Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Dutch royal family Rubens drawing sets $7m auction record
30 January 2019A sketch by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) that formerly belonged to the Dutch King William II and his wife Anna Pavlovna has set an auction record for a drawing by the artist at Sotheby’s New York.
Top stories this week – including news of a James Bond Moonraker laser gun selling at auction
25 January 2019The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of a James Bond Moonraker laser gun selling at an auction in the Midlands and a sardonyx cameo ring fetching 195-times top estimate in Yorkshire.
Oxford’s Bodleian Library buys 500-year-old book-box from Paris dealer
24 January 2019The University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries has acquired a rare 15th-century French Gothic coffer – one of the largest-surviving examples of a late medieval box used for transporting precious books.
Top stories this week – including news of a Roger Moore letter and a fish restaurant’s ‘rediscovered’ Meiji vase
18 January 2019The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of an eyebrow-raising letter by James Bond actor Roger Moore and the sale of a Meiji vase ‘rediscovered’ at a fish restaurant.
Gallery takes legal action against Christie’s over private sale of Francis Bacon painting
16 January 2019A legal claim lodged against Christie’s in New York has highlighted some of the practices relating to private sales that top-end auctioneers make behind closed doors.
Learn about the art market in six weeks: online learning course with economist Dr Clare McAndrew about to go live
15 January 2019An online course is being launched this week that aims to create a “virtual environment” for learning about today’s art market. The course called ‘Art Market Economics’ is written and presented by Dr Clare McAndrew and will go live on January 18.
Top stories this week – including news of a new auction house, a new book and new years’ resolutions
11 January 2019The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of the launch of a new saleroom in Yorkshire, the publication of a glass specialist’s new book and industry figures sharing their resolutions for 2019.
Christie’s wins fight in France to charge resale right on buyers not sellers
07 January 2019Supreme Court in Paris rules that auction house can now charge buyers rather than sellers for artist levy.
New York dealer Richard Feigen consigns series of Old Master paintings to Christie’s
04 January 2019Christie’s has announced that it will offer a group of works from veteran art dealer Richard L Feigen later this year, valued at around $10m.
Sotheby’s to auction Claude Monet view of Venice with £20m-30m estimate
03 January 2019Paintings by the great Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926) are not especially rare at auction. However, while depictions of waterlilies and scenes of Paris appear at most major sales series, the artist’s views of Venice emerge only occasionally.
Five predictions for the art and antiques market in 2019
31 December 2018What will happen to the art and antiques market in 2019 and what are the key factors at play affecting collectors, dealers and auctioneers? ATG looks ahead and makes five predictions for the next 12 months.
Top stories of 2018 – including news on TV shows, an Elgar score and a collection belonging to an icon of British industrial heritage
28 December 2018The most popular stories on this website over the last year included news relating to TV shows such as the Antiques Roadshow, Make Me a Dealer and even ‘Allo ‘Allo. Also highly popular in 2018, the story of the contents sale of the Fred Dibnah heritage centre was another that drew plenty of clicks.
Six highlights from the Modern British art market in 2018
27 December 2018ATG selects six stand-out lots of Modern British art that sold in London and across the UK in 2018.
Top stories this week – including news of metal-detecting finds hitting record numbers
22 December 2018The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of metal-detecting ‘treasure’ discoveries hitting record numbers for a second year running.
Getty Museum buys classic Danish interior scene by Vilhelm Hammershøi
19 December 2018The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has bought a painting by Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) barely months after it fetched a major sum at a Christie’s auction.
Top stories this week – including news of Richard Madley being replaced as Indian Premier League auctioneer
14 December 2018The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of Richard Madley being replaced as Indian Premier League auctioneer, and the return to China of a rare bronze from the Summer Palace in Beijing that was found in British seaside bungalow.
Star Wars costume designer’s personal sketchbook makes £100,000 at Bonhams
13 December 2018The archive of John Mollo, the concept artist behind the Star Wars franchise, came up at Bonhams this week. Leading the sale was a personal sketchbook showing some of the first hand-drawn costume designs for Darth Vader, Chewbacca and the stormtroopers.
Different faces of the Old Masters market
10 December 2018A series of portraits by some of the biggest names in the Old Master market led the way at the latest sales in this category in London. Among them were two versions of a Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) portrait – one fully ascribed to the artist.
Pick of the week: Lucas van Leyden drawing from Rugby School’s historic collection leads Old Master auction series in London
10 December 2018The highlight of the latest series of Old Master sales in London was not a painting this time around but a rare work on paper by an enigmatic draughtsman.
Lucas van Leyden drawing from Rugby School’s historic collection leads Old Master auction series in London
07 December 2018The highlight of the latest series of Old Master auctions in London was not a painting this time round but a rare work on paper by an enigmatic draughtsman.