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Art market news in brief — June 2010

The return of the country house aesthetic in Virginia, Prévert auction in Paris, Phillips to open uptown in New York, and more

By The Art Newspaper. Web only
Published online: 09 June 2010

The return of the country house aesthetic

The first day of Sotheby’s auction of the contents of Patricia Kluge’s vast country house Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia on 8 June roped in $12,417,205 (est $8m-$12m) proving that the English country house look is still thriving despite the appalling economy. Even the Chinese were buying at the sale, which continues today. A Chinese private collector won an Imperial Chinese Table Clock from the Guangzhou Workshops, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, dating to around 1736 for $3,778,500, (est $600,000-$1 m). A total of five bidders chased the ormolu, enamel and paste clock which had come from Partridge. Silver was also buoyant and a 1900 Fabergé silver centrepiece reached $206,500 (est $40,000-$60,000). Even relatively new silver like a set of ten English silver birds made in 1987, from Asprey on New Bond Street reached a surprising $74,500 against a $5,000-$8,000 estimate. Mrs Kluge entertained lavishly using Regency silver meat dishes, silver chargers and bread and butter plates. That style clearly resonates with a large audience. Anything that is a little special and has the Kluge name attached to it brings a high price,” says Edward Munves of James Robinson, Inc on Park Avenue, which carries antique silver. A Sotheby’s spokesperson reported that bidding was from far beyond the US to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In fact, more than 500 registered for phone bidding and 200 in person, which is in marked contrast to their New York Impressionist sale, where 100 phone bidders were registered and 250 in the room. But there were weak spots like George III Mahogany Commode attributed to Thomas Chippendale, which failed to reach its $400,000 low estimate selling for only $338,500. Brook S. Mason

Prévert auction features letters and paintings from Picasso and Miró

The poet, screenwriter and lyricist Jacques Prévert was a central figure of the Paris cultural scene from the 1930s until his death in 1977. Now, his granddaughter Eugenie Bachelot Prévert is offering manuscripts, paintings, letters and other memorabilia from the Prévert estate for sale at the Drouot auction rooms, on 9 June. The sale will include letters from Matisse, Picasso, Miró, Chagall, Calder, Doisneau and Chaplin; signed editions of books by Breton, Ernst, and Klee; paintings by Picasso and Miró, and a rare, densely illustrated storyboard by Prévert for his film Les Visiteurs du Soir. An early associate of André Breton and the surrealists, Prévert worked from 1938 onward with the director Marcel Carné on a series of French film classics including “Le Quai des Brumes”, “Les Portes de la Nuit”, and “Les Enfants du Paradis”. His best-known song, “Autumn Leaves”, became an international jazz standard as well as being covered in a disco version by Grace Jones. Claudia Barbieri

Design Miami moves closer to Art Basel while new craft fair Objex aims to open next door

Design Miami will take place in a new location, closer to Art Basel Miami Beach this December. “We’re keeping Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach separate, but close enough for a synergy,” said fair co-founder Craig Robins. Miami Beach City commissioners approved the move on 12 May, and the fair is aiming to rent the parking lot across the street from the Miami Beach Convention Center. The fair has previously taken place in the Robins-owned Design District, which will now play host to related events. Critics had long contended that the district was too far from the main fair, and, with the Design Miami Basel dealer roster now at a record 32, the move signals the possibility of further growth. Meanwhile, there are plans for a new craft fair to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach. Wendy Rosen, head of the Baltimore-based Rosen Group, which produces craft fairs, as well as Niche and American Style magazines, hopes to launch Objex Art Fair from 3-5 December at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. “Our fair will show high craft, work that is $5,000-$250,000, “ said Rosen. B.S.M.

New NYC art and antiques fair set to launch in April 2011

Clinton Howell, president of the Art and Antique Dealers League of America, is launching a new fair, the The Spring Show NY, part of a wider, linked Art and Antiques Week in New York. Howell, a Manhattan-based English and continental antiques dealer has already booked the Park Avenue Armory for the fair, scheduled for 27 April-2 May 2011. The dealer roster will include more than the 100 league members—Howell plans to include modern art dealers as well. Already signed up are Hyde Park and George Subkoff. The new fair aims to fill the void left by the recently ended Haughton Fine Art Fair which was always held in May. Why does he plan yet another fair in a city clogged with such events? “It is a dealer-run show,” said Howell. “Think about it, Tefaf, Masterpiece and now this—spot a trend? Dealers know what dealers want and that is to save money and try something different.” Howell plans gallery exhibitions and other ancillary events spread across the entire city. B.S.M.

Phillips to open uptown—with special guests

Phillips de Pury & Company is looking to boost its presence in New York, with a new auction and exhibition space opening uptown and a series of guest curated sales being lauched this autumn. The auction house will open its new galleries on 450 Park Avenue with a series of sales called “Carte Blanche”, in which notable art world figures are invited to choose the works on offer. The first “Carte Blanche” sale will be directed by art advisor and former head of Christie’s contemporary art department, Philippe Segalot. “I look forward to this new challenge. I am happy to be back in the game, one last time!” Segalot said in a press statement. He has collaborated with Phillips de Pury & Company before, when he organised the 2004 sale of Baroness Lambert’s contemporary photography collection, which the auction house says still holds the title of its most successful single-owner contemporary photography sale to date. H.S.

Bernard Jacobson and Loretta Howard Split

The Bernard Jacobson Gallery in London and Loretta Howard Gallery in New York are now working separately from each other. The two galleries jointly operated as the Jacobson Howard Gallery in New York from 2003. Despite reports that the Jacobson Gallery is suing Loretta Howard for misappropriating Jacobson Howard Art Gallery property and good will, Jacobson refused to comment, saying “it’s a very private situation”. Howard said that while the galleries are now separate entities, they will continue their close association and that the “new configuration reflects the focus of Loretta Howard Gallery on American post war painting and sculpture”. Jacobson specialises in modern and contemporary British art. K.A.

Lia Rumma opens new space in Milan

Influential Neapolitan gallerist Lia Rumma has opened a huge new space in a former industrial building in Milan. The ambitious 2,000 sq m minimalist gallery offers a swooping vista of the Alps from the fourth-floor spaces, and opened last month with the monochrome, pastel paintings of Ettore Spalletti. Rumma will keep her large gallery in Naples, where she started in the 1971. The gallery has played a pivotal role in the careers of major artists including Joseph Kosuth, Anselm Kiefer, Marina Abramovic and Michelangelo Pistoletto. C.B.

Saffronart offers luxury property

Anyone looking to buy property in India can now do so while bidding on Indian art at Saffronart. The online Indian auctioneers have joined up with real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield to offer luxury properties. The companies say they are “leveraging Saffronart’s online presence and global reach” to extend the range of the traditional real estate firm. Prime Properties, as the service is named, is initially listing seven properties available for private sale on the Saffronart website and in a print catalogue. Soon, properties will also be available through auction on the website. Saffronart was founded in 2000. It has galleries in Mumbai, New York and London, and also offers jewellery on its online auctions. K.A.

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