Designer Bunny Williams discusses her design philosophy, collecting tips and why auctions are tools for learning about the decorative arts. "A house that really has a richness to it is one that evolves over a period of time,” says interior designer Bunny Williams, who is one of the twelve designers creating a room for Sotheby’s Designer Showhouse. 

DuMouchelles’ Decorative Arts, Fine Furniture & Antiques sale gets underway Sunday, April 17, with 446 expertly curated lots up for grabs from a broad range of categories. For those interested more specifically in sculpture, however, there is one lot sure to command special interest. Lot 213, titled "Spirit of Enterprise,” is a bronze Marquette sculpture by Jewish artist Jacques Lipchitz. Expected by many to top the sale, the work’s commission originates from an important period in the artist's life, which saw the overlapping of a major fire in his NY studio in January 1952, and the period after the death of his agent Curt Valentin. Jacques Lipchitz is recognized as the most significant Cubist sculptor of the twentieth century. While others explored ideas related to Cubism, it was Lipchitz who embraced the language of the movement and consi...Read More

Zena Assis contemporary work on canvas draws inspiration from the relation and conflict between the individual and their spatial environment, society and surroundings. Her pieces are punctuated by strong visual references to her native Beirut and the predicament of its citizens. The artist uses various media to document cultural and social change in Lebanon.   Left: Zena Assi, Bouquet in autoportrait, 2011, Right: Zena Assi Born in 1974 in Lebanon, Zena Assi lives and works in London. She graduated with honors from l’Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), she then worked in advertising and taught at different universities.  Assis work includes installation, animation, sculpture and most especially painting on canvas, seeking to convey the tumult, angst and chaos that often characterizes Beirut. Assi’s strong use of color, jagged angular ...Read More

Rago presents highlights of upcoming auctions in April. View the video below!

It’s not every day you wake up with the opportunity to buy a professional boxing ring. Yet on Sunday, April 10, Material Culture will do exactly that, offering bidders the chance to channel their inner "Rocky" when they sell Lot 337 in their April Estates: Antiques, Art, Collectibles, Asian & Decorative Art sale. Rest assured, this isn’t just any old stretch of canvas. The Blue Horizon ring, being sold here in-situ (as pictured), was once center stage in one of the countrys most historic boxing venues. In fact, The Ring magazine once voted the 1,500 seat Blue Horizon the number-one boxing venue in the world, and Sports Illustrated called it the last great boxing venue in the country. Once home to the Loyal Order of the Moose, which at its peak boasted the largest membership of any fraternal lodge in the world, Philadelphia’s Blue Horizon be...Read More

More than just a jeweler, Cartier’s history is full of innovation and royal sophistication. Did you know Louis Cartier was the first person to successfully use platinum in jewelry-making? Because of this expertise, he became the pioneer jeweler in the occidental world at that time. Société Cartier, known more often as just Cartier, designs, manufactures and sells jewelry and watches. Louis-François Cartier founded the company in Paris, France in 1847. Cartier has a long history with royal families and celebrities. King Edward VII of England referred to Cartier as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.” For his coronation in 1902, Edward VII ordered 27 tiaras and issued a royal warrant to Cartier in 1904.  King Edward VII wearing Cartier The Cartier Halo Tiara pictured below on several royals, was made by Cartier in 1936 and purchas...Read More

An iconic Yves Saint Laurent look, the Mondrian dress has become one of the French designer’s signature pieces. The dress was inspired by Saint Laurent’s favorite Dutch contemporary painter and founder of the Des Stijl art movement, Piet Mondrian. Although Mondrian himself did not collaborate with Saint Laurent, the designer took the liberty of embedding this favorite artist’s masterpieces into fashion after he bought a painting by the artist with his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge. The dress appears as a seamlessly simple ensemble of primary colored squares, however the real complexity lies in the construction and intense haute couture tailoring of the dress. The Mondrian Yves Saint Laurent dress was part of the symbolic 1965 Fall Women’s Collection, and has since been a phenomenon in the fashion world. It was featured on the Sep...Read More

Those into high-end jewelry are eager for Leslie Hindman Auctioneers to hold their two-day Important Jewelry sale. The catalog is loaded with top draw stones and cutting-edge design, all curated by experts, so demand is guaranteed to be high. Lot 132 is sure to be one of the stars of the sale – an exquisite Golconda-type diamond and ruby ring. Containing a potentially flawless octagonal step cut diamond, plus six baguette-cut diamonds, the ring gets real pop from its eye-catching array of square and rectangular mixed cut rubies. Youll be in grand company once you snare Lot 437 - a platinum, diamond and tsavorite garnet bangle bracelet from Van Cleef & Arpels. Founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his uncle Salomon Arpels in Paris, the wares of the iconic French house has been worn by style icons such as Empress Farah, the Duchess of Winds...Read More

Harry Houdinis grand illusions and daring, spectacular escape acts made him one of the most famous magicians of all time. Through the years, Houdini gained fame after repeatedly escaping from police handcuffs and jails. Harry was even given certificates from various wardens for escaping from their prisons. After making his name in America, Harry toured Europe, where he expanded his repertoire by escaping from straitjackets and coffins. Eventually, Harry was able to accomplish his dream of having a full show dedicated to his magic. Harry Houdini, born Erich Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary A previously unknown manuscript by horror and sci-fi master H.P. Lovecraft, for a work that was commissioned by magician Harry Houdini, has been discovered and is coming up for auction on April 9. The 1926 work, “The Cancer of Superstition,” i...Read More

We’re almost at the end of another exciting Asia Week in New York City! Asia Week is the annual March pilgrimage to Manhattan for Asian Art lovers. From the 10th-19th visitors were able to visit exhibitions, lectures and auctions. The participants included over ten museums, five auction houses, and at least forty Asian Art dealers. A guardian kings head, part of “Kamakura: Realism and Spirituality in the Sculpture of Japan” at Asia Society. Credit Byron Smith for The New York Times  Some quick highlights include the transcendent exhibition “Kamakura: Realism and Spirituality in the Sculpture of Japan” at the Asia Society. The show features over thirty top-quality Buddhist sculptures from the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). At the Rubin Museum, visitors will see the new and improved “Buddhist Shrine Room” and the contemporary artist Genesis Bry...Read More