Sotheby’s europe season highlights april to may 2011 ...

8/7/2019 Sothebyseuropeseasonhighlights apriltomay2011 --selectedjuneandjulyhighlights--

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For Immediate ReleasePress Release London

London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Matthew Floris | [email protected]

Paris | +33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 | Sophie Dufresne | [email protected]

Geneva | +41 22 908 4814 | Marie-Beatrice Morin | [email protected]

Amsterdam | +31 20 550 2206 | Eva van Geldorp | [email protected]

Milan | + 39 (02) 29 500 202| Wanda Rotelli | [email protected] | + 49 69 740 780| Selei Serafin | [email protected]

Spain | + 34 913 193 710| Andrew Montgomery | [email protected]

SOTHEBYSEUROPESEASONHIGHLIGHTSApriltoMay2011

SelectedJuneandJulyHighlights

SothebysLondon

TheStuartCaryWelchCollection,PartOne:ArtsoftheIslamicWorldWednesday,6April,2011

Onviewfrom1April

Sothebyswillofferforsaletheoutstandingandscholarly

collectionofIslamicandIndianArtassembledbythelate

StuartCary

Welch.

This

celebrated

collection,

which

is

estimated torealise6million,willbeoffered inLondon

in two parts: Part I. The Stuart Cary Welch Collection:

Arts of the Islamic World on 6 April, and Part II. The

Stuart Cary Welch Collection: Arts of India on 31 May.

Among themany highlights of the sale is an illustrated

folio depicting the story of King Faridun transforming

himselfintoadragontotestthecourageofhisthreesons,

from one of the most famous Persian manuscripts ever

produced, the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp. This royal

manuscript,whichwasatonetimeownedbytheBarons

Edmund andMauricedeRothshild, is acknowledged asoneofthesupremeillustratedmanuscriptsofanyperiod

or culture, and among the greatest works of art in the

world.ThecelebratedShanamehor BookofKings is the

Persian national epic, narrating the history and mythology of the result of 25 years work, to Sultan

MahmudofGhazna in1010AD.Itquicklybecameareveredandpopular textassociatedwithkingsand

princes,andasymbolofroyalsovereignty.ThisparticularleaffromtheShanamehofShahTahmaspisone

ofthemostimportantevertoappearontheopenmarketandisoneofthefinestminiaturesfromthebook

attributabletoAqaMirak.Itisestimatedat23million*.


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SothebysLondon

ArtsoftheIslamicWorldWednesday,6April,2011

Onviewfrom1April

SothebyssaleoftheArtsoftheIslamicWorldtotakeplaceinLondon

onWednesday,6Aprilwillofferanarrayofbeautifulandrareobjects,paintingsandmanuscriptswhichhighlighttheachievementsofartists

andcraftsmenfromacrosstheMuslimworld.Thesaleisparticularly

richinworkswhichrevealtheculturalefflorescencewhichtookplace

duringtheMiddleAgesontheMediterraneanseaboardfromIslamic

Spain to theLevant.RepresentingheritageofAlAndalusandNorth

Africa isapairofAlmohadperiodbronzedoorknockersoriginating

from the twelfth century, estimated at 180,000250,000. From the

Eastern Mediterranean region thereare two importantworksofart

producedunder the Fatimid andMamlukdynasties: amonumental

marble water jar, Egypt, eleventhtwelfth century, estimated at

200,000300,000 and a Highly Important Mamluk ArmorialCandlestick made for Sayf alDin Qushtumur, majordomo of

TuquztamuralHamawi,MamlukviceroyofEgypt(13401)andSyria

(13425), estimated at 23 million, which was formerly in the Collection of Rudolf, Graf von Hoyos

Sprinzenstein(18211896)(picturedabove).

SothebysParis

ImportantFrenchFurniture,SculptureandWorksofArtWednesday,6April,2011

Onviewfrom2April

Furniture with Svres porcelain plaques was considered the

epitomeofrefinementbyFrenchdecorativeartscollectorsinthe

eighteenth century. Sothebys Important Furniture, Sculpture

andWorksofArtinParisonWednesday,6April2011willoffer

a superb example, a secrtaire with an estimate of 1.52.5

million. The most wellknown cabinet makers of the grand

sicle, such as BVRB, Carlin, Riesener and Weisweiler, often

produced furniture under the direction of merchants

haberdashers, including Poirier and Daguerre, who benefited

from an exclusive relationship with Svres porcelainmanufactory.Themerchants successfullyoperatedbetween the

wealthy client and cabinet makers, often acquiring precious

materials in the form of lacquer panels, and Svres or China

porcelain. In the eighteenth century these pieces of furniture

attracted a large female clientele, including illustrious figures

suchastheMazarinDuchess,MariaFeodorovna,futureEmpress

ofRussia;thedArtoisCountess,andQueenMarieAntoinette,as

well as the courtesanMadame duBarry,who commissioned a

chestofdrawersdecoratedwithpanelsbyPaterandLancret. In thenineteenthand twentiethcenturies,

thisfurnitureformedpartoftheHillidonandWallacecollections,andtheRothschildcollection,inwhichthepresent scretairewaskeptuntil the closeof the1970s.Examples canbe found in theMetropolitan


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included in thesalehaveneverbeenofferedatauctionbefore.Highlights includeClaudioParmiggianis

Senza titolo,achalkandmetalsaw1974,estimatedat30,00040,000.Several internationalcontemporary

artistswill alsobe sold at auction, includingTracyEmin, ShirinNeshat,LouiseBourgeois,ChrisOfili,

TakashiMurakami,AnishKapoorandJaumePlensa.

SothebysLondonNoblesseObligeThursday,14April,2011

Onviewfrom10April

OnThursday, 14April 2011,SothebysLondonwillhold

the saleNoblesseOblige, comprisinganexquisite selection

ofdecorativeand fineartswithremarkable links tosome

of Europes most important aristocratic families. A

highlightof thesale is the largestgroupofproperty from

the collection of the Duchesse de Berry to come to the

marketsinceher lifetime whichgivesahighlypersonalinsight into the life of one of the most remarkable,

unconventional and iconic women of the nineteenth

century in addition to property descended from the

RoyalBourbonFamilyand theAustrian ImperialFamily,

aswellasan importantgroupofproperty thatrepresents

theNeoclassicalGrandTourperiod inmagnificent form. Thesaleoffersa totalof500 lots,estimated to

fetchinexcessof2million,andthefurnitureandfineart,paintings,silver,ceramicsandtextilesembody

thepinnacleofdecorativeartsfromabygoneera manyofthepiecescarryingwiththemtheremarkable

historiesofthenotablehomesandownersfromwhichtheyoriginate.

SothebysAmsterdam

TheBatArtventureCollectionFormerlyKnownAsThePeterStuyvesantCollection,PartTwoThursday,19April,2011

Onviewfrom14April

SothebysAmsterdamwilloffer for saleonThursday, 19April

2011, thesecondpartofthe formerPeterStuyvesantCollection,

property of British American Tobacco Netherlands (BAT). The

sale comprises around 190 works by a mixed group of

contemporaryinternationalartistssuchasSimonHantai,PatrickHeron (Violet, Orange and Reds with Green Disc, est. 50,000

70,000, pictured left), Jean Degottex, Camille Graeser, Guido

Molinari, JoseManuelBroto,AchillePerilli,RichardLohseand

Luis Tomasello. All the artworks are completely fresh to the

marketandthesaleisestimatedtorealiseinexcessof1million.

On8March2010,SothebysAmsterdamsoldthefirstpartofthis

collection. The sale exceeded all expectations, achieving a

remarkabletotalof13.6million($18.6million/12.2million),wellinexcessofpresaleexpectations(46

million) and thehighest total ever achieved in theNetherlands for a saleof fine art.The formerPeter

Stuyvesant Collection represents a pioneering approach to display art in a factory setting to inspire


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workersbytransformingtheirsurroundings.ThiswastheconceptoftheCollectionsfounder,Alexander

Orlow(19182009),whosegreatinnovationwastochangethecontextinwhichartisappreciated.

SothebysLondon

BEZALEL:Legacy,Innovation,Inspiration

ASellingExhibitionThursday,5MaytoWednesday,11May,2011

SothebysLondonistocollaboratewithBezalelAcademyofArtsand

Design Jerusalem on their first ever exhibition in the UK, in

conjunction with Janice Blackburn. From Thursday, 5 May to

Wednesday,11May,2011,Sothebyswillhostasellingexhibitionof

work by recent graduates and students from the academy in

Jerusalem. Ceramics andglass,photography, industrialdesign and

fashionwillfeatureinSothebysNewBondStreetgalleries.Bezalel

Legacy Innovation Inspiration offers a real insight into the multi

layered typesofdesign thathaveearnedBezalel itsmuchdeservedreputation as one of theworlds most outstanding arts institutions,

whichvisitorstotheexhibitioninSothebysEastGallerywillbeable

to see and enjoy for themselves. Curator Janice Blackburn visited

IsraellastyeartoseeRonAradsspectacularnewDesignMuseumin

Holon and took the opportunity to meet designers and explore

studiosandgalleries. AfteradayatBezalel,lookingatstudentwork

andtalkingtoPresidentProfessorArnonZuckerman,shefeltmotivatedtobringaselectionofthebestof

pastandpresentstudentsworktoLondon.Janiceregardsthehigh levelanddiversityoftheworktobe

exceptional,sparklingandwithoriginalthoughtandartisticvision.

SothebysLondon

TheGreekSaleMonday,9May,2011

Onviewfrom4May

SothebysGreekSale,onMonday,9May2011,willdraw

togetheranexceptionalarrayofGreekart,withimportant

examples of Greek Modernism by eminent 20thcentury

masterssuchasConstantinosParthenis,YiannisTsarouchis

and Yiannis Moralis. The Resurrection by ConstantinosParthenis (18781967) forms part of a seriesof works forAthens City Hall, commissioned by the Metaxas

government in 1939 (pictured left). Parthenis executed

manypreliminarydrawingsforthisdecorativescheme,as

wellasplans for their final installationbeforeabandoning

the project. The other two related scenes,The Virgin and

ChildandTheCrucifixionare currently in the collectionof

theNationalGalleryandAlexandrosSountzosMuseumin

Athens. Estimated at 300,000500,000 (345,000575,000), the present work is the only example still in

privatehands.FollowingtherecordpriceachievedatSothebysGreekSaleinLondoninNovember2010foraSoldierDancingZeimbekikobyYiannisTsarouchis (191089), theSpringsalewillbe leadbyanother


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masterpieceofthesametitlebytheartist,estimatedat300,000500,000(345,000575,000).Paintedin1988,

EroticbyYiannisMoralis (19162009) isamonumental,harmoniousanddeeplypoeticwork thatshowstheartistattheheightofhispowers.Estimatedat200,000300,000(230,000345,000),thecompositionis

redolentofalovers embrace,despitethegeometricabstractionofthefigures.

SothebysLondonTravel,AtlasesMapsandNaturalHistoryThursday,10May,2011

Onviewfrom5May

Sothebys Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural

History sale on Thursday, 10 May 2011 will be

highlighted by the property of Peter Hopkirk:

The Great Game, a collection of over 150 rare

books, pamphlets, maps, journals and articles

relating to Central Asia, the Caucasus, Persia,

Russia, Turkey, India and China (est. 10,00015,000,pictured left).The GreatGame refers to

the clandestine rivalry and power struggle

between British India and Tsarist Russia over

CentralAsia,AfghanistanandPersiainthenineteenthcentury,thestoryofwhichisfullyanddramatically

described inPeterHopkirksbookof thesamename.PeterHopkirk (b.1930)wasareporter for ITN, the

NewYork correspondentof theDailyExpress,and fornearly20yearsa journalistonTheTimes, fiveof

whichas its chief reporter,and finallyasaMiddleandFarEast specialist.Hopkirk is theauthorof six

booksonCentralAsiaandTheGreatGame,and in1999hewasawarded theSirPercySykesMemorial

Medal In recognition of his outstanding contribution to increasing mans knowledge of Central Asia

throughhisextensive travels,scholarshipandwritings. Hopkirks librarywassoldatSothebys in1998,howeverthispresentcollectionwasnotincludedinthatsaleandrepresentsimportantsourcematerialfor

hisownbooksandnearlyeveryvolumecontainshisbookplate.

SothebysAmsterdam

OldMasterPaintingsTuesday,10May,2011

Onviewfrom6May

The undoubted highlight of the Old Master

Paintings sale in Amsterdam on Tuesday, 10

May is Jan Steens School class with a sleeping

schoolmaster, one of his finest treatments of a

schoolroominterior.Itishisonlyrepresentation

ofaschoolroomstillremaininginprivatehands,

and is both signed and dated. It has a

remarkable provenance, going as far back as

1764, which includes the distinguished Baring

collection in the nineteenth century. This

exciting picture perfectly demonstrates Steens

mastery at depicting the humorous side ofeveryday life,whichremainsas true to lifeand


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assuccessful incapturingourattention todayas itwas tohisviewers in theseventeenthcentury.School

classwithasleepingschoolmasterisestimatedat300,000400,000(picturedonpreviouspage).

SothebysParis

LessentielHeinzHajekHalkeandPhotographies

Tuesday,10May,2011Onviewfrom5May

In order to build on the outstanding success of the companys sales of

Photographs in Paris since 2008,Pariswill become theEuropean centre for

sales in this field. The European department, led by Simone Klein, will be

based in Paris. Sothebys Paris will present an important and compelling

groupofvintageprintsbyHeinzHajekHalkedating from the 1920s to the

1940s (pictured left).Hisworkoccupies a significantplace in thehistoryof

photography, characterised in the interwar years by photomontages and

experimental images reflectingon life inBerlin.A secondphotography sale

alsotakingplaceon10May2011,featuresphotographsfromvariousowners,including an important group of works by Josef Sudek, Rudolf Koppitz,

HeinrichKhn,ManRay,EugneAtget,HelmutNewtonandShirinNeshat.

SothebysGeneva

ImportantWatchesSunday,15May,2011

Onviewfrom13May

Sothebys spring sale of Important Watches, to be staged at the HtelBeauRivage in Geneva on Sunday, 15 May 2011, will embark world

collectorsonajourneythroughfivecenturiesofwatchhistory,from1580

tothepresentday. Thesalewillincludeiconicpiecesfromeachera,from

a 16th century German tambour watch to a 1962 highly rare PatekPhilippe Chronograph (est. CHF 600,0001,000,000, pictured right),through luxuriouspocketwatchesmade forIndianMaharajas in the19th

Centuryandwatches thathavewitnessedhistoricalmoments, including

Fausto Coppis legendary 1942 Cycling World Hour Record. Other

timepiecesofhistoricalsignificanceandimportantprovenancecomprisea

RolexSubmarinerwornbyBritishdiverandtreasurehunterKeithJessop

(19332010) during one of the greatest deep sea salvage operations inhistory and apocketwatch created circa 1813 for theQueenofNaples,

CarolineBonaparteMurat.Featuringover280 lotsestimated inexcessof

CHF 7.2 million, the sale will bring together an impressive range of

antique timepieces, pocket watches as well as bluechip vintage and

modernwristwatches, set togenerate excitement among collectors from

allcornersoftheglobe.


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SothebysGeneva

MagnificentJewels&NobleJewelsTuesday,17May,2011

Onviewfrom14May

SothebysGenevawillpresent itsMagnificentandNoble

Jewels Sale on Tuesday, 17 May 2011. The sale will behighlighted by a Highly Important and Extremely Rare

Emerald and Diamond Tiara, composed of 11

exceptionally rare Colombian pearshaped drops which

weigh over 500 carats in total, which may well have

adornedtheneckofaMaharajah(est.$510million/CHF

4.59 million). These emeralds are also believed to have

been in thepersonalcollectionofEmpressEugnie.This

superb tiara was commissioned, possibly from the

renowned jewellers Chaumet, by Guido Count von

Henckel, First Prince von Donnersmarck for his second

wife Princess Katharina (18621929). The jewellerycollection of the Donnersmarcks was known to be on a

parwith,or even tohave exceeded, thoseofmanyof the crownedheadsofEurope.The salewill also

present a very important and rare pink diamond, weighing 10.99 carats six months after the record

breakingsaleoftheGraffPinkthemostexpensivediamondandjeweleversoldatauction.Thissuperb

stone,mountedasa ring,hasbneengradedfancy intensepink,naturalcolourandVS1clarityby the

Gemological Institute of America. It has been further assessed to be part of a very rare subgroup of

diamondsknowsastypeIIaandcomprisinglessthan2%ofalltheworldsgemdiamonds.

SothebysParisImportantEuropeanSilver,GoldBoxes&VertuTuesday,17May,2011

Onviewfrom13May

The Important European Silver, Gold Boxes and Virtu sale in Paris on

Tuesday,17May2011,willbehighlightedbyaFrenchsilverhanaporgoblet,

datingfromaround1180,engravedinthecentrewithabasilisk,thefabulous

dragon often illustrated in legends of the Middle Ages. The sale will also

includeapairoftwolightcandelabramadein1764inParisbyJeanBaptiste

ChretandafinepairofsilvergiltsalversbyRobertJosephAuguste,which

wasoriginallymadeforthePortugueseCourtin1784.


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SothebysAmsterdam

Modern&ContemporaryArtTuesday,17May,2011

Onviewfrom13May

The Modern & Contemporary Art sale on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 in

Amsterdamwill featureaEuropeanPrivateCollectionofworksbyCoBrAartists, such as Asger Jorn, Anton Rooskens, Pierre Alechinsky and Karel

Appel.AfurtherhighlightisMarieAntoinettebyAnselmKiefer,executedin

1986, and consisting of an assemblage of twelve small steel frames with

dried liliesofthevalleyand rosesbehindglass (pictured left).Thepresent

work is similar toa fragmentof the largerpiece thathasbeenpartof the

collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam since 1987. Marie

AntoinettewasagiftfromtheDutchdesignerandartcollectorMartinVisser

who donated over 20 works by Anselm Kiefer to the Krller Mller

Museum in Otterlo, The Netherlands to the interior designer Benno

Premsela.MinimalartandZEROart,fromartistssuchasFranoisMorellet,

will stand alongside three outstanding reliefs by Jan Schoonhoven. In hiswork R7316, the tension between repose and movement is taken to its

extreme,withclassicallybalancedproportionsbetweentherectanglesandholes.Thesalewillalsoinclude

paintings byBelgian classicalmodern artists, such asAntoCarte andGustavede Smet, andworkson

paperbyJamesEnsor.

SothebysLondon

19thCenturyEuropeanPaintingsWednesday,18May,2011

Onviewfrom13May

The Spanish section of the 19th Century European Paintings sale

boastsArabbeforeaTapestry,oneofthemostuniqueworksbyMarianoFortunythathaseverappearedatauction.Painted inRome in1873,ayear before his early death at the age of 36, Fortunyslarge and

dramaticcanvasdisplaysthefullfloweringofhispainterlytalentsand

payshomage to the two cultures closest tohisheart:hisnativeSpain

andthemysteryandexoticismofNorthAfrica.Neverbeforeexhibited

inpublic, thispainting isestimatedat150,000250,000 (pictured left).

Theperiodsgreatest exponent,Valencianpainter JoaqunSorolla, ispresentinthesalewithseveralworks,amongthemthePortraitofLuisa

MartinezdeTejeda(est.120,000150,000)painted in1907,whenhehad

received the highest accolades for his very personal technique and

enjoyed international recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. The

masterfulcompositionSevillanas(LadiesofSeville)(est.280,000350,000)andthemoreintimateCabezadeAndaluza(AndalusianGirl)(est.80,000

120,000), produced in 191415, during a break from the Andalusian

panels for the Hispanic Society project commissioned by Archer M.

Huntington,andcomefromtheartistsprivatecollection,showSorolla

at oneof hisbestmomentspainting for his ownpleasure.Collectors

interested in the soughtafter landscapesby the charismatic leaderofCatalanModernismSantiagoRusiolhavethechoiceofthreedifferent


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modernisminBritainwithanevolvingprogrammeofcontemporaryart,andhis2010castironsculpture

Stock(height:187.9cm)isestimatedat150,000250,000.

SothebysParis

20thCenturyDecorativeArts&Design

Wednesday,25May,2011Onviewfrom20May

The25thMaysaleisthefirstauctionfollowingournew

strategyofconcentratingallourEuropeansalesof20th

century decorative art and contemporary design in

Paris.Astheresult,thesalewilloffer150lotsofselected

works by the major designers of the 20th Century.

Highlights include exceptional Arts & Crafts design

piecesaswellasArtNouveauraritiesbyAntonioGaud

and Georges Hoentschel. The sale also features

important pieces by the masters of French Art Decofurniture, including EmileJacques Ruhlmann, Marcel

Coard andPierreLegrainpieces, aswell as sculptures

and works of art by Rembrandt Bugatti and Ren

Buthaud(picturedleft).TheauctionwillincludeFrench,

ItalianandScandinavianpostwardesignworksbyClaudeLalanne,SergeMouille,LeCorbusier,Yonel

Lebovici,PhilippeHiquilyandGunnarAagardAndersen,aswellascontemporaryleadingdesignerssuch

asRonArad,ShiroKuramataandZahaHadid.

SothebysMilanModern&ContemporaryArtWednesdayandThursday,25and26May,2011

Onviewfrom20May

Sothebys Milan will be staging the Modern and Contemporary Art

Sale on 25 and 26 May 2011. The sale will offer a wide range of

paintings, including works from important Italian collections.

Highlights include thesuperbArcheologibyGiorgiodeChirico,arare

piecedated1961andestimated400,000600,000(picturedright),anda

Natura Morta by Giorgio Morandi dated 1942, originating from the

prestigious Jesi Collection (est. 400,000600,000). The sale will alsofocuson the immediatepostwarperiodandwill includea colourful

work byAfro and an intense painting byRenato Birolli dated 1950,

which will be sold to benefit the acquisition fund of the Detroit

Institute of Art. An Italian Private Collection offers an international

overviewon the artof the Seventies, includingworksbyworldwide

artists such asOnKawara,SolLewittandArman.The salewillalso

presentworksby themostrenowned Italianartistsof theSixtiesand

Seventies,includinganexceptionalwhitemonochromeembroideryby

AlighieroBoetti,dated1988.


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SothebysLondon

PropertyfromtheHascoeFamilyCollection:ImportantCzechArtMonday,13June,2011

On Monday, 13 June 2011, Sothebys London will offer

CzechModernistpaintings,sculptureandCubist furniture

fromtheoutstandingHascoeCollectionofCzechModernArt. This collection is an extraordinary testimony to thevision of its creators, Norman and Suzanne Hascoe, who

overthecourseoftwentyfiveyearsassembledwhatisnow

one of the most important private collections of Czech

Modernistart,andthemostexcitinggroupofCzechworks

to come to the market in the last decade. Together, the

worksinthesalenearly200lotsareestimatedtorealise

in excess of 5 million. The Hascoe Collection offers a

remarkably complete survey of Czech painting and

sculptureofthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.Thecoreofthiscollectionofpaintingsrevolvesaround

theleadingfiguresofCzechModernistpainting:FrantiekKupka,BohumilKubita,FrantiekFoltn,EmilFillaandotherfellowOsmaartists,suchasAntonnProchaszkaandJosef apek,whowereattheforefront

of internationalCubism.The salewill feature twentyworksbyFrantiekKupka, includinghis tourdeforceofearlyabstraction,Movement,paintedbetween1913and1919 (estimate500,000700,000,pictured

above).AmongtheOsmaartiststheworkofbothBohumilKubitaandAntonnProchzkastandout,theformer forhismagnificentCzannesqueStillLifewithFruitsof1909 (estimate300,000500,000),and the

latterforhisexquisiteCubistcompositionssuchasStillLifewithVaseandFlowerof1914(estimate20,000

30,000).Josef apekturnedCubismtodramaticeffectinthecontrastingimagesofhisdoublesidedworkSailor and Phantomas of 191720 (estimate 150,000200,000), while in the early 1920s Frantiek FoltnpushedfurthertheboundariesofCubisminhispowerfuldepictionofDostoyevskyandthenewpostwar

internationalorder inhisstridentpersonificationof Imperialism (bothestimatedat120,000180,000).Thediversityofthesculpturecollectionthatfeaturesthirteendifferentartists ischaracterisedinthetwovery

distinctaestheticsofJantursaandOttoGutfreund.

SothebysLondon

TheEvill/FrostCollection,PartsOneandTwoWednesdayandThursday,15and16June,2011

Onviewfrom10June

Sothebys London is to offer the greatest collection of 20thCentury

British Art ever to come to the market: The Evill/Frost Collection, astandalone threepart sale which launches with an Evening Sale on

Wednesday, 15 June 2011. This incomparable collection comprises

outstanding works of the highest calibre by Modern British masters

including the most important and largest group of paintings by

StanleySpencerever to come to themarket, inaddition toworksbyLucian Freud, Henry Moore, Dame Barbara Hepworth, GrahamSutherland,EdwardBurra andPatrickHeron,amongstmanyothers.Thecollectionwhichisestimatedtofetchinexcessof12millionand

comprises not only 20thcentury British art but also furniture and

porcelainwillbe soldby the executorsof theHonorFrost estate inorder to benefit charitable causes relating to marine archeology. The


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paintingsandsculptures,collectedbyWilfridEvill between1925and1960andthenvigilantlymaintained

byHonorFrost,representawindowforthecollectorsoftodaytolookintoapastworld,andthedispersal

ofthiscollectionoffersthosesamecollectorsopportunitiesthatappearperhapsonlyonceinalifetimeto

acquiretheverybest.Thecollection,asidefromtheSpencerswhichhavebeenloanedforStanleySpencer

retrospectives, has been largely hidden from view since the 1965 Wilfrid Evill Memorial exhibition at

BrightonCityArtGallery.Theassemblagedemonstratesanunparalleledvisionof theachievementsand

talentofsomeofthemostaccomplishedBritishartistsintheperiodjustbeforeandafterWorldWarII.

SothebysParis

AfricanArt:ThePierreGuerreCollectionWednesday,15June,2011

OnWednesday,15June2011,SothebysPariswillofferforsalean

exceptionalensembleoftenworksfromoneoftheoldestandmost

prestigious French collections of African Art: the Pierre Guerre

Collection.The tenworksembodyaunique, centurylong, three

generation history of African Art collecting, focused on PierreGuerre. This pioneering collection of African art was begun by

LonceGuerre in theearly twentiethcentury,brilliantlypursued

by his son Pierre, andwas continued by his daughterChristine

andherhusbandAlainVidalNaquet,allcommittedtoraisingthe

profileofAfricanart.Thisensembleisoneofthefinestcollections

of art from French WestAfrica and FrenchEquatorialAfrica.A

Dogon female figure (Mali), is considered the most importantwork attributed to the Ogol Master on account of its powerful

geometry and exceptional volume (est. 300,000450,000). Works

attributedtotheMvapeopleoftheNtemValleyaretherarestandmost exceptionalof allFang figures,and the salewill includeA

FangMvareliquaryfigure,height21in. (53cm).FromamongtheMvas limitedoutput,PierreGuerresmasterfulfigureisconsideredthemostremarkable:theultimateexpressionofthestrengthandspirituality

whichthefinestFangartsopowerfullyconveys(estimateonrequest,picturedleft).

SothebysAmsterdam

19thCenturyEuropeanPaintingsTuesday,7June,2011

Onviewfrom3June

The sale of 19thCenturyEuropeanPaintings includespaintings from

Andreas Schelfhout, Willem Koekkoek, Philip Sade, Petrus van

Schendel,Cornelis Springer andmanymore.Oneof thehighlights in

this sale is Winter in the streets of a Dutch town painted by Willem

Koekkoek (18391895). Growing up in Amsterdam, Willem Koekkoek

became one of the most distinguished painters of townscapes in the

Netherlands. His paintings were greatly admired for their nostalgic

moodanduniquelyrefinedanddetailedstyleofpainting.Thepresent

work is an impressive example, not only because of its size, but also

becauseofitsabilitytocaptureHollandsAgeofRomanticism.Afurthersignificanthighlight isSundayMassbyGariMelchers (American,1860


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1932) (picturedonpreviouspage).MelcherspaintedDutchpeasant life: independent,honest,devotional

andstrongfigures.Hegavemuchattentiontodepicting thedifferentfaces,posturesand fabrics.During

his life,Melchersreceivedmultipleawards, includingaGrandPrizeattheParisUniversalExposition.It

establishedhimastheleadingAmericanproponentofNaturalism.

SothebysLondonOldMasters&EarlyBritishPaintingsEveningandDaySalesWednesdayandThursday,6and7July,2011

Onviewfrom1July

Sothebys London Old Masters Evening Sale, to take

placeonWednesday,6 July2011,willbehighlighted

byoneof thegreatestmasterpiecesofVenetianview

painting ever executed, Francesco Guardis Venice, a

view of the Rialto Bridge, Looking North, from the

FondamentadelCarbon (pictured left).Estimated in the

region of 1525 million (measuring 115 by 199.5cm(45by 78 in.), it isoneof fourworks thatGuardi

paintedonthisgrandscale,allexecutedataroundthe

same time in the late1760s,which togetherconstitute

thepinnacleofGuardisoutputasapainterofveduteandwhicharegenerallyconsideredtobeGuardis

greatestworksthefirstandfullestexpressionoftheartistsmaturestyle.Whileoneofthefourpaintings

onthisscalewasdestroyedinafireinthemid20thcentury,thispainting whichhasbeensold justonce

sinceitwasfirstacquiredinVenicein1768 anditspendanthaveremainedtogetheruntilveryrecently.

The last inthegroupwassoldbySothebys in1989foralmost10million,thenthesecondhighestprice

everachievedatauctionforanOldMasterPaintingandstilltherecordpricefortheartist.

Sothebys ispleased to announce the saleof the collectionofOldMaster

PaintingsformedbySaam&LilyNijstadoverthelastfourdecades. Saam

wasformanyyearsaleadingdealer inDutchOldMasters,butheandhis

wife, who met in 1945 and married three years later, were passionate

collectors. Their collection of drawings, assembled over fiftyyears, and

named Unicorno after Lilys maiden name (Einhorn means unicorn in

Dutch) was sold at Sothebys in Amsterdam in 2004. Saam and Lily

decided lastautumn to sell theirpaintings collection,andSaamwrotean

introduction to the catalogue in December, but sadly he succumbed to

pneumoniainJanuary.

ThecoreofthecollectionconsistsofDutch17thCenturypaintings,ofwhichperhapsthemostdelightfulis

aworkbyMichielvanMusscher(est.300,000400,000),whichatfirstglanceappearstobeacharacteristic

domesticgenreinterior,withamotherandtwoyoungchildren. Onthebackwallhowever,halfhidden,is

aselfportraitof theartist in fact theveryselfportraitbyVanMusscher thatSaamNijstadsold to the

RotterdamHistoricalMuseum in1979andthissceneofdomestichappinesswhichhesurveysportrays

hiswife,EvaVisscher,andtheirtwochildren. Unusuallyitisverypreciselydated,tothe30thMarch1683.

The Nijstads collecting tastes were eclectic, and by no means limited to the art of their native land.Occupyingprideofplaceon theendwallof thedrawingroom in theirapartmentwasamostengaging


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portraitbySantidiTito(est.150,000200,000,picturedonpreviouspage)ofayounggirldresseduptothe

ninesandstandinginthecourtyardgardenofapalazzo,proudlyfeedingcherriestoherMacaw,withher

petJerboaatherfeet. SheisLucrezia,daughterofaleadingFlorentine,NicolDiSinibaldoGaddi,whose

love forbotanyandpassion forexoticanimalsand fruitwassecondonly to theMedici,depicted in the

gardenofthePalazzoGaddi inFlorence,astonesthrowfromthechurchofSantaMariaNovella,where

theGaddifamilyhadachapel,andwhosecampanileisvisibleinthepainting.

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*Presaleestimatesdonotincludebuyerspremium

Sotheby’s europe season highlights april to may 2011 ...

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