Old things become more and more expensive over the years, and if they are fanned by the aura of great people, their price is completely unpredictable. Explore your attics and grandma’s chests.
Michael Caine watches and glasses
March 2 | London | Bonhams
For some, moving is an opportunity to throw away half of the unnecessary things, for others – to get millions of dollars for the same things. If you are the owner of two Oscars and three Golden Globes, any little thing can be a valuable artifact. What can we say about historical rarities or luxury items! It is on the aura of the star that the London auction of the Bonhams auction house, which will be held on March 2, is designed. They will exhibit the collection of Sir Michael Caine. According to the press service of the famous actor, the sale of valuable items is associated with the relocation of the Kane spouses from the mansion in Surrey to a more modest house in the south-east of England. If there was a person willing to buy the entire auction collection as a whole, he could immediately open the Kane Museum. But, most likely, things will go to different owners.
Among the top lots:
• Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date, Ref.19018 watch in 18-carat yellow gold with an estimate of about $16,000. It was purchased in 1980 and Michael Caine appeared in it in the film “Dirty Scoundrels” (1988). By the way, Oysterquartz is one of the few varieties of quartz produced by Rolex.
• Painting by Marc Chagall Les Amoureux Dans L’Arbre (“Lovers on a tree”), the cost of which was estimated at $ 68 thousand. The most expensive lot of the auction, left for a special battle.
• Director’s chair from the 1971 crime thriller Get Carter, in which Kane played the lead role of London gangster Jack Carter. About $10 thousand
• Portrait of Sir Michael Caine by Lincoln Townley ($13,000-20,000). Proceeds from this lottery will go to the NSPCC children’s charity, which the Caines have supported for many years.
• Sunglasses for $2,000
• A particularly valuable lot for moviegoers is a poster for the 1966 romantic comedy Alfie. For his role in this film, Michael Caine was nominated for an Oscar as best actor. The cost is set.
New World in the Light of Adams
February 17 | New York | Sotheby’s
The auction house Sotheby’s announced the continuation of the sale of the collection of oil tycoon David Arrington. It consists of unique prints from the negatives of Ansel Adams, which the businessman acquired after the death of the photographer in 1984. Adams became famous as the great singer of the American West – his large-format black-and-white photographs capture the wildlife of national parks (Wyoming and others). He also improved the field shooting system by writing several manuals. As a result of previous auctions, Ansel Adams has become one of the most expensive photographers of the twentieth century. One of the pictures was sold for a record $988,000. This time, the list of lots is no less impressive. Prices for major rarities hover around $50,000. Among the latest are one of the author’s prints “Teton Ridge and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park”, as well as several famous landscapes of the Yosemite Valley. There are several works, the size of which is comparable to a painting fresco (their estimate is from $100,000).
Empire of Light” Magritte in anticipation of a record
March 2 | London | Sotheby’s
Immediately after the New Year holidays, the London office of Sotheby’s announced sensational news. One of the most significant works of the 20th century, the painting of the Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte “Empire of Light”, is put up for auction. The initial cost of the picture is not specified, but the lower bar will definitely not fall below $60 million.
Five components of the price of a masterpiece
1. The view of the night street – like a man in a bowler hat – is a symbolic image for Magritte. The artist addressed this plot more than once. It all started in 1948, when the first picture from the mysterious Empire of Light series was painted. It was immediately bought by Nelson Rockefeller.
2. There are 17 “Empire of Light” paintings in the world. Van Gogh (“Sunflowers”) and Monet (“Water Lilies”) made similar series for one motif. For sale is one of the best.
3. The painting was painted in 1961 for Baroness Anne-Marie Zhillon Crovet. She was the muse and patroness of the artist. Magritte sent the baroness his small drawings and showed fresh paintings, one of which he presented as a gift on the occasion of the birth of her daughter.
4. A surreal landscape at its best: on the canvas we see a quiet street next to Brussels’ Josaphat Park, near which the artist settled in 1954. The strange thing is that the street, immersed in the darkness of the night, is written against the background of a daytime, bright sky.
5. This is the most “cinematic” of all the paintings created by the artist. It is inspired by one of the scenes of the cult horror film The Exorcist, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama of 1973.
Photo: kinopoisk.ru; bonhams.com; sothebys.com; guggenheim.org
