Rago/Wright has announced a follow up to the landmark 1984 exhibition at Fifty/50 Gallery of American modernist studio jewelry, Structure and Ornament, curated by Mark McDonald, who organized the original show at Fifty/50.  This auction expands the narrative of jewelry in the twentieth century—its evolution away from precious metals and stones that adorned the body in beautifying ways, and toward an experimental, boisterous and conceptual medium that reflected and contended with the rapid changes in culture, the arts, technology and society. This auction is the first of its kind in the United States to solely focus on studio jewelry. Mark McDonald, owner of the renowned Fifty/50 Gallery, has been involved with these works since the early 1980s and has formed many close, personal relationships with the artists and collectors featured in the ...Read More

TOWSON, MD — Baltimore-based Auctioneer Alex Cooper will host a two-day Gallery Auction on Thursday, December 12th and Saturday, December 14th, featuring an expansive collection of modern and contemporary art, fine jewelry, sterling silver, currency, fine rugs, period, mid-century modern, quality reproduction and period furniture, and decorative arts. Lot 1005, Atsuko Tanaka, Untitled, Synthetic polymer on canvas, signed and dated 1963; Estimate $40,000-$60,000 The auction is headlined by a stunnig work by female Japanese abstract artist, Atsuko Tanaka, Untitled, 1963. Tanaka, best know for her work, Electric Dress, was a member of the infamous Gutai Art Association formed in 1954. The work has had one owner, a Baltimore collector. Synthethic polymer on canvas, the piece has been signed and dated in both English and Japanese on verso and me...Read More

CRANSTON, R.I. – Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, Altered Reality Entertainment and Travis Landry, Bruneau & Co.’s Director of Pop Culture, are combining forces to hold a Winter Comic Book & Toy auction extravaganza on Saturday, December 14th, online and in Bruneau & Co.’s gallery at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston. The auction will begin promptly at 11am Eastern time. The sale is packed with over 350 lots of rare graded comic books, to include many Marvel and DC comics; generous key book lots; an original graded set of Star Wars 12 backs; a Vinyl Cape Jawa; a factory sealed Blue Snaggletooth and more. Since its inception, Bruneau & Co. has partnered with Altered Reality Entertainment (the parent company of Rhode Island Comic Con) to organize toy, comic, and collectible auctions, bringing Pop Culture to a live auction setting. “There is no better su...Read More

Lambertville, NJ: Rago’s November Fine Art sale realized $3,430,969 across two days, Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9.  The highest selling lot of the weekend came from Friday’s Post War + Contemporary Art sale; lot 135, an untitled ink on poster board rendering of the classic “Crawling Baby” by Keith Haring that sold for $117,500 against a high estimate of $50,000. Other works by Haring also fared admirably in the sale, including lot 136, a women’s leather jacket featuring a drawing and signature by the artist which sold for $6,875 and lot 137, a wooden paddle also sporting a drawing and artist’s signature, which sold for $10,625. Lot 135, Keith Haring, Untitled (Crawling Baby), 1989, Ink on poster board; Sold for $117,500 Other highlights from Post War + Contemporary Art include: lot 190, Joseph Cornell's mixed media box constr...Read More

The leaves may be falling as autumn hits Pennsylvania, but auction prices across all categories seem to have caught an updraft. Pook & Pook’s largest catalog ever was received with such enthusiasm you’d think the pages were sprinkled with pumpkin spice. Out of the 1006 lots offered, 981 sold, yielding a 97.5% sell through rate. In-house live, phone, and absentee bidders numbered 358, while cyberspace bidding stole the show with 1,931 bidders registered across two platforms. Lot 1, Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1982, 12 bottles; Sold for $7,930 Session one began at 6PM on Thursday, October 3rd, following a special extended preview and reception. One hundred and nineteen lots went under the gavel that night, starting with fourteen lots of wine from a Berks County estate. The consignor’s proceeds from the sale of this wine will be donated to The S...Read More

Lambertville, NJ: Rago Auctions' September 20-21 Design sales brought in a total of $4,385,063 over the weekend. The two-day, 795-lot auction series achieved impressive results, including at least two record-setting prices, for a wide range of property across five sessions: Martin Brothers: The Andrew Furer and Elle Douglas Collection; Early 20th Century Design; Studio Ceramics; Modern Design; and Contemporary Glass featuring Dan Dailey: From The Barbara Tarleton Collection. Martin Brothers: The Andrew Furer and Elle Douglas Collection Highlights The auction series commenced on Saturday with “Martin Brothers: The Andrew Furer and Elle Douglas Collection.” Comprised mostly of bird-form humidors, this session represented one of the largest single-owner collections of Martin Brothers ever offered at auction and came to Rago via UK-based dealer...Read More

On September 25th, Dallas Auction Gallery (DAG) in Dallas, Texas will be featuring their Fine & Decorative Art Auction. This auction contains over 365 lots of American and European paintings and decorative art. Included in the DAG sale are 131 lots of important Asian art from China and the Himalayan regionswith major highlights in the categories of Buddhist sculptures and Chinese jade carvings, porcelain, furniture and paintings.  Lot 212, Important large Chinese Ming Tibetan gilt bronze; Estimate $120,000-$150,000 The feature lot 212, is a large Chinese-Tibetan gilt bronze seated figure of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. With a height of 13 ¾ inches high, this large Buddhist sculpture is listed as dating to the 16th/17th Century. The attractive Buddha is seated on a double lotus pedestal with a serene expression and downcast eyes - he is...Read More

This fall’s edition of Asia Week New York proved the market for Asian Art is still robust with over USD 55 million worth of artworks being auctioned between the 7th and 14th of September. In particular, strong prices were realized for objects with outstanding provenance, rarity and imperial connections in the categories of Chinese jade carvings, traditional scroll paintings, porcelain, religious sculptures and precious metalworks. Now, the Asian Art world directs its focus on the regional auction houses across North America. First up is the sale of Asian Works of Art on September 24 at Hindman Auctions in Chicago IL. Formerly Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, this is the company’s first major Asian Art auction since their rebranding in April of 2019.  Hindman Auction’s sale features over 540 lots from China, Japan, South East Asia, India, and the...Read More

Coinciding with New York’s Fall Asia Week is Skinner’s September 14 Asian Works of Art Auction in Boston, MA. This sale features over 550 lots of Asia Art from China, Japan, Korean, the Himalayan Region and the Islamic World. All categories are considered including paintings, ceramics, porcelain, jade carvings, furniture and textiles. Lot 547, Pair of Huanghuali Yoke-back Armchairs; Estimate $60,000-$100,000 The most anticipated highlight is lot 547, a pair of Chinese huanghuali yoke-back armchairs. These elegant chairs are dated to the 17th Century and were featured in the exhibition Classic Chinese Furniture, published by the Chinese Furniture Research Institute, LLC, in Concord, New Hampshire (2004). The pair of chairs are elegant in their simplicity and graceful lines. Huanghuali 黄花梨, which translates to ‘yellow flowering pear wood’ is ...Read More

Martin Brothers bird-form vessels (oft referred to as “Wally Birds”) are, for most, aspirational items. Largely made to resemble leading political and industrial figures of their time and rendered in the manner of caricature pioneered by the 19th-century English satirical magazine Punch, these whimsical works were eagerly sought-after by London’s “chattering classes,” with commissions for their production coming from aristocrats including Lord Faringdon and Sir William Drake. The Martin brothers in the studio at the Southall Pottery (b/w photo), English Photographer, (19th century) / Private Collection / Bridgeman Images Robert Wallace Martin, the inspired artist behind the sculpting of the birds, began his career apprenticing with Charles Barry on the redesign of the Palace of Westminster, where he was known to have modeled grotesques. The...Read More