Aesthetic, energy, and aggression coalesced in the Ramones, an American punk rock band formed in the Queens neighborhood in 1974. They are considered the first punk rock group. They took punk rock on its maiden voyage and started a rock band movement in the 1970s. A historic, autographed black leather stage-worn jacket personally owned by Dee Dee Ramone and CJ Ramone will soon be available in the Marvels of Modern Music Auction, presented by RR Auction. It is a Schott (418-453-474SM) motorcycle jacket worn by Dee Dee and CJ, the bass players for the legendary punk band. They have signed “Dee Dee Ramone” and “CJ Ramone” on the left and right lapels in silver ink. Dee Dee obtained this jacket not long after the band’s gear was stolen after a show at the Reseda Country Club in 1983. The jacket traveled the world with Dee Dee, who wore it exclusively during Ramones concerts until his final show in July of 1989.
Billy Joel’s personally-owned and used 1908 C. Bechstein model M grand piano is also a top lot in the sale. Billy Joel is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has sold over 160 million records worldwide. This piano was played live during Joel’s mid-1970s and 80s tours, most of which are recorded. Most notably, he played this piano during a BBC concert and is said to have used it to record the song “New York State of Mind.” Rock stars of Joel’s caliber often choose Bechsteins because their sound compliments the human voice, and the brand has a rich history since 1853. The piano was professionally restored by Larkfield Pianos in 1992. The piano comes with documentation of ownership. View the complete catalog for this Marvels of Modern Music auction and find other online auctions on Bidsquare.
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Erich Weisz, better known as Harry Houdini, was an American escape artist, stunt performer, and magic man. He was famous for his escape acts, challenging police forces to keep him locked up. His acts also included escaping straitjackets while under water and handling chains and ropes slung from skyscrapers. A bright stone lithographed poster depicting a handcuffed Houdini standing in court before judges is a key highlight of Potter & Potter Auctions’ upcoming sale. Titled Ehrenerklärung! Im Namen des Königs Wilhelm, II. Kaiser v. Deutschland, the illustration was created by Atelier J. Zier around 1902. It is based on a trial scene where the imperial police of Cologne slanderously accused Houdini of advertising swindling tricks. However, the police lost the case in the three highest courts, as Houdini was successful in opening a special lock that they had built. They were compelled to publicly tender “An Honorary Apology” and pay compensation for trial costs.
Another available poster portraying Harry Houdini’s portrait was published by the Strobridge Litho. Co. (1911). Also referred to as “Houdini for President,” the large three-sheet lithographed illustration depicts a half profile of Houdini with folded arms. Visit Potter & Potter Auctions to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Summer Magic Auction.
Leading the upcoming Early 20th Century Design auction from Toomey & Co. is a rare and important library table by Charles Rohlfs from the Collection of William and Patsy Porter. This 1907 oak table features the maker’s signature cut-outs and carvings that reference the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts movements. Rohlfs worked on the periphery of these major styles, often taking on commercial clients and commissions while staying out of the limelight. He crafted the available table near the end of his furniture-making career. Also on offer from the Collection of William and Patsy Porter is a rare inlaid settle designed by Harvey Ellis or LaMont A. Warner for Gustav Stickley. The piece dates back to circa 1903 and features a large red manufacturer’s decal to the back.
Collectors can consider several furniture items designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in this sale, including a Peacock side chair from the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Wright designed the second Imperial Hotel after the first structure was destroyed in a fire. The resulting building was among Wright’s most famous Japanese structures, and it included original chairs designed by Wright to complement the architecture. The offered oak, leather, and brass Peacock side chair features a hexagonal back and bright yellow leather cushions. Other designers represented in this auction include Orlando Giannini, Alfred-Louis-Achille Daguet, and Dirk van Erp. Visit Toomey & Co. to view the complete Early 20th Century Design auction catalog and place a bid.
The Summer 2023 Modern Art + Design sale at Billings will particularly feature a pair of Finn Juhl lounge chairs that appear to retain their original finish and leather accents. A Danish architect best known for his furniture designs, Finn Juhl experienced a slow rise to international fame in the 1950s. His furniture is defined by a softened Modernism that embraced organic forms, and it helped contribute to the spread of Danish modern furniture styles in the United States. The offered lounge chairs reflect this design philosophy in their gently curved arms and comfortable recline. They were manufactured by Niels Vodder of Denmark in the 1950s. Another key furniture lot in the catalog is a circa 1952 ESU 400 storage unit by Charles and Ray Eames. It is made of birch, lacquered Masonite, chrome-plated steel, and enameled steel. With large squares of yellow, red, blue, white, and black, the storage unit evokes a Piet Mondrian painting.
A selection of fine art will also be available in this auction. Leading this section of the sale is a painting by Michael Goldberg titled Shun Lee Palace II. The Abstract Expressionist work from 2000 contains numerous layers of paint swirls and scribbled lines. An aquatint and drypoint print by Helen Frankenthaler is on offer as well. To view the complete catalog and register to place a bid in the Summer 2023 Modern Art + Design sale, visit Billings’ website.
A one-of-a-kind bicycle crafted by Alberto Masi will soon be offered by Rivich Auction in the upcoming Slow Ride: Racing Bicycle Auction. After a career as a professional racer and team mechanic, Faliero Masi has been handcrafting frames at the Vigorelli Velodrome since the 1950s. Now, Faliero Masi and his son Alberto Masi are legendary icons of the Italian hand-crafted bicycle market. They have been the preferred builder for many stars in the pro-cycling peloton. This Masi bicycle was made in the Velodromo Vigorelli, Italy. It has Bontrager, carbon-fiber handlebars; its stem is Syntace. It has a John Cobb-designed A900 Jetstream TT carbon-fiber front fork, FiR carbon front rim, and Mavic Comete back rim.
The auction will offer 67 bicycles, motorcycles, and collectibles from the finest makers in the industry. Among the leading lots is an example from Japanese brand Shimano. This Shimano XTR road bicycle has an Ibis titanium frame and handlebars, Mavic rims, Kooka brakes and gears, and a Selle Italia FLITE Titanium seat saddle. The company’s history dates back to February 1921, when 26-year-old Shozaburo Shimano established Shimano Iron Works in Sakai City. On the site of a demolished celluloid factory, he rented a nearly 40-square-meter area. The new establishment only had a single lathe measuring about 1.8 meters long. Shimano now has about 70% of the global share in bicycle gears and brakes and approximately 50% of the overall bicycle components market. In 2021, Shimano celebrated its 100th anniversary. View the complete catalog for this Slow Ride: Racing Bicycle Auction and find other online auctions on Bidsquare.
Henry Spencer Moore (British, 1898 – 1986) was best known for his semi-abstract, monumental bronze sculptures located around the world as public works of art. Moore also produced many drawings, including a series depicting Londoners sheltering from the Blitz in 1940 and 1941. His forms are usually abstractions of the human figure, typically depicting a mother and child or reclining figures. Two Torsos is a bronze sculpture on a black marble base depicting two torsos in movement, created by Moore in 1962. It is available in the upcoming Fine Estates & Collections Auction, presented by Ahlers & Ogletree. Abstract cast bronze sculptures by Moore were instrumental in introducing a particular form of modernism to the United Kingdom. His ability in later life to fulfill large-scale commissions made him wealthy enough for him to establish the Henry Moore Foundation. The foundation continues to support education and promotion of the arts long after his passing.
Thomas Wilmer Dewing’s pastel on medium light brown paper signed “T.W. Dewing” is another notable lot in the fine arts category. Titled Study in Orange and Rose, the piece was completed in 1909. The auction house notes that this lot as a companion piece to In Pink No. 11, sold by Doyle Auctions for $110,500. The available piece was exhibited at the National Museum of American Art in 1996 and the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1996-97. The work comes from the collection of Ms. Susan Levitt Barkoff, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Irving Levitt of Michigan and New York. Dr. Levitt served at the Detroit Institute of Arts as the first president of the Institute’s “Friends of the American Wing.” View the complete catalog of this Fine Estates & Collections sale and register to bid by visiting Ahlers & Ogletree.
Swann Auction Galleries’ June Fine Books and Autographs sale includes over 200 lots of 19th- and 20th-century literature, signed documents, and more. Leading this sale is a limited-edition copy of Charles Bukowski’s It Catches My Heart in Its Hands: New & Selected Poems 1955-1963. A celebrated American poet and novelist, Bukowski’s writings portray the struggle to cope with a corrupt and blighted world through violent imagery and graphic references. His writing reflects the socio-economic, cultural, and political climate of his home city, Los Angeles. The available work focuses on the daily struggles of poor Americans, alcohol, interactions with women, and labor. The colophon of this collection tells the story of its production, in the words of Jon and Lou Webb, the printers. The collection is signed and dated “8-3-63″ by the author.
The sale also offers a first edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. It was April 25, 1856, when the real Alice (Alice Liddell) met Carroll for the first time as a three-year-old. Photographing Alice and her sisters, inventing nursery games with them, sharing stories with them, and hosting river picnics at Oxford are just some of the things he did for them. Carroll invented Alice In Wonderland at one such picnic on July 4, 1862. Other key lots in this sale include a signed photograph of Wilbur Wright’s historic flight, portraying the Wright Flyer above the clouds in silhouette. Visit Swann Auction Galleries to view the full catalog and register to bid in this Fine Books & Autographs sale.
Rolex, the well-known Swiss watch maker based in Geneva, patented a Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism in 1931. It’s a semi-circular plate that moves freely by virtue of gravity. The watch came to be known as the Oyster Perpetual. The upcoming Freeman’s auction will feature one such 18-karat yellow gold Rolex Oyster President Perpetual Day-Date piece. The bezel comes with scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The men’s watch has 3155 automatic movement and a President bracelet with a deployant clasp. Akin to all other Perpetual movements, the 3155 is a certified chronometer, which has effectively passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute tests.
An unheated Ceylon sapphire and diamond ring also leads the catalog. Set in platinum, it is fashioned with a cushion mixed-cut natural corundum blue Ceylon sapphire centerpiece. The sapphire weighs almost 5.25 carats. Regarded as the national gemstone of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), the blue sapphire is valued for its brilliant hues and rarity. A 14-karat white gold, platinum, diamond, and onyx necklace is equally noteworthy. The striking pendant also functions as a brooch. Visit Freeman’s to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Boutique Jewels and Luxury Accessories sale.
French jeweler Jules René Boivin established his namesake house in 1890. Madame René Boivin took over as the successor of the jewelry house after her husband’s death. She preferred voluminous designs with colored precious stones. Boivin jewelry came to be celebrated for its bold character. The starfish-shaped brooch is one of the company’s classic designs, popular ever since it was created in 1937. An Art Deco Boivin sapphire and diamond starfish brooch (1938) is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from Phillips. It is set with a cushion-shaped sapphire, flanked by vintage, circular- and single-cut diamond-set rays accentuated by circular-cut sapphires and blue enamel. These are mounted in platinum and 18-karat white gold. Another noteworthy piece is an Aldo Cipullo onyx and gold necklace. Studded with alternating circular onyx and gold disc links, the neck piece is made of 18-karat yellow gold. During his lifetime, Cipullo worked with famous jewelry houses such as David Webb, Tiffany & Co., and Cartier.
An interesting fancy deep yellow diamond ring also leads the listings. It is set with a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond, weighing 44.89 carats. Visit Phillips to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Jewels sale.
Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian was a German explorer who led momentous expeditions. In 1832, along with the Swiss painter Karl Bodmer, he embarked on a journey to the Missouri River in the United States. He recorded the cultures of Native people, including the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes. On his return, Maximilian wrote Reise in das innere Nord-America in den Jahren 1832 bis 1834. It is also noteworthy that Bodmer’s watercolor paintings for the publication are regarded as the most precise illustrations ever. The first copy of the fully hand-colored masterpiece is a key highlight of this upcoming auction, presented by Christie’s. It includes two large-paper “Imperial” quarto text volumes, one broadside folio atlas of tableaux and one folio atlas of vignettes. Encased in four modern half Morocco clamshell boxes, these comprise wood-engraved illustrations, 48 hand-colored aquatint and engraved plates, and 33 aquatint and engraved plates.
Another striking lot is The Yellowstone National Park (1876) by Thomas Moran and Ferdinand Hayden. It includes the title page, preface, contents leaf, 13-page introduction, two lithographed maps, and 15 chromolithographed plates, signed with the artist’s monogram. Visit Christie’s to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming The Magnificent Library of Norman Bobins: Part One, American Color sale
