Fine Art

One of the most talked about pictures sold at auction recently was a portrait by an almost unheard of artist that emerged in Surrey.

The 1947 Street Scene with Figures by LS Lowry (1887-1976) is the earliest work so far to appear on the market from a group of vibrant figurative pastels.

Works by Keith Vaughan (1912-77) from the collection of the man who played a crucial role in preserving and promoting his legacy come for sale.

Two works bringing demand at different auctions recently showed the market’s continued appetite for works by Modern British female artists.

A couple of works by leading names in the Modern British art market helped Dreweatts (26/25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) post a total of over £1m (including premium) at its early spring Modern and Contemporary Art auction.

On Saturday 17 April, 1982, the artist Jonathan Warrender (b.1954) found himself in the back of a Bentley whirling through country lanes towards Chequers.

Recent results for the Bloomsbury Group artist show how his prolific output creates a wide price range

Leading the second edition of Sim Fine Art’s Britain in Pictures exhibition are two chaps in purple.

A drawing by Sheila Fell (1931-79) offered in Cockermouth showed how strong demand can emerge even for a simple sketch.

A small but eyecatching self-portrait by Denton Welch (1915-48) equalled the auction record for the artist.

Known for his countless self-portraits, second only in number to Rembrandt, and a distinctive style often with somewhat sinister undertones, Max Beckmann also created some surprising works.

Despite being a copy by a little-known Norfolk painter, ‘authentic’ portrait makes remarkable price

'A Wagon on the Street at Kingston, Sussex', c.1906, is one of two pictures by Robert Bevan (1865-1925) included in Harry Moore-Gwyn’s latest exhibition.

Berlin is obviously a good place to sell paintings by the German artist Georg Scholz (1890-1945), one of the leading representatives of Neue Sachlichkeit (new objectivity).

Like many of his colleagues, the Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy (1844-1900) visited the major art centres of his day, such as Munich and Düsseldorf, before finally settling in Paris in 1871.

Top lot of Dorotheum’s (25/20.84% buyer’s premium) Viennese sale of 19th century paintings on May 2 lived up to its expectations.

Bonhams’ (27.5/26/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) latest Marine sale was led by an elegant depiction of a famous naval battle between British and French ships that took place towards the end of the American War of Independence.

Van Ham of Cologne is offering a work by the German Expressionist Otto Mueller on the occasion of its 500th sale: the painting Frau und Knabe (Woman and Boy) from 1922.

A previously undocumented painting, bought from an English dealer by a European collector in 1995, shines at Vienna sale.

Judging by the overall totals, the latest Modern and Contemporary art auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips in New York were something of a bump back to reality after the last two sales series posted the highest grossing totals on record.