Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Court cancels sale of Pissarro landscape at London auction after restitution dispute
13 November 2026A court in France has ‘cancelled’ the sale of a Camille Pissarro landscape that appeared in a London auction and ordered its return to the heirs of a Jewish banker whose art collection was looted in Nazi-occupied Paris.
Another Wallis work with attractive provenance appears in Penzance
13 November 2026A painting of three ships and a lighthouse by St Ives artist Alfred Wallis (1855-1942) was the latest painting by the artist to demonstrate the crucial importance of provenance in this particular market.
Wallpaper company ace also bought art to hang on his walls
13 November 2026A painting by John Northcote Nash (1893-1977) led the consignment of 16 works from the collection of Humphrey Boyle at Tennants’ (24% buyer’s premium) latest Modern & Contemporary Art auction.
Laura Knight letters and cards stand out in single-owner group
13 November 2026While the London series of Modern British art auctions in October put in a steady performance, a number of notable results in this category also took place at sales from further afield this autumn.
‘One of the earliest landscape paintings in western art’ to appear at Sotheby’s
11 November 2026Sotheby’s and Christie’s have released details of a series of headline lots being offered at the upcoming Old Master sales in London.
Doctor’s gift from Hepworth could fetch £80,000
10 November 2026A maquette for a major modernist sculpture by Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) which the artist gave to her doctor will be offered at Lay’s later this month.
Once looked down on, now later works by Simeon Solomon prove popular
06 November 2026Pictures produced after his scandal had been dismissed but latest results indicate interest is now rising
Thomas Daniell strikes gold as demand for Indian scenes soars
05 November 2026A large Royal Academy exhibit by Thomas Daniell (1749-1840) that drew hefty competition at Dreweatts underlined the strength of the market for early topographical views of the Indian subcontinent by British artists.
Buyer splashes out on a Bawden showstopper of a watercolour
30 October 2026Appearance of painting not seen since the 1930s causes a stir as a possible lost work rediscovered
Dutch portrait goes seven times over estimate in Somerset
28 October 2026A Dutch Old Master portrait drew notable bidding at Lawrences of Crewkerne (25% buyer’s premium) earlier this month.
Monet sets new auction high for a work of art sold in France
23 October 2026The highest price for any work of art sold at auction in France was set at Sotheby’s Paris this week when Claude Monet’s (1840-1926) ‘Iris’ was bid to €43m (£36.1m).
Canaletto drawing flies over estimate at Mallams
22 October 2026A rediscovered drawing by Canaletto (1697-1768) drew a strenuous bidding contest at Oxford auction house Mallams today.
Highest sum for a Henry Scott Tuke watercolour for five years
21 October 2026Newporth beach was pretty much the ideal setting for Henry Scott Tuke (1858-1929) to paint nude figures en plein air.
Large body of works by Bettina Shaw-Lawrence emerges at Cambridge auction
19 October 2026The largest group of works by Bettina Shaw-Lawrence (1921-2018) ever to have come to the open market will be offered at Cheffins later this month.
Francis Bacon leads record-breaker Christie’s London single-owner sale
16 October 2026Kicking off the Frieze week auctions in London, Christie’s dedicated evening sale of works from the collection of British fashion magnate Peter Simon, the founder of the Monsoon fashion chain, raised £107.5m including premium.
Rare collection of works by female Victorian artist produces Best results
16 October 2026Billed as ‘an extremely personal group’, a collection of works by Mary Ellen Best (1809-1891) drew considerable demand at Bellmans (25% buyer’s premium) this month.
High price for dramatic Somerset hill aquatint shows how Norman Ackroyd prints are on the rise
16 October 2026When it comes to the prints of Norman Ackroyd (1938-2024), his dramatic monochrome depictions of natural locations – such as St Kilda in Scotland, Skellig Michael and Achill Island in Ireland, or of the Yorkshire Dales – tend to command the most interest.
Multi-media presentation: Hoppner's Nelson engraving transformed
16 October 2026Prints based on John Hoppner’s (1758-1810) famous portrait of Lord Nelson proliferated throughout the 19th century.
Sun-soaked Anthony Fry scenes given warm reception in Newbury sale
16 October 2026Two trademark prints by Anthony Fry (1927-2016) posted high auction sums for graphic works by the artist at a recent single-owner sale held by Dreweatts (28% buyer’s premium).
Accessible prints prove fruitful for collectors of Yayoi Kusama
16 October 2026Japanese artist Kusama’s set of lithographs with signature motifs demonstrates more affordable way to collect