Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Bravo to ZERO
25 April 2022The starting point for the careers of many of the most successful Post-war German artists was the group ZERO which came into existence in the late 1950s.
Kubin’s disturbing demonic creations to be offered in Basel
14 March 2022Works by Alfred Kubin will be offered at a Swiss auction this month.
Sale season off to a roaring start in Germany
14 March 2022The most cherished coin from the reign of Victoria proved popular at a German saleroom
Painting inspired by icy adventures sails into Stuttgart auction
14 March 2022For several years, from 1902-06, the 'Oihonna', an ice-strengthened passenger ship belonging to the Finland Steamship Company, undertook regular cruises to the Norwegian archipelago of Spitzbergen.
Wiener Werkstätte design catches the eye at Metz
14 March 2022Among the eye-catchers in the general auction at Metz in Heidelberg on March 25-26 is a small, partly enamelled silver box with a gilt interior.
Commode linked to Parisian ebeniste Nicolas Sageot offered in Swiss sale
14 March 2022Among the contemporaries of André Charles Boulle, who perfected the complex form of marquetry that bears his name, was the Parisian ebeniste Nicolas Sageot.
Collection from German castle hidden in wooden crates for 90 years emerges in Munich
14 March 2022More than 600 lots at Neumeister’s Munich sale on March 30 have been hidden from public view for 90 years, packed in wooden crates.
French inventor Colmar's Arithmomètre sells in German saleroom
14 March 2022Although the French inventor Charles-Xavier Thomas de Colmar introduced the first model of his calculating machine Arithmomètre in 1820, he waited some 30 years before he started producing them in series.
Brockhusen depicts Berlin with a van Gogh influence
14 March 2022After training at the Art Academy in Königsberg, the German painter Theo von Brockhusen moved to Berlin in 1905.
Highlights from central Europe including a British dealer bidding 85-times estimate for a portrait copy
17 January 2022ATG picks out 16 recent stand-out items making waves in German, Austrian and Swiss salerooms
Sale reflects centuries of Sitwells
10 January 2022Fresh generations of the famous family added to hall’s collections to create eclectic mix. Jonathan Franks reports.
Greek shippers deliver further highlights to London
10 January 2022While the Tiepolo drawing caused the biggest stir at the Roseberys (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) November 17 sale (see separate story in this edition), there were several other notable results, writes Jonathan Franks.
Tiepolo at the double
10 January 2022It is thought that Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) executed at least a hundred drawings featuring the Punchinelli, the hook-nosed, humpbacked clowns which were central to the commedia dell’arte. Jonathan Franks reports.
Artist supervised by Matisse met a tragic end in wartime
29 November 2021The German painter Rudolf Levy was born in north Germany, but was at home in many parts of Europe.
New direction in von Bechtejeff’s career
29 November 2021Although he was born and died in Moscow, the decisive phase of Wladimir von Bechtejeff’s artistic development can be dated to his time in Germany.
German Expressionist Arnold Topp headlines Munich auction
29 November 2021For many decades, the name Arnold Topp meant little to art collectors.
Venice in large format in Vienna
29 November 2021Star of the show at Dorotheum (28/25% buyer’s premium) in Vienna on November 9 was a large-format Venetian scene, painted by Luigi Querena in 1865.
Russian icon inspires bidding battle in Germany
29 November 2021Russian interest drives €125,000 result in Germany.
Late 18th century clock to turn heads in German auction
29 November 2021A late 18th century clock at auction in Germany has links to a French architect.
Four seasons in rock crystal form
27 September 2021One of the unusual lots in the glass sale at Dr Fischer in Heilbronn on October 16 is a mid-17th century wooden casket, the sides and top panel of which are fitted with engraved rock crystal panels.