Category Archives: Sotheby’s Auction House News

News from the Sotheby’s International Art House.

An Intimate Discussion on Photography at Fisher Island

Posted in Fisher Island, Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 
Beth Butler, Emily Bierman and Mayi de la Vega

Beth Butler, Emily Bierman and Mayi de la Vega

ONE Sotheby’s International Realty’s CEO and Founder, Mayi de la Vega partnered with Sotheby’s Photographs Department Specialist Emily Bierman to host an intimate discussion about the photography market. Distinguished guests gathered in the Mansion Drawing Room at Fisher Island to enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres and were intrigued by recent record breaking sales at auction and also learned of the approaching 175- year anniversary of photography.

Emily Bierman, Mayi de la Vega, Raymond Bolduc and Beth Butler

Emily Bierman, Mayi de la Vega, Raymond Bolduc and Beth Butler

Michael Falke_Janie Coffey_Stephane Burke_Erik Diamond

Michael Falke, Janie Coffey, Stephane Burke and Erik Diamond

During the discussion, Ms. Bierman gave a comprehensive overview of photography’s past, present and future highlighting some of the most important pieces and renowned artists in the field. One of these noteworthy photographs is László Moholy-Nagy’s Fotogramm from 1925, which sold for $1,482,500 at auction this past December.

Cuqui Matz and Mayi de la Vega

Cuqui Matz and Mayi de la Vega

Sotheby’s was the first international auction to introduce the seasonal sale of photographs in 1971, and in the last five years has sold more than $106.5 million in photographic works. The next major auctions are in October in New York City and November in Paris.. It was a pleasure to host this event and we wish Sotheby’s Photographs Department much success on their upcoming photography sales.

Sissy DeMaria, Mayi de la Vega and Cuqui Matz

Sissy DeMaria, Mayi de la Vega and Cuqui Matz

ONE | Sir Attends Sotheby’s Central Asia Art Exhibit in London

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 
sothebys-central-asia-auction

Merab Abramishvili, The Maneater of Kumaon, tempera on linen mounted on plywood, 76.1 by 100.2cm., 2005. Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s.

From March 4 through 12, Sotheby’s auction house in London presented an exhibit entitled At the Crossroads: Contemporary Art from the Caucasus and Central Asia. Works from the multi-cultural region of Central Asia included pieces by artists from countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia — all republics between the Caucasus and Chinese borders. The region has been attracting the interest of contemporary art collectors.

The exhibit offered private sales and prices for the 47 works ranged from
US $3,000 to $500,000. A portrait of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich by renowned Azeri artist Tair Salahkov garnered the highest price.

One Sotheby’s International agent Liza Lamar attended part of the event to represent South Florida during the opening festivities. “It was an incredible turnout,” she said. “Over 1,000 people attended the opening night cocktail party.”

“We were there with other Sotheby’s affiliates,” she continued. “New York, Moscow and San Francisco agents were part of this event. There was great interest from a younger audience with up-and-coming wealth.”

– Maria de los Angeles is a freelance wordsmith based in Miami.

Sotheby’s Upcoming Spring Auctions

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

Spring is a busy season for Sotheby’s auction houses around the world. From Hong Kong to London, Sotheby’s will be featuring exclusive collections of everything from wine to jewelry and art to the highest bidders in each category. We’re excited to present these upcoming auctions:

March 13th- NYC
Impressionist and Modern Art including Russian Art
Artists featured in this collection include Camille Pissarro, Eugene Boudin and Maurice de Vlaminck, among others. This auction highlights works in oil and paper from the 19th through the 20th centuries.

Camille Pissarro

March 19th- London
Complete Set of Warhol’s Endangered Species
This auction will feature Andy Warhol’s set of ten screenprints of Endangered Species that he created in 1983. The pieces were produced by the artist as a reply to the ecological issue of beach erosion. Complete Andy Warhol sets such as this one are rare to find.

Andy Warhole Endangered Species

March 19th- 20th- NYC
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
The Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of art auction will feature items from over 50 private collection. Pieces include Chinese bronzes, ceramics, jade, Buddhist art works and Korean metal-works.

Fine Chinese Ceramics

April 8th- Hong Kong
Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite
This auction will showcase a special selection of blue, pink, yellow and colorless diamonds as well as Burmese rubies, Colombian emeralds, Kashmir sapphires and pearls. Highlights include a 13.10- Carat Vivid Yellow Diamond.

Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite

ONE | Sir to host Sotheby’s Valuations on Chinese Works of Art in South Beach

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

Sothebys-valuation-chinese-art

One Sotheby’s International Realty office in Miami Beach will host Cynthia Volk, a specialist from Sotheby’s auction house during the week of February 25. The specialist will be taking appointments for private auction estimates on Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art.

One of Sotheby’s most active departments, the Chinese Art team has developed strong relationships with key collectors in the field. For sale are a wide variety of works including ceramics, jades, ivory, furniture, bronzes, sculptures, paintings and clocks plus more from the Neolithic period to the Qing dynasties.

Recent successes in the Chinese Art field include a record-breaking $22 million for a blue and white vase with fruit sprays as well as a Ru guanyao lobed brush washer, which set the world auction record for Song ceramics at $26.6 million.

A number of important private collections have entrusted Sotheby’s for their sales, including The Meiyntang Collection, Property from J.T. Tai and Co., The Collection of Carl Kempe and The Estate of Emile Guimet.

Appointments will take place the week of February 25th South of Fifth at 119 Washington Avenue, Suite 102, Miami Beach, Florida. Please call 212-606-7332 for more information.

The actual auction on Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art will take place in New York on September 11. For more information, visit the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department at Sotheby’s.

Meet Nicholas Chow, Senior Director and Deputy Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, as interviewed by Tim Marlow at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in this video about Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art.

– Maria de los Angeles is a freelance wordsmith based in Miami.

2012 Landmark Year in Sotheby’s Jewelry Sales

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 
heart-shaped-pendant-sothebys

In February 2012, Sotheby’s sold this heart-shaped pendant for $632,500 during its auction of Important Jewels in New York.

In 2012, Sotheby’s achieved $460.5 million in sales, a record for the prestigious auction house.  The jewelry auctioned featured pieces from private collections, historical jewels with noble provenance as well as diamonds and gemstones.

In the Americas, Sotheby’s saw the highest-ever total for one-day sales.  The December 2012 auction in New York reached $64.8 million.

Private collections included jewelry owned by Brooke Astor, Estée Lauder and more.  Two rare white glove auctions sold 100% by lot, one in London, with jewelry owned by the late Michael Welby and the other in Geneva, with the personal jewelry of Suzanne Belperron.

As well in Geneva, Sotheby’s surpassed its own 2010 record of sales at $105 million with $108.4 million in various-owner sales.

In Hong Kong, Sotheby’s reached an annual total of $114.5 million, marking the company’s second-biggest year of jewelry and jadeite sales in Asia.

Sotheby’s annual total of $114.5 million in Hong Kong marked the company’s second-biggest year of jewellery and jadeite sales in Asia

Sources: Diamond News, Sotheby’s

Click here to learn more about Sotheby’s auctions.  Thirty-four are scheduled for New York in 2013.

– Maria de los Angeles is a freelance wordsmith based in Miami.

ONE Sotheby’s Participates in Sotheby’s Record Breaking Contemporary Art Auction

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

On November 13th, Sotheby’s in New York City held its Contemporary Art Auction that included masterpieces by artists Mark Rothko, Willem De Kooning, Jackson Pollack and Francis Bacon among others.

A team of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty brokers attended the auction to showcase distinguished South Florida properties and connect with international investors and art collectors. Broker Joelle Oiknine presented luxury listings at the ONE Sotheby’s booth and provided information about new developments, and the resort lifestyle that Miami offers.

The highest sale at the auction was an abstract piece by Mark Rothko that fetched $75 million, with the entire auction bringing in a total of $375 million, which broke a Sotheby’s record.

Upcoming Sotheby’s NYC auctions include:

November 19th & 20th- Latin American Art

November 29th- American Art

December 4th- Art oF Europe

December 4th- Important WAtches and Clocks

December 5th- Magnificent Jewels

 

Sotheby’s to Auction off Famed Cosmetic Mogul’s Jewels

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

Mystery-Set Ruby and Diamond Brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels

A 6.54 carat pink diamond ring, 4.95 carat ruby and diamond brooch, and a 47.1 carat Fancy Intense yellow diamond pendant are all amongst the precious jewels that will be auctioned off at a much-anticipated Sotheby’s event on December 5th in New York. The pieces, which will be a part of the Magnificent Jewels Auction, come from the collections of Estee Lauder, founder of the Estee Lauder cosmetics mega-brand, and her daughter-in-law Evelyn Lauder. Sotheby’s hopes to raise up to $13 million from the auction whose proceeds will be entirely donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a foundation that Evelyn championed herself.

Platinum and Diamond Ring, Graff

Estee Lauder passed away in 2004 followed by her daughter-in-law who passed last year. Both women left stunning pieces as a part of their estates; the yellow diamond pendant was originally a ring owned by the Duchess of Windsor before it was refashioned for Estee in 1978 by Van Cleef & Arpels. The most stunning of the collection’s jewels will travel to Geneva, London, and Los Angeles this fall for exhibitions before being returned to New York on December 1st where they will be displayed for four days before going to auction.

White Gold, Chalcedony, Sapphire, Amethyst and Diamond ‘Flowerhead’ Brooch, designed by Suzanne Belperron, 1932-1955

Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction- November 9th-13th

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

The ONE Sotheby’s International Realty team will be visiting Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction in New York City on November 9th-13th to showcase Miami’s most prestigious properties to a global clientele of art insiders. This auction will feature a collection of Abstract Expressionism art by masters such as Gerhard Richter, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Hans Hoffman and Adolph Gottlieb, among others.

WILLEM DE KOONING 1904 - 1997 ABSTRACTION

The evening auction will take place on November 13th and will be led by Mark Rothko’s piece No.1 (Royal Red and Blue), which is estimated to fetch approximately $35million- $50million. The 1954 painting has been kept in the same collection for 30 years and was one of eight hand-selected works by Rothko for his exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago on the same year.

Art and real estate go hand in hand and our team will be showcasing a distinguished collection of South Florida homes to the attendees of the event. This includes everything from the most luxurious penthouses to palacial estates in front of the water. For more information on the auction visit Contemporary Art Evening Auction. 

Sotheby's Contemporary Art Auction

Sotheby’s Auctions Items from the Legendary Brooke Astor’s Estate

Posted in Lifestyle, Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

Philanthropist Brooke Astor

Brooke Astor was a New York socialite and legendary philanthropist that received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1997 for her humanitarian work. Over 900 items from Astor’s two homes in New York City and Winchester were auctioned over two days at Sotheby’s NY. The collection included French and English furniture, artwork, fine china and silverware, and a large number of dog paintings that were dear to her.

The main highlight of the auction was the selection of jewelry from Astor’s private collection. A total of 64 pieces were sold with her stunning emerald engagement ring going for $1.2million. Other jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels and a dazzling Bulgari emerald and diamond necklace totaled over $5.7million at auction.

Bulgari Diamond and Emerald Necklace

Sotheby’s was expecting the auction to fetch between $6-$9 million, but the final number reached $18.8 million, almost doubling the predictions. Proceeds from the auction will go to charities that Mrs. Astor worked with during her lifetime, including the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Animal Medical Center of New York.

Portrait of Brooke Astor by Sir Cecil Beaton was featured in the auction

Wilfredo Lam’s Piece ‘Idol’ Breaks Record at Sotheby’s Latin American Auction in New York

Posted in Sotheby's Auction House News Comment
 

Sotheby’s most recent Latin American Art Auction was held in New York City and fetched record prices for masterpieces by renowned artists. The biggest sale of the evening was Wilfredo Lam’s piece ‘Idol’ from 1944, which sold to an anonymous South American buyer for $4.5 million. Originally priced at $2-$3 million, ‘Idol’ broke the record for the highest price paid for a personal piece at a Sotheby’s Latin American auction.

Wilfredo Lam's 1944 masterpiece 'Idol'

The Cuban painter Wilfredo Lam was born in Cuba in 1902 and lived to be 80 years old. His work was heavily influenced by the Afro-Cuban culture and the painting ‘Idol’ portrays mystical figures prominent in the Santeria religion. Other works that sold at the auction included Fernando Botero’s ‘Donna Seduta’, Armando Reveron’s ‘Desnudo detras de la mantilla’, and Diego Rivera’s ‘Mujer con Dalias’. The auction resulted in total sales of over $27.7 million.

This summer the Sotheby’s auction houses across the world are buzzing with a slew of significant sales. Mark your calendar for these upcoming ones in the next few months:

June 26-27: London, Contemporary Art Auction 

July 4: London,  Old Masters and British Drawings Sale

July 10th- London, English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations

Sept 10th- New York, Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art including Indian Miniature Paintings

Be sure to visit our blog for more updates on Sotheby’s auction news.