Works by Patrick Nagel led Heritage Auctions’ Illustration Art sale, April 24, 2018

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Philip Chasen

For the foreseeable future I will publish once a week on Mondays.

Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, held an Illustration Art sale on April 24, 2018, with total sales of $1,357,487 for the 451 lots offered. Works by Patrick Nagel led the sale, taking the first and fourth places.

Patrick Nagel acrylic on canvas painting Nude on Back with Black Stockings, Heritage lot #71150

The top lot of the sale was #71150, a 1983 acrylic on canvas painting by Patrick Nagel entitled Nude on Back with Black Stockings. It sold for $106,250, including buyer’s premium — approximately double its low estimate of $50,000. I don’t understand Nagel’s work or why it’s so desirable, but someone does.

Alberto Vargas, Martini Time, Heritage lot #71202

I do understand the appeal of Alberto Vargas. His paintings scored the second, seventh and eleventh highest prices of the sale, $87,500, $27,500, and $18,750, respectively. Lot #71202, Martini Time, a watercolor and pencil on paper from 1935, sold for $87,500, including buyer’s premium, well above its high estimate of $50,000.

Gil Elvgren Perfection, Heritage lot #71058

Gil Elvgren has scored the top slots in other illustration art sales, but had to settle for the fifth and eighth ones in this sale. His 1948 painting Perfection sold for $57,500, below its pre-sale estimate of $60,000 – $80,000. Recent results for Elvgren’s works have weakened.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in for the prices (free).

The Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart will open next week, May 18-20, 2018. We’re pretty excited about it and you should be too. Please make your plans to attend!

We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I recently listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Freeman’s sold The Collection of Dorrance “Dodo” H. Hamilton at auction, April 29, 2018

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Philip Chasen

For the foreseeable future I will publish once a week on Mondays.

Paul Cézanne La Vie des Champs, Freeman’s lot #7

Freeman’s, Philadelphia, PA, sold The Collection of Dorrance “Dodo” H. Hamilton at auction, yesterday, April 29, 2018. The sale included some fabulous art, including a Paul Cézanne painting La Vie Des Champs, which sold for $1,450,000, including buyer’s premium. Other artists selling very well included Henri Fantin-Latour, Childe Hassam and Maurice Prendergast. Also included in the sale was Dodo Hamilton’s small, but nice collection of Newcomb College scenic pottery (Newcomb also produced floral designs). That will be today’s topic.

Newcomb College scenic vase, Freeman’s lot #89

Newcomb College transitional scenic vase, Freeman’s lot #90

Of the group of 10 lots of Newcomb pottery offered for sale, #s 89 and 90 tied for the best price of $7,500, including buyer’s premium. Lot #89 was shorter and more bulbous (6″ tall x 6½” diameter), while #90 was taller and slimmer (8¾” tall x 3¾” diameter). #89 was in perfect condition, while #90 had a short hairline crack to the interior rim. #89 was later (1930), while #90 was transitional (1917). Each had a moon.

Newcomb College transitional scenic vase, Freeman’s lot #88

Lot #88 was one of two lots selling for the second highest price of $5,000. It too was transitional from 1917, meaning that it was produced during the time period when the pottery was switching from the earlier high glaze to the later matte glaze. Transitional vases tend to have paler color than later vases and a bit more sheen. Lot #88 measured 5½” tall x 3¼” diameter. It did not have a moon.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

Our next show is now only two weeks away, May 18-20, 2018, when we’ll exhibit at the 2nd edition of the resurrected Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. It’s a wonderful venue for a show that deserved to be restored from purgatory.

Works by Patrick Nagel led Heritage Auctions’ Original Illustration Art sale, October 14, 2017

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Philip Chasen

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. Now that the weather is colder, I have gone back to publishing twice weekly, as often as possible.

Patrick Nagel painting, Bold, Heritage lot #71116

Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, held their Original Illustration Art sale on October 14, 2017, with total sales of $1,098,328. An acrylic on canvas work by Patrick Nagel entitled Bold led the sale with a $200,000 result. Personally I don’t understand it, but guess what? The bidders didn’t ask me and didn’t care what I thought. I wouldn’t have bought it at any price.

Hugh Joseph Ward illustration, Heritage lot #71171

I would love to have bought lot #71171. It was a wonderful cover illustration by Hugh Joseph Ward entitled Undercover Man for the April, 1942 edition of Detective magazine. It sold for $81,250, including buyer’s premium — the second best result of the sale.

Gil Elvgren 1968 calendar illustration, Swingin’ Sweetie, Heritage lot #71047

Works by Gil Elvgren frequently led previous Heritage’s Illustration sales, but not this time. It appears that prices for Elvgren’s works have been heading lower after peaking several years ago. The top Elvgren lot of the sale, #71047, a 1968 calendar illustration for Brown & Bigelow entitled Swingin’ Sweetie sold for $32,000, good for the fifth best result of the sale.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in (free) for the prices.

No more shows until February 2, 2018, when we’ll exhibit at the Miami Airport show. That gives us time to beat the bushes to find new treasures and take some time to smell the figurative roses. November is usually a good month for business. Then business dies in December because most people are looking for less expensive Christmas gifts than we offer. Occasionally we make a Christmas sale, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Cold weather and the New Year bring a new wave of enthusiasm.

I will update my site as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Patrick Nagel and Gil Elvgren led Heritage Auction’s Illustration Art sale, May 12, 2017

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Philip Chasen

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Heritage Auction held its Illustration Art sale on May 12, 2017, with some superb results. Three works by Patrick Nagel and seven works by Gil Elvgren led the sale.

Patrick Nagel Seductive Female in Profile, Heritage lot #71136

Leading the sale was lot #71136, a large (48″ x 40″) Patrick Nagel acrylic on canvas painting entitled Seductive Female in Profile. It realized $125,000, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $60,000 – $80,000.

Gil Elvgren Fire Belle (Always Ready), Heritage lot #71071

The second highest price of $112,500 was achieved by a Gil Elvgren painting entitled Fire Belle (Always Ready) from 1956. It sold below its low estimate of $100,000 (without buyer’s premium). The seller took a bath as he paid $191,200 in October, 2011, in another Heritage Illustration Art sale.

Hy Hintermeister Rocket Pad Keep Out, Heritage lot #71097

Nagel and Elvgren dominated the top four spots, with Hy Hintermeister in 5th place, with a lovely painting Rocket Pad Keep Out selling for $37,500, against a pre-sale estimate of $8,000 – $12,000.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in (free) for the results.

Our next show is the Denver World Wide Antique Show in mid-July, so we’ll take some time to smell the roses. I’ll be buying and selling in the meantime, so be in touch if you’re doing either.

I recently listed some new items on my website and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

The Charles Martignette collection of American illustration art

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Charles Martignette

I’m preparing for our 5-week show circuit in Florida and North Carolina, so I don’t have the time to write a more thorough post. I think you’ll enjoy reading about the Charles Martignette collection of American illustration art. Charles put together the finest and most comprehensive collection ever assembled. Heritage Auction acquired the entire collection after his untimely death in February, 2008, and sold it over several years. Total sales for the 4,300 lots of art were $21.68 million. Click here for Heritage’s very interesting report.

Gil Elvgren was one collectors’ favorite artists

I’ve been quite busy buying and selling recently, partly because I’ve listed many new items on my website. I really need to buy more, so if you have something great, please offer it to me for sale. I am paying the highest prices of any dealer. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email me a jpeg.

I will continue to list more as often as possible. Please click here to take a look.

We’re still very much in business between shows, especially since there are fewer shows nowadays. Please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

A visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The entrance to the museum announces the Basquiat exhibition

One of the perks of traveling to Paris on business is the opportunity to add a few days to our trip for pleasure. This time we decided to visit Biarritz, France and Bilbao, Spain, home of the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum. Ever since I saw photos of the building, opened in 1997, it’s been on my bucket list. I wasn’t disappointed, just surprised.

guggenheim-bilbao-5 First I was surprised that the museum is right in the center of town. I had visions of it being on the outskirts, on its own campus. I also thought it was larger. Mind you, it wasn’t small, just smaller than I had imagined. Regardless, it is spectacular architecture.

A panorama of the interior

Then I was surprised about the city of Bilbao. I imagined it was a little hole-in-the-wall community, but it’s not! It’s a fairly large city, clean, with impressive buildings, squares, restaurants, etc.

A Basquiat in the Guggenheim’s exhibition

The museum specializes in modern art and currently has an extensive Basquiat exhibition. Call me ignorant, but I don’t get it. Basquiat paintings are highly sought after and bring millions at auction, but I think if Monet were alive today, he wouldn’t get it either. When I look at art that I could have done myself, it’s not art. It seems Basquiat was blessed by the powers that be and then could do no wrong. If he had thrown dirt at a canvas and put a stripe on it, someone would have interpreted it as brilliant and revolutionary. Looks to me like an example of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Christie’s recently sold a Basquiat, Dustheads for $48,843,750. OK, I admit I couldn’t have painted that one.

Basquiat painting Dustheads , sold at Christie’s May 15, 2013

A Senegalese artist at work in the museum

It was very interesting watching a Senegalese spray can artist decorating one of the main columns of the interior. He had hundreds of cans of spray paint available. I wonder if this will be a permanent exhibition.

A Jeff Koons sculpture in the outdoor exhibition area

We spent the day at the museum, but it would have been fun to stay longer in Bilbao and experience the city. Maybe another day.

Our next show is coming up soon at the Winnetka Community House in Winnetka, IL, November 6-8, 2015. We used to exhibit at shows in the greater Chicago area 4-6 times yearly. Most of them have disappeared, so we now only exhibit in Chicago twice a year, once in the fall in Winnetka and once in the spring in Glencoe at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Too bad, because we like Chicago and have lots of friends and clients. We’re really looking forward to seeing you at the show, so please put the dates in your calendar.

Sleuth Work Leads to Discovery of Art Beloved by Hitler

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Philip Chasen

nazi-artwork-NYTimes We’re on vacation this week, so I thought you might like this intriguing story from the New York Times of how lost Nazi-commissioned artwork was recovered. Click here.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. There’s lots more coming in in the next couple of weeks, including two important Daum Nancy Blackbird vases, two large Tiffany Favrile Jack-in-the-Pulpit vases, two Gallé Magnolia vases and lots more. Keep checking my site, as I will be updating it often. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Norway museum returns Nazi-stolen Matisse painting to heirs

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Matisse’s Profil Bleu Devant la Cheminée

Henri Matisse painted Profil Bleu Devant la Cheminée (Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace) in 1937, which was purchased by the French collector and gallery owner, Paul Rosenberg. In 1941, the year after Rosenberg and his family escaped to the US, the Nazis looted 162 of his paintings, including the Matisse. After several changes of hands, the painting found its way into the collection of the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter (Henie Onstad Art Center) in Norway in 1961, where it remained until recently. The museum was founded by the shipping magnate Niels Onstad and his Olympic figure-skating champion wife, Sonja Henie.

The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter near Oslo, Norway

Rosenberg and his heirs made many attempts to recover the painting, but were unable to locate it. Ultimately, the painting was discovered in the collection of the museum. Christopher A. Marinello, an attorney, and chairman and founder of Art Recovery Group, led the successful negotiations for the return of the painting to Rosenberg’s heirs, which has an estimated value of $20 million. While it’s great to hear about the return of an important painting, it should be noted that this is only one of an estimated 650,000 artworks and religious items stolen from Jews and other victims by the Nazis.

Museum Chairman Halvor Stenstadvold (left) and Christopher Marinello made the announcement in Norway

The principles that formed the basis for the return of much Nazi-confiscated art were promulgated at the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets, November 30 to December 3, 1998, when the Department of State and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum hosted more than 40 governments. For the complete details, click here.

The show will be held in the white building on the left, September 27-28, 2014

We just decided to add a new show to our schedule, the NYC Big Flea Market. The new promoters, D’Amore Promotions, will be using the same Pier 94 that is used by USA Antique Shows for their November and March shows. This one will be substantially different, with an entirely new cast of dealers. Click here for more information. It should be good, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Click here to view our new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

Sotheby’s amazing $1 billion November

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Sotheby’s worldwide auctions of art and jewelry totaled $1.02 billion in 10 days in November, 2013. Records were broken repeatedly, including for individual items and total sales. Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale realized $200 million, the highest total for any jewelry auction ever.

Giacometti bronze Grande Tête Mince (Grand Tête de Diego), Sotheby’s lot #15

Top lot of the Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sales on November 6th was #15, a bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti entitled Grande Tête Mince (Grand Tête de Diego). Estimated to sell for $30,000,000 – $50,000,000, it realized $50,005,000 — near the high estimate.

Andy Warhol Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster), Sotheby’s lot #16

Andy Warhol won the bidding wars at the Contemporary Art Evening Auction on November 13th. His Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster), lot #16, sold for $105,445,000, a world record for a Warhol. The estimate was secret, listed as “Estimate Upon Request”. Not sure why they do that, but basically it means “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

Robert Mapplethorpe portrait of Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was a regular at the Triple Pier Show in NYC before his death in 1987 at age 58. I saw him many times, but never talking to anyone. He never came into my booth. I wish I had taken a photograph of him, but it didn’t even cross my mind at the time. I didn’t know he would become such a big deal.

We’ve been buying for the last several weeks, with great success. You won’t believe all the wonderful Tiffany Studios glass, lamps and candlesticks we’ve purchased from fantastic private collections. We’ll have it all on display at our four shows down south, starting with the Miami National Antiques Show on January 24, 2014, less than two weeks away. We’ll end with the wonderful Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, February 21 – 23, 2014. We last exhibited there a few years ago and couldn’t exhibit again because of scheduling conflicts. This year there were no conflicts, so we’re happy to return. It will immediately follow the important Palm Beach Antiques Show.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile vase with wheel-carved leaves, just in

Click here to view my new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps

Some VERY interesting results for art glass at Christie’s Interiors sale, December 11, 2013

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Christie’s held an Interiors sale, yesterday, December 11, 2013, with first day sales totaling $1,796,875. Included in the sale were a few lots of art glass that were very interesting, for different reasons. Let me explain.

Gallé Magnolia table lamp, Christie’s lot #252

Lot #252 was a monumental Gallé table lamp, 30″ tall. It was decorated with red magnolias on a yellow ground, using the windowpane technique to keep the flowers red. It was an important lamp that should have been in the main 20th Century sale coming up later this month. It carried a very low estimate of $7,000 – $9,000. I had hopes that it would sneak by so I could buy it for $20,000 or less. It didn’t take long to find out that was a pipe dream. It sold for $50,000, including buyer’s premium, even with a large chip on the fitter rim of the base. But, it was a beauty, and at least two people realized it.

Reproduction Gallé mold-blown lamp, Christie’s lot #255

Now for the complete opposite. Lot #255 was listed as “A FRENCH CAMEO GLASS TABLE LAMP AND SHADE, THE SHADE AND BASE SIGNED IN CAMEO FOR ‘GALLE’, EARLY 20TH CENTURY”. Now this was a BIG boo-boo that shouldn’t have happened at a major auction house like Christie’s. This was a modern reproduction Romanian lamp, signed “Gallé” and also signed “TIP”, which is “type” in Romanian. If you’ve read my lessons on French Cameo Glass, all you had to do was read lesson #5. The lamp was estimated to sell for $4,000 – $6,000, and realized $3,125. If it were authentic, it would have sold in the $100,000 neighborhood. There is going to be one unhappy buyer when he/she finds out.

I’m saving two more goodies from this sale for Monday’s post. They are MOST interesting for very different reasons. Tune in on Monday and I’ll explain.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

We’ll be busy buying for the next several weeks in anticipation of the important Florida shows, starting with the Miami National Antiques Show on January 24, 2014. We’ll end our winter schedule with the wonderful Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, February 21 – 23, 2014. We last exhibited there a few years ago and couldn’t do it again because of scheduling conflicts. This year there were no conflicts, so we’re happy to return. It will immediately follow the important Palm Beach Antiques Show.

Fine Tiffany Favrile vase with applied handles, just in

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Category Archives: Art

Works by Patrick Nagel led Heritage Auctions’ Illustration Art sale, April 24, 2018

Freeman’s sold The Collection of Dorrance “Dodo” H. Hamilton at auction, April 29, 2018

Works by Patrick Nagel led Heritage Auctions’ Original Illustration Art sale, October 14, 2017

Patrick Nagel and Gil Elvgren led Heritage Auction’s Illustration Art sale, May 12, 2017

The Charles Martignette collection of American illustration art

A visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain

Sleuth Work Leads to Discovery of Art Beloved by Hitler

Norway museum returns Nazi-stolen Matisse painting to heirs

Sotheby’s amazing $1 billion November

Some VERY interesting results for art glass at Christie’s Interiors sale, December 11, 2013