Auction

There’s growing excitement as an auction of lost letters by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi means scholars will have to rewrite history. At Christie’s in New York, Picasso’s muse comes to auction and may fetch fifty million dollars. And there’s an opportunity to acquire what is considered the perfect sculpture by Constantin Brancusi. But how much could it make?

The poignancy of the First World War is revealed as a rare painting by Christopher Nevinson, showing the horrors of ‘the war to end all wars’, comes up for sale at Sotheby’s. Elsewhere, bidders scramble to acquire the last ever painting by legendary British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill showing his beloved goldfish pool at his home at Chartwell.

Will it become the most expensive painting ever to be sold at auction? Sent for sale at Christie’s in New York by a Russian billionaire, Leonard da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi is one of only a handful of the master’s works in private hands. It has a colorful history and once belonged to Charles II but was later discredited. As recently as 1958, it changed hands for only $50.

What is a family of four woolly mammoths doing in Sussex? They’ve been put up for sale after being excavated from Russia. Discovered beneath a building site, they are remarkably intact, but you’ll need a pretty large room to display them. Elsewhere, New York sees the sale of the best of American Art, including works by Jasper Johns who made the American flag a theme of his career.

She was a style icon and one of the most recognizable faces during the second half of the twentieth century. Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn captivated hearts and minds. 25 years after her death, some of Miss Hepburn’s possessions, including her wardrobe, jewelry and copies of her film scripts, come up for sale at Christie’s. And the public interest is intense.

His is the biggest name in Old Masters. Joseph Mallord William Turner was born and died by the River Thames, but during his life he was something of an art tourist. Some of his greatest works portray foreign scenes including Rome, and a giant canvas of the fabled rock of Ehrenbreitstein. Now, it comes to Sotheby’s, whose experts have been using modern technology to tell the story behind it.

The legendary auction house Sotheby’s have had a bright idea. They’ve organized a sale of small artworks called ‘Actual Size.’ But the enormous prices don’t match the undersized pieces. Among the works on sale is an exquisite painting of flowers by a pioneer of the still life image and a portrayal of strawberries by one of the most esteemed names in modern British art, Lucien Freud.

Did you know that the renowned architect and designer Le Corbusier was also an artist? One of his works is up for auction at Bonham’s. But will it make as much as one of his buildings? And, in a typical day in the life of a major London auction house, there are also Old Masters and Modern British and Irish paintings on offer for the eager bidders.

Married to Laurence Olivier, the actress Vivien Leigh had both a turbulent private life and star quality, starring in film classics such as Gone With the Wind. Sotheby’s are hoping her name will attract bidders to a two-day sale of her possessions including private photographs, notebooks, jewelry and awards. And they aren’t disappointed as eager bidders descend on the auction.

Rain can’t dampen the spirits of thousands of eager bidders who turn out for the Goodwood Revival weekend in the Sussex countryside. Many have come for Bonham’s auction of classic cars featuring everything from rare Bubble Cars to prestigious Bentleys. And, unusually, there’s also a selection of vintage airplanes on offer. But will the prices take off?