The future of the American antiques industry was unveiled earlier this year when U.S. Antique Shows announced the launch of Antiques Young Guns U.S.A. Originally started in the U.K., the new program will promote growth, education and exposure to those in the trade, 39-years-old or younger, to a national audience of antiques enthusiasts. “Our industry is uniquely focused on the past and the experiences of those who came before us,” says Dan Darby, U.S. Antique Shows general manager. “Research indicates the average age of our show’s buyers is now 55. The need for Antiques Young Guns has never been greater.” Antiques Young Guns U.K. was founded in 2011 to foster a new, younger audience’s interest in antiques. The benefits to members are many - mentorship programs, online exposure through the Antiques Young Guns marketplace, buying and selling ...Read More

On Friday, June 5, Stair Galleries will offer personal property from the estate of abstract expressionist painter, Helen Frankenthaler. All up, 277 lots will go under the hammer, comprising jewelry, fashion, furniture and selected objects. Helen Frankenthaler was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. The daughter of a New York Supreme Court judge, she had her first solo exhibition at NYC’s Tibor de Nagy Gallery in the fall of 1951. Her first major museum show was at the Jewish Museum in 1960. Frankenthaler received the National Medal of Arts in 2001. Frankenthaler entertained lavishly, and was renowned for her refined taste, a fact that a quick run through the catalog soon makes abundantly clear. Lot 167 (above), a Cartier 18K Yellow Gold and Diamond Ring, and Lot 198 (top), also by Cartier, a Pair of exquisite Ye...Read More

From Royal Bayreuth porcelain to mechanical banks, Pook & Pook Inc.’s Online Decorative Arts auction, set down for Wednesday, June 17, promises bidders an eclectic assortment of one-of-a-kind pieces. This stand-alone online auction underlines Pook & Pook’s commitment to the industry’s future via Bidsquare.com. June’s sale draws from a wide array of collections, including an assortment of European pewter shining with interesting pieces. Lot 628 (above), consisting of two 19th Century English copper haystack measures, and a group of six copper cylindrical measures, is the perfect way to jump-start any pewter collection. Still on metals, one of the real highlights of the sale is the group of fifteen mechanical banks being offered. These gadgets gained popularity in the second half of the 19th Century in the fervor surrounding automated toys. L...Read More

Paris’ summer fashion schedule doesn’t kick-off till the end of June, but fashion fanatics can get a head start on their shopping June 10 at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Treasures from the Ebony Fashion Fair. Treasures from the Ebony Fashion Fair marks the third sale Leslie Hindman Auctioneers has conducted for the Ebony collection. It includes over 500 lots that didn’t make the previous sales, only because they were deemed the “best of the best”  - essential pieces from the Ebony collection now up for auction. Lot 230, by Issey Miyake; Lot 502, by Yves Saint Laurant, and Lot 359 by Oscar de la Renta Ebony magazine was launched in 1945 with the idea of creating an inclusive consumer culture for African Americans in the design, art and fashion worlds. The Ebony Fashion Fair was born when Eunice W. Johnson turned the magazine’s “Fashion Fair” ...Read More

The Navajo Tribes of North America have a long and rich tradition as skilled weavers, with their craftsmanship on display in private collections and leading museums worldwide. Two auctions running live on Bidsquare in the next few weeks will offer prized examples of their work, and with the Smithsonian New York currently running a successful Navajo exhibit, what better time to invest in artistry from these proud and noble people? John Moran Auctioneers’ HQ American West sale, set down for Saturday, May 30, offers a host of great options for those looking to invest in Navajo weaving. Lots 66 (below), 136 & 137 come from the Teec Nos Pos, a Navajo community in Arizona famed for their intricate detailing. These classic designs, dating back to mid-20th Century, are typical of the community’s signature style. During the Navajo regional rug perio...Read More

Are diamonds really a girls best friend? Hard to say really but youd hope not - lets face it, you cant talk to a rock and for that you might be better off joining a book club or a latte appreciation society or better still, getting a French bulldog. Still, this doesnt change the fact that diamonds are indeed wonderful, and as any guy with half a brain knows, the road out of the doghouse is that much smoother when its paved with glittering diamonds. That road may well lead to Clars Auction Gallerys May 31st Fine Art & Antique auction, where a host of great diamond encrusted pieces willl be on offer. Leading the way is Lot 6815 (above), a stunning eight-carat yellow diamond and near colorless diamond ring. This is an exquisite piece, expected by many to top the sale, with an estimated sale price of $80,000 - $100,000. Guys shopping for a wedd...Read More

Those with a penchant for abstract expressionism will be counting the minutes till Agnes Martin’s Blue Flower goes under the hammer at Skinner’s American & European Paintings sale, set down for Thursday, May 29. Selling as Lot 397, this 1962 creation is a rare offering from Ms. Martin’s catalog and is expected to fetch close to $2 Million dollars. Agnes Martins Blue Flower Martin’s work has long been a source of debate. Often referred to as a minimalist, she always considered herself an abstract expressionist, although her works were often more contemplative than that of her colleagues. Growing up in Vancouver, Agnes Martin moved to the United States in 1931, becoming an American citizen in 1940. In 1957 she moved to New York, and had her first show at Parsons a year later. It was shortly after this that she began to develop the square, gri...Read More

Picasso’s career as a ceramicist started in 1946, after attending a pottery exhibition in the town of Vallauris in Southeastern France. There, he met Suzanne Douly Ramié and Georges Ramié, the owners of a pottery workshop called Madoura founded in 1938. The Ramiés invited Picasso to visit their workshop, which soon prompted him to create a variety of ceramic pieces including plates, vases, and pitchers. Approaching pottery from an artistic standpoint, Picasso became fascinated with the malleability and texture of clay, allowing him to shape objects in the manner of a sculptor. The collaboration between Picasso and the Ramiés was a long-lasting and fruitful one, as it extended from the mid 1940s until 1971 and yielded a little over 600 works. Finding inspiration from his own drawings and sketches, Picasso supervised the manufacture of each p...Read More

Sculptor Michele Oka Doner may be best known these days for her large scale outdoor productions, but it is her smaller, earlier work that will command attention at Cowan’s Auctions Modern Ceramics sale on Thursday, May 28. Lot 67, a set of eleven porcelain sculptures of varying heights, created when the artist was freshly graduated from the University of Michigan, offers a rare opportunity for collectors to access this much-lauded international artist. Early work by Michele Oka Doner is sure to be in hot demand! Born and raised in Miami Beach, Oka Doner’s prolific career has spanned over four decades. Her work had been acquired by museums the world over, including the MoMA, the Musée des Arts Dècoratifs at the Louvre, the Cooper-Hewitt, the National Design Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and many others. Her most famous work however, ...Read More

On February 3, 1908, eight artists, disillusioned with the prevailing status quo, launched an exhibition at New York’s Macbeth Galleries that would change the face of American art. Lot 17, Bridget Lavelle (left) by Robert Henri (right) Previously, artists submitted their works to academic juries and experts before they were showed to the public. The group, who came to be known as The Eight, sidestepped the strict rules laid down by the National Academy of Design, relying instead on press and the public to promote their exhibition. The show was a sensation, with thousands of people crammed inside the gallery and lined up outside, desperate for a glimpse of the paintings. When the show closed on February 19, the way artists exhibited their work was changed forever. Lot 25, Ernest Lawsons Reflections The significance of The Eight and their gro...Read More