Don't overlook foreign auction catalogues

   Foreign auction catalogues from Europe and the Far East are a good way to discover artists who have yet to establish themselves beyond their native shores. You may not be able to read the bulk of the text but there should be enough clues to allow you to do further research online. As an admirer of realist paintings, I'd like to show you four paintings from a recent sale of Chinese modern and contemporary art at Poly Auctions in Beijing. I will be putting quite a few of their catalogues online for sale shortly.

   There are digital watermarks (not my doing) on one or two of these images so be aware if you use them.

   First up is Man of Butuo by Luo Zhongli:

   Painted in 1988 and measuring 26"x21", it was estimated at £60,000-70,000. It sold for £108,000.

   Tibetan Girl by Ai Xuan, painted in 1993, 20"x24". Estimated at £82,000-123,000, sold for £106,000.

   Tibetan Men by Yu Hanxi, painted in 2011, 90½"x171¼". Estimated at £154,000-184,000, it sold for £224,000.

      Girl in Red Scarf by Yan Yaya, painted in 2006, 63"x59". Estimated at £22,500-26,000, it sold for £35,000.

   I could have added more, but this is only one catalogue and I've got loads. Keep an eye out for when I list them. When are you going to get an opportunity otherwise to pick up Beijing catalogues for a song?

   This catalogue is now in the 'books for sale' post below.

Books for sale

   Well, it's Christmas, so whilst I've got a bit of free time (the market doesn't start again until Jan 7th) I thought I'd try something new. I plan to list a number of books on the blog that will be available to people who can't get out to East London to visit my stall.

   To begin with, since postage of books is quite prohibitive, they'll only be available to those people with a WORK address in the following London postcodes: W1, WC1, WC2, EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4, E1, SE1, SW1. Delivery will be FREE by courier (i.e. me).

   Books will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Payment can be made via Paypal once you've received an invoice. Or COD if preferred. Simply e-mail me at womblegrinchgrumbler@talktalk.net to see if your selection(s) is still available.

   Right, let's get the first one up there. You won't get them cheaper elsewhere with the bonus of free delivery.

The Ullens Collection - The Nascence of Avant Garde China - Sotheby Hong Kong April 3rd 2011. Hardback. 106 lots. Text in English and Chinese. Includes the triptych by Zhang Xiaogang Forever Lasting Love which set a record price for a work of Asian Contemporary Art. Cover shows Mao Zedong: P2 by Wang Guangyi.


   £5.00

Modern & Contemporary Photographs auction catalogue - Grisebach Auctions, Munich, November 23rd 2011. 177 lots. Text in German.  English translation available online. Photo on cover by Ralph Gibson. You can view the catalogue here.  Also included is a photo poster of Paul Newman & Lee Marvin by Terry O'Neill (lot 2080).


   £5.00  

Modern & Post-War British Art auction catalogue - Sotheby's London November 15th & 16th 2011. Evening sale and Day sale. 161 lots. Pictured on the cover is Red, Black and White, Leeds, 1955 by Sir Terry Frost, estimated at £150,000-250,000.

   £4.00

20th Century British & Irish Art auction catalogue - Bonhams London November 16th 2011. 146 lots. Pictured on the cover is E.O.W., Nude on Bed by Frank Auerbach, painted in 1959, estimated at £500,000-800,000.




   £4.00

Latin American Art auction catalogue - Phillips de Pury, New York, November 14th & 15th 2011. 141 lots. Pictured on the cover is detail of Ambiente Virtual II, by Adriana Varejão, oil on canvas, estimated at US$500,000-700,000. You can download the catalogue here. Much better to have it in the flesh.


   £5.00

Design Masters auction catalogue - Phillips de Pury, New York, December 13th 2011. 75 lots. Pictured on the cover is detail of a pair of 'Gonse' armchairs, model no 278 NR, c.1930-1932, by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, estimated at US$600,000-800,000. You can download the catalogue here. Can't pop a download on your coffee table though.


   £4.00

Antiquities including property from the collection of Dodie Rosekrans auction catalogue - Sotheby's New York, December 8th 2011. 71 lots. Smallish catalogue. Pictured on the cover is a marble head of Zeus Ammon, Roman Imperial, c. A.D.120-160, estimated at US$800,000-1,200,000.


   £2.00 

Russian Art - Paintings and Works of Art, Fabergé & Icons auction catalogue - Sotheby's London, November 29th & 30th 2011. 529 lots. Pictured on the cover is detail of Voevoda (Boyarin Morozov) by Evgeni Alexandrovich Lanceray, bronze sculpture, height 16", length 11½", estimated at £20,000-30,000.


   £5.00

Vasilii Polenov - He that is without sin and He is guilty of death auction catalogue. Bonhams London, November 30th 2011. 2 lots. Expanded lot descriptions. Part of the Russian Sale. Pictured on the cover is He that is without sin, 1908, estimated at £1,200,000-1,800,000. You can see Polenov's wiki entry here.


   £2.00

The Russian Sale auction catalogue. Bonhams London, November 30th 2011. 299 lots. Pictured on the cover is a page from two volumes of illustrated inventories of jewellery and bibelots from 1880-1912, the property of Ksenia Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, estimated at £150,000-250,000.


   £4.00





Velázquez - Portrait of a Gentleman auction catalogue. Bonhams London December 7th 2011. Hardback. Expanded catalogue entry for the newly attributed painting by Diego Velázquez, estimated at £2,000,000-3,000,000.


   £2.50



 


 
Louis Boudreault - Destinées exhibition catalogue. Tornabuoni Art, Paris, September 12th- October 8th 2011. Text in French and English. Boudreault is a French contemporary artist who has produced childhood portraits of many of the twentieth century's prominent figures including Marcel Proust, Maria Callas, Simone de Beauvoir, Serge Gainsbourg, & Mahatma Gandhi. Pictured on the cover is his portrait of Pablo Picasso. You can see more of the images from the exhibition here.


   £5.00
 



Clyfford Still auction catalogue. Sotheby's, New York, November 9th 2011. 4 lots, sold by The City of Denver to benefit The Clyfford Still Museum. Expanded lot descriptions from entries in the Contemporary Art auction catalogue.


   £3.00






Magnificent Tiffany including property from the estate of Jeanne Laverne Dailey auction catalogue. Christie's, New York, December 17th 2011. Pictured on the cover is detail of a 'Poinsettia' leaded glass and bronze table lamp c. 1910 estimated at US$120,000-180,000.

   £4.00

New Day - Artists for Japan benefit auction catalogue in aid of the victims of the Tohoku-Pacific Earthquake & Tsunami. Christie's, New York, November 9th 2011. Artists who donated works which raised in excess of US$8,000,000 included: Mark Grotjahn, Damien Hirst, Thomas Houseago, KAWS, Jeff Koons, Friedrich Kunath, MR., Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, Gabriel Orozco, Anselm Reyle, Cindy Sherman, Aya Takano, Luc Tuymans, & Zeng Fanzhi. Pictured on the cover is New Day: Face of the Artist by Takashi Murakami estimated at US$350,000-450,000.


   £4.00

 Artists for Haiti benefit auction catalogue in aid of the victims of the Haiti earthquake of January 2010. Christie's, New York, September 22nd 2011. 25 artists donated 26 works including Louise Bourgeois, Cecily Brown, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Martin Kippenberger, Jeff Koons, Raymond Pettibon, Elizabeth Peyton, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, & Zhang Huan. Pictured on the cover is No Title (But the sand...) by Raymond Pettibon, estimated at US$300,000-500,000.


   £5.00

Arts d'Orient et Orientalisme auction catalogue. Millon Auctions, Paris, December 7th 2011. Orientalist paintings and works of art. 323 lots. Pictured on the cover is detail from Le Grand Ahouache de Telouet, by Edy Legrand, estimated at €140,000-180,000.


   £4.00

 Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art - Day Sale auction catalogue. Poly Auctions, Beijing, December 4th 2011. 169 lots. Text in Chinese with artist's name, dates and painting title in English. This is the catalogue from which the four paintings in the above post were taken. Pictured on the cover is Flower by Liu Wei, 20"x20", painted in 2006. Estimated at £103,000-123,000, the painting failed to sell this time round.


   £5.00



 

 Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art auction catalogue. Cheng Xuan Auctions, Beijing, November 12th 2011. 148 lots. Text in Chinese with brief description and provenance in English. Pictured on the cover is detail from an outstanding blue and white Ming-style melon dish, Yongzheng Mark and Period, Qing Dynasty, estimated at £205,000-256,000, it failed to sell. You can view the catalogue online for a limited time here.

   £4.00

Asian Art II auction catalogue. Woolley & Wallis Auctioneers, Salisbury, England, November 17th 2011. 539 lots. Woolley & Wallis along with Tennants are the biggest provincial auction houses in the UK for asian art outside of London. This is the second part of the November sale (there is a similar sale in May). Nearly all estimates are below £1,000. Pictured on the cover The Hongs of Canton - Chinese School, 19th century, estimated at £600-800.


   £3.00

Modern & Contemporary Chinese Art - The Important Artworks of Wu Guanzhong auction catalogue. Poly Auctions, Beijing, December 3rd, 2011. 30 lots. Text in Chinese with titles, medium and estimates in English. Wu Guanzhong is a leading master in 20th-century Chinese painting. His distinctive painting style, having successfully assimilated Western techniques of abstraction, is both Chinese in outlook and modern in conception. Wu is one of the few Chinese artists to have established a reputation both in China and the West. Pictured on the cover is detail of Early Spring, painted in 1974, oil on canvas, estimated at £900,000-1,500,000.
                                    £4.00 

 Rose Corcoran - Spirit exhibition catalogue. Sladmore Contemporary Gallery, London, Nov 24th-Dec 18th 2009. 36pp. Big game animal artworks in pastel and charcoal. You can see the images by having a look at her website here.


   £2.00

 Historic Arms and Armour auction catalogue. Hessink's, Nijmegen, Holland, January 27th 2007. 527lots. Tri-lingual text in Dutch, German, and English. Good selection of European armour, bladed weapons and percussion armaments.


   £5.00

Bookstall is NOT on today Dec 3rd - no room at the inn, BUT

   Due to it being the run-up to Christmas, demand for spaces at Netil Market is at a premium. With my appearance at the market being weather-dependent, I've delayed booking my spot and so consequently I've missed out on my usual space at the market throughout December. All is not lost though, as Netil Market will be open on Sundays for the next three weeks i.e. the 4th, 11th & 18th December. I plan to be there each day, starting tomorrow. More new books, a few wine boxes and loads of Cuban cigar boxes.