Art and antiques news from 2006

Pottery specialist to leave landmark Kensington Church Street premises for Mount Street

Madame Tussauds added Winston Churchill to their waxwork tableaux for the first time in 1908, but had produced another half dozen portraits before his death in 1965. The last of them was put up for sale by Dominic Winter on May 18.

LONDON-based organisers Gay Hutson and Angela ‘Bunny’ Wynn are relaunching their February Art on Paper as a broader-based international art fair. The first 20/21 International Art Fair will be held at The Royal College of Art, Kensington from February 22 to 25, 2007.

“It is indeed a lovely spot of earth, lonely and secluded; the wood full of game, the lake full of fish, and nature full of poetry.” Luggala, as so eloquently observed by Hermann, Prince von Pückler-Muskau after a visit in 1828, is one of the most beautiful private estates in Ireland.

AUSTRALIA have rejected Droit de Suite.

The ownership of this c.1760 Irish mahogany side table was traced by the late Sir Charles Brett, a prominent Ulster attorney and leading Irish historian, to his descendent Charles Brett of Belfast (1752-1829). He was a wine merchant in Belfast and Bordeaux in the 1780s and his many business concerns included interests in the Belfast Glass Works, Distillery, Chamber of Commerce and Shipping.

CHRISTIE’S May 17 sale of Partridge stock in New York went according to plan, with a hammer total of $12.5m (£6.65m).

New degree demands a higher entry qualification in bid to win RICS backing

THE launch of a new collecting agency for the artist’s resale levy has broken the monopoly of The Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS). The Bridgeman Art Library, one of the world’s leading sources of fine art images, told ATG that they have set up a new company called Artists’ Collecting Society (ACS) to collect the levy on behalf of artists in the UK.

“This bureau was bought by my Great Grandfather, John Stuart, at the sale of Deacon Brodie’s stock in trade after his execution, W.M. Stuart, the Hummel, Gullane, 18.10.28.”

A NEW code of conduct has been agreed to offer standard guidelines for locating and unearthing treasure trove.

“This was the earliest Cup Final programme I’ve ever seen,” said Graham Budd (15% buyer’s premium), referring to lot 747 in his sale on May 9-10 in association with Sotheby’s Olympia.

THE world stamp market is reeling this week after what could prove to be a €5bn pyramid selling scheme was unmasked in Spain.

BONHAMS have brokered a last-minute deal to save the unrivalled Jonathan Minns Collection of Industrial Archaeological Artefacts from being split up.

ATG have learnt that the strong prices for precious metals on the commodities market has meant some dealers have started selling silver and gold antiques as scrap.

Hedge funds continue to stake a claim on big-ticket names

SOTHEBY’S have recorded a 30 per cent rise in first quarter revenues from 2005, with the 2006 total coming in at $96m.

Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull unveiled two new appointments at the official opening of their new London office on Tuesday, March 9.

PHILLIPS de Pury & Company are to open a new London saleroom and hold a special Contemporary Art and Design auction on October 14 during the Frieze fair.

Pablo Picasso has become the ultimate luxury brand. On May 3 at Sotheby’s New York Picasso’s rare and iconic 1941 portrait, Dora Maar au chat, became the world’s second most expensive painting when it sold for $85m (£48.3m) to a mystery buyer in the room, widely presumed to be representing a Russian oligarch.