And while ATG carries on informing and stimulating its readers with exceptional coverage of developments and news across the art world, Forum Auctions continues to expand the range of our departments, publishing ever more informative catalogues and stimulating clients’ collecting habits around the world.
In the 12 months since writing our sponsor message in last year’s supplement, Forum has held 68 auctions in London, Rome and New York, selling over 7800 lots for realisations exceeding £9m.
This last year saw our first auction in New York, with 37 of 40 Banksy prints selling for a combined $1m-plus; indeed, Forum has become the go-to destination for both buyers and sellers of Banksy’s editions, having now handled over £2m in sales of the artist’s work. December’s NYC auction included Girl with Balloon at $137,500 – a world record for a Banksy edition, joining 31 further Forum auction world records for the artist.
Books of course remain our mainstay, representing over 50% of sales and successes with single owner collections like the Edge Hall library, selling in October 2017 for a doubleestimate total of £700,000 mean that we are attracting increasing numbers of participants to our sales and, crucially, important consignments globally.
Our formula combines the quickest route to market for ‘general sale’ books and works on paper material. The model comprises fortnightly online-only sales, 21-day vendor payments and a market-leading digital presence, as well as bimonthly Fine and Important Books & Works on Paper sales.
Visitors to the ABA Rare Book Fair London in May, taking place at Evolution in Battersea Park and a 10-minute walk from our offices, are promised a beguiling preview of our May, June and July auctions as reward for the detour.
In early July we are privileged to offer The Rothamsted Collection in what will undoubtedly be one of 2018’s landmark bibliophile auctions. Carefully assembled by Rothamsted director Sir John Russell during the inter-war years, it features the Lawes Agricultural Library, one of the most respected institutional holdings of agricultural books in the world and covering all aspects of farming and rural interest, including gardening and food and drink.
The library holds over 3000 volumes, including important medieval manuscripts and printed books, ranging from a fine copy of the 1471 Crescentiis to the mid 19th century, with numerous rarities from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Reginald Scot’s 'A Perfite Platforme of a Hoppe Garden, 1576', an excellent copy of the second edition of the first English work on hops, estimate £4000-6000 as part of the Rothamsted Collection: Rarities from the Lawes Agricultural Library to be sold by Forum Auctions at the Westbury Hotel, Mayfair on July 10.
Impressive provenances
Amongst the many attributes of the collection are the impressive provenances of the most significant works, many of which have not appeared at auction for decades.
We look forward, as ever, to welcoming you through our doors over the coming 12 months. Whether your interest lies with antiquarian books, contemporary editions, photographs, 20th century literature, Old Master prints or wine, we promise you an interesting and entertaining experience.
And, whilst we take this opportunity to herald the many developments on Forum’s horizon, it is of course equally important to thank our loyal and engaged customers, many of whom we see with gratifying regularity.
Rupert Powell, Forum Auctions Deputy Chairman, International Head of Books.
“Rothamsted will be one of 2018’s landmark auctions”
