Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Bayrle underlines his commercial value
12 April 2021The highest price at the sale of Modern and Contemporary art at Döbritz (22% buyer’s premium) in Frankfurt on March 6 was achieved for a mixed-media composition by the German artist Thomas Bayrle.
Ritual figure from Rapa Nui and sells in Germany
12 April 2021Tribal art specialist Zemanek-Münster will be holding a spring auction on April 24 in Würzburg.
Chinese bidders drawn to Germany
12 April 2021In today’s world of modern communication, it is inevitable that several Chinese collectors would discover a 16th century Ming Dynasty ritual vessel in the catalogue of a saleroom in a small town on the edge of the Black Forest in the south-west corner of Germany.
Model 1080 could be a sound investment
12 April 2021In 1935, Swiss designer Paul Fuller, who had emigrated to the US after the First World War, joined the Rudolf Wurlitzer Company as their chief designer.
Make a house visit to see Walter Schulz-Matan
12 April 2021Although in his day Walter Schulz-Matan was regarded as an important representative of Neue Sachlichkeit and Magic Realism, his market value with today’s collectors is way below the level of many of his colleagues.
Designer Bertoia the diamond pleaser
12 April 2021When designing his wellknown chairs, the Italian-American designer Harry Bertoia drew on his early experience as a jeweller and sculptor.
‘Fake’ coin proves to be the €210,000 real deal
01 March 2021Gold coin rejected at first but now identified as once owned by renowned Russian collector
Collectors vie for Breguet gold watch which belonged to a Tolstoy
01 March 2021Abraham Louis Breguet is generally considered to be the greatest watchmaker of all times, responsible for numerous inventions, which revolutionised the art.
Young boy and a baby destined to be emperors one day
01 March 2021This watercolour and pencil drawing from 1833 which became the star lot at a recent sale at Nusser (25% buyer’s premium) in Munich had an imperial connection.
Michaux uses mescaline as his extra inspiration
22 February 2021Among the surprises at a Contemporary art sale at Ketterer (25% buyer’s premium) in Munich was the result for a work by the painter-poet Henri Michaux.
Heartfelt work of Joseph Beuys
22 February 2021Legendary yarn explains how this material became a key component of the artist’s designs
Judd’s art shapes up with a box and tube
22 February 2021The American artist Donald Judd (1928-94) abandoned painting in the 1960s and devoted himself to producing three-dimensional objects.
Christo coverage leads to market upturn
22 February 2021It is well known that the death of an artist often leads to an upsurge of market interest and that has certainly happened with the Bulgarian Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, who died last year.
Chinese collectors bid up porcelain vases to 500 times the reserve
25 January 2021A local collector who consigned a pair of Chinese porcelain vases to Hargesheimer (25% buyer’s premium) in Düsseldorf was in for a substantial pre-Christmas surprise.
German and Austrian sales: freshness counts in Old Master sector
25 January 2021In a market challenged by a lack of fresh consignments, works new to the saleroom stand out
Roentgen cabinets draw bidders in Germany
04 January 2021Cologne auction house offers fine selection of 18th century works made by both father and son
De la Tour nocturne sets Lempertz auction house record
14 December 2020One of the last Georges de la Tour (1593-1652) paintings in private hands was sold by Cologne auction house Lempertz on December 8.
Mammen makes entrance with Way Out
30 November 2020For many decades, Jeanne Mammen was a forgotten artist. In the 1920s-30s she had been a celebrated illustrator and chronicler of the Weimar Republic.
Barlach on song as bronze sculpture cast comes to Cologne sale
30 November 2020Many of the German sculptor Ernst Barlach’s works have a musical connection and none more so than the bronze 'Der singende Mann' (The Singing Man).
Railway picture by Moholo-Nagy emerges at Munich sale
30 November 2020In 1919, László Moholy-Nagy came to Berlin, having fled from his native country after the collapse of the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic.