Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Guillaumin captivated by the Mediterranean light
27 March 2023On numerous occasions in the early part of the 20th century, Armand Guillaumin visited the picturesque medieval seaside village of Le Brusc.
Artist rated as the first exponent of modern Turkish painting
27 March 2023The Franco-Turkish painter Osman Hamdi Bey bridged the gap between Orient and Occident and is regarded as the first exponent of modern Turkish painting
Postcard sends a €4000 Bauhaus message
20 March 2023Director Gropius invited promising student Helm to promote an exhibition
End of the world viewed by Haring
20 March 2023Much has been made of the fact that in 1988 Keith Haring produced a series of 10 signed and dated serigraphs with texts by the veteran writer William Burroughs with the title 'Apocalypse'.
Märklin central station just the ticket among railway toys
20 March 2023Some serious bidding action took place in the room when Lankes (25% buyer’s premium) sold tinplate toys in the small Bavarian town of Döhlau.
Celebrity lawyer collection brings fame and fortune
20 March 2023The new season got off to an encouraging start for Cologne auction house Lempertz (26% buyer’s premium) when it held an African and Oceanic art sale on February 1 in Brussels
Second-heaviest coin in classical numismatics sells at Berlin auction
20 March 2023One would hardly call a 13in x 2ft 1in (34 x 63cm) copper block, weighing more than 32 pounds (14.6kg), a convenient method of payment, but in the mid-17th century such plates were indeed issued in Sweden under King Charles X Gustav.
Famous canine Nipper finds his voice
02 January 2023In these days of music-streaming, the once ubiquitous image of the mongrel Nipper listening to a gramophone is no longer such a familiar sight.
Hans Coper on the hour
02 January 2023Long before the auction in Krefeld began, it was clear that the price for a vase by Hans Coper would be way higher than the estimate of €8000.
Code machine not all it was cracked up to be
02 January 2023A chance find proved to be very fortuitous for one of the consignors of the auction held by Schreiber (22% buyer’s premium) on November 5.
Bellotto by royal appointment
02 January 2023One of four works as commission for the Polish king is the star lot of an Austrian collection
Historic Pathé Frères films reeled in at auction
02 January 2023A treasure trove for film aficionados was one of the highlights at Auction Team Breker (24.8% buyer’s premium) on November 5.
Chadwick proved his mettle
21 November 2022A welding course was to have a lasting effect on the artistic development of the British sculptor Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003).
Bixie could bring power and position if third time lucky
14 November 2022A multitude of fabulous creatures are an integral part of traditional Chinese mythology. Among them is the Bixie, whose name translates as ‘to ward off evil spirits’.
Watch given as gift to Thomas Mann’s favoured grandson emerges
14 November 2022In his diary entry for August 12, 1950, the German writer and Nobel Prize recipient Thomas Mann described a meeting with his daughter-in-law Gret, who had married his youngest son Michael in 1939, and her 10-year-old son Frido in a café in Innsbruck.
First Giacometti man strides out
14 November 2022Two closely related bronze sculptures by Alberto Giacometti are among the highlights of the Modern and Contemporary sales on December 2 at Lempertz in Cologne.
Eighteenth century flask sells for strong price
14 November 2022Glassware with provenance to Augustus of Saxony takes five-figure sum
Augsburg and Meissen mix help fuel demand for cutlery set at Metz auction
14 November 2022The combination of Meissen porcelain and Augsburg silver proved to be a winning formula at a sale held by Metz (25% buyer’s premium) in Heidelberg.
Venus sculpture triples estimate in Munich
14 November 2022The sculptor Prosper d’Épinay (1836-1914) was a true cosmopolitan. Born in Mauritius, he later became a British subject, but is still often considered to be a French artist.