UK

The United Kingdom accounts for more than one fifth of the global art market sales and is the second biggest art market after the US.

Through auctioneers, dealers, fairs and markets - and a burgeoning online sector - buyers, collectors and sellers of art and antiques can easily access a vibrant network of intermediaries and events around the country. The UK's museums also house a wealth of impressive collections

Dreweatts

Gurr Johns buys auction houses Dreweatts and Bloomsbury

02 October 2017

Art consultancy and valuation firm Gurr Johns has bought auction firms Dreweatts and Bloomsbury from Stanley Gibbons for £1.25m.

Tate Britain

Anthony Caro sculptures allocated to the Tate after settling £2.7m tax bill

02 October 2017

Two abstract sculptures by Sir Anthony Caro have been acquired for the nation as part of the ‘Acceptance in Lieu’ scheme. Together they have settled £2.7m of inheritance tax due from the estate of Caro’s wife, the artist Sheila Girling, who died in 2015.

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Beckwith pistols pair hits the target

02 October 2017

Top-seller at guns specialist Southams (15% buyer’s premium) in Bedford on September 20 was acased pair of flintlock double-barrelled travelling pistols.

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English Civil War and much more in Exeter

02 October 2017

A single-owner collection relating to the English Civil War featured among the 740 lots that made up a September 6 sale held by Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (21% buyer’s premium).

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Narwhal’s twisted appeal

02 October 2017

Narwhal tusks, once sold for colossal sums to Elizabethan gentleman as unicorn horns, continue to be in demand as sculptural natural history objects of contemplation.

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Previews: £30,000 plus

02 October 2017

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

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Weiss honours his father’s legacy

02 October 2017

Dealer Mark Weiss specialises in Tudor and Stuart portraiture and for the past few years he has spent early October exhibiting at Frieze Masters.

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Poster girl for cult film collection

02 October 2017

This film poster, below, was designed by the Czech artist Olga Poláčková-Vyleťalová for 'Une Femme Douce' (A Gentle Woman) based on a Dostoevsky short story.

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Comets, astronauts and out of this world selfies

02 October 2017

A ‘Glory of Science’ sale held by Bloomsbury Auctions (24/18/12% buyer’s premium) on September 14 included books, prints, photographs, letters, etc, and was one in which astronomy and space travel played a significant part where higher bids were concerned.

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Autumn’s golden opportunities as three fairs look set to build on their established success

02 October 2017

As the autumn season kicks off, there is a wealth of art and antiques events to choose from around the UK. This week, ATG takes a look at three upcoming fairs beyond the London market: 'The Northern Antiques Fair' in Harrogate, the 'Bruton Decorative Antiques Fair' and the 'Chester Antiques Show'.

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Biannual fair held at Burton Court delivers great results, says established decorative dealer

02 October 2017

If Julia Brisbane, organiser of Antiques in Tents, ever wanted a publicist for her biannual traditional and decorative antiques fairs at Burton Court, near Leominster, she need look no further than one of her exhibitors, decorative dealer Kieran Mathewson.

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Fifth Kruger pulls £4700 in softer Beswick market

02 October 2017

Perhaps the rarest of all Beswick’s output is the pit pony figure Spirit of Whitfield.

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A Spicer terrier with a tale

02 October 2017

Early to spot the rise of interest in taxidermy, Tennants’ (18.5% buyer’s premium) latest Natural History sale on September 20 was led by a top-quality diorama with a back story adding to its appeal.

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Bowled over by China

02 October 2017

A selection of good online illustrations plus a brief noncommittal description can be the regional auctioneer’s safest route when offering Chinese works of art. It proved successful when a porcelain bowl was consigned to the September 7 sale Greenslade Taylor & Hunt (19% buyer’s premium) held at Taunton.

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Traditional values make welcome return to regions

02 October 2017

“There really does seem to be life in the traditional market”. Woolley & Wallis’ (22% buyer’s premium) latest Old Masters, British & European Paintings sale in Salisbury left specialist Victor Fauvelle in a buoyant mood.

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5 Questions: Nicholas Lury of Cambridge Fine Art

02 October 2017

Cambridge Fine Art’s Nicholas Lury is an exhibitor at the upcoming Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair (October 7-9). He specialises in British paintings from the Victorian era and is based in Little Shelford.

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Yeats sale generates controversy and bidding at Sotheby’s

02 October 2017

The sale of the Yeats collection at Sotheby’s in London brought mixed results: the highest estimated lot failed to sell but strong competition emerged elsewhere.

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The recipe for reviving mahogany

02 October 2017

“Many think that the fashion for older mahogany furniture has died a death. However, the prices achieved at this sale go to show that these items are still incredibly desirable.”

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Tom Gerrard’s Welsh jewels

02 October 2017

'Anglesey Landscape IV' is one of around 30 works included in Tom Gerrard’s (1923-76) upcoming retrospective at Oriel Tegfryn Gallery in Menai Bridge (October 20-November 12).

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Scoping out a new London specialism

02 October 2017

Cameras, scientific and medical instruments specialist Flints (20% buyer’s premium) held its inaugural sale on September 21.

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