News

Max Beckmann’s terrifying image of hell, representing the horror of the Nazi regime in Germany, has sold at Christie’s for a record-breaking £32m hammer price to dealer Larry Gagosian.

The 45th annual Art & Antiques Fair Olympia opened last night to bustling crowds and some early sales.

A bronze family group by Henry Moore (1898-1986) led Christie’s evening sale of Modern British & Irish art in London last night, selling at £3.3m to an Asian collector.

It may seem a blindingly obvious thing to say, but being a war artist can be a dangerous business. Eric Ravilious, now one of the most sought-after Modern British artists, was never seen again after joining a Second World War rescue flight which itself ended up as missing in action.

The BBC’s Antiques Roadshow witnessed its third £1m valuation while filming at the Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands last week.

The organisers of the Olympia fair, which starts today (Monday 26 June), have reiterated their support for efforts to stop the illegal trade in poached ivory as the event faces a protest by elephant campaigners on Saturday, 1 July.

A painting by UK-born Australian artist Sir Russell Drysdale (1912-1981) has fetched AUD$2.97m when it was sold by Mossgreen in Adelaide on Sunday 25 June. The price is the fifth highest at auction for any Australian artwork.