May 10th, 2012 
UAA Team 
Nelson A. Rockefeller Jr. has loaned the San Antonio Museum of Art a tapestry of Picasso’s Guernica from his family’s private collection. The tapestry is now hanging in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art at the museum. Rockefeller traveled to San Antonio this week for the formal unveiling.
Seventy-five years ago, Picasso began painting Guernica in immediate response to the horrific bombing of civilians in the Basque town of the same name during the Spanish Civil War.
May 7th, 2012 ewmiller 
Washington was chosen as the site for the Capital of the United States because of its proximity to the geographical center of the country. Of course if that decision were being made today, a city named after another oft-admired president would fit the bill.
Lincoln, Nebraska was named in 1867 after the recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. I had heard once that the naming decision was made in part based on an effort to relocate the U.S. capital to the geographic center following the Civil War, but I can’t find confirmation of that now.
May 7th, 2012 Hui 
Patinamania is not enough for describing the dominant theme in the 23rd street Armory Show. The obsession with surface and paint has already stirred up interests and prices in many folk art areas, such as dower chests or weathervanes; now dealers must prove that collect-ability and bargains can still co-exist, in an antiques show.
At the 23rd Street Armory, we found many windmill counterweights. Made of cast iron, they look sturdier, humbler, and more restrained, like the mid-westerners who relied on them for their daily living in the first two decades of the 20th century. Anita Holden of Holden Antiques, from Naples, Florida said they were price-wise more affordable compared to weathervanes from the Northeast, which have gone up in price and out of reach for many collectors. She showed me an unpainted counterweight bull from Fairbury Windmill Company of Nebraska.
May 3rd, 2012 Hui 
The Philadelphia Antiques Show has a new look. Certainly the brand new Pennsylvania Convention Center better serves the show with its central location and super-wide aisles, but more importantly the vetted show has adopted a more flexible standard on what can be brought in. Many new faces, together with “newer” merchandise liberate the show from its traditional polished brass formality.
May 2nd, 2012 UAA Team 
Move over Picasso, with a pre-sale estimate of $80 million, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, became the highest-priced artwork to ever sell at auction during Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale. This version of the iconic masterpiece achieved $119,922,500 million.
Painted between 1893 and 1910, the works show an agonized figure against a red sky. The National Gallery, Oslo holds one of two painted versions, which have been the target in several prominent art thefts.
The bidding started around $50 million and lasted for over 15 minutes when an unnamed bidder by phone gave the final offer of US$119,922,500, including commission. Private sales have exceeded The Scream, including The Card Players by Cézanne, which brought $250 million.
May 2nd, 2012 Geo 
What’s hot in the antiques world? A new survey from Urban Art & Antiques seeks to find out. Providing a continuous reading of the popularity of small shows, big shows, repurposing, vintage and the like is the Industry Pulse Survey. Click to chime in!
April 30th, 2012 UAA Team 
I am not sure I have ever seen Freeman’s auction so packed with furniture. Today’s American Furniture, Silver, Decorative & Folk Arts auction in Philadelphia featured an array in styles and quality, providing insights into market strengths.
The highlight for me was an architect’s desk once owned by Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll. Irish in origin, this item stood out in a sea of mahogany, walnut and maple. The provenance only enhanced the innovative design.
April 30th, 2012 Geo 
This was a good year to visit Philadelphia Antiques Week as there was some renewed energy in the air. I should not say was yet, because Freeman’s auction is going on now and the Philadelphia Antiques Show is still in progress.
The first stop was the 23rd Street Armory Antiques Show. With its usual charm, the show leans towards the folk and Americana end, but there is a variety in the displays, including Chinese wooden objects and fine prints.
April 30th, 2012 RoseWalker 
Q: I have a Meeks center table that needs restoration. The round part of the table has some veneer issues, but the curved part underneath seems to have popped out a little.
A: There are always several ways to go about restoration projects. We’ll give you two options in dealing with your Meeks center table, ranging from a “stopgap method” (also referred to as “smoke & mirrors”) to what we consider the most thorough way to address your issue:
April 30th, 2012 ewmiller 
I picked up a copy of Antiques and the Arts Weekly at the 23rd Street Antiques Show and noticed a familiar face, Salem the cat. A staple in the booth of dealer Bill Kelly, the article notes Salem passed away recently after a fight with diabetes and kidney disease. We most recently saw Salem at the Heart of Country show in Nashville. He will be missed.
