Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Godchaux’s own Jungle Book
23 September 2019The key influence on the work of the French sculptor Roger Godchaux (1878-1958) came from an unexpected source. He had trained at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and soon became passionate about animal figures, first exhibiting at the Salon in 1905.
An Oktoberfest for auction goers
23 September 2019Oktoberfest, the world’s largest volksfest held annually in Bavaria in September and October, is just one reason to travel to Germany in the autumn. Another is the plethora of auctions held in what is traditionally a busy season for the country’s salerooms
Bauhaus: Breuer name boosts furniture sale appeal
05 August 2019One the most productive Bauhaus furniture designers was the Hungarian-born Marcel Breuer (1902-81). From 1925-28 he was in charge of the so-called interior workshop at the design school.
Sales build on Bauhaus design for life
05 August 2019Centenary of the hugely influential school’s foundation prompts a string of auctions.
Metalware provides a wide price range for buyers to ponder
05 August 2019Metalware in all its forms played a major part in the development of the Bauhaus and recent sales contained examples in every price range.
Bauhaus: Miscellaneous manufacturing including ceramics from Velten-Vordamm factory
05 August 2019One of the offshoots of the Bauhaus was the ceramic factory in Velten-Vordamm, just north of Berlin. Much of the stoneware designed by the ceramic artists at the school was executed there, several examples of which came up for sale at Quittenbaum.
Postcards showcase big names of the future
05 August 2019In its active years, some 1200 students passed through the Bauhaus school. It marked the starting point of many an illustrious career as numerous members of the teaching staff went on to become the most important artists of their era.
Asian buyers compete for works from European collections in German and Austrian specialist auctions
15 July 2019Far and away the highest result for an Asian work of art in recent sales in Germany, Austria and Switzerland was the spectacular price of SFr4.2m (£3.3m) achieved by Koller in Zurich for a Chinese bronze censer (see front page, ATG No 2397).
Historic city Bamberg hosts 24th dealer exhibition event
15 July 2019Since the late 1880s, opera fans have braved the often intense heat of the summer to visit the Wagner festival in Bayreuth.
Sold for 914 times top estimate: £5m ‘Botticelli’ stuns saleroom
08 July 2019Spectators at an auction in Zürich were left flabbergasted when a Quattrocento panel painting with a SFr5000-7000 estimate catalogued as ‘in the style of Sandro Botticelli (c.1445-1510)’ was knocked down at SFr6.4m (£5.16m) after an intense 10-minute bidding battle.
Ground hero: mortars from Schwarzach collection impress at Cologne auction
01 July 2019Cologne auction house Lempertz (24% buyer’s premium) held a recent sale devoted to the Schwarzach Collection of mortars, which is thought to be the most extensive of its type in Europe, if not worldwide.
Art Nouveau jardinière design not seen since 1904 re-emerges at German auction
03 June 2019Ceramics are a major focus of this report on sales from Germany. The selection of highlights and unusual pieces ranges from early 19th century products of the Vienna factory via Art Nouveau creations and 1920s Soviet-era porcelain to works by famed 20th century Studio potters.
Three lots coming up in German salerooms this month
03 June 2019Three potential highlights from German auctions at Van Ham in Cologne, Quittenbaum in Munich and Wendl in Rudolstadt.
Münter oils impress in Stuttgart sale
03 June 2019Five oil paintings by the German artist Gabriele Münter, long-time companion and partner of Wassily Kandinsky, were very much at the centre of the action on May 8 in Stuttgart when Nagel (33% buyer’s premium) sold Modern and Contemporary art.
Tribal art market expands beyond its traditional selling boundaries
27 May 2019The market for tribal art covering works from Africa, Oceania and the Americas has a global reach these days. While particular centres form cultural and commercial hubs (New York, Paris and Brussels in particular), you can find fairs and shows, shops and auctions around the world. Recent sale highlights and previews from some of the upcoming auctions and fairs are featured here.
Stamp denotes Parisian origin
29 April 2019This highly elaborate chest of drawers decorated in boulle marquetry technique with a variety of different figural and foliate motifs featured in the furniture session of a sale at Hampel (29.5% buyer’s premium) in Munich on March 28.
Russian collectors likely to keep an eye on Roubaud
29 April 2019The painter Franz Roubaud (1856-1928) was born in Odessa of French parents and studied painting at the local academy and for several years in Munich. He made a name for himself with huge panoramic paintings and battle scenes.
Cologne saleroom offers 115 bronze mortars from collection
29 April 2019On May 17, Cologne auction house Lempertz is selling 115 bronze mortars from the 8th-18th centuries.
Raise a glass to a Mozart note
29 April 2019Short message to a ‘true friend’ after opera debut appearance sells at Berlin auction house.
Marvellous Meissen collection includes Kaendler cockerel
29 April 2019It is thought that the prestigious Meissen designer Johann Joachim Kaendler drew the inspiration for his teapot in the form of a reclining cockerel from a Chinese model he found in the royal collection in Dresden.