Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Stradivarius violin takes £1.6m at London auction
12 April 2017A rare violin made in 1684 by Antonio Stradivari sold for £1.6m at a recent sale at London specialists Ingles & Hayday, the third highest price ever achieved at auction for an instrument by the great Italian luthier.
Classical scene takes £58,000 at Chorley’s
04 April 2017A painting of the classical subject of Acis & Galatea drew a flurry of bids at Chorley’s latest fine art sale in Cheltenham.
Pick of the Week: Leighton’s house record for House
01 April 2017The highest price for a picture sold in the regions this year came when a large painting by Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1922) drew dramatic bidding at House & Son (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Bournemouth on March 21.
Christie’s drops London summer Contemporary art auctions
27 March 2017Christie’s has dropped its London summer sales of post war and Contemporary art in favour of its two annual auction series in this category taking place in March and October.
Ancient ‘stargazer’ marble figure leads Christie’s New York auction
24 March 2017An ancient Anatolian marble figure dating to the third millennium BC will lead the lots on offer at Christie’s upcoming ‘Exceptional’ sale in New York on April 28.
Edmund Blair Leighton painting sells for £240,000 at Bournemouth auction
21 March 2017A major price in the English regions came earlier today for a Victorian picture as Bournemouth saleroom House & Son took a £240,000 bid for an Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1922) painting.
Cheyenne Westphal starts as chairman at Phillips
21 March 2017Ex-Sotheby’s worldwide head of Contemporary art Cheyenne Westphal is starting her new role at Phillips this week.
Line up announced for first ‘Paris Tableau’ fair in Brussels
20 March 2017The organisers of Paris Tableau have released the exhibitor list for the first edition of the specialist Old Master paintings fair taking place in Brussels.
Exodus may follow South Ken closure
18 March 2017250 jobs threatened as venerable rooms fall victim to global review
Dealers tough it out as New York’s ‘Asia Week’ continues amid heavy snow
15 March 2017Dealers braved the elements in New York this week as the city’s ‘Asia Week’ events kicked off in spite of 7in of snow falling.
Phillips appoint Miety Heiden to head up private sales operation
15 March 2017Continuing the run of ex-Sotheby’s and Christie’s staff joining Phillips, Miety Heiden has been appointed as deputy chairman and head of private sales.
Northamptonshire auctioneer appoints new co-director
15 March 2017Whittlebury saleroom JP Humbert have appointed Francesca Ellis as co-director.
Currency weakness helps London auction fortnight to record figures
14 March 2017The latest series of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary art auctions in London showed a dramatic improvement on the equivalent sales last year and the overall premium-inclusive total represented a record in terms of sterling.
New York snowstorm hits ‘Asia Week’ auction calendar
13 March 2017A snowstorm expected to hit New York over the next 24 hours has led to changes to ‘Asia Week’ auctions scheduled for this week.
Christie’s to close South Kensington saleroom
08 March 2017Christie’s is proposing to close its auctions in South Kensington.
Patrick van der Vorst buys back Value My Stuff
08 March 2017The founder of Value My Stuff, Patrick van der Vorst, has bought back the online valuation firm after its parent company Auctionata entered administration.
Gustav Klimt landscape sells for £42.5m at Sotheby’s auction - third highest price ever for an artwork sold in Europe
01 March 2017A shimmering floral landscape by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was knocked down at £42.5m at Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist & Modern art in London on March 1.
Auctionata closes down after failure to find buyer
01 March 2017Online auction house Auctionata is closing down after an attempt to find new investment failed to materialise.
Image gallery: 12 highlights from TEFAF Maastricht 2017
23 February 2017The launch of two annual New York fairs may have given TEFAF roots in another continent but the Maastricht fair remains the ‘mothership’ of the organisation. For most of the 270 dealers exhibiting, the event represents a crucial part of the financial year as they vie to attract collectors and institutions from across the world buy the best items they have to offer. The 30th edition of TEFAF Maastricht opens on March 10 (with an invitation-only preview on the day before) and runs until March 17. Here are 12 highlights from around the stands.
Old Master dispute set for high court
18 February 2017A DISPUTE over a $10m Old Master looks to be heading to the High Court after London dealer Mark Weiss said he would “vigorously” defend a legal claim made against him by Sotheby’s last week.