One of the 400 photographs on offer at Christie’s from the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Rayograph, 1928 by Man Ray, is estimated at $150,000-250,000.
NY museum sells photos at Christie’s
The Museum of Modern Art in New York has consigned a series of photographs to Christie’s which will be offered at auctions over the next 18 months.
The collection of more than 400 works is being sold to raise acquisition funds for the museum’s photography department. They are expected to raise more than $3.6m in total.
The items offered range from the early 20th century to the post-war period and include photographs by the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, Edward Steichen, Walker Evans and Man Ray.
The first tranche will feature in a dedicated photography sale at Christie’s New York on October 10, with the rest offered in a series of online auctions held in October and December as well as in January and April 2018.
Art agent accused of undervaluation
Mayfair art agent Timothy Sammons is facing a fresh legal battle over the sale of paintings and could face extradition to the US.
The latest court case involves an action brought by Lesley, Dowager Viscountess Hambleden, the widow of William Smith, 4th Viscount Hambleden, whose family founded high-street retailer WH Smith.
She claims Sammons undervalued the family’s painting The English Royal Yacht Mary About to Fire a Salute by Willem van de Velde the Younger.
According to reports, documents filed in the supreme court in New York claim Sammons paid Lady Hambleden an unknown sum in advance for the future sale of the work.
Lady Hambleden claims she discovered that Sammons had secretly sold the painting for the “egregiously low price” of $650,000 to a gallery in Liechtenstein.
She says she was only aware of this on discovering the work was listed in the Netherlands for $6m-9m.
Last month, however, it sold at auction at Sotheby’s Old Masters evening auction for a premium-inclusive £812,750.
Lady Hambleden’s pursuit of Sammons is the latest in a string of cases against him. In June he lost his High Court battle to avoid extradition.
Sammons has contested the extradition attempt and told the court that contracts with clients were not “specific” over when they had to be paid.
Kensington fair replaces Chelsea
A new London fair is planned to take place in Kensington next March.
The Kensington & Chelsea Decorative, Art & Antiques Fair has been organised by Daniel Cotton, who currently runs the Little Chelsea Antiques Fair.
The new event, held in Kensington Town Hall, effectively replaces Little Chelsea, which has run for 38 years.
Dealer sells Young sculpture to US
Emily Young sculpture sold to a US university by Bowman Sculpture.
London gallery Bowman Sculpture has a sold an Emily Young sculpture to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, US. Lethans I was made in 2015 by the British sculptor.
The 19½in (50cm) high work is carved from Dolomitic limestone and was offered for a price in the region of £120,000.
It will be displayed in the Hapsburg Library in Notre Dame, which already owns several of Young’s pieces.
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1 Mark Law’s Dreweatts deal folds
2 Antiques dealer alerts trade to fraud after scam involving 18th century painting
3 Malt House Emporium launches petition to stay in Stroud home
4 Dealers arrested in Jerusalem over antiquities imported to US
5 New antiques and decorative fair to launch in Kensington
Centre’s plea to stay at Stroud premises
A Stroud antiques centre has launched a petition to stay after its landlord issued a notice to end the lease.
The Malt House Emporium in Cheltenham Road hosts around 100 dealers and hopes to remain in the building. However, Daniel Sturdy, the landlord, and owner of the adjacent restaurant Malthouse Bar & Kitchen, plans to create a new business when the lease ends at the end of October. He aims to offer space to 75 dealers and artisans.
The Malt House Emporium also has plans to open a new outlet in the Tewkesbury area for a business focused on modern interiors.
Respected former V&A director dies
The late Martin Roth, former V&A director.
Martin Roth, the former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, has died aged 62. The well-respected German museum director died from cancer, diagnosed only weeks after he left the V&A.
He ran the museum from 2011-16 and under his leadership it was named 2016 Art Fund Museum of the Year.
In Numbers
4.35m
The number of people watching an episode of the BBC’s Fake or Fortune? this summer…and that was for a repeat.
