Bookstall is on today April 30th.

   Looks like another good day, lots of new stuff on the stall this week. The sale continues - all the auction catalogues are £2.00 each or less, except Forthcoming Auctions which are 'as priced'. I've a few cigar boxes this week but only a couple of wine boxes, so you'd better be quick!

Richard Estes painting in Christie's Post-War & Contemporary Art sale May 12th

   A 2007 painting from the Antarctica series will go under the hammer at Christie's New York on May 12th. Antarctica VI was one of eleven paintings that were exhibited at the Marlborough Gallery in 2008.

   From the Lot Notes:
    'Richard Estes' cinematic portrayal of Antarctica in Antarctica VI is one of the largest and grandest of the Antarctica series. Antarctica VI introduces Estes as an extremely accomplished painter of landscape, in this instance Estes' focus is on a desolate and transient antarctic ice-shelf, ever shifting in form while adrift at sea. The subject of this painting is most curious as it appears to deviate quite strongly from the work that we are used to seeing by the artist, compressed city scapes shattered by impossibly complex mirror, glass and enamel reflections.
    Antarctica VI is incredibly effective in its well-considered format and composition. Estes places the viewer in his shoes, in the moment, as an explorer recording a remote and hostile environment with a handheld camera. We can deduce that the camera is being held out at arm's length to best capture the landscape yet still including a sliver of the passenger boat at far right so as to keep us grounded and in "the moment", not one of complete transcendence, he gets us close but ultimately holds back from the idealised pastiche of 19th century landscape painting.

   The painting is estimated at US$450,000-550,000.

   You can see all the paintings from the Antarctica series as well as dozens of other ones by Richard Estes here.
 

Edward Wrangham Coll of Japanese Art II at Bonhams London May 10th

From the Press Release:
    Following the success of Part 1 of the Edward Wrangham Collection in November 2010, which realised over £2 million and included a world record price for an inro sold at auction, Bonhams has announced the second sale of the collection that will take place at Bonhams, New Bond Street on 10th May.

    Considered one of Europe's most important and comprehensive private collections of Japanese Gentleman's accessories, it was formed by the late environmentalist, mountaineer, scholar and collector Edward Wrangham OBE. 

   An extremely rare early 20th century, roiro lacquer four-case inro by Shirayama Shosai (1853-1923) is one of the top lots in the sale and is estimated to sell for £20,000 – 30,000. Finely lacquered in gold, the inro depicts a full-length portrait of the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro IX, a contemporary of the artist.

   Ichikawa Danjuro was one of the most famous and successful Kabuki actors during the late 19th century Meiji Period in Japan, and is widely credited with ensuring that the traditional art form remained vibrant as Japan struggled with Westernisation. Represented in a Shibaraku role, one of the most popular pieces in the Kabuki repertoire, he is showing off a fan, with the large square sleeves of the extravagant costume continuing on the reverse. Works by Shirayama Shosai, one the most important lacquer artists of the time, are very rare and highly sought after.

    Further highlights include a stunning roiro lacquer five-case inro by the renowned lacquer artist Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), also of the Meiji Period. Decorated in gold, silver and black, with a finch perched on a finely detailed cherry branch, with a mosquito; the exquisite inro is estimated to sell for £20,000-25,000. A lacquer four-case inro by Shibata Zeshin is also estimated to sell for £20,000-25,000.

    In addition to the exquisite collection of ino, netsuke and sword fittings, the Edward Wrangam Collection also includes works of art. A woven writing box, in gold and silver lacquer, by Mochizuki Hanzan in the 18th century, depicts the fable of Rosei. The figure of Rosei is reclining on a bench, beside the terrace of a pavilion framed by rocks and trees, holding a fan over his face as he dreams. The box is estimated to sell for£15,000-20,000.

   The online catalogue can be seen here.

Bonhams New York Photographs sale May 10th

From the press release:

   Bonhams will present 170 lots of stunning photography from famed artists Hiroshi Sugimoto, Edward Weston, Richard Misrach, Ansel Adams, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton and Garry Winogrand amongst others during its Fine Photographs auction in New York.

The auction features several notable highlights, among them are two highly anticipated Hiroshi Sugimoto's Colors of Shadow prints (est. $30,000-50,000). They are a prime example of the artist's initial experimentation with pigment printing, used to illustrate bare geometric interior spaces, and they are the first of their type to be offered at auction.

Also, new to the auction market is Edward Weston's abstract silver gelatin print, Model for Mould (est. $10,000-15,000). This print is an anomaly when compared to the other images of the same period, such as desert-scapes and nudes.

O. Winston Link (American, 1914-2000) Hot Shot Eastbound, Iager, West Virginia, 1957
Gelatin silver print, printed 1992, 15 1/2 x 19 3/8in

Estimate: US$8,000-12,000

    You can view the online catalogue here.

Tribal Art Sale at Bonhams New York May 12th

   Bonhams New York is set to offer 225 lots of ethnographica in its sale of African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art on May 12th.

   Included in the sale is Lot 2058: 'a Maori whalebone club, length 15in, wahaika, cut from the pan bone of a sperm whale and extremely thin and balanced, carved with a full-figure tiki on the handle and abstract tiki face on the butt end; varied and aged patina with natural pitting, the surface with scratches indicative of being made by chipping and sawing with stone tools.' Estimate: US$4,000-6,000, (€2,800-4,200).

 The full online catalogue can be seen here.

African Tribal Art sale at Dorotheum Vienna May 3rd

   The 152 items on offer can lay claim to a famous provenance, namely the private collection of Austria's most prominent collector Prof. Rudolf Leopold (1925-2010). Leopold was primarily known as a collector of Schiele and Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) art. What is less widely known is that since the early 1960s he had been collecting tribal art with an emphasis on objects from native African culture. The collector's legendary keen eye for exceptional quality manifests itself in this section of the Leopold collection, which is largely unknown to the general public. Following the collector's death the family has decided to reduce the extensive and significant estate to its essential core of 19th and 20th century Austrian paintings. Consequently, the "unknown" Leopold collection is now coming up for auction at the Dorotheum including masks, ancestral figures, musical instruments, decorative art, and cult and ceremonial pieces.

   One of the highlights of the auction is the Ngil Fang helmet mask of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon (estimate: €20,000-40,000). Another mask originates from Guro, Ivory Coast. The finely finished headdress is bound by four amulet-purses into a characteristic tall plait (€ 6,000 - 10,000).

   From Mbala/Suku in the Democratic Republic of Congo there is a rare male figure hewn from wood dyed with powdered redwood. Such sculptures were kept by chiefs in their houses to confirm and underline their authority. A shiny, dark brown patina adorns the 84cm high, Janus-faced half-length figure from Bambara, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso (€15,000-20,000).

   The Nigerian Yoruba people exhibit the anthropological anomaly of having an unusually high incidence of twins. If one of the twins died, sculptors would create a surrogate figure from wood, which was treated exactly like a living child and would be swaddled, fed, washed and so on. This auction includes one such twin figure.

   The Janus-faced ancestral pair from Luba/Hemba in the Democratic Republic of Congo consists of a male and a female head: a magical substance was stored in the space between the heads (€4,000-7,000).

   The online catalogue can be found here.

Photographs auction at Heritage NY on May 2nd

From the press release:

   'Irving Penn, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and Annie Leibovitz originals highlight the photography sale at Heritage Auctions, New York on May 2nd.

   Irving Penn’s Harlequin Dress, Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, 1950, a Platinum-Palladium print from 1979, an acknowledged masterpiece from one of the greatest fashion photographers to ever pick up a camera, is expected to bring over $150,000. This legendary image is accompanied by four more Penn images in the auction, including Penn’s Woman in Dior Hat with Martini (Lisa Fonssagrives- Penn), 1952, a Gelatin Silver print, estimated at over $30,000.
   Half a dozen photographs from early 20^th Century master photographer Edward Weston are included in the auction, including a vintage gelatin silver print of Weston’s Pepper (No. 14), 1929 (estimate: $50,000+) and his elegant and understated Nude, 1936 (estimate: $5,000+), a gelatin silver printed later by Weston’s son, Cole.
   Continuing the great American photography from the top names of the early 20^th Century, Heritage will be offering 12 images from the lens of America’s greatest naturalist photographer, Ansel Adams, led by his impressive Moon and Half Dome, 1960, a gelatin silver print from c. 1970, estimated at over $25,000.

    Few modern American photographers are more influential, collectible and highly revered than Annie Leibovitz, and the May 2 Heritage event will not disappoint collectors with five examples of Leibovitz’s work making an appearance in the auction, led by a print of what is likely her most famous photo, John and Yoko, New York, December 8, 1980, estimated at over $20,000. “This famous image was taken on the morning of Dec. 8, 1980 at The Dakota, tragically the same day Lennon was shot,” said Ed Jaster of Heritage Auctions. “Beyond being Leibovitz’s most famous image, it’s easily the most recognizable, and likely the greatest, rock and roll magazine cover image ever, appearing as it did as the cover to the January 1981 Rolling Stone issue dedicated to Lennon. Few images have ever so clearly conveyed both its subject and its meaning to broader public than this iconic photo.”

   Helmut Newton was one of the great fashion photographers of all time and his work continues to be in demand at auction, as evidenced by the four examples in this auction, including a vintage gelatin silver print of his Roselyne at Arcangues, 1975, estimated at over $35,000.'

   Further details of the 190 lots and the online catalogue can be found  here.

Yohji Yamamoto photo shoots exhibition until May 14th

   Yohji’s Women - 'As part of the 30-year celebration of iconic Japanese fashion designer, Yohji Yamamoto, The Wapping Project Bankside will show seven photographers who first found their individual voices as part of the thrilling burst of creativity engendered by Yamamoto’s presence in Europe.'

   The seven photographers featured are: Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, Craig McDean, Sarah Moon, Paolo Roversi, Max Vadukul, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

    Full details of the exhibition can be found here.

Vintage posters at Christie's Sth Kensington May 12th + Russian Posters website

   205 vintage travel and advertising posters will be offered at Christie's South Kensington on May 12th from Britain, Europe & Russia. Among them is a poster by the Stenberg Brothers similar to one that made £15,000 in November's sale.

 

THEATRE KAMERNY DE MOSCOU Estimate: £7,000-9,000 

   You can look at the online catalogue here.


   There's a Russian Posters website that may also be of interest which you can trawl around to find other Stenberg Brothers posters such as this one, as well as hundreds of others:

 The Battleship Potyemkin

   You can find the list of poster artists here.

Treasures of Afghanistan at the British Museum until July 3rd

   Afghanistan - Crossroads of the Ancient World exhibition at the British Museum, Gt Russell St, London, displays over 200 stunning objects ranging from Hellenistic Greek sculptures, enamelled Roman glass and polished stone tableware brought from Egypt, and delicate inlaid gold personal ornaments worn by the nomadic elite. Together they showcase the trading and cultural connections of Afghanistan and how it benefited from being on an important crossroads of the ancient world.

   In addition to the exhibition of objects loaned by the National Museum of Afghanistan, twenty fragments of intricately carved and coloured ivory inlays will be going on public display for the first time since the outbreak of war in Afghanistan in 1979. The ivories from the ancient city of Begram were stolen during the looting of the National Museum of Afghanistan between 1992 and 1994 but were recently identified and salvaged abroad and are now being returned to Afghanistan. They represent about 10% of those looted. These beautiful pieces are among Afghanistan’s most famous collections. They date from the 1st century AD and are the centrepiece of a section highlighting current projects to safeguard and promote cultural heritage in Afghanistan.

Indian ivory furniture support from Begram, 1st century AD

   Also to be returned to Kabul after the exhibition will be a four foot high stone Buddha dating to the 2nd or 3rd Century AD depicting the miracle of Shravasti stolen around 1990.

   The full article with opening times and prices can be seen here.

Cyclepedia - Bicycle Design book

   Cyclepedia - A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs. Edited by Michael Embacher. Foreword by Paul Smith. Published by Thames & Hudson. Released March 2011.  224 pages. 457 colour illustrations. £19.95.

   Cyclepedia is a superbly-photographed celebration of the best bicycles designed over the past 90 years.

   This unique selection of exemplary bicycles includes classic racing bikes that been in events such as the Tour de France, high-tech machines that use the latest in material science and aerodynamics, eccentric bikes designed for purposes such as cycling on ice, and rarities coveted by serious collector.

Treasures of Macedon at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford until Aug 29th

   In the first major archaeological exhibition in the new temporary exhibition galleries, the Ashmolean Museum will showcase over five hundred treasures made of gold, silver and bronze, recently found in the royal burial tombs and the palace of Aegae, the ancient capital of Macedon.

    These extraordinary new discoveries are on display for the first time outside Greece. They re-write the history of early Greece and tell the story of the royal court and the kings and queens who governed Macedon, from the descendents of Heracles to the ruling dynasty of Alexander the Great.

 It is said that this exhibition is the most important Greek cultural event in many years. From the astounding finds made by the late Professor Manolis Andronikos in the 1970s to the recent discoveries of the past twenty years, this is groundbreaking work that tells the story of life in the ancient kingdom of Macedon, northern Greece.

    See the full details of the exhibition at the Ashmolean's website here.

Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art at Sotheby's London May 11th

   Offering over 340 lots, one of the highlights is the rare and impressive Qianlong doucai five piece altar garniture (lot 230) Estimate: £800,000-1,200,000. The set was once owned by Lord Kitchener and was previously sold in these rooms, 17th December 1980.

   Further notable items include an Imperial Jiaqing Khotan jade 'dragon' seal (lot 151) from a private European collector, Estimate: £1,000,000-1,500,000 and a large and finely painted lime green-ground famille-rose 'three rams' vase of the Daoguang Period (lot 283), inscribed with the Shende Tang zhi mark, Est £300,000-500,000.

   The sale also features a strong offering of rhinoceros horn carvings, including an outstanding selection from a private German collection. The most notable piece from this group is a magnificently carved and inscribed libation cup with a scene from the famous Romance of the West Chamber, with figures depicted in a rocky landscape (lot18), Estimate: £300,000-500,000. 

 An extremely important and rare 'guanyo' hu-shaped vase

Southern Song Dynasty, 12th Century Estimate: £2,500,000-3,000,000

Steve McCurry photographs

   I was looking at an online exhibition of Edward Minoff's paintings at Cavalier Galleries and came across the page for Steve McCurry. I'm sure you're familiar with this image:

   This is the famous photo used on the cover of National Geographic in 1984 of an Afghan girl in Peshewar, Pakistan. There are loads more of his photos on view and you can see them here.

f22 - new free photography magazine

   'f22 Magazine is available through selected galleries, libraries, art schools, museums and other art venues across the UK.

   Totally free, f22 is not a dull review magazine - it will be about people worth serious consideration; places that are hot and happening; and projects that will interest photographers. Combined with State Magazine, f22 reports the fusion of art + photography like no other with a truly international perspective.'

 

    The website www.f22magazine.com goes live in May.


   I've got copies on the stall. Just pick one up. Hopefully I'll have the new issue in due course.

Robert Wallis photo exhibition at SOAS in Russell Sq until June 25th

   Robert Wallis’s work on the effect of India’s economic boom on Adivasi (tribal) groups in Jharkand State will be exhibited at the Brunei Gallery at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies until June 25th 2011.

   The state of Jharkhand is home to one of the largest Adivasi populations in India. It is also the location of an estimated 40% of the country's deposits of coal, iron ore, uranium and other minerals considered essential for India's industrial and energy needs. Unfortunately for Jharkhand's Adivasis, the mineral wealth lies beneath the land that they have farmed and hunted on for millennia but for which they do not hold title deeds.

   As the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent, Adivasis have ancient land rights protected by law. But 'in the national interest' they are being forced to leave their ancestral lands to make way for new mines, steel mills and hydroelectric projects, with little or no compensation.

   You can see the full story on the Panos Pictures website here.

   Panos Pictures is a photojournalism website specialising in global social issues. Tim Hetherington, the journalist killed in Libya this week, was one of its photographers. You can see his work here.

   Details on opening times of the Brunei Gallery can be found here.

Honen Shonin Exhibition at Kyoto National Museum until May 8th

   Honen (1133-1212), the founder of the Pure Land Sect, Jodo Shu, taught the nenbutsu, or chanting the Name of Amitabha Buddha, Namu Amida Butsu, for the salvation of all people in the late Heian period (794-1185). This exhibition commemorates 800 years since the passing of this Buddhist master by presenting his life and teachings through various cultural objects.

   Images from the exhibition can be seen here. Also, on the General Information page there is a list of temples in Kyoto which you can google.

Asian Art Week at Christie's London May 10th-13th

From the press release:
   Christie’s London Asian Art Week will run from 10-13 May 2011 with many highlights offered from important private collections such as The Martin Månsson Collection, Part II of the Kendall Collection and Prints from The Illing Collection. The sales include: Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on May 10th at King Street; Interiors - a two day sale featuring one day dedicated to affordable Asian Art - on May 10th & 11th at South Kensington; Japanese Art & Design on May 11th at South Kensington and Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles on May 13th at South Kensington.

A MAGNIFICENT RARE PARCEL-GILT SILVER LOBED BOWL AND COVER
TANG DYNASTY (618-907)  Estimate: £400,000-600,000

The full press release can be found here

Bookstall is on today April 23rd.

It's a beautiful day, lots of new stuff on the stall this week. The sale continues - all the auction catalogues are £2.00 each or less, except Forthcoming Auctions which are 'as priced'. I've a few cigar boxes this week but only a couple of wine boxes, so you'd better be quick!

Threat to Buddhist relics at Mes Aynak by Chinese mining company

Attempts are being made to recover Buddhist statues from the monastery at Mes Aynak in Afghanistan before a Chinese mining company moves in to turn the site into an open-cast copper mine. The full article in The Art Newspaper can be seen here.

Animal Art Fair 5-8 May 2011 in Fulham

The second Animal Art Fair will take place at Fulham Palace 5-8 May 2011. Over 40 artists will be exhibiting their works including the likes of Kendra Haste and Dominique Salm. Details of the fair can be found here.

Kendra Haste with two of the animals for the Tower of London
commission to be unveiled in June. Her website is here

Time to get this blog up and running again

I've had a long lay-off from doing this. It's about time I got my act together. The weather looks like beng fine this weekend, so I'll be doing the stall on both Saturday and Sunday. Andrew.