Hui | September 29, 2009
Among 188 lots offered at “American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture” sale at Christie’s today, some were consigned by prestigious art institutions such as the Montclair Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Denver Art Museum and the Delaware Art Museum. Not all deaccessioned museum pieces received equal attention from the public. Two out of [...]
Geo | September 28, 2009
A late 18th century Pennsylvania Chippendale tiger maple desk, probably Lancaster County and crafted from strikingly figured tiger maple with poplar secondary, sold for $41,400 against a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$10,000 at a multi-estate Historic Hillsborough Auction held Sept. 19 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. The desk was the top achiever of [...]
ewmiller | September 27, 2009
Walking through the galleries of photographs of America by Swiss-born Robert Frank, Lin looked at me and said “he doesn’t like America.” As an American, looking at the photos, I didn’t get the idea that Frank didn’t like America. I saw America, probably not the way he saw it, or the way anyone sees it, [...]
Hui | September 27, 2009
In this series, Geo and I will list some of the interesting items that we have found in auctions, antique shops or eBay. We neither own the items and in most cases don’t have the capability of examining the items in person. It mainly serves as an inventory record of what interest us (not necessarily [...]
Geo | September 26, 2009
I woke up this morning and before I had my coffee, I had earned a Masters of Arts in Rembrandt Studies from the J. Paul Getty Museum. I’ve never been to the Getty museum, but that didn’t matter, a short quiz on the web site taught me a little about the way Rembrandt worked. In [...]
Geo | September 25, 2009
A rosewood cylinder desk, made in the 1860s by Thomas Brooks and standing 9 feet 3 inches tall by 50 inches wide, soared to $49,450 at the sale of the contents of the Kirkwood mansion, one of the most famous and stately privately-owned antebellum homes in the South. The auction was held Sept. 5 on [...]
Geo | September 25, 2009
The Baltimore Museum of Art is presenting the first comprehensive exhibition on the printmaking of Henri Matisse. On view October 25, 2009 – January 3, 2010, Matisse as Printmaker unites the BMA’s extraordinary collection of Matisse prints with a traveling exhibition organized by the American Federation of Arts, a non-profit arts organization, and the Pierre [...]
Hui | September 25, 2009
With all these uncertainty in my mind, I left an absentee bid, which as the title said, was not high enough. From a collecting point of view, I always think it is actually nice not to get the first hunt in a new field so that the interest and passion can be tested over time while the knowledge can be further enhanced. Falling in love at the first sight is romantic, but collecting is not dating, but marriage with the goal of life long harmony and enjoyment (albeit sometimes “divorce” may happen”). In this case, the second look or third look is more important. The question is: Can I find another piece of Mahler by Emil Orlik? [Read More...]
Pearl | September 24, 2009
Once you have decided you want to start collecting Vintage Bakelite Jewelry, you need to get started somewhere and one should start off slowly and carefully. It helps, of course to have some basic knowledge of the history of this wonderful era of collecting. There are many exceptional books on Vintage Bakelite jewelry readily available, [...]
Hui | September 23, 2009
At the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, I have been amazed by the young crowd in front of the poster booths. Movie posters are perfect for a modern-looking New York apartment. For young collectors who have just started their careers, spending 50 dollars or so on a giant picture of “Silent Lamb” or “Vertigo” not [...]
