powerful appeal.
Retrogaming: A Booming Market
Eight years after starting up in France, the retrogaming (also known as classic gaming) market is consolidating and setting record sales. The tenth art is gradually carving out a niche in the auction room.
Spotlight on Baccarat
The glassworks’ glittering crystal chandelier shared the billing with paintings by Francis Picabia and William Adolphe Bouguereau.
The Lacquered Felines of Jean Dunand, Master of Art Deco
Making their debut on the market, these three big cats date from a turning point in the artist’s career and boast a rare combination of two lacquer techniques.
Fourth Sale of the Kahn Collection: Old Masters, 19th-Century Books and Surrealism
Before it closes in the first half of 2022, the Kahn library will be providing a fourth chapter full of discoveries, with Old Masters and books, manuscripts, photographs, drawings, paintings and collages from the 19th and 20th centuries.
In Search of Chartreux’s Secrets
This sale of French wines and liqueurs in Beaune, Burgundy, was focused on a secret recipe that is closely guarded by the monks of the Isère monastery.
Charles Cordier, Orientalist Sculptor
The sculptor of the Second French Empire, Charles Cordier, produced a large number of Orientalist busts and statues. Our two master models were used to create emblematic works.
Childhood Personified by Camille Claudel
Camille Claudel made this emotional portrait just after losing her child and renouncing motherhood.
A Treasure of Gold Coins Found in Brittany
In 2019, a couple and three stonemasons found a trove of coins dating from the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. This wonderful discovery will soon be coming to auction.
A is for Azulejos
Unlike what might be commonly thought, azulejos take their name not from their traditional blue color but from the Arabic al zulaydj, meaning a small enameled polished stone intended to copy ancient mosaics. Portugal gave them a unique artistic and monumental grandeur.
