Tag Archives: painting

Paintings by Indian Artists B. Prabha and Maqbool Fida Husain Lead The Way in Bruneau & Co.’s Nov. 15th Online Auction

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Cranston, RI, USA, November 19, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- Paintings by two renowned Indian artists took top lot honors in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ online-only Estate Fine Art & Antique Auction held November 15th. A work by B. Prabha (1933-2001), titled Indian Women Painting, soared to $38,750, while a Cubist figural watercolor by Maqbool Fida Husain (1915-2011), of a couple on horseback, realized $10,625.

Both artists have appeared in past Bruneau & Co. auctions. In September, an oil on canvas Cubist painting by Husain, depicting a rider on the back of a wild horse, sold for $43,750. In March 2020, an equestrian-themed watercolor on paper by Husain realized $16,250. In that same auction, a figural oil on canvas by B. Prabha, titled Woman with a Pear Basket, brought $11,875.

The B. Prabha painting in the November auction was the expected top lot, but it still sailed past its $15,000-$20,000 estimate to sell to an eager bidder. The work depicted six Indian women with their hair tied back and long limbs, walking through a village, 30 ½ inches by 77 ½ inches. It was signed by Prabha’s agent, Nayana Sarmalkar, and came with a certificate of authenticity.

“It’s always nice to see an appreciation for a beautiful painting, as the Prabha soared over the estimate and sold to a collector in Illinois,” said Kevin Bruneau, Bruneau & Co’s president and an auctioneer. The painting was by far the top achieve of the 325+ lots in the auction.

The Husain watercolor depicted a man and woman in bright polychromatic outfits on the back of a white horse. Housed in a 33 inch by 27 inch frame, it sold within estimate. Dubbed “the Picasso of India,” Husain started off painting billboard signs in India but quickly developed his own style by blending together folk, tribal, and mythological arts.

The auction featured fine items pulled from prominent estates and collections across New England, to include artwork, decorative arts, collectibles, Asian arts and other objects.

“Internet competition was fierce,” said Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. auctioneer. “This was a great auction to round out 2021. The last two auctions will be Historic Arms and Militaria and then Comic, Toy, TCG & Sports on December 11th before the holidays. It was great year for us.”

Following are additional highlights from the auction. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com, bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the Bruneau mobile app on iTunes or GooglePlay. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.

A mixed media portrait painting mounted to canvas, signed by Han Van Meegeren (Netherlands, 1889-1947), depicting a man in a robe clutching his chest as he stares off into the distance, 73 inches by 33 inches, finished at $5,938. Meegeren was known for his forgeries of famous works by Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch, Gerard ter Borch and Johannes Vermeer, among other artists.

A late 19th/early 20th century Malles Goyard large rectangular French steamer trunk that opened to one removable tray with two lidded compartments brought $5,312. The trunk was marked, “Malles Goyard 233 Rue Saint Honore Paris Monte Carlo Biarritz” on a metal tag and “Goyard” on the top of the lid. Each side was initialed “H.C.” in red letters.

An Odd Fellows taxidermy baboon hand lamp, made in the United States in the late 19th or early 20th century, 22 ¾ inches tall, changed hands for $4,375 (blowing past its $250-$400 estimate). The taxidermy baboon hand was surrounded by deep purple velvet inside a clock case decorated with acanthus leaves and a brass eye. The Odd Fellows was a non-political, non-sectarian fraternal order founded in 1819 in Baltimore by Thomas Wildey.

A gorgeous Chinese Art Deco rug, made circa 1920 and measuring 11 feet 7 inches by 9 feet 2 inches, featuring a blue, green, yellow, red and purple pictorial landscape over a red field surrounded by blue borders, sold to a determined bidder for $4,062. It, too, easily bested its estimate of $800-$1,200 by about fourfold, despite some minor wear.

Lots 1, 2 and 3 were circus sideshow banners, led by Lot 1, titled That Strange Creature Obby Dobby Alive by Fred G. Johnson (American, 1892-1990), considered to be the best sideshow circus banner artist in history. The banner, 7 feet 10 inches by 9 feet 7 inches, featured a large, colorfully painted iguana in a jungle setting. It gaveled for $3,750.

Fetching the same amount was an early 20th century, German-made F & R Enders 4/4 violin, with a label marked “F & R Enders Reproduction of Nicholas Gagliano” to the interior. The instrument, one of several in the sale, featured a spruce face with an ebonized finger board and chin rest. The back consisted of a single piece of tiger maple.To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently.

About Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers:
Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions, with commissions as low as zero percent. Now would be a perfect time to clean out your attic. To contact Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers about consigning a single piece or an entire collection, you may send an e-mail to info@bruneauandco.com. Or, you can phone them at 401-533-9980. To learn more, visit www.bruneauandco.com.

Oil Paintings by Canadian Artists Alfred Joseph Casson and Alexander Young Jackson Lead Miller & Miller’s Oct. 9 Auction

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New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, October 15, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- Original, vibrant oil paintings by Canadian artists Alfred Joseph Casson (1898-1992) and Alexander Young Jackson (1882-1974) were the top achievers in a Firearms, Sporting & Canadiana auction held October 9th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. The two paintings combined for nearly $100,000 (all prices quoted here are in Canadian dollars).

The oil on board landscape painting by Group of Seven artist Alfred Joseph Casson sailed past its $30,000-$40,000 estimate to finish at $59,000. The work, titled Outside Algonquin Park, depicted a bucolic scene near the village of Whitney and was executed in 1940, at the height of the artist’s great career. Casson focused much of his work on rural villages and towns in Canada.

The oil on board country scape by Group of Seven founding member Alexander Young Jackson was similar in style to the Casson work, except there were no buildings in the Jackson painting, as there were in Casson’s. The piece topped its $30,000 high estimate, selling for $38,350. It was signed lower left, titled and dated, “Oat Field Harrington, Quebec, Sept. 1966, A.Y. Jackson.”

The auction had two headliners: the Don and Joyce Blyth firearms collection, and the decoy and fishing collections of Marty Osler. Marty’s fishing collection included a select offering of fine reels and rods, many by Hardy Brothers of England. The decoy collection was mostly Canadian and included many fine examples by Carl O. Rankin, Frank Dolsen, Billy Ellis and Ken Anger.

The Blyth collection featured Ontario firearms, including many unique examples, as well as highly collectible firearms by Colt, Remington, Stevens and others. Also included was artwork by the abovenamed Canadian artists and others. The sale was complemented by a select offering of wonderful Canadian and American furniture and fine and decorative art.

“From firearms to fine art, this diverse sale drew out collectors of all stripes – and they didn’t forget their wallets,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “Firearms that Don Blyth paid 50 cents, two dollars and five dollars for in the 1950s were bringing five figure sums. The winners were grateful. Days before this death, Don shuttered at the thought of his objects being relegated to the darkness of a museum’s archives. ‘Let the people enjoy them,’ he told us.”

Following are additional highlights from the auction, which attracted 546 bidders who placed 9,540 bids in a sale that grossed $803,993. One hundred percent of the lots sold, and one-third of the lots exceeded the high estimate. All prices quoted include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

A large watercolor and ink folk art fraktur-type painting by Anna Weber (Canadian, 1814-1888), signed in fraktur writing and dated 1870, the design, executed in blues, red, yellow and brown, consisting of eleven pairs of birds, each pair a different type, changed hands for $27,140. Also, a taxidermied male passenger pigeon, cased in glass and secured to a wood branch perch, went for $10,620. Passenger pigeons went extinct in 1914. The example in the sale was from circa 1900.

There were two paintings by Joseph Swift (Canadian, 1832-1889) in the auction, both of them equestrian-themed and both with estimates of $12,000-$15,000. One was of a horse named Manfred, which trotted away for $16,250. The other was of the horse Royal Exchange ($15,340). Smith spent much of his artistic time filling a growing need for recording prize-winning animals that were often shown at the Toronto Exhibition in Canada for proud owners in the late 1800s.

Homer Ransford Watson (Canadian, 1855-1936) was also represented twice in the sale, once with a monumental (34 inches by 44 inches) unframed oil on board, of a pioneer (or farmer) traveling along a trail by horse-drawn carriage, titled The Hayrack ($12,980); the other a lovely 14 inch by 22 inch outdoor scene of a boy closing the gate on his flock of sheep, artist signed ($11,800). Watson’s paintings captured the industrious endeavors of pioneers and farmers.

A Duffner & Kimberly table lamp, made in America in the 1920s and featuring a Nasturtiums floral pattern mosaic 20-inch diameter glass shade on a solid bronze base in the thistle pattern, with cutout heat cap and bronze finial, fetched $23,600. Also, an exceptional musical bracket clock by William Vale London (Finsbury), made in England between 1804 and 1824, having a bracket movement rear plate with filigree, 12 bells and four musical selections, made $14,160.

Firearms were a huge hit with bidders, led by a rare Colt model 1851 Navy pistol, made in America but issued to the Canadian Upper Canada (Ontario) Volunteer Militia in 1855, one of 800 model 1851 navies purchased by Canada that year ($28,320); and a B. Mills (Hamilton, Upper Canada) side-by-side double-shot rifle, made prior to 1842 and one of only two known to Don Blyth, the collector ($16,520). A few other firearms that did well included the following:

  • A Michael Mater four-barrel rifle, made in Canada circa 1858-1879, marked “M. Mater Patent Chippewa C W 34”, with a .70 caliber barrel (just under 12 gauge) ($10,620).
  • A John Grainger side-by-side double rifle made in Canada circa 1854-1868, with .50 caliber barrels featuring Whitworth rifling, walnut stock, engraved hammers ($10,620).
  • A William Marston rifle made in Toronto circa 1851-1879 with a heavy .40 caliber barrel showing minimal wear, tiger maple stock with cheek piece, 37 inches long ($10,030).

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. has two more online-only auctions lined up for the balance of 2021: a Watches & Jewels auction on Saturday, November 20th; and a Petroliana, Breweriana & Advertising auction on Saturday, December 4th. Like those before it, both will be Internet-only.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

About Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.:
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is Canada’s trusted seller of high-value collections and is always accepting quality consignments. The firm specializes in watches and jewelry, art, antiques and high-value collectibles. Its mission is to provide collectors with a trusted place to buy and sell. To consign a single piece, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (519) 573-3710; or, you can e-mail them at info@millerandmillerauctions.com. To learn more, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com. Updates posted often.

The Biggest Surrealist Collective Exhibition in The World Organized by Santiago Ribeiro in Portugal Until 11 July

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Evora, Portugal, June 19, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- The city of Évora in Portugal these days is the center of contemporary surrealist art, a wonderful UNESCO heritage location, which houses the paintings of Santiago Ribeiro and hundreds of other artists he has gathered around him. The event marks its first presence in this Alentejo metropolis this month, following the pandemic.

An International Event
The initiative is from the company MatosCar, an automotive group present in the Portuguese cities of Guarda, Fundão, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Évora and Beja, official representatives of 24 brands.

This time the exhibition will be permanent (until 11 July) because the entrepreneurial group has decided to buy the works that are about a dozen will be exhibited in the new facilities in Évora and will be able to be seen by many thousands of people.

A Video that Shows The Surprising Implications of Ribeiro’s Surrealism
The exhibition is accompanied by images from a video promoting Ribeiro’s surrealist art made by the Sicilian poet A.S.A.S prize Vincenzo Calì, the journalist and curator art of Campania Annalina Grasso and the Roman actor Maurizio Bianucci. The video promotes the exhibition of the Portuguese artist, founder of the New Surrealism Now Movement, of global reach.

The video, which currently has more than 100,000 thousand views on instagram thanks to the persuasive and mysterious voice of the Italian actor Maurizio Bianucci who took part in important and successful series such as Suburra, in numerous theatrical representations and RAI fictions and who declaims the poem in the Italian version entitled “Profluvi” by Vincenzo Calì, while the English version “Flows” is played by Annalina Grasso, creator together with Calì of this cultural initiative which is enjoying success also abroad.

The video in fact frames the works of the international artist, through restless and alienating words, showing how people probably would be if they totally freed their unconscious and impulses: naked and blind, not really free, but lost; euphoric, not happy.

This initiative, which combines art, poetry and acting, questions people on the value of free will, on the will and on the true meaning of the word freedom.

Unconscious and Will
Santiago’s art was, is and could still be a vision of the minds of each one, especially in this historical moment, made up of lockdown, distance learning, physical (non-social) distancing that generate anxiety and stress in people. fear for the future, anguish.

What could be inside everyone’s minds exhausted by restrictions and at the same time by the fear of contagion? A desire to get rid of the clothes of the decent citizen, of the civil, Christian, rational man, snubbing free will, and following only one’s instinct, the dark side of oneself; confide.

Living in a society as the Marquis De Sade imagined and hoped for, where there can be no punishments or trials for evil deeds, as man follows what Nature creates and destroys.

However, the video implements what is called heterogenesis of puposes, that is, through “the vision of what could be if”, it leads people to aspire to something else and to make them increasingly aware of the contradiction between necessity and good and, rediscovering the true foundation of the dignity and worth of us human beings, to be neither blind nor naked and wander in perennial uncertainty, but by appealing to the impersonal that is present in each person to overcome and overcome their anxieties and fears.

The Sense of Ribeiro’s art
Art with the support of technology helps people to do it, even at a distance, showing them how similar they can be in this complicated moment and how the human mind is not actually reducible to a mere mechanism with algorithmic functioning on the basis of which they act without conscience. and discernment and them are reflected in the protagonists whether they are hominids or figures, in the brightly colored canvases by Ribeiro.

The hypothesis that the important choices depend on a person’s conscious awareness, whether it is a neuronal process, not yet well specified, or something else, cannot be falsified, this is the basic message of the video dedicated to surrealism by Santaigo Ribeiro.

About Santiago Ribeiro:
The Portuguese artist, born and living in Coimbra, has shown his artworks with great regularity in Portugal and in many other countries. Santiago, the mentor, and promoter of the largest exhibition of surrealism in the 21st century in the world, the International Surrealism Now, already has numerous presences around the planet. He is the driving force and the promoter of the international project “Surrealism Now”, which started in 2010, organized by the Bissaya Barreto Foundation. Santiago Ribeiro has publicized and promoted his work on the internet, through social networks and blogs, thereby having received numerous invitations to exhibit his art in various parts of the globe.”