fine art

Clars Spring Auction Promises To Be The House's Biggest Ever

We cover a lot of the big auction houses here on Luxist but smaller auction houses offer quite a few treasures too. Clars, an estate auctioneer based in Oakland, California is having what is anticipated to be the largest and most important sale in their more than 60-year history on May 15 and 16. The sale comprises lots that span 400 years and come from four major estates and other important consigners. The sale includes 17th and 18th century furnishings and art from both contemporary artists and Old Masters. Clars is representing the Lane & Jenkins Trust of San Francisco, the Frank Hinman Estate of San Francisco, the Dr. Sydney Widrow Estate of Hawaii and Carmel; and the Dr. Lawrence Loftus Estate, also of Carmel.

Two of the key lots in the furniture category are a circa-1650 Charles II small Oyster-style walnut inlaid chest from the Widrow Estate (estimate: $10,000 to $15,000) and a circa-1730 George II walnut veneered chest on chest. (estimate: $8,000 to $12,000). A monumental Dirk Van Erp Studios vase will be offered, as well as a 1799 George III celestial floor standing globe estimated at $5,000 to $7,000. The painting shown at right "Moonrise over the Mojave" by Maynard Dixon (Californian, 1875-1946) is estimated at $150,000 to $250,000. The contemporary category will include original prints by Roberto Matta, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. Coming from the Widrow Estate will be a framed silver gelatin photograph by Ansel Easton Adams (Californian, 1902-1984) titled "Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite," estimated at $40,000 to $60,000.

Clars sales end with fine jewelry. The top lot in the jewelry category is a diamond ring mounted in platinum, center set with one round brilliant cut diamond weighing 9 carats (GIA stated M color and SI1 clarity) surrounded by 52 round diamonds weighing 1.10 carats. (estimate $90,000 to $120,000)

Approximately 2,000 lots in total will be offered over the course of this two-day event and internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

Tags: auction house, auction houses, clars, fine art, maynard dixon, oakland

Fine Art Fabricator Shuts Down Amid Art Slump

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

After nearly 40 years of engineering and fabricating the dreams of some of the world's most well known artists, Carlson & Co is closing its doors. As with so many of the technical companies that support art and architecture, you've probably never heard of Carlson, but you probably have encountered one of Jeff Koons' balloon dogs, the Grand Staircase at the Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills, or the Helios House BP gas station at Robertson and Olympic in Los Angeles. Carlson had a hand in those works and many others. Company head Peter Carlson said the economy has caused the shutdown. He has let go his entire workforce, and expects to "file something 'akin' to bankruptcy" next week.

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Tags: architecture, art, carlson and co, carson co, fine art, jeff koons, peter carlson

Partridge Fine Arts In Receivership

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

A major art and antiques dealer in London was placed into administration this week. Partridge Fine Art has been in business over 100 years. It was set up in 1902 to buy antiques for Queen Mary and sold to private clients and designers as well as institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the J Paul Getty Museum. The Allied Irish Bank is the main creditor to the company. Andrew Stoneman and Matt Bond, partners in MCR, have been appointed joint administrators and business is going on as usual at the dealership's posh four-story townhouse on Bond Street. Princess Michael of Kent is the firm's president but it is unknown as of yet if she will stay on the payroll.

It is suspected that the economy is the culprit as usual but no official reason has been given. The administrators are focusing on saving the business hope to sell it as a thriving company preserving both the history of the firm and the jobs of the people who work there. The company was owned by the Partridge family until 2005 when it was sold to Amor Holdings for around £14 million. Design firm Candy & Candy is said to have expressed interest in buying the company in the past but may not be interested anymore.

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Tags: art, fine art, FineArt, london, partridge fine art, PartridgeFineArt

Ten Tips for Investing in Art

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

If you put any faith in conventional wisdom, the best time to invest is when the market is at the bottom. So, there's no time like the present to put some cash into the fine art asset class. Hey, what passes for a solid performance these days is more than 70 percent off last year's levels. Before you invest anywhere, it pays (sometimes literally) to do your homework, and this is especially true with the art market. A fourth grade math education equips you to watch a stock prices ups and downs – and it is supplemented by what we pick up on the nightly news and (I hope) on the likes of BloggingStocks and DailyFinance.

Art, however, is different.

To understand this market, you're staring down the task of learning thousands of years of product history, in addition to a relatively illiquid marketplace in which prevailing tastes play a major role. You can carve this mammoth amount of information into smaller pieces, but you still need to identify a starting place. It's easy to get intimidated ... and also unnecessary. Take a look at the 10 tips below to make the art market a bit more accessible.

1. Take a recreational interest in art
If you're going to commit several thousand dollars to an art investment, you really ought to be interested in it. Start by going to museums, just to get a sense of the breadth available to you ... and to decide what you like. Some of the most attractive pieces may be way out of your price range. I love Francis Bacon's work, but there's no way it will grace my walls anytime soon, not even with the help of the current art market slump. But, you can use the masters to get a sense of the styles that turn you on, which you can use to choose pieces that are closer to your price range.

2. Know where to find insights
Okay, my bias toward Luxist's art market reporting is pretty obvious, but the articles here can help you get started. Also, check out art market publications like ArtInfo, ArtPrice and Art Market Blog. Bloomberg also provides solid art market coverage. Once you have the basics nailed down, spend some time on the auction house websites, like Sotheby's and Christie's. Get a feel for how the marketplace operates.

Gallery: The artwork of Julio Aguilera

Tags: art, art collecting, art collection, art fair, art investing, art market, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, ArtFair, ArtInvesting, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, asset class, AssetClass, auction, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, fine art, fine arts and collectibles, fine arts festivals, FineArt, FineArtsAndCollectibles, FineArtsFestivals, investing, luxury guide, luxury guides, LuxuryGuide, LuxuryGuides

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Prized Gauguin Goes On The Block

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The Impressionist auction from Sotheby's on February 7 in London offers the usual top-ranking artists including Picasso, Edvard Munch, Paul Gauguin and Claude Monet. The work expected to bring in the most money this time is Paul Gauguin's Deux Femmes which is expect to sell for 11 to 14 million pounds (19.4 to 24.7 million dollars). The tranquil painting is part of Gauguin's Tahiti period and is a classic example of Gauguin's island works. This is the first time the painting has been up for sale since 1951. Other paintings on the block include Monet's Waterloo Bridge, Picasso's Man with a Pie and several paintings from Edvard Munch.

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Tags: auction, fine art, gauguin, painting, sotheby's