News

CONTROVERSIAL artist Tracey Emin (b. 1963) might be outraged by public “sniggering” after the loss of her works in the Momart’s London warehouse fire, but the art world has lost much more than her infamous tent. To many, much more disconcerting is the loss of the large cache of major paintings by Patrick Heron, RA (1920-1999).

GOOD-quality mahogany and oak furniture took most of the better prices in Mitchells' (15% buyer's premium) 1566-lot May 13-14 auction which totalled £325,000.

THE expansion of Bloomsbury Auctions continues apace with the announcement that they are moving into the chess and games market.

THE large sums of money rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia collectors are prepared to part with for a complete set of Beatles autographs inevitably means the market is peppered with fakes. The watertight provenance of an early Beatles extended play record, Twist and Shout, Parlophone, 1963, signed to the sleeve by the Fab Four, was key to its success at Biddle & Webb’s (15% buyer’s premium) 511-lot sale of toys and juvenilia in Birmingham on May 21.

ALTHOUGH there were no blockbuster entries in Richardson & Smith's (10% buyer's premium) 841-lot May 20-21 outing, with pictures securing most of the top prices, the highlight was a kingwood, amboyna and burr marquetry inlaid étagère by Gillows of Lancaster.

DERBYSHIRE dealer Nick Gent has taken over the London Ceramics Fair from Fred Hynds of Wakefield Ceramics Fairs and formed Prestige Ceramic Fairs to stage specialist events.

SOLD for $1300 (£730) in a May 20 sale held by Freemans of Philadelphia was a set in original wrappers of all eight issues of The Savoy (1896) with its cover designs and other illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley.