Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Works fly over estimate at Lay’s sale of the Branfield collection
29 February 2024Underlining the strength of demand for quality pieces of 20th century Cornish art by well known names, the collection of art historian and author John Branfield and his late wife Kathleen (known as Pep) commanded plenty of interest at Penzance saleroom Lay’s.
Pick of the week: Daniells artwork is the Shore thing
26 February 2024It is a good time to be selling works by Thomas Daniell (1749-1840).
Frederick Austin: an artist of the old school
26 February 2024Group of works by a maker who used mostly traditional techniques creates a secondary market test
Stannard still life keeps up standards in East Anglia
22 February 2024Like a number of East Anglian artists, Eloise Harriet Stannard (1829-1915) has a decent following among both the trade and a core group of private collectors.
Old Masters: Supply lines come under strain
19 February 2024Market shows strength only for select works as sourcing high-quality material proves inceasingly difficult
Hubert Robert's range on show at Old Master sales
19 February 2024Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s offered notable works by French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808) at the latest Old Master auction series in New York.
Five highlights from the Branfield collection of Modern British art at Lay’s
15 February 2024Art historian and author John Branfield and his late wife Kathleen spent 50 years building their collection of Cornish art and ceramics. It will now be dispersed at Lay’s in Penzance on February 29.
Sotheby's sets record for a work on paper by a female Old Master
14 February 2024Some of the strongest demand at the latest Old Master auctions in New York came among the works on paper sales.
Dealers and auctioneers react after Sotheby’s shock changes to both buyer’s and vendor’s fees
12 February 2024The surprise decision by Sotheby’s to cut its buyer’s premium and standardise its vendor fees sparked a wave of comments across the art and antiques trade.
Gray’s apocalyptic vision of Glasgow acted as anti-nuclear bomb protest
12 February 2024A shot in the arm for the picture market of Alasdair Gray (1934-2019) came at the start of the year when one of his most momentous paintings emerged at auction and set a major record for the Scottish artist and writer.
West Country painter Michael Morgan's work offered en masse for first time
12 February 2024Core group of 14 works by the artist on offer could represent significant moment in secondary market
Gustav Klimt portrait comes to Austrian auction after ownership settlement
06 February 2024A late portrait by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) has emerged at Vienna auction house im Kinsky and will be offered on April 24 with an estimate of €30m-50m.
Many happy returns for Mod Brit investors
05 February 2024Canny buyers who invested in works by female artists are now reaping the rewards in salerooms
Piper pops up at auction and Lowry lines up for sale
05 February 2024A couple of works by leading names in the sector gave a boost to Chiswick Auctions’ (25% buyer’s premium) latest Modern British and Irish Art sale.
Sotheby’s slashes buyer's fees and sets seller's commission at standard rate
03 February 2024Sotheby’s has announced a major shake-up of its customers’ fees, reducing its buyer’s premium for the first time since it was introduced in 1979 and setting seller's commission at a standard rate.
Pick of the week: The ‘engraving’ that bidders discovered was a JMW Turner drawing
29 January 2024A somewhat innocuous-looking lot at Hansons (26% buyer’s premium) proved to be anything but as a number of eagle-eyed bidders spotted a significant discovery contained therein.
Art Market: Cadell captures the Cassis light
29 January 2024Scottish Colourist likened the French port to Iona – but with more time to paint given the weather
‘For everyday items it will continue to be a buyer’s market’
29 January 2024In Ireland, Adam’s of Dublin held 32 auctions over the course of 2023, raising a hammer total of €13.8m (£12m) which was up from €12.6m in 2022.
Two rare Bessie MacNicol works appear at auction in a week
29 January 2024Works by Glasgow Girl Bessie MacNicol (1869-1904) – who died in childbirth aged 34 – are represented in many public collections, especially in Scotland.
Edward Hopper etching tops Bonhams’ print sale in Los Angeles
25 January 2024American artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967) is known for his moody views of his native New York with his paintings often imbued with garish light and contrasting bright and muted colours.