Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Hollywood comes to London: white-glove auctions for Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn collections
02 October 2017The personal collections of film stars Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn were both ‘white glove’ events in London last week.
Anthony Caro sculptures allocated to the Tate after settling £2.7m tax bill
02 October 2017Two abstract sculptures by Sir Anthony Caro have been acquired for the nation as part of the ‘Acceptance in Lieu’ scheme. Together they have settled £2.7m of inheritance tax due from the estate of Caro’s wife, the artist Sheila Girling, who died in 2015.
Yeats sale generates controversy and bidding at Sotheby’s
02 October 2017The sale of the Yeats collection at Sotheby’s in London brought mixed results: the highest estimated lot failed to sell but strong competition emerged elsewhere.
Philip Mould and National Gallery of Ireland among buyers at Yeats collection sale at Sotheby’s
28 September 2017Dealer Philip Mould was among the bidders at Sotheby’s sale of the Yeats collection this week.
Oak coffer boosted by rare form and excellent condition at Bonhams' sale
26 September 2017The highlight of Bonhams’ latest sale of oak furniture in London was a joined coffer made in the West Country and dating from 1609.
Julian Thomson takes the helm at Anderson & Garland
25 September 2017Newcastle auction house Anderson & Garland is under new ownership after Julian Thomson and Fred Wyrley-Birch bought out the previous owner Andrew McCoull.
Tate’s acquisitions valued at £27.4m in this year’s annual report
25 September 2017More than 1000 works were acquired by the Tate in the last year according to its latest annual report. They ranged from Old Masters to Contemporary art and had a combined value of £27.4m.
New managing director for Bonhams Scotland
21 September 2017Bonhams have appointed Charles Graham-Campbell as managing director of its operations in Scotland.
Joseph Wright of Derby academy scene among leading lights at Sotheby’s Old Master auction
19 September 2017Sotheby’s is offering a fine painting by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97) at its Old Master evening sale in December. It comes to auction with an unbroken provenance going back well over a century and is estimated at £2.5m-3.5m.
Chicago collector wins $200,000 bidding battle for 1857 map of the “Windy City” at Leslie Hindman auction
18 September 2017One of only four known copies of a ‘pre-fire’ Chicago map by cartographer J.T. Palmatary drew intense competition at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ latest sale, selling at over six-times estimate.
Model locomotives steam into auctions in Sheffield and Sherborne
18 September 2017Model steam trains are a niche collecting area but examples which precisely match the actual engines they represent can make thousands of pounds.
Collector creates website to record the works of Thomas Baker of Leamington
18 September 2017About a month ago, collector Robert Mulraine launched a website dedicated to the artist Thomas Baker of Leamington (1808-1869). A great enthusiast of the Victorian landscape painter, he has been working with the curatorial team of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to create an online ‘Memoranda of Pictures’ based on the artist’s five diaries in the museum’s collection.
Portrait of 1920s film actress Pola Negri with Rudolph Valentino offered at Bonhams
18 September 2017While plenty of general auctions around the country feature a range of 19th century and early 20th century paintings, Bonhams is staging its next dedicated sale in this category on September 27.
Phillips raises buyer’s premium following changes at Sotheby’s and Christie’s
13 September 2017Auctioneers Phillips have raised its buyer’s premium with the changes effective immediately.
Dutch civil servant’s tribal art and militaria collection emerges at Yorkshire auction
12 September 2017The wide and varied militaria and ethnographica collection of the civil servant and financial expert De Weledg. Heer P. Lamaison Van Heenvliet (1857-1941) will be offered later this month at Tennants of Leyburn.
Sotheby’s to auction Hampstead collection bought with “an insider’s knowledge and good taste”
11 September 2017‘Property from a Hampstead Collection’ is how auctioneers Sotheby’s are billing a large consignment of works from a ‘beautiful house’ in the leafy north London suburb.
Previews: Up to £500
11 September 2017ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.
Previews: £501 - £2000
11 September 2017ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.
Previews: £2001 - £5000
11 September 2017ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.
Punch’s cartoonist Partridge plays his part as theatre artist
11 September 2017One of the less commonly known facts about Sir John Bernard Partridge (1861-1945), the lead cartoonist at Punch magazine, was that he had a spell as an actor in his youth.