Fine Art

Fine art is a staple of the dealing and auctioneering industry, featuring works ranging from Medieval art to traditional Old Masters, and right through to cutting-edge Contemporary art.

While oil paintings represent a large part of the sector, other mediums adopted by artists across the ages include drawings, watercolours, prints and photographs.

Hals

Sotheby’s wins court case over a disputed €10m ‘Frans Hals’ painting

11 December 2019

Auction house Sotheby’s has won its case against Fairlight Art Ventures, the former business partner of Old Master picture dealer Mark Weiss, over a Frans Hals (1582-1666) painting that the auction house now deems is a fake.

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Old Master’s new look: Met Museum pays €5m after X-ray reveals the original work

09 December 2019

In the third multi-million-pound sale this year of a rediscovered Old Master at a provincial French auction house, a late Gothic panel offered at Cortot & Associés of Dijon brought a dramatic competition late last month.

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Miracles of Saint Clare lift Old Masters series

09 December 2019

Two recently restituted panels by Sienese artist Giovanni di Paolo (c.1399-1482) lifted the latest series of Old Master auctions in London.

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Warm reception for Mengs and Cantagalli on London’s winter stage

09 December 2019

An autograph painting by German artist Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-79) was one of the stand-out sales during London Art Week (LAW).

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Battle scene panels beat estimate at Fonsie Mealy

09 December 2019

Consigned from a scholarly collector in New Zealand, a pair of relief-carved ivory panels was the among the highlights of Fonsie Mealy’s (22% buyer’s premium inc VAT) Castlecomer sale on November 26.

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5 Questions: Polly Bielecka of Pangolin London

09 December 2019

Polly Bielecka is director at sculpture gallery Pangolin London.

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Portrait of mystery rich lady

09 December 2019

This portrait by Nicolas Régnier (1588-1657) of a richly attired lady possibly depicts Maria Farnese and appears to have been executed when the artist was in Modena where he painted several portraits of members of the d’Este court.

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Robert Bevan's horse-drawn cab painting hailed by bidders at London's Mod Brit series

09 December 2019

A Post-Impressionist painting of a horse-drawn hansom cab by Robert Bevan (1865-1925) was one of the headline lots at the Modern British art sales in London.

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Affordable art: Three works sold for under £2250 including a John Piper church screen print

09 December 2019

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a John Piper church screen print.

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Album displays Bristol’s brightest minds

09 December 2019

Watercolour collection sold at auction represents a ‘who’s who’ of the city in the 1830s

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Norse legend makes a watercolour wonder

09 December 2019

An early watercolour by Isabel Codrington (1874-1943) depicts the Norse legend of the goddess Iduna and King Thiassi, who disguised himself as an eagle to kidnap her.

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Victorian suffragette artist on song at North Yorkshire auction

09 December 2019

Fewer than 30 works are known by the Victorian artist and noted Suffragette Susan Isabel Dacre (1844-1933).

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Lioness bronze set to roar into auction

09 December 2019

Besch holds its traditional winter sale series from December 27-31 at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes. Wines, champagne and spirits; Impressionist and Modern art; designer watches, pens, jewellery and coins all feature.

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Orientalist pastel by Carl Haag exceeds estimate in Maidenhead

09 December 2019

A piece of Orientalist art by German-born watercolourist Carl Haag (1820-1915) drew multiple bids at Maidenhead saleroom Dawson’s (23% buyer’s premium).

Painting by The Master of Vissi Brod

Major Old Master sale in France as New York’s Metropolitan Museum buys late-Gothic painting for €5m

05 December 2019

An Old Master painting by a mid-14th century painter who was active in Bohemia drew dramatic competition at a small auction house in France last week. It was knocked down at €5m (£4.27m) to a dealer acting for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Pierre Soulages oil on canvas

Market-fresh Pierre Soulages painting brings international competition in Paris auction

04 December 2019

One of the highest auction prices for a painting by Pierre Soulages (b.1919) came in a recent sale held in Paris.

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East London foundry first to sign up to new digital ‘hallmark’ for bronze sculptures

03 December 2019

Bronze Age Foundry in Limehouse, London, is the first foundry in the UK to adopt a new bronze hallmarking scheme.

‘Reverie’ by Jack Butler Yeats

Jack Butler Yeats dominates auction of Ernie O'Malley collection in Dublin

02 December 2019

One of the highest-ever totals for an art auction in Ireland was set last week when the sale of the Ernie O'Malley collection held by Dublin saleroom Whyte's in association with Christie's raised a premium-inclusive total of €5.42m (£4.65m).

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Suprematism tops solid ‘Londongrad’ sales

02 December 2019

London’s Russian week of auctions put in a consistent performance last week with the sales at four salerooms generating a combined £37.5m with fees. This compared to £39.2m for the equivalent series last year and the £35.8m raised at the June series.

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Classic coach scene by James Pollard

02 December 2019

This classic mail coach scene by the 19th century painter James Pollard (1792-1867) doubled pre-sale hopes in a picture auction at Surrey saleroom John Nicholson’s (25% buyer’s premium).

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