Christie's Online Magazine No.260

From: Christie's - Saturday Mar 27, 2021 11:29 am

Christie’s

Historic results in 20th Century sales, The art of Spring, Independent watchmakers, a rare Polonaise carpet, Ansel Adams, Celebrity cellars, and more |

Spring is in the air: artworks that abound with new life, daffodils, ducklings, blossom and picnics

Historic results for Basquiat and Banksy as 20th Century evening sales realise $274 million

‘

Mavericks, dreamers, geniuses and pioneers: 10 independent watchmakers you need to know

From the archive: how Ansel Adams revealed the majesty of the American West to the world

From Doris Duke to Yul Brynner — the celebrities whose cellars were filled with stunning wines

‘A rare survivor from a golden age’: a Polonaise carpet woven with threads of precious metals

More stories

Editor’s picks

Raoul Dufy grew up in a family of musicians, and the orchestra was one of his favourite subjects. Capturing the vitality of the players and the splendour of the concert hall, Le Grand Orchestre, from around 1946, is akin to a musical composition in its harmonious arrangement of primary colours

Estimate: €250,000-350,000
30 March, Paris

This magnificent George III commode is the work of the great cabinetmaker Pierre Langlois, who was born in London to French parents. Five pietra dura landscape panels set the piece apart in terms of rarity and value, having been made in the 17th century in the Grand Ducal workshops of Florence

Estimate: $200,000-400,000
30 March, New York

David Shrigley’s signature mix of pathos and humour is on show in his 2019 screenprint My Rampage Is Over. A harmless-looking, somewhat forlorn elephant, reminiscent of a child’s painting, sits on its haunches, while the words above and below invite us to imagine it furiously running amok

Estimate: £4,000-6,000
until 31 March, Online

In chocolate and orange Epsom leather with palladium hardware, this Hermès Omnibus handbag, dating from 2005, is a creative confection that looks good enough to eat. Its neat, distinctive tablet shape, hoop handles and corner details make it an unusual, visually striking and coolly charismatic piece

Estimate: HK$12,000-16,000
until 31 March, Online

Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1859-1924), Springtime, circa 1907-10 (detail). Sold for $187,500 on 20 November 2018 at Christie’s in New York // Ansel Adams (1902-1984), Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California, 1944. Estimate: $30,000-50,000. Offered in Ansel Adams and the American West on 8 April 2021 at Christie's Online // Doris Duke, 1953 (detail). Photo: © 1978 Wallace Seawell. mptvimages / eyevine / Yul Brynner on holiday, Switzerland, 1959 (detail). Photo: © Inge Morath/Magnum Images

Christie's Newsletters

Christie's Online Magazine No.260