So far, five works have been announced and they will appear for sale in Christie’s Old Master auction in New York on May 2.
Feigen, a well known dealer with a gallery in New York has exhibited at numerous international fairs and sold works to museums including the Louvre in Paris, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. He opened his first gallery in Chicago in 1957. “I am a collector in dealer's clothes,” he said.
It was reported by Bloomberg that Feigen is selling the works to raise money for his retirement and also that he is offering a small number of works privately.
‘Virgin and Child with Saint Lucy and the Young Saint John the Baptist’ by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) – one of the works from the Richard Feigen collection which will be offered at Christie’s New York. It has an estimate in the region of $4m.
The consignment to Christie's includes an Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) oil on panel, Virgin and Child with Saint Lucy and the Young Saint John the Baptist, which is estimated ‘in the region of $4m’, and two works by Guercino (1591-1666) including the artist’s only known still life which is estimated ‘in the region of $3m’.
A small double-sided John Constable oil on board with a study of a skylark in a Dedham landscape to one side and a study of a cow standing in a stream is pitched at $800,000-1.2m.
‘The Skylark, Dedham’ by John Constable, part of a double-sided oil on board which is estimated at $800,000-1.2m at Christie’s New York.
The sale will not be the first time that Feigen has sold works at auction. He previously consigned the JMW Turner (1775-1851) oil on canvas The Temple of Jupiter Panellenius Restored to Sotheby’s New York which was offered in January 2009 and knocked down at $11.5m (£8.46m).
Christie’s head of department Francois de Poortere said: “Known for his discerning eye and impeccable taste, Richard Feigen has always been a true visionary in the global art world. He has made countless and startling discoveries throughout his career and continues to champion the field of Old Masters.”
