Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Clouds lift for a Constable fan
03 August 2020Four pictures in Colchester sale provide a good case study in the factors affecting John Constable attributions and buyer confidence
Two tastes of Yorkshire
03 August 2020Two works by Fred Stead (1863-1940) drew strong interest at Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) in West Sussex thanks, in part, to here-to-be-sold estimates. They were being consigned from a deceased estate.
Affordable art: Three works sold for under £600 including a William Wyllie marine
03 August 2020Good art at a great price in regional sales.
Gold at all-time record as silver rises sharply
03 August 2020The price of gold jumped to a record high in the UK last week as global precious metal markets rose amid economic and political uncertainty.
Mary Queen of Scots' prayer book sells at Christie’s Classic sale
30 July 2020A prayer book that once belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) sold at Christie’s Classic Art evening sale in London.
Rembrandt self-portrait bid to £12.6m at Sotheby’s
29 July 2020A self-portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69) was knocked down for £12.6m at Sotheby’s latest live-streamed cross-category evening sale in London.
Gold price hits all-time record as silver rises sharply to seven-year high
28 July 2020The price of gold jumped to a record high in the UK this week as precious metal markets across the world rose due to the current economic and political uncertainty.
A portrait by James Jebusa Shannon and an Old Master found in skip near Portobello Road are among five lots to watch at auction this week
27 July 2020With estimates from £300-12,000 here are five previews of upcoming items this week.
Huge bidding battle as rediscovered Old Master military drawings take £125,000 at Sworders
27 July 2020A sensational competition emerged at Essex saleroom Sworders this week as a pair of Old Master drawings attracted 12 phone bidders as well as internet interest.
'The King’s Speech' cigarette case sells for over 10-times estimate at Woolley & Wallis
24 July 2020A royal presentation silver cigarette case given by George VI to his speech therapist Lionel Logue, the subject of the 2010 film 'The King’s Speech', sold for £61,000 at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury this week.
Sotheby’s to offer restituted view of Dresden acquired by Hitler's art dealer
21 July 2020An Old Master painting restored to the family of its original Jewish owner will be offered at Sotheby’s next week with an estimate of £3m-4m.
Four salerooms, One $420m sale for Christie’s
20 July 2020Christie’s first ‘relay-style’ auction, an event with four auctioneers in different countries each conducting a section of the sale, raised a total of $420.9m (£334.9m) including premium.
Second slice from Country Life gardens editor's collection includes many works on a plants theme
20 July 2020A second tranche of works from the estate of Tony Venison, the long-serving gardens editor of Country Life, lifted the latest Modern British and 20th century art auction at Sworders (25% buyer’s premium).
Early Cedric Morris works draw interest at Sworders
20 July 2020Cedric Morris (1889-1982) is now a major name in the Mod Brit market whose most bountiful flower paintings can sell for over £100,000. While Sworders has a strong track-record with the artist-plantsman, works depicting two rather different subjects were offered at the latest sale in this category.
Three buyers for four Bawden drawings at Essex auction
20 July 2020Edward Bawden (1903-89) is an artist whose work appears frequently at Sworders.
Top stories this week – including news of a £12 box of bric-a-brac yielding a rare sculpture now offered at Christie’s
19 July 2020The most popular stories on this website over the last week included news of a Mannerist bronze by Antonio Susini (1580-1624) discovered in a box of bric-a-brac and now being offered at Christie’s in London.
Three continents, four auctioneers, 80 lots and 80,000 online watchers: Christie’s ‘One’ sale brings $421m
16 July 2020A late work by Roy Lichtenstein topped the bill at Christie’s first ‘relay-style’ auction. The sale involved four auctioneers in different countries each conducting a section of the sale with the venues linked-up together via live streaming.
Contemporary art from British Airways collection heads to Sotheby’s
16 July 2020Seventeen works from the collection of British Airways will be offered across two Sotheby’s auctions in London this month as the embattled airline seeks to raise cash after its business was badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
How Old Master estimates work when it comes to loosely ascribed paintings
13 July 2020Pitching a work at the right level is crucial to demand and price when it comes to selling unattributed or loosely ascribed Old Masters at auction.
Princeteau paintings chased down at Roseberys
13 July 2020A group of seven works from a private collection by René Charles Pierre Princeteau (1843-1919) appeared at the Roseberys sale on June 4, all of them selling for a combined £72,100. Interest was reported from France, Belgium and the US.