Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Killer bids as Sotheby’s shows how the celebrity sale is done
11 September 2023Sensational was the only word for it.
Sir Joshua’s Guercino sketch surfaces Down Under
11 September 2023The artist and Royal Academy founder Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92) was also a major collector, especially in the field of Old Master works on paper.
ART MARKET: De László - now we’re talking
11 September 2023Trio of works by the Hungarian artist underlines the appeal of portraits as conversation pieces
Frank Owen Salisbury in tune with a cellist
11 September 2023When it comes to portraits produced by Frank Owen Salisbury (1874-1962), values are frequently determined by the fame of the sitter.
Ching kingfishers catch bids
09 September 2023Since the 1960s, birds have been the main subject matter of New Zealand artist Raymond Ching (b.1939).
Freddie Mercury collection: Major sums for lyrics and piano at Sotheby’s auction
07 September 2023The handwritten lyrics for Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and the piano which Freddie Mercury used to compose it were among the major highlights at Sotheby's auction of the singer’s collection in London.
British Museum ‘is being unfair to the trade’ by not releasing list of missing items
04 September 2023Demands are growing in the antiquities trade for the British Museum to publish a list of objects stolen in an alleged theft from its collection by a member of staff.
Roma Numismatics director Richard Beale admits coin charges
04 September 2023Richard Beale, director of the London auction house Roma Numismatics, has pleaded guilty to a series of charges in connection with unlawful sales of ancient coins.
Munnings stands and delivers
04 September 2023With the traditional hiatus in the UK auction market typically stretching across the month of August, a number of notable picture highlights appeared slightly earlier this summer at sales around the country.
Trade concerns grow after British Museum items ‘offered on eBay’
28 August 2023Concerns have been raised in the antiquities trade that items allegedly stolen from the British Museum by a staff member and offered on eBay may start emerging on the wider market.
Bidders just dig the Mary Potter style
28 August 2023Coastal scene formerly owned by collector in the diamond mining industry attracts considerable interest
If at first you don’t succeed, try a new estimate
28 August 2023What’s best to do with unsold lots… offer them again at half the price guide perhaps?
Eurich’s mystery girl makes notable price
28 August 2023The artist Richard Ernst Eurich (1903-92) is rather hard to categorise.
A Duncan Grant market tester
28 August 2023Testing the market for still-lifes by Bloomsbury school favourite Duncan Grant (1885-1978), a painting by the artist emerged fresh from a notable source in Somerset.
Paintings from Sir Oswald Birley’s manor house to go under the hammer at Cheffins
24 August 2023A group of 23 works by Sir Oswald Birley and his wife Lady Rhoda Birley which were previously part of their personal collection at their Sussex home will be offered for sale at Cheffins in Cambridge on September 20.
Mystery woman sets auction record for artist Harrington Mann
21 August 2023A large and striking 1920s portrait of a young woman drew strong competition at Dreweatts’ (26% buyer’s premium) sale of Anouska Hempel’s collection.
Evelyn De Morgan goes for gold using unusual medium
21 August 2023Trial run for a full worked-up version counts as a highly sought-after picture in its own right
Dreaming spires and a range of other attractions
21 August 2023When it comes to historic views of England’s university cities, bidders’ interest is not only determined by the usual factors such as the calibre of the artist and the picture’s condition.
Old Master sales in London bring good and bad news
14 August 2023Strong results and supply boost the market but challenges remain with bidders highly selective
Aristocratic consignments make a comeback in Old Master auctions
14 August 2023Works coming fresh to the market from British aristocratic sources were once a staple of London Old Master sales.