Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
German and Austrian sales: freshness counts in Old Master sector
25 January 2021In a market challenged by a lack of fresh consignments, works new to the saleroom stand out
Chinese collectors bid up porcelain vases to 500 times the reserve
25 January 2021A local collector who consigned a pair of Chinese porcelain vases to Hargesheimer (25% buyer’s premium) in Düsseldorf was in for a substantial pre-Christmas surprise.
Roentgen cabinets draw bidders in Germany
04 January 2021Cologne auction house offers fine selection of 18th century works made by both father and son
De la Tour nocturne sets Lempertz auction house record
14 December 2020One of the last Georges de la Tour (1593-1652) paintings in private hands was sold by Cologne auction house Lempertz on December 8.
Mammen makes entrance with Way Out
30 November 2020For many decades, Jeanne Mammen was a forgotten artist. In the 1920s-30s she had been a celebrated illustrator and chronicler of the Weimar Republic.
Railway picture by Moholo-Nagy emerges at Munich sale
30 November 2020In 1919, László Moholy-Nagy came to Berlin, having fled from his native country after the collapse of the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic.
Josef Hoffmann vase is a leading light at Vienna auction
30 November 2020Items designed by Josef Hoffmann, leading light of the Wiener Werkstӓtte movement, will feature in a sale in Vienna.
Barlach on song as bronze sculpture cast comes to Cologne sale
30 November 2020Many of the German sculptor Ernst Barlach’s works have a musical connection and none more so than the bronze 'Der singende Mann' (The Singing Man).
Asian art preview: Extended sale, extensive collections on offer
23 November 2020The auctioneers at Nagel in Stuttgart will have their work cut out at the upcoming sale of Asian art.
Nineteenth century take on archaic
23 November 2020This 19th century take on an archaic vessel is one of the objects on sale at Hargesheimer in Düsseldorf on December 5.
Crabs on screen
23 November 2020A table screen was often to be found in the study of a Chinese scholar.
Chinese ink drawings emerge in Zurich
23 November 2020One section of the Asian art sale at Koller in Zurich on December 3, with its own catalogue, is devoted to a private collection of Chinese ink drawings.
Deity hails from an old Dutch collection
23 November 2020At 2ft 5in (73cm), this Blanc de Chine figure of Guanyin on sale at Lempertz in Cologne on December 15 is unusually large.
Trademark grid work by Otto Piene
16 November 2020Koller is holding a sale of Post-War and Contemporary art on December 5 in Zurich.
Fernando Botero sculpture emerges at Van Ham in Cologne
16 November 2020The Colombian artist Fernando Botero is primarily known for his exaggerated painted portrayals of people, a style that he also applied to his still-lifes and now goes by the name of Boterismo.
Christo had a surprise in store
16 November 2020In 1964, the Bulgarian artist Christo Javacheff and his wife Jeanne-Claude made a first visit to New York. Soon afterwards they worked on their projects titled Store Fronts, Show Cases and Show Windows.
Brazilian diplomat's modern art collection offered in Berlin auction
16 November 2020As part of its Modern and Contemporary sales on December 3-4, Grisebach in Berlin is selling the collection of Mário Calábria, who for many decades combined his profession as a Brazilian diplomat with his passion for Modern art.
Warhol fascinated by Christmas kitsch
16 November 2020Before he turned to painting cans of soup and Brillo boxes, Andy Warhol had to make a living by more conventional means.
White-glove auction as Berlin museum collection is dispersed
02 November 2020Modern paintings and whole wunderkammer from a closed museum deliver sell-out response
Sebastian Vrancx conflict scene emerges at Munich auction
02 November 2020In the 1620s, Sebastian Vrancx was among the most prominent painters working in Antwerp. He was famed for his landscapes and village scenes, but was also renowned for his often drastically detailed depictions of battles.