Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters

Stephan Ludwig and Ben Clark

Gurr Johns to buy Forum Auctions

09 December 2021

Art consultancy and valuation firm Gurr Johns has bought books and prints specialist Forum Auctions in an all-share deal.

Roman sculpture

Aphrodite back on sale after 70 years takes £16m at Sotheby's setting an auction record

08 December 2021

More than 70 years after it was last seen in public, a sculpture dubbed 'The Hamilton Aphrodite' set a record for any ancient marble sculpture at auction.

'The Greyhound'

Refurbished Lavery studio to be unveiled at Cromwell Place gallery hub

07 December 2021

A new studio will open following a major refurbishment at a gallery hub in Kensington.

Royal Mail website

Royal Mail blip adds books to EU banned list

06 December 2021

Art and antiques dealers were temporarily banned from sending items to certain European countries after a botched list was published by the Royal Mail.

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Ken Spelman bookshop to close in York

06 December 2021

One of York’s oldest bookshops is closing next year.

Jade pony

Antique jades at large after Bedfordshire criminal case

06 December 2021

Chinese and Mughal jades believed to have been stolen more than four years ago are still at large and the family and police have made a plea for information as to their whereabouts.

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Dealer Philip Mould buys Fry French view

06 December 2021

A view of the town of Vence in the south of France by Roger Fry (1866-1934) caught the eye of several bidders at Cheffins (24.5% buyer’s premium).

Laura Knight drawing

Plea to help track down missing Laura Knight drawings

02 December 2021

Five drawings by artist Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) were stolen from outside a home near Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Mark Wilkinson

Promotions and new roles – a round up of Movers and Shakers in the UK, US and Europe

01 December 2021

The latest jobs news across the world of art and antiques.

Cheffins items in a Suffolk cottage

Interior design duo team up with Cheffins for December sale

30 November 2021

Cambridge auction firm Cheffins is working with interior design “power couple” Benedict Foley and Daniel Slowik to promote its next auction.

Boris Johnson

Face coverings compulsory in auction houses and art and antiques shops in England

30 November 2021

Government measures have come into force in England making face coverings compulsory in retail venues and public transport from today (November 30).

Suffragette hunger strike medal for Frances Outerbridge

Hunger strike medal reveals story of Suffragette with a pseudonym

29 November 2021

A suffragette’s true identity may have been uncovered by an auction house.

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Life imitating art: £2.1m Lowry interior sells at auction

29 November 2021

LS Lowry’s The Auction was hammered down at £2.1m (£2.6m with buyer’s premium and fees) at Sotheby’s last week against an estimate of £1.2m-1.8m.

'The Colour Room'

Clarice Cliff comes to the big (and small) screen

27 November 2021

A film of artist potter Clarice Cliff’s (1899-1972) early life is now at cinemas and available via streaming services.

'The Auction' LS Lowry

Life Imitates Art: Lowry's 'The Auction' sells at £2.1m

25 November 2021

LS Lowry’s 'The Auction' was knocked down at £2.1m (£2.6m with buyer’s premium and fees) at Sotheby’s against an estimate of £1.2m-1.8m.

Portobello Road Market

Portobello Road Market goes permanently car free

24 November 2021

Kensington and Chelsea Council has introduced permanent measures for the street in Notting Hill.

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London dealer celebrates silver expertise of Huguenots

22 November 2021

When Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685 (which had given religious freedom to French protestants), a flood of Huguenot refugees travelled across Europe to places where they could practise their religion in safety.

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Tipu’s throne finial blocked from export

22 November 2021

The UK government has issued a temporary export bar for a gold finial that once adorned the throne of Tipu Sultan (1750-99).

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Hatton Garden makes a BID for the future

22 November 2021

London’s historic diamond and jewellery quarter faces challenges but also opportunities

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‘Anne Boleyn falcon’ bought by dealer for £75 lined up for Hampton Court display

22 November 2021

A carved oak falcon depicting Anne Boleyn’s royal badge discovered in a Devon auction and bought for £75 could soon be on display at Hampton Court Palace if a dealer gets his wish.