Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Johnny Depp’s Basquiat paintings fetch £7.6m at Christie’s
30 June 2016Two paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) consigned to auction by the actor Johnny Depp sold for a combined £7.6m at Christie’s evening sale of post-war and Contemporary art last night.
Nazi-looted art body calls for more transparency in German art market
29 June 2016Calls for greater transparency in the way German institutions deal with Nazi-looted art should be extended to the country’s art and antiques trade, the Commission for Looted Art in Europe has said.
Market rides Brexit fears at Sotheby’s Contemporary art sale as major record set for Jenny Saville
29 June 2016Fears that the Brexit vote would seriously impact the art market were partially allayed last night as Sotheby’s Contemporary art sale delivered robust results.
Modigliani portrait of dealer’s wife is top lot at Christie’s as market looks uncertain
22 June 2016In a difficult evening sale of Impressionist and Modern art at Christie’s, Amedeo Modigliani’s (1884-1920) portrait of Madame Hanka Zborowska was one of few highpoints.
Picasso and Modigliani headline Sotheby’s slim Impressionist and Modern art auction
22 June 2016It was a pretty short sale. Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist and Modern art auction last night offered just 27 lots and took less than 90 minutes to complete.
Sotheby’s launch specialist auctions in London of Modern and Contemporary African Art
21 June 2016Sotheby’s will start dedicated sales of Modern and Contemporary African Art in London next year. The decision underlines the growing importance of a sector in which Bonhams have stolen a march in recent years.
TEFAF to maintain annual art market report as Clare McAndrew joins Contemporary fair
21 June 2016TEFAF have said they still will maintain an annual art market report despite losing the services of Dr Clare McAndrew who is joining up with Art Basel.
Qianlong vase emerges at Derbyshire auction with £300,000-500,000 estimate
17 June 2016Auctioneers Hansons of Etwall, Derbyshire have announced they will be offering a fine Chinese blue and white vase with a Qianlong seal mark at their sale on July 1.
Edinburgh surgeon’s Scottish Colourist paintings give £1.23m lift to Lyon & Turnbull’s fine art auction
17 June 2016A private collection of Scottish Colourist paintings assembled by a former president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh gave a major boost to Lyon & Turnbull’s latest specialist auction of Scottish Paintings & Sculpture.
Cilla Black’s Lowry paintings sold at Sotheby’s Modern British art auction
14 June 2016Three works by LS Lowry (1887-1976) formerly owned by the late Cilla Black sold for almost £700,000 (including premium) at Sotheby’s yesterday.
A fair preview with a difference on London's Hampstead Heath
13 June 2016People out for an early morning jog or dog walk on Hampstead Heath, London had a bit of a surprise today as heads were turned by seven artworks on display to promote the forthcoming return of the Affordable Art Fair.
‘Vital changes’ needed to looted art bill as dealers says definition of ‘cultural property’ is too vague
13 June 2016The UK Government’s cultural property bill currently going through parliament needs “vital changes” to be workable and to safeguard “legitimate art market interests”, says the Antiquities Dealers’ Association (ADA).
Sale of Pelé’s collection sets £3.6m record for football auction
10 June 2016The auction of Pelé’s personal collection became most lucrative sale of football memorabilia in history with the 2000 items totalling £3.6m including premium with 100% of the lots sold.
Pelé’s 1970 World Cup winner’s medal makes £280,000 and sets new auction record
09 June 2016An auction record was set for any football medal as Pelé’s 1970 World Cup winner’s medal was knocked down at £280,000 in London this evening.
Will Pelé’s 1970 World Cup winner’s medal set auction record?
09 June 2016The auction of Pelé’s vast collection of memorabilia concludes in London today where the highlight on offer at the third and final day of the sale will be the Brazilian legend’s winner’s medal from the 1970 World Cup.
US collector splashes out £2.48m on four Shakespeare folios at Christie’s
27 May 2016A private US collector spent £2.48m at Christie’s, acquiring all four of the early William Shakespeare folios on offer in a specially-staged auction.
John Constable ‘six-footer’ headlines Christie’s British art auction
26 May 2016Christie’s have announced that a major landscape by John Constable will be among the works on offer at their Defining British Art sale in London this summer.
Greenwich museums launch campaign to secure £10m Armada Portrait which ‘could’ be sold on the open market
25 May 2016Royal Museums Greenwich are attempting to raise £10m to buy a version of The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I. The work currently belongs to descendants of Sir Francis Drake but the institution say that unless the required funds are raised, the painting “could be sold on the open market and even go overseas”.
Christie’s fined £3250 for offering ‘unworked’ elephant ivory trophy
24 May 2016Christie’s have admitted to “an honest and genuine mistake” by putting up for sale an ivory and kutch silver trophy that contravened CITES regulations.
Rare Breguet watch nets £2.4m
20 May 2016A watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) became the second most expensive piece by the Swiss maker when it sold to a private Swiss museum for triple-estimate SFr3.25m (£2.35m) including premium at Christie’s Geneva.