US

While the UK art and antiques scene almost grinds to a halt over Christmas and January, Miami truly comes alive.

A 1928 movie poster of Mickey Mouse, thought to be the earliest surviving poster of the Walt Disney character, has fetched $85,000 (£56,000) at auction in Dallas, Texas.

The global art market moves firmly to North America in the New Year – first to New York for the series of events that have grown up around the venerable ‘Winter Antiques Show’ (January 25-February 3) and then to Florida for warmer climes and the ‘Original Miami Beach Show’ (January 31-February 4).

Designed for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, a 1928 poster by Cassandre (1901-68) sold at Swann Auction Galleries of New York for what is believed to be a record for the sought-after poster designer at auction.

The 20th/21st Century Design sale at Rago Arts of Lambertville, New Jersey on October 26-28 included this exceptional enamel by Alexander Fisher (1864-1936).

A recent court case in New York has reinforced the importance of the often overlooked issue of artists’ moral rights.

The Florida organisers International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE) have teamed up with the French dealer association Syndicat National des Antiquaires (SNA), organisers of the Paris Biennale, to launch a Miami fair in 2014.

Spink have announced a series of developments aimed at reinforcing the company’s global standing with a particular emphasis on New York.

The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam has acquired an important collection of letters, photos and documents relating to Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank.

The Contemporary art market rose to a new level last week as both Sotheby’s and Christie’s saw record sales in New York.

Making the most amount of money ever seen for a Contemporary art auction, Christie’s evening sale on November 14 made a staggering $363.5m (£237.6m) hammer.

The latest Impressionist & Modern Art sales in New York saw generally selective demand as bidding failed to take off on a large proportion of the works on offer.

The art and antiques trade in North East America and Canada is returning to business as usual following the interruption caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Debate has long surrounded the well-known portrait of composer Johann Sebastian Bach by German court painter and official Leipzig portraitist Elias Gottlob Haussmann (1695-1774).

Chicago saleroom Leslie Hindman will hold a single-owner auction of property from a major Midwest estate on November 8.

Christie’s have joined auctioneers William J. Jenack in a bid to overturn a legal ruling that says New York salerooms must reveal consignors’ names to buyers.

Edward S. Curtis’ monumental photographic study of ‘The North American Indian’ was one of the most expensive and ambitious undertakings in the history of book production, comprising 20 illustrated text volumes and 20 folios of larger photographic plates.

The most expensive artwork ever sold at auction is to go on display to the public for six months at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

While most initiatives connected with the Asian art market continue to expand apace, the ‘New York Arts of Pacific Asia Show’ – since 1995 a lynchpin of New York Asia Weeks – has announced that it will not run in the spring of 2013 due to lack of a suitable venue.

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has struck an exclusive deal with Christie’s to sell its enormous holdings of works from the artist’s estate.