Ask anyone with half an idea for his or her list of the coolest actors of the 20th Century and there’s a good chance it will include Paul Newman. Hud, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Newman personified a cool that only the likes of Steve McQueen and James Dean could match. The Newman legacy comes under the spotlight April 19 & 20 when Leslie Hindman Auctioneers conduct their Important Fine Jewelry and Timepieces sales. Sold on the second day as Lot 67 of the Timepieces sale, the 1969 stainless steel “Paul Newman” Daytona Cosmograph, from Rolex comes with its original box and papers and an estimated price tag between $50,000-70,000. Daytona was a special place for Newman, a racetrack where he enjoyed tremendous success driving sports cars, so this is the perfect way to channel you inner “Butch Cassidy" and pick up a superlative timepiece...Read More

Bids were flying thick and fast in Downingtown, PA last Saturday when Pook & Pook held their sale of International Furniture, Fine Arts, and Accessories. With lots covering a vast range of categories and price points up for grabs, most bidders found ample opportunity to satisfy their needs. Auctioneer James Pook felt the sale was strong, particularly in the areas of European and Asian art and furniture. “We are very happy with the results, he said. Two lots shared the honor of topping the sale, the final bid on both pieces coming at $26,400. The first, an exquisite Chinese Hardwood Writing Table (above right) dating from the 19th Century, the other (above left), oil on canvas by French painter Louis Valtat, titled Femme au Châle and completed in 1912. Another highlight of the sale was Lot 1365, a stunning Chinese throne chair. Recently feat...Read More

A few years ago, just before we were to sell a large collection of contemporary wall art (paintings, prints, etc.), a dealer from NYC confronted me in my auction hall and asked who exactly was responsible for the ultra-conservative estimates. When I told him I was he said, flatly, and not with a little attitude, “You are doing the artists and the art a great disservice.” What he really meant was that our low estimates, often no more than 20% of what galleries (like his) sold the work for a decade earlier, were undermining the prices he was asking for pieces by the same artists. My response was appropriately bland, “If the work is so cheap, you should bid on it.” When you buy a work of art from a gallery (and sometimes from an auction), you should compare it to buying a new car you’ve just driven off the lot. You buy a car because you want i...Read More

Nothing signals the arrival of spring like the chirping of birds. NEST celebrates the alliance of innovative designers with the birding community by providing elegant accommodations for our avian friends. Contemporary homes arent just for people anymore! Designers and Architects concentrate their talents into producing birdhouses that range from functional to conceptual, minimal to multifaceted, and portable to permanent structures. Some projects address specific needs for regional birds like the American Robin or Black Capped Chickadee, some houses deter predatory attacks, while others are more conceptual art objects. Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present NEST, an exhibition of visionary birdhouses created by award winning architects and designers. NEST features a 2 week gallery exhibit with a corresponding international online auctio...Read More

As amazing as it sounds, Henry Gasser had a lifelong love affair with New Jersey. Born in Newark in 1909, he lived, studied and worked in the Garden State right up to his death in Orange in 1981. A master of watercolors and oils, he painted everyday subjects - street life, back yards, old houses, as well as harbor and fishing village scenes. On Tuesday, March 24, John Moran Auctioneers will sell Gasser’s A Street Corner in Patterson, New Jersey, as Lot 51 in their California & American Art Auction. A painting typical of the artist’s work, it captures perfectly one of Gasser’s recurring themes – an atmosphere he liked to call "solitary silence." The work is done in casein on paper laid to paperboard under glass. Gasser earned his artistic chops at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art, a school he returned to from 1946-54 to serve as ...Read More

Nothing gives a room a shot of much needed dignity more than the placing of a finely carved bust or sculpture in a well-lit corner. And while some consider it bad form to commission work based on your own profile (that’s you Mr. Hasselhoff), no one can complain when the piece in question is considered an artistic gem. Which brings us to Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ sale of the private collection of Lars Bolander, one of Sweden’s top interior designers and a pioneer of Swedish design in the U.S. After many years of having a showroom on West Palm Beach’s “Antique Row,” Mr. Bolander has decided to move on, and is selling his nearby home and personal treasures. Among his collection are some fine crafted sculptures, particularly the busts. Lot 101 is a striking pair of early 20th Century Venetian Terra Cotta Busts, each depicting a turbaned Moor ...Read More

According to Buddhist tradition, The Four Guardian Kings are gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the universe. Virapaksa is the Guardian of the West and “The One with Broad Perception.” In addition to observing the world and protecting the people within it, he also encourages others to find safety in Buddhism. This gilt bronze figure of Virapaksa, or Guang Mu Tian Wang is one of the highlights of the Asian Works of Art sale at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on March 23-24. The figure, possibly dating to the Ming dynasty, is one of the Four Guardian Kings, or lokapala. This particular figure is depicted standing in full armor with flowing scarves around the shoulders, wearing a peaked crown and high chignon, his right hand holding a serpent, or dragon, and the other holding a precious pearl, while his face bears a ferocious...Read More

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum is running a particularly interesting show right now called Seduction: Japan’s Floating World. Running till May 10, this dazzling collection explores "The Floating World,” a term taken from Japan’s Edo Period (1615-1868) that referred to both the pleasure quarters in major cities and a pleasure-seeking way of life. The most famous of these – the Las Vegas of its time - was the Yoshiwara, a walled and moated district in Edo (Tokyo) where one could abandon the rigors of daily life in pursuit of sensual delights. Like Vegas or its friend the Playboy Mansion, it traded in sex, excess and fantasy, and its reputation as such brought it economic success and a hold on the popular imagination.  Those looking to tap into the art of  “The Floating World” won’t need to hop a plane to SF. With Asia Week New York ramping ...Read More

Ever since Marco Polo brought its wonders back to Europe in the 13th Century, westerners have been fascinated by the Far East and its cultural charms. The Chinese brought a fresh perspective to the art world, not only with their techniques but also with the materials they employed, and collectors were soon scrambling to snap up pieces of their finest. All this comes to light from March 13 to 21 with the staging of Asia Week New York, a collaboration of Asian art specialists, auction houses, museums, and Asian cultural institutions in NYC. Bidsquare will feature a number of Asia-focused sales during Asia Week, starting off with Waterford’s Art & Antiques Auctioneers’ Fine Asian & Western Works of Art Auction on Friday, March 13. Made in the Jade Jade has a special significance in Chinese history, comparable to gold or diamonds in the West, a...Read More

2015 sees us living in an age when a great bottle of wine can come from just about anywhere. New Zealand Chardonnays, Argentinian Malbecs, Spanish Riojas… it seems these days that the expertise that goes into concocting a superior drop has a very dog-eared passport. Still, for most people, French wines remain the benchmark for excellence. The place people look when they want something a little special. Good thing then, that Skinner is holding its Fine Wine sale on Wednesday, March 3, at 6:00pm. Whether it’s a case you’re after or individual bottles, Skinner is auctioning off choice offerings from many of the most esteemed French vineyards. What better place to start than 10 bottles of the Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2000. This exquisitely packaged wine comes from the vineyard established in 1853 by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild. 2000 was a gr...Read More