Headlining Christie’s upcoming auction of Important American Literature from the Bruce M. Lisman Collection are page proofs for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter. These rare proofs contain over 600 corrections over 140 pages. Hawthorne destroyed the original manuscript for The Scarlet Letter. These proofs provide a rare glimpse into the author’s development of the story, with corrections and annotations written in Hawthorne’s own hand. The Bruce M. Lisman Collection represents “the best Hawthorne collection in private hands,” according to Christie’s, with other available lots ranging from a family copy of The Scarlet Letter to assorted signed correspondence from Hawthorne.
Another key lot in the auction is an inscribed copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, from 1840. It contains stories such as “MS in a Bottle” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The book was a commercial failure during its time, and Poe did not receive any compensation for it beyond a few gift copies to distribute to friends and family. The available lot is one of these presentation copies. It is bound in black morocco gilt and addressed to the author’s cousin, Emily Virginia Herring Chapman Beacham. Collectors can also consider a rare first British edition copy of Herman Melville’s The Whale (Moby-Dick), a draft manuscript from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and an uncut copy of Washington Irving’s Salmagundi in wrappers. Visit Christie’s to browse the complete catalog of the Bruce M. Lisman Collection of Important American Literature and register to bid.
Massively influential on Modern art, Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883) was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life and was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Born into an upper-class household with strong political connections, Manet rejected the naval career laid out for him to engage in the world of art. His early works caused great controversy and served as rallying points for the young painters who would create Impressionism. Fashion and its accessories represented modern life for Manet. The motif of fashion accessories is frequent in his letters, which contained pictures of hats, little boots, handbags, parasols, etc. An autographed set of three pages signed “E. Manet,” dated July 1880, is available in the Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring Animation auction, presented by RR Auction. This is an exceptional, unpublished handwritten letter to the wife of his friend Jules Guillemet, illustrated with original watercolors showing little bags of various shapes and sizes, asking her to choose a model which he will then bring her from Paris.
Another notable lot in the auction is a letter signed “M. K. Gandhi.” It is a four-page-long handwritten letter by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to Mrs. A. M. Lewis of the Esoteric Christian Union. Gandhi wrote the letter regarding his efforts to promote theosophy during his second year in South Africa. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 -1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky’s writings. View the Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring Animation auction and browse other online auctions on Bidsquare.
A set of 20 Dutch Ten Guilder Uncirculated Gold Coins is among the leading lots in the Annual Spring Outdoor, Mid Century, and Contemporary Arts and Furnishings Sale, presented by Nadeau’s Auction Gallery. Gold Guilders were minted in the Netherlands from 1818 to 1933, featuring Willem, Willem II, Willem III, and Wilhelmina in succession as monarchs. Ten Guilders Gold Coins were among the last sovereign gold coins to be issued on the European continent as the Royal Dutch Mint ceased minting these coins in 1933. It was under the reign of Queen Wilhelmina from 1890 to 1948 that four designs of the Gold 10 Guilder Coin were introduced. The available lot features Gold Ten Guilders Coins issued from 1911 to 1933 during Queen Wilhelmina’s reign. Informally referred to as Dutch Queens, these varieties have Queen Wilhelmina on their obverses. The reverse bears the Dutch coat of arms with the denomination inscribed on it.
Collectors can also consider a 50 Peso Gold Coin from Mexico. These coins were issued by the Mexican government as a bullion coin denomination. As part of the celebration of Mexico’s 100th anniversary of becoming independent of Spain, these coins were released for the first time in 1921. In addition, the auction features a pair of Gorham sterling silver candlesticks, eight inches tall, with fluted columns and square-weighted bases. Visit Bidsquare to view the Annual Spring Outdoor, Mid Century, and Contemporary Arts and Furnishings Sale and browse other online auctions.
Celebrating the theme of love, Dane Fine Art will start its Solstice Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art with Damien Hirst’s Heart Spin Painting (2009). It is an acrylic on paper piece created with public collaboration at the Damien Hirst Spin Workshop to celebrate the opening of Requiem at the Pinchuk Art Centre, Ukraine. Hirst intends the viewers to be face to face with things that are generally dismissed or avoided, like death. Contrary to what he normally creates, the available artwork is a colorful take on a heart with streaks of light and dark shades, seemingly moving inwards and outwards. Another lot leading the fine art category is Le The au Jardin by Louis Icart. It is an oil on canvas, hand signed in paint by the artist.
Gertrude Stein is a three-dimensional lithograph on BFK Rives in a Plexiglas box by Red Grooms. Created in 1975, it is a rare limited AP edition published by Brooke Alexander Inc. It is hand signed. Gertrude Stein (American, 1874 – 1946) was a key figure in Modernism in art and literature. She gave up a career in medicine at Johns Hopkins to follow her dreams of becoming a writer and an artist. Stein was a host and a sanctuary for writers like James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In 1933, Stein published a quasi-memoir of her Paris years, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, a tribute to her lifelong partner Alice. This book became a literary bestseller and vaulted Stein from the cult-literature scene into the limelight. This Solstice Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art will also offer artworks by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others. Find the complete catalog and browse other online auctions by visiting Bidsquare.
French artist Georges Henri Manzana Pissarro specialized in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist styles. Born into a family of artists, Manzana was influenced by several distinguished Impressionist artists who frequented his home. Tete de Femme, an original charcoal and white chalk on brown paper artwork by Manzana, is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from Dane Fine Art. This illustration by the versatile artist exemplifies how he broke away from traditions and experimented with new ways of expression. Titled Motorcar, an artwork from another French artist, Louis Icart, also leads the catalog. Belonging to a rare limited edition, it is an original drypoint etching with hand coloring on paper. Icart’s etchings gained admiration in the Art Deco era, when he portrayed the changing faces of Paris and New York in his distinct style.
American artist Jim Dine’s drypoint engraving and electric tool with hand-coloring on Rives BFK is particularly striking. Titled Details from Nancys Garden (from The Temple of Flora), the rare work from a limited edition was published by The Arion Press San Francisco Medium. To view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Sunshine Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art, visit Bidsquare and browse other online auctions.
Adolph Gottlieb (1903 – 1974) was an Abstract Expressionist painter, sculptor, and printmaker. He formed lifelong friendships with artists Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, David Smith, Milton Avery, and John Graham. In the 1960s, Gottlieb simplified imagery usage to create his Burst and Imaginary Landscape paintings. In a 1967 interview, he said, “Everything is part of nature, I just paint from my personal feelings, and my reflexes and instincts. I have to trust these.” Imaginary Landscape No. 1 is a 1957 gouache and ink work by Adolph Gottlieb available in the Art, Design, Jewelry and Antiques auction, presented by Concept Gallery. Black and white colors dominate the painting while carrying the weight of all the emotions and duality the artist was trying to express through abstract dots and lines.
La Frileuse (Shivering Girl), executed in 1913 by Malvina Hoffman (1885 – 1966), is also a leading lot. It is a cast bronze sculpture with a lotus base as a fountain with seven slots. The lotus base is attached to a newer marble base with the artist’s name inscribed. The figure alone measures 39 inches tall. The bronze sculpture comes with a lengthy typed letter from the artist to the consignor, signed and dated February 1965. The letter recounts the making of the sculpture: “I came across the photo the other day of this little girl posing for this statue in my first studio in New York, and I must say the picture proved that this pose was a natural and easy one for the child.” Among jewelry lots, an 18-karat white gold diamond ring, featuring a prong-set 2.04-carat, round brilliant-cut diamond with I color, SI2 clarity is notable. The central diamond is surrounded by six diamond baguettes, four straight baguettes, and two tapered baguettes. View the complete catalog for this Art, Design, Jewelry, and Antiques sale and find other online auctions on Bidsquare.
Born and raised on the sunny beaches of California, Wayne Thiebaud was always interested in painting and creating cartoons, which eventually launched his career. One of the subjects that especially inspired him was desserts. A colorful woodcut on Tosa Kozo paper, signed and dated 1987 in pencil by Wayne Thiebaud, is leading this Summer Spectacular Estates Auction from Clarke Auction. Thiebaud’s early dessert paintings, considered a delineation of American consumerism at the time, are now celebrated representations of that society. The available work shows a group of nine candy apples against a dark blue background.
A 1955 Cadillac, two-door sedan 62 Deville is also available in the sale. The car is newly painted with upholstery, re-chroming, and an engine overhaul. Among jewelry, a platinum pendant topped with 18-karat gold and old European-cut diamonds is a notable lot. The pendant has gold scrolling accented by rose-cut diamonds. The pendant terminates in a single belcher set with a central diamond measuring approximately 4.7mm. Visit Clarke Auction’s website for more information on the Summer Spectacular Estates Auction and to register to bid.
Dane Fine Art’s upcoming Mr. Brainwash Sale includes works by French street artist Thierry Guetta, better known as Mr. Brainwash. The art of Mr. Brainwash is a vibrant expression of positive energy, as well as a celebration of the power of love to transform lives. In his artworks, the artist has amalgamated street art, Pop art, and classical paintings by incorporating iconic images and rendering them in vivid colors. Both famous historical figures and fictional characters are represented in Mr. Brainwash’s art. Leading the sale is Mr. Brainwash’s The Keep a Child Alive (Blue). The available screenprint was created by Mr. Brainwash to raise awareness and support for HIV/AIDS. It features the logos “Keep a Child Alive” and “Buy Life” as well as illustrations featuring his favorite celebrities, such as Madonna, Mohammed Ali, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Albert Einstein.
Batman vs. Superman by Mr. Brainwash is also a notable lot. This is a distinctive piece of art created with mixed media on paper and hand-signed by Mr. Brainwash on verso. The artist creates a polymetric effect by combining collages, stencils, dripping, and spray painting. Other key Mr. Brainwash lots in this sale include a color screenprint on archival paper of John Lennon, a color lithograph on paper of Flower and Sun, and more. To view the complete catalog of the Mr. Brainwash Sale and to find other online auctions, visit Bidsquare.
Christie’s latest Handbags Online: The New York Edit event, which will take place during the first two weeks of June 2023, presents over 230 luxury bags from Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior. The auction house has partnered with New York-based luxury retailer Rebag to particularly feature rare and limited edition Hermès handbags. Among the top lots is a colorful 2022 Perspective Cavalière Kellywood with beechwood, palladium hardware, and Barénia leather. The intricate Hermès design is based on a 2014 Hermès scarf designed by Anamorphèe. The bag weaves together strips of wood and leather to artfully form the words “Hermès Paris.” Christie’s notes that this bag will greet the American market for the first time in this auction.
The catalog includes numerous other rare bags produced over the last several years. Among them is a Faubourg Birkin bag introduced in late 2019. It resembles the façade of the Hermès flagship store at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, including delicately stitched window frames and glowing yellow details. A limited edition Kellydole Picto shoulder bag from 2023 is a playful riff on Hermès’ original Kelly Doll bag, now updated for the digital age. A pixelated face appears on the front of the bag and a detachable pouch is available for easy cell phone storage. Other collectible bags in this event include a 2017 Hermès Plume 28 and a classic monogram canvas Louis Vuitton mini trunk from the 1920s. Browse the full catalog and register to bid by visiting Christie’s.
Romero Britto’s Red Everglades, an oil on canvas painting, combines Cubist elements and Britto’s style to headline the upcoming June of Art event at Avenue Auctions. Its vibrant colors, pop imagery, playful patterns, and inventive use of Britto’s signature within his paintings make this piece stand out. Britto’s art embodies the color patterns of the Fauves, the multi-dimensional facets of Cubism, and the references to mass culture of Pop Art. Romero Britto was born in Recife, Brazil in 1963. As a creative yet impoverished child from Brazil, Britto often painted images on scraps of cardboard and newspaper. Today he adds a splash of color to Absolut Vodka’s “Absolut Art” campaign, Apple Computers, Pepsi Cola, IBM, Britto Mini Cooper, FIFA posters, and more.
A limited-edition, special hand-painted celluloid developed to commemorate Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon directors featuring Bedevilled Rabbit Bugs Bunny is another notable lot. This celluloid was issued in 1999 by director Robert McKimson and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The first Looney Tunes character created by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising for Warner Bros. in the 1920s was Bosko, a cartooned version of a young Black boy who spoke a Southern dialect. This series of cartoons became a landmark in animation history for being the first cartoon to feature synchronized speech and contain animated dialogue. Find the complete catalog for this June of Art sale and register for other online auctions on Bidsquare.
