Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Delacroix sketch sells at £2.6m
18 December 2017Strong competition emerged for an oil sketch for Eugène Delacroix’s 'Liberty Leading the People' at Christie’s in London on December 14.
Regional highlights of the year – from a Graff ring in Birmingham to a Qing altar vase in Somerset
18 December 20172017 produced some eye-catching prices in the UK’s regional salerooms. Here are some stand-out lots...
Most popular web stories of 2017
18 December 2017Ivory, the general election, fakes and the closure of a certain well-known London saleroom were the stories that resonated online with readers in 2017.
The value of Liberty – sketch for Eugène Delacroix’s famous painting bid to record sum at Christie’s
16 December 2017An oil sketch by Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) for his renowned painting ‘Liberty Leading the People’ was knocked down at £2.6m at auction in London this week.
Works from ex-TEFAF President’s collection head to the National Gallery
15 December 2017Four Old Master paintings from the collection of the late president of TEFAF, Willem Baron van Dedem, have been donated to the National Gallery.
Ex-Sotheby’s auctioneer explains why he decided to become a dealer – video
14 December 2017“There are many opportunities outside auction,” says Adrian Biddell, the former Sotheby’s head of 19th century European paintings who has recently launched his own dealership.
Wright price offers encouragement for Old Masters
11 December 2017The latest Old Master auctions in London gave encouragement to the sector as keen competition came for a noticeably higher number of works pitched at relatively attractive levels.
Saudi prince identified as buyer of Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi as $450m painting heads to The Louvre Abu Dhabi
09 December 2017A member of the Saudi royal family has been identified as the winning bidder of Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi.
Extraordinary example of British avant-garde clothing makes eight-times estimate at Oxford auction
08 December 2017An embroidered and block-printed silk robe designed by Percy Wyndham Lewis in c.1912-14 generated fervent bidding at Oxford auction house Mallams today.
El Greco sells for £5.9m at Christie’s Old Master auction
08 December 2017A painting by El Greco (1541-1614) led Christie’s latest Old Master evening sale in London when it was knocked down at £5.4m.
Joseph Wright of Derby ‘candlelit’ painting makes record £6.3m at Sotheby’s
07 December 2017An atmospheric oil painting by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97) led Sotheby’s latest Old Master evening sale in London.
Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi heads to The Louvre Abu Dhabi
06 December 2017The Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced on Twitter that Leonardo's Salvator Mundi is heading to the newly opened museum in the Middle East.
Sotheby’s appoints ex-Christie’s specialist as MD in the Netherlands
06 December 2017Sotheby’s has appointed Sarah de Clercq as managing director in The Netherlands. She was previously head of Old Master and 19th Century European art at Christie’s in Amsterdam and will start her new role in January 2018.
Soviet art proves selective across ‘London-grad’ series
04 December 2017Despite its current high profile, commercial interest in Soviet-era art remains selective. With the centenary of the Russian Revolution and anniversary exhibitions at the Royal Academy and Tate Modern, the latest series of Russian sales in London had aimed to cash in on the focus on this sector.
Philosopher Wittgenstein shows sculpture skills
04 December 2017A philosopher of mathematics, the human consciousness and language, Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was described by his teacher Bertrand Russell as “the most perfect example I have ever known of genius as traditionally conceived”.
Visions of Finland – dealers collaborate on London show coinciding with centenary events
29 November 2017An exhibition aiming to invigorate interest in Finnish art opened in London this week.
Egon Schiele work on paper sets highest price of the year for an Austrian auction
29 November 2017The highest price of the year to date at auction in Austria was set by a market-fresh work on paper by Egon Schiele (1890-1918) offered at the latest Modern art sale held at Dorotheum in Vienna.
Are today’s superhero movies creating a bubble for classic comics?
27 November 2017The release this year of movies such as Justice League, Wonder Woman and, most recently, Thor: Ragnarok has brought added interest in the original comics, according to specialist at Heritage Auctions, Barry Sandoval.
Nevinson marches to seven figures
27 November 2017Sotheby’s posted a record for the artist CRW Nevinson on November 21 when an important Great War scene was knocked down at £1.55m (£1.87m including premium).
They said what?! The week (20-26 November, 2017) in quotes from the art and antiques world
26 November 2017In our weekend series, Antiques Trade Gazette brings you a selection of quotes from dealers, auctioneers, collectors and others. This week, we bring you BADA’s reaction to the UK budget and a silver specialist’s view on current precious metal prices.