Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters

Bonhams

Promotions, new hires and rebrands feature in the latest art and antiques news round up

26 May 2026

A rebrand at Bonhams and promotions at Woolley & Wallis are among this week’s Movers & Shakers

Francois

New chairman for Christie’s as Guillaume Cerutti departs all ‌Pinault related companies

22 May 2026

French billionaire François Henri ‌Pinault has been ​named as ‌the new chairman of Christie's, which is owned ‌by his family investment ‌holding Artemis.

Stone sculptures

Sculpture fraudster sentenced after Metropolitan Police investigation

22 May 2026

A fraudster who tried to sell stone sculptures with false provenance through Sotheby’s has been sentenced after a three-and-a-half year investigation by the Met Police’s Art and Antiques Unit.

Liberty Oriental Carpets

Liberty’s antique rugs, carpets and textiles offering comes to an end

22 May 2026

The last antique rugs, carpets and textiles concession in a London department store closes this month.

HMRC training video

HMRC launches ‘practical, engaging tool’ to help understand anti-money laundering rules

22 May 2026

New training videos to help auction houses and dealers deal with anti-money laundering regulations have been published by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Wrest Park

Appeal for information on lost Frederic Leighton portraits from stately home

22 May 2026

English Heritage has launched an appeal to help find three portraits by artist Frederic Leighton (1839-96) once on display at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire.

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Faces that appear from different eras of history

22 May 2026

Art and antiques dealers have shared their latest finds with Antiques Trade Gazette including a 19th century copy of a Renaissance Madonna, a pair of portraits relating to a Scottish slave owner and a collection from a Second World War RAF bigwig.

Iain Murphy, CEO of Stanley Gibbons Baldwin’s.

From Penny Blacks to Pokémon

22 May 2026

How one venerable firm is accelerating its push into modern collectables

De Jode map

First World War trench maps and a 16th century cordiform world map are among the highlights at the next London Map Fair

21 May 2026

Returning to Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, the London Map Fair is known as the largest antique map fair in Europe.

Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair

International buyers boost latest Firsts book fair

20 May 2026

Buyers from overseas helped sales boom at the latest Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair this month.

Decorative Fair in Battersea Park

Battersea's Decorative Fair celebrates strong opening day sales

15 May 2026

Dealers at the latest The Decorative Fair in Battersea Park were praising the opening day as one of their best.

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Read all about it: our pick of eight new books on art and antiques

15 May 2026

Ahead of planning your summer reading, take a look at this selection of recently published art and antiques books.

Earsham Hall Antiques on the outskirts of Bungay

Busy summer ahead in Bungay

15 May 2026

We turn a spotlight on the bustling Suffolk town as a local antiques centre’s flea market is set to expand

Giles Hume of Old Painted Furniture (shown right with father Frank)

Five questions with Giles Hume

15 May 2026

Giles Hume is a dealer who runs Old Painted Furniture and Earsham Hall Antiques in Bungay

Matthew Cook of The Shop in Bungay

What's in store at The Old Store

15 May 2026

Among other recent openings in the centre of Bungay is The Old Store which opened in June 2024.

Brenda Nassarian of Arundel Eccentrics

Rescuers or wreckers? Upcyclers state their case

15 May 2026

Giving a new lease of life to otherwise undesirable old items makes for an exciting, if occasionally controversial, line of business.

Medieval Royal heraldic embroideries

Medieval Royal heraldic embroideries come to auction this summer

14 May 2026

A pair of late Medieval Royal heraldic embroideries with a Spanish connection will be offered at Bonhams on July 2 with a £200,000-300,000 estimate.

Curwen Studio

Rarely seen Mod Brit print archive to be freely available online following funding boost

13 May 2026

A rarely seen print archive featuring work by Mod Brit art greats including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Elisabeth Frink, Paula Rego, Ceri Richards and John Piper will soon be available freely online.

Keats' love letters

Keats’ love letters returned to family after theft now come to auction

12 May 2026

A rare group of eight autograph letters by John Keats (1795-1821) to his fiancée Fanny Brawne that had been stolen in 1989 but later recovered are now heading to Sotheby's.

Laskett Garden

Sir Roy Strong’s garden statuary comes to auction after his beloved The Laskett is set to be sold

12 May 2026

Statuary from the garden of art historian, writer and museum curator Sir Roy Strong is to be auctioned at Chorley’s.