Old Masters Deliver at Sotheby’s

An 18th-century canvas by the Italian painter Pietro Fabris was the top seller at Sotheby’s Old Master sale Thursday. “Villagers Preparing to Depart for the Festival of the Madonna Dell’Arco” was bought for $722,500, well above the high estimate of $400,000. The 142-lot auction posted overall sales of $8.13 million, a solid but not thrilling … Read more

Authentic Frans Hals work up for sale

Jay Akasie at the New York Sun notes that there will be a forgotten painting bu Frans Hals up for auction at the upcoming Sotheby’s Old Masters auction. From the article: The Sotheby’s London sale of Old Masters includes a recently rediscovered portrait by 17th-century Dutch master Frans Hals. The portrait — of a wealthy … Read more

Critics charge new auction practice obscures market

In Canada, the government is being called upon to regulate auction house guarantees and require full disclosure from the houses about conflicts-of-interest, and bid shilling. Sotheby’s is first Canadian house to offer guaranteed prices. ‘It’s like cowboy country … something has to be done federally’ One of the most controversial hallmarks of the supercharged international … Read more