Where other people see junk, Clare Graham sees limitless artistic possibilities. The 67-year-old obsessive collector and found-object artist stockpiles massive quantities of everyday items - bottle caps and buttons, dominoes and Scrabble tiles - in his Highland Park, Los Angeles studio, where he sets about turning them into sculpture, furniture, or anything else that takes his very active imagination. On Saturday, May 20, Rago offers bidders the chance take home a piece of Clare Graham magic when they offer works by the Californian artist in their Modern Design sale. Comprising five lots, these wonderful pieces combine vivid color and stylish design so seemlessly that occasionally, one has to remind oneself that they are made from recycled material. The transition is complete! Lot 2188 is a real eye-catcher - a chaise longue made from alumi...Read More

Pug, grog, fire, wedge, ball, wheel, coil, slip, throw, bat; if you arent familiar with ceramic vernacular you might notice the abrupt, Neanderthal-like language used to navigate the clay studio dialect. However, activating these one syllable words into an artistic process has proven to produce pristine and inventive aesthetics - some embracing the stone age, physicality of the sediment while others masquerade within the finer qualities. It is the choice of the maker to refine or reveal the primitive components of the medium. Consider the method of construction, glaze work, firing process and ideological concept in which the clay will be managed - all finished ceramics land somewhere on the creative gamut - it just depends on the intonation and interpretation determined by the speaker of the clay.  Coming up on May 21st, Rago Auctions will ...Read More

In early September of 1981, thousands of people gathered on the lawn of Colorado State University for a chance to catch a glimpse of the Pope of Pop, Andy Warhol. The Pop Art Exhibition, made possible by contemporary art collectors John and Kimiko Powers, included interviews, radio and TV appearances, and autograph signings with the art legend. The exhibition lasted less than a month, attracting tens of thousands of visitors, and while everyone who attended left with a greater understanding and appreciation for Warhol’s works, some left with a little something extra to commemorate the occasion. Lot 671 in Rago Auctions Upcoming Post-War/Contemporary Art Auction on May 6th, features one such ‘something extra’ – a commemorative screen-printed t-shirt sporting Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Can. Lot 671, Andy Warhol “Campbell’s Soup” screen-p...Read More

Short and sweet will be the order of the day when Skinner holds their Fine Prints & Photographs sale on Friday, May 19. With just 170 lots up for grabs, bidders will need to have their wits about them if they hope to walk away with one of the prized works on offer. This is a sale where quality, not quantity, is at a premium. Nestled snuggly in the back end of the sale is the forty or so works of photography being offered. A host of big names are represented here, including Ansel Adams, Cecil Beaton, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Jim Marshall, Ernst Haas, and Edward Burtynsky. A great catalog for people looking to get serious about collecting quality work, at price points that won’t blow the doors off the bank balance. Lot 166, titled Oxford Tire Pile #5, Westley, California, is by noted Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. Burtynsky made t...Read More

A torch, a hammer, a paint brush or a camera; innovations in art and design can be forged on the tips of a fiery weld or developed and submerged in a tray of cold chemicals- it is often those who persist with the most passion and fervor that make their craft appear ever so simple. In the midsts of an auction, its easy to forget the first block that these items passed; whether it be the midcentury drafting table of Mies Van Der Rohe or the industrial workbench of a young Louis Vuitton, a few minutes of bids can embody the significance of a lifetimes worth of achievements.  On May 11th - May 13th, Millea Bros Ltd. will host a their 3-Day Select auction on Bidsquare and offer a range of desirables from American Folk Art to French Avant-Garde photography and Couture & Luxury items. To power up this panoramic catalog, Millea Bros ignites Day 1 w...Read More

For hundreds of years playing cards have been bringing people, young and old, together around tables. From competing at snap as a child, to all night poker games in college, to trying our luck at blackjack in Vegas, cards elicit memories involving friends, excitement and usually good times. Indeed, for many of us, playing cards are a reference point for the evolving phases of our lives. And while you might not have always won - sometimes it might even have been painful - but then isnt that element of chance the continuing source of their appeal? On Saturday, May 6 Potter & Potter Auctions offers bidders the opportunity to take their interest in playing cards to a whole new level when they stage Day 1 of their Gambling Memorabilia sale. Over half the 634 lots on offer will be playing cards, a dazzling array of vintage pieces at price points ...Read More

We're not laughing at you, we're laughing with you! Really? Sometimes it's hard to tell. Decoding the human experience through somatic expression, specifically, laughter doesnt always arise from a place of true comprehension - these reactions can come from a multitude of misinterpretations - like knowingly driving through a chatter of half-patched potholes. A plastered smile can act as a camouflage for ones deepest anxieties - a different problem for every overexposed tooth. The latter is especially noticeable when the wattage is on full blast and nobody has cracked open this mouthy metaphor wider than Yue Minjun, Chinas leading Contemporary artist.  This spring, Rago Auctions will be offering six of Yue Minjuns iconic "laughing man" self portraits in their Post War & Contemporary Art sale on May 6th - each lithograph depicting Yue Minjun a...Read More

In the world of American figurative sculpture, Joe Brown is something of an icon. Specializing in athletes, he produced over 400 works in his career, including statuettes, portrait busts, and sculptures. The son of Russian immigrants, Brown was a gifted athlete, and in 1927 won a football scholarship to Temple University. He didn’t graduate, however, and after trying his luck as a pro boxer, got work as an artist’s model, where he discovered a love of sculpture. This led to a seven-year apprenticeship at the University of Pennsylvania.  Brown became the boxing coach at Princeton in 1937, continuing in that position until the early 1960s. He began teaching a sculpting course in 1939, became a resident artist at the university, and was made a full professor of art in 1962. He continued teaching at Princeton until his retirement in 1977. Brown...Read More

There are two places I would have wanted to run into him, a dance floor or a rodeo...preferably the dance floor at a rodeo...and it wouldn't have to be in the context of a movie set either. The late Patrick Swayze, a multi-talented actor, dancer, singer and Egyptian Arabian horse breeder, was the real deal - on and off screen. Originally from Houston, Texas, Swayze's early passions for dancing, which started at his mothers dance school, and his admiration for nature via an authentic Cowboy lifestyle, would synergistically propel him into some of his most memorable roles. He side-stepped into our hearts as an impassioned dance instructor in Dirty Dancing (1987) changed the pottery wheel forever as the lovesick spirit in Ghost (1990) and knocked us out by righteously brawling with ruffians as a Midwestern bar bouncer in Road House (1989).  Th...Read More

Bourbon is about as American as apple pie. First distilled in the 18th Century, its name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, though whether that attachment stems from Bourbon County in Kentucky or Bourbon Street in New Orleans is open to dispute. Federal law constitutes that to be considered bourbon, a spirit must be produced in the U.S., made from grain mixture at least 51% corn, and aged in new, charred oak containers. Not surprisingly, bourbon, with its blue-collar roots, has long been considered a poor relation to some of the more highly regarded spirits. These days though, following a heightened interest in all forms of whiskey, from rye to Irish to Japanese blends, bourbon is drawing attention from a new breed of collectors who recognize both its quality and burgeoning residual value. It’s a great time to enter the market, which ...Read More