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.

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Something in the air tonight: Raynaud eroticism excites bidders

11 August 2025

A classic example of fin-de-siècle eroticism caught the eye of several collectors at Hampel (29.5% buyer’s premium) on June 26 in Munich.

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Cheyne Walk house comes down in value

11 August 2025

A riverside view of Lindsey House in London’s Cheyne Walk drew decent interest at a recent Bonhams (28% buyer’s premium) sale but ended up selling for markedly less than its last auction appearance 10 years ago.

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Arts and craftsmen: clock inventor and ship’s figurehead carver caught on canvas

11 August 2025

The only known portrait of the inventor Reverend Edward Barlow (1639-1719) was sold by Bath horology specialist Gardiner Houlgate (20% buyer’s premium) earlier this summer.

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Wilde and Monet photographs bring in the big money in Cambridge

11 August 2025

A signed postcard of Oscar Wilde from an image by Alfred Ellis of Baker Street impressed in a timed online sale at Cheffins (25% buyer’s premium).

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Bridehead revisited: Dorset home delivers a ‘textbook’ bumper country house sale

11 August 2025

Auctions like this don’t come along often these days.

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Garibaldi lands in Colchester

11 August 2025

Werner watercolour underlines importance of quality local consignments to regional salerooms

‘Grandfather's Pride’ by Robert Jobling

Large group of Robert Jobling lots attract bidders to Newcastle auction

07 August 2025

One of the largest groups of pictures by Robert Jobling (1841-1923) ever to come to the market in a single sale appeared at Anderson & Garland’s (25% buyer’s premium) latest fine art auction.

Spanish Roof by Peter Jackson

Large body of work by artist Peter Jackson hits the auction block in Suffolk

06 August 2025

In an auction that helped establish a secondary market for the artist and sculptor Peter Jackson (1930-2019), Suffolk saleroom Lacy Scott & Knight (22.5% buyer’s premium) offered a group of 245 works from the collection of the artist’s widow.

Fake or Fortune mystery

Fake or Fortune? Does this artwork have the hand of artist Frances Hodgkins?

05 August 2025

The latest in the new 'Fake or Fortune?' series featured a work possibly by Frances Hodgkins (1869-1947).

Florence Hess painting

New high for Florence Hess as cook’s pictures are served up at auction

05 August 2025

Tennants’ latest picture sale in Leyburn featured a group of 26 British Impressionist paintings relating to the artistic communities at Staithes and Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. They raised a hammer total of £32,180.

Chris Gollon artwork

Sworders to host first London selling exhibition at its Cecil Court gallery

05 August 2025

Sworders’ London gallery at 15 Cecil Court is to host its first selling show this month.

Edward Burne-Jones by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Rossetti sketches including Burne-Jones portrait turn heads in Norfolk auction

04 August 2025

Two works catalogued as ‘circle of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)’ caught the attention at a recent sale at Keys (25% buyer’s premium) in Aylsham, one creeping over estimate but the other smashing it spectacularly.

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ATG letter: My thoughts on Ethel Walker, John Ward and Prince Charles…

04 August 2025

I always enjoy Alex Capon’s excellent Art Market reports and was particularly interested in the Ethel Walker painting (ATG No 2702), which sold at at David Duggleby’s Scarborough saleroom for an impressive £24,500.

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Sandoz rabbit hops into Kent sale

04 August 2025

Along with Francois Pompon and Rembrandt Bugatti, Edouard Marcel Sandoz (1881-1971) was one of the leading animal sculptors of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods.

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Ruskin Spear's portrait of Margaret Thatcher bags attention as part of prime ministers picture line-up

04 August 2025

A set of pictures thought to be the largest collection of portraits of British prime ministers in private hands emerged at Sloane Street Auctions (26.5% buyer’s premium) earlier this summer.

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Immerse yourself in John Miller’s art

04 August 2025

Image of room with indoor swimming pool is set to star in second auction staged by Messum’s

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Holy Family from Sacred Heart - but in whose hand?

04 August 2025

Among the Italian Old Masters bringing interest at auctions across the country over the summer was an intriguing painting of the Holy Family that emerged at Lyon & Turnbull (26% buyer’s premium) in Edinburgh.

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Two Churchill maquettes by Oscar Nemon appear at auction seven days apart

04 August 2025

When Clementine Ogilvy Spencer Churchill, the wife of Sir Winston, first saw a now-famous bronze sculpture by Oscar Nemon showing her late husband reclining in his seat, she remarked: “This is how I see him and that is how I love him.”

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Chalençon collection: More than 100 Napoleon lots ride into auction action

04 August 2025

Pierre-Jean Chalençon is well known as an enthusiast for Napoleonic memorabilia and this summer Sotheby’s Paris (27/22/15% buyer’s premium) offered just over 100 lots from his collection.

Francesco Guardi

Global auction sales decline but better results for Old Masters and decorative arts

01 August 2025

The latest art market report by ArtTactic revealed that global auction sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips fell by 6.2% for the first half of 2025.

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