They started out as a secret society. So secret that, when they signed their paintings ‘P.R.B.’, a rumour spread that those initials stood for ‘Please Ring the Bell’. They actually stood for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood: a group of seven artists who held their first meeting in 1848 and wouldn’t remain in the shadows for long. Join Sarah Reynolds, Specialist and Head of Sale, British Art for a Pre-Raphaelite Collecting Guide.
Art News
"Joan Mitchell's work is both abstract and emotionally precise. She had this idea that at certain moments, daily situations could be filled with a higher life. And it's that higher life that she was attempting to convey in her work." Patricia Albers, author of "Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter," reflects on these two staggering works painted more than 20 years apart.
The top lot of the night was Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec’s Pierreuse, which surpassed its high estimate by $4 million to sell for $9,062,000.
A mammoth 42" x 58" poster for probably the biggest series of concerts the Clash ever played. Eventually playing 17 concerts at the Bonds International Casino in New York City, the Only Band That Matters was promoting their triple-LP Sandinista! at the time. Eight shows were originally planned, but demand was so strong for the band that a whopping 17 shows happened.
Jean-Michel Basquiat crowns a king in this portrait of friend and fellow street artist Anthony Clarke. Executed during Basquiat's meteoric rise to fame in 1982, "Portrait of A-One A.K.A. King" exemplifies the gestural, painterly prowess and distinctive iconography that denoted the peak of his career.
Dated 1845, Eduard Gaertner’s view of Berlin’s Royal Opera captures a renewed national and civic pride in the Prussian capital. In this episode of Anatomy of an Artwork, discover how Gaertner captures the serenity of a balmy summer evening, find out how it differs to a similar version in Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and marvel at the originality of Gaertner’s proto-photographic realism. ‘The Royal Opera Unter Den Linden, Berlin’ is a highlight of our upcoming sale of European & British Art (2 - 9 December | London).
Though his works feature prominently in many of Canada’s most prestigious arts institutions and he is considered one of the country’s most celebrated modernist artists, David Milne has been described as having worked at the periphery of Canadian modernism.
In this short video, join experts at Bonhams as they discuss the lives and works of two 20th century painters, William Roberts and David Bomberg.
The Chinese Tang Dynasty is unparalleled in the opulence of its works of art. Sotheby’s upcoming sale ‘Important Chinese Art’ (4 November | London) features exquisite Tang Sancai coloured ceramic earthenware from the distinguished collection of celebrated Hong Kong dealer and collector Susan Chen, including a rare glazed tripod dish and a wonderful rare ceramic lion pillow.
A sculpture by Giacometti, a painting by Van Gogh, a table by Carlo Mollino, and a trio of cars were some of the highlights of the evening sales at Sotheby’s last night, which brought in a combined total of $283.9 million.
