Art Market

A significant collection of works by George Bissill (1896-1973), the Derbyshire miner who enjoyed some fleeting success as an artist in the 1920s-30s but who later died largely forgotten, emerged recently at Mallams (25% buyer’s premium) in Oxford.

Despite his famous name, the artist Henry Strachey (1863-1940) has never had much prominence at auction, with only around a dozen works having emerged.

In 1602 the Dutch painter and printmaker Jan Saenredam made an engraving of a whale that had been washed ashore near the town of Beverwijk.

There are only three other known examples of this early David Hockney (b.1937) etching titled 'Self-Portrait (not in S.A.C. or Tokyo)'.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the Nobel prize-winning poet, writer, composer, philosopher and social reformer, began to practise as an artist aged 60.

American artist Alfred Cohen (1920-2001) was inspired by the colour and handling of the Post-Impressionists and the imagery of the Commedia dell’arte.

The sale at Thomas R Callan (20% buyer’s premium) in Ayr on December 3-4 included a sketchbook by George Chinnery (1774-1852) dated 1838.

Fresh generations of the famous family added to hall’s collections to create eclectic mix. Jonathan Franks reports.

It 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.

While 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.

Modern British sculptures were the main attraction at Wotton Auction Rooms’ (18% buyer’s premium) recent sale at Stouts Hill Manor.

Trademark colourful picture features people depicted with a distinctive style of limbs.

An artist’s painting of his wife turned heads at a recent David Lay (18% buyer’s premium) auction in Penzance, selling over 10 times above estimate.

In 1946 the artist Laura Knight (1877-1970) was commissioned by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee to create a painting of the Nuremberg Trials.

Shepeard collection includes a drawing thought to be an unrecorded portrait of the artist

Two Banksy prints donated to charity set high prices for their respective individual editions at a Bristol auction.

Two works by ‘kitchen sink’ realist John Bratby (1928-92) were offered in the latest picture sale at Olympia Auctions (25% buyer’s premium).

A sight increasingly uncommon at auction – the trade outbidding private buyers on key lots of Modern art – occurred a number of times at Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) latest sale in this category.

New York dealer chooses ideal time to disperse a select group of works at dedicated auction.

Lyon & Turnbull’s (25/20% buyer’s premium) auction to disperse the contents of Lowood House may well be best remembered for the early 16th century maiolica dish which fetched a mighty £1.04m – reported on the front page of ATG No 2513.