Art Market

Recent stand-out lots from salerooms in Basel, Zurich, Constance, Stuttgart and Dresden

'Five Circles' first appeared as part of Ben Nicholson’s (1894-1982) publication 23 Gravures in 1934 and was then released as a limited-edition print. The initial run of approximately 30 signed copies was followed by various reprintings.

Among the publishing houses that helped put Modern British prints on the map was The Curwen Studio.

Modern prints can offer the chance to own interesting and eye-catching works, including those by well-known artists, without needing to invest large sums of money. This makes prints a viable option for collectors on a smaller budget as well as those just starting out.

The linocuts produced by artists from the Grosvenor School in London, which ran from 1925-40, have been one of the liveliest areas of the Modern British prints market in the last 15-20 years.

Most prints are closely connected with an artist’s wider oeuvre. A few good Welsh examples were on offer at Rogers Jones (22% buyer’s premium) in Cardiff on April 17.

The best competition at a recent mixed-category sale came for two Old Masters.

Edward Seago was a favourite of the establishment, royals in particular, but has a wider appeal such as his views of Hong Kong

Another white-glove group of items featured at Parker Fine Art earlier this year when all 300 picture frame lots sold in its first sale of 2021, raising a hammer total of £38,400.

A Constable-esque landscape turned a few heads at Chorley’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) latest fine art and antiques sale.

Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt was one of the stand-out lots in a 300-lot white-glove auction.

Two studies by the climber/artist/photographer are bought by London dealer Mitchell

Five paintings representing the five senses by Henri Guillaume Schlesinger offered by Bonhams boasted a French royal provenance.

An eight-lot sale in New York titled A Family Collection: Works on Paper, Van Gogh to Freud raised a premium-inclusive total of $25.3m (£18.2m).

It is often said there is a strict hierarchy for the prices of game bird pictures by the great ornithological artist Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935).

Tennants offered a well-received 70-lot sale dedicated to views mostly of Yorkshire from a private collection last month.

Oil bought by the vendor directly from the artist Lucy Harwood features a still-life on the reverse

Depiction of one McNeill sister sets a record while portrait of her sibling also appears at another auction

More Mod Brit delights from the Freer collection kept in a house full to bursting point

Portraits boosted takings at Mallams’ (24% buyer’s premium) latest picture sale in Oxford.