Vintage Aston Martin Auction: Drive Like 007

Posted May 16th 2008 6:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Wheels, Auctions

Tomorrow London auction house Bonhams will host its 9th annual Aston Martin auction in Newport Pagnell, England, at the Aston Martin Works Service. Since 2000 Bonhams have sold over $27 million worth of Aston Martins (James Bond's vehicle of choice) and related automobilia, breaking several records in the process and establishing themselves as the leading Aston auctioneer. The star of the auction dollar-wise is a 2006 DBR9 GT1 Sports-Racing Coupé which triumphed at that year's FIA GT Championship in Dubai. The car is estimated at $700,000 - $780,000.

Other highlights of the sale include the 1969 DB6 Volante pictured here, est. $230,000 - $290,000; a 1965 DB5 Saloon, est. $270,000 - $310,000; a 1986 V8 Vantage Zagato Coupé that belonged to actor Rowan Atkinson, est. $135,000 - $175,000; a 1961 DB4 Series IV Saloon, est. $215,000 - $250,000; and a 1989 V8 Vantage Volante, est. $175,000 - $215,000. On the heels of the Ferrari auction in Italy we told you about the other day, this is definitely a good month to go classic car shopping. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Aston Martin Auction

Lavender Trust, Charity of the Day

Posted May 16th 2008 10:02AM by Star Sutherland
Filed under: Auctions, Charity, Charity of the Day, Big Givers

Lavender Trust is an charitable program that helps women dealing with breast cancer. What makes Lavender Trust different than all the other cancer care organizations, is their focus on a younger age group, they work primarily with women around the age of 30 who've been recently diagnosed. Programs are all free to the public and include a helpline, peer support and direct health care advice. Last year many celebrities generously donated dresses to an auction which raised funds to keep these worthwhile programs going. You can help support their cause by donating directly or by shopping at their fabulous online boutique, all proceeds go directly to Lavender Trust breast cancer support initiatives.

Fabulous Ferraris Go on the Block in Italy

Posted May 15th 2008 6:09PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Wheels, Auctions

An incredible collection of Ferraris spanning 50-plus years of the company's history goes up for auction this Sunday at the Ferrari factory in Maranello. The stars of the sale are undoubtedly a 1961 250 GT SWB California Spyder that belonged to The Magnificent Seven star James Coburn, which is estimated at $4.6 - $5.9 million; and a 1964 250 Le Mans, est. $6.5 million - $7.4 million, making it one of the most expensive Ferraris ever to go on the block. There are plenty of other incredible machines on offer in the Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione event being staged by RM Auctions, however.

Our personal favorite is this beautiful 1962 250 GT Lusso, the very first production unit and one of only three known examples raced, which is considerably cheaper at est. $1.2 million - $1.5 million. Other highlights include a 1990 Ferrari F40 Le Mans, est. $1.5 million - $2.1 million; a 2004 Enzo specially made for a member of a Middle Eastern royal family in a one-off shade of gray, est. $1.2 million - $1.5 million; and a dashing dark blue 1967 GTB/4, est. $1.2 million - $1.6 million. If you can't make it to Italy this weekend, LiveAuctioneers.com has opened bidding online, and will also carry streaming audio/video of the event.

Gallery: Ferrari Auction Stars

$86 Million Worth of Bacon Sells At Sotheby's

Posted May 15th 2008 4:02PM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Auctions, Art

The big wow from Sotheby's contemporary art sale on Wednesday, was the record price set for a Francis Bacon. His "Triptych, 1976" sold for $86.281 million setting a record for postwar art and topping the estimate of around $70 million. Sotheby's had their best night in their nearly 300-year history bringing in a total of $362 million, which bested the $348.2 million haul from Christie's just the night before. While at the Christie's sale a Mark Rothko painting went for over $50 million, at this sale a similar painting went unsold. Seventeen other artists also set record including Robert Rauschenberg, who died this week. His "Overdrive" sold for $14.6 million. Takashi Murakami's amusing sculpture "My Lonesome Cowboy" went for $15.16 million which is rather amazing considering his previous record for $2.7 million. At the sale 87 percent of the 83 lots were sold and the sale exceeded the high presale estimate of $357 million. Fine art spending is alive and well, if there's a fall coming, well, inevitably there will be one, it seems it won't be for a while yet.

[Thanks, Rob!]

Rothko and Neutra Sell Big at Christie's

Posted May 14th 2008 8:07PM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Auctions, Art

The economy may be slumping but you wouldn't know that from the numbers being racked up at Christie's. The auction house rang in strong numbers on Tuesday night for their spring Contemporary Art Auction which my colleague, Jared Paul Stern mentioned earlier this month. The NY Times reports that there were often only a couple of bidders on each piece but the total haul of $348.2 million falls neatly between the low estimate of $282 million and the high of $398.6 million. The majority of the buyers were American but the Russians were also out in force. The top lot was Rothko's No. 15 which sold for $50.4 million. A similar Rothko is set to be auctioned off tonight at Sotheby's. Lucian Freud's painting Benefits Supervisor Sleeping brought in $33.6 million setting a new record for a Freud sold at auction and giving him back the record of being the living artist with the most expensive work sold at auction (Jeff Koons claimed the title last November).

Perhaps the most interesting lot was the one you can live in. The Kaufmann House, in Palm Springs, Calif., a classic Richard Neutra home sold for $16.8 million including commission. The mystery buyer also purchased a plot of land adjacent to the property for $2.1 million.

[Thanks, Rob]

Gallery: Christie's Contemporary Art Auction

Bardot, Beatles & Monroe Star in Sotheby's Sale

Posted May 12th 2008 6:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Auctions, Art

The buzz at big photo auctions lately has been all about nude supermodels. Perfectly understandable, of course, but how many times can you really stand to see Gisele naked? (OK, no need to answer that). At Sotheby's latest photo sale in London on Tuesday, we're pleased to see some stunning images on offer which while short on supermodel cleavage nonetheless have plenty of appeal. Take for instance this portrait of the beautiful Brigitte Bardot taken by Terry O'Neill 1971 with an estimate of $8,000 - $12,000. Not one of the more expensive items on offer, but worth every penny in our estimation.

Also included in the amazing auction is Helmut Newton's 1975 photo of Elsa Peretti, est. $24,000 - $30,000, and his 1987 portrait of Jodie Foster, est. $14,000 - $18,000; Andy Warhol's Polaroid of Muhammad Ali taken in 1977, est. $10,000 - $14,000; David Bailey's 1969 double portrait of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, est. $20,000 - $30,000; and a recent print made from Bert Stern's famed Marilyn Monroe series (recently aped by Lindsay Lohan), est. $6,000 - $8,000. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Sotheby's Photo Auction Stars

Museum-Quality Pateks Worth Millions Up for Auction

Posted May 11th 2008 8:02AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Auctions, Men's Style

A one-of-a-kind, oversized 1930s Patek Philippe chronograph that belonged to dashing Italian racecar driver Count Felice Trossi is expected to fetch close to $2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva today. Famed Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli probably copied Trossi's habit of wearing his Patek over his shirt cuff, the better to keep time while winning the Italian Grand Prix, which Trossi did in 1947. These day's Trossi's name lives on mainly for automotive enthusiasts; his legendary one-off 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK, now known as the "Count Trossi", is the star of Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection.

The sale also features several other Pateks including some extremely rare chronographs. Meanwhile, Christie's will stage it's own Important Watch auction in Geneva tomorrow, featuring two of the most important antique one-off Pateks ever to go ion the block: a stainless steel perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, and a platinum perpetual calendar with sweep centre seconds and phases of the moon. Both are estimated at an astounding $1.4 million - $2.4 million.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: Patek Philippe Auctions

Grandes Marques Auto Auction in Monaco Today

Posted May 10th 2008 9:02AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Wheels, Auctions

London auction house Bonhams is staging a Grandes Marques classic car auction in the principality of Monaco today featuring some of the world's most collectible automobiles. The star attraction - i.e. highest-priced lot - is an historic 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport that raced at Le Mans in 1934, which is estimated at about $4 - $5 million. However there are several very beautiful and more modern motorcars being sold for a fraction of that price.

For example, the gorgeous 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Competition Saloon pictured here, est. about $320,000 - $360,000, similar to the DB5 driven by James Bond (Sean Connery) in Goldfinger. Among our other favorites, as featured in the gallery below: A 1962 Bentley S3 Continental 'Flying Spur' Saloon, est. about $280,000 - $320,000; a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'Gullwing' Coupé, est. about $690,000 - $760,000; a 1966 Maserati Mistral 4000 Spyder, est. about $420,000 - $500,000; a 1994 Bugatti EB110GT Coupé, one of only 154 built, est. about $340,000 - $420,000; and a 1971 Ferrari 365GTB/4 'Daytona' Berlinetta, est. about $400,000 - $480,000.

Gallery: Grandes Marques A Monaco

Joe Montana Sues His Ex Over Selling His Stuff

Posted May 9th 2008 6:03PM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Auctions, Sports

Should you be able to sell the love letters from a famous ex? Joe Montana doesn't think so. The NFL football great has sued his ex-wife Kim Moses and Heritage Auction over the sale of love letters and other memorabilia dating back to his college days at Notre Dame. Montana says that the items which were sold at Heritage on May 3, violated his copyright and privacy rights. The items sold include the couple's marriage certificate, her bridal veil, Montana's college I.D. card and a lot of personal letters and cards full of all sorts of intimate details. Montana is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and the lawsuit says that Moses obtained some of the items without his consent after they were divorced (the couple married in 1974 and divorced less than three years later). Whether or not it is legal remains to be seen but it does show questionable taste to auction off one's college love letters to the highest bidder.

A Primer on the Price of Bacon

Posted May 9th 2008 12:00PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Auctions, Art

Francis Bacon, that is. In this week's New York magazine, Marion Maneker, art world expert and author of the brilliant men's style book Dressing in the Dark, reveals how the Irishman who "painted meat and blurry popes" came to command $70 million per painting at auction these days. Before 2005, he hadn't crossed the $10 million mark.

Essentially, a bunch of billionaires bid up his work - buyout king Henry Kravis bought one for $35 million last year, and other bigwigs recently paid $53 million for one of those blurry popes and $43 million for a self-portrait (similar to the triptych above, which could fetch $35 million at Christie's next week). Maneker points out however it's also due to the fact that Bacon, who died in 1992, was literally "one of the last great oil painters." His entire estate was only worth £11 million when he succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 82 - less than one little picture would bring now.

Gallery: The Twisted Genius of Bacon

$70 Million Francis Bacon Stars in Sotheby's Sale

Posted May 8th 2008 8:01AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Auctions, Art

A Francis Bacon triptych painted in 1976 is expected to fetch about $70 million in the star sale of Sotheby's Contemporary Art auction in New York on May 14. If the work, billed as the most important privately-held Bacon extant, does max out despite all the hand-wringing going on, the price will eclipse Impressionist claptrap like this $40 million Monet while still falling far short of some puffed-up Picassos. (The middle panel is pictured here; see the image gallery for the complete piece.) Back in February, a Bacon triptych sold for $46.1 million at Christie's in London, slightly below estimate, though the one currently on offer is the better work in our opinion.

Also included in the stunning sale is Mark Rothko's 1956 Orange, Red, Yellow, expected to fetch in excess of $35 million; Jean-Michel Basquiat's beautiful Untitled (Prophet I), est. $9 - $12 million; Robert Rauschenberg's 1963 Overdrive, est. $10 - $15 million; Richard Prince's Millionaire Nurse, est. $3.5 - $4.5 million; a 1986 Andy Warhol self-portrait, est. $2 - $3 million; an untitled Cy Twombly, est. $1.5 - $2 million; and a very naughty manga-inspired sculpture by Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami, valued at an astonishing $3 - $4 million.

Gallery: Sotheby's Contemporary Art Auction

A New Record Set For Monet

Posted May 7th 2008 8:02AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Auctions, Art

As my colleague, J.P.S. mentioned when talking about an upcoming Christie's contemporary art auction, the economy may be sluggish but we don't think the art market is headed for a crash quite yet. Proof of that could be sen yesterday when Christie's auctioned off "Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil" a painting of a bridge by Impressionist Claude Monet. The painting brought in $41.181 million, setting a new record for the popular French artist and besting the estimate of $35 million to $40 million. The previous record for a Monet painting, $36.5 million for his 1904 "Nympheas," was set just last year. No word on who the buyer and seller are.

[Thanks, Rob!]

Celebrities on Sale in Swann Photo Auction

Posted May 4th 2008 4:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Auctions, Art

If the nude supermodels in Christie's' upcoming auction are a little out of your price range, but you'd still like to try your hand at starting a photo collection, check out Swann Galleries' NYC sale on May 15. While short on supermodels in their birthday suits, the Swann sale does have some high-profile and provocative celebrity pix at considerably lower prices than the Christie's event.

Highlights include Francesco Scavullo's 1984 portrait of Sting, est. $1,800 - $2,200, pictured here; Roy Schatt's 1954 photo of James Dean, est. $1,500 - $2,500; several works by Herb Ritts including a 1986 Madonna portrait, est. $4,000 - $6,000, and a muscle-bound Fred With Tires, 1984, est. $8,000 - $12,000; a 1977 Christopher Makos photo of Andy Warhol, est. $4,000 - $6,000; and Helmut Newton's 1981 full-frontal Sylvia in My Studio, Paris, est. $4,000 - $6,000. Catch a preview below.

Gallery: Swann Photo Auction

Christie's $400 Million Contemporary Art Auction

Posted May 1st 2008 2:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Auctions, Art

On May 13, Christie's New York will stage an incredible Post-War and Contemporary Art sale that could realize close to $400 million. Several museum-quality works are on offer among the 57 lots, and Christie's expects several records to be set. Highlights include Francis Bacon's 1976 Three Studies for Self -Portrait, estimated at $25 - $35 million; a morbidly obese Lucian Freud nude, billed as the most important Freud painting ever offered at auction, also est. $25 - $35 million; Willem De Kooning's 1975 Untitled IV, est. $10 - $15 million; several major works by Andy Warhol including his 1962 Campbell's Soup Can (Pepper Pot), est. $6 - $8 million, and his 1986 Self-Portrait, pictured here, est. $2.5 - $3.5 million; Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1987 Victor 25448, est. $4.5 million - $6.5 million; and many more. Some story-hungry members of the press may be rooting for an art market crash, but we're not buying it.

Gallery: Christie's Contemporary Art Auction

More Nude Supermodels on the Auction Block

Posted Apr 29th 2008 6:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Auctions

Following Christie's' successful photo auction earlier this month where a nude of First Lady of France Carla Bruni fetched $91,000, the auction house is staging another sale of stunning images in a couple of weeks. The eye-popping event, taking place in London on May 15, features another photo by Michel Comte, who took the Bruni pic. The new one is of Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bundchen from 1999, and carries an estimate of $12,000 - $16,000.

Also included is an Albert Watson portrait of Kate Moss from 1993 (pictured here, est. $16,000 - $20,000), a Peter Beard photo of Salvador Dali in 1963 (est. $24,000 - $35,000), Richard Avedon's iconic 1981 image of Nastassja Kinski and a friendly boa constrictor (est. $30,000 - $40,000), and Lewis Morley's famous 1963 shot of Christine Keeler (est. $8,000 - $12,000), the model who was at the crux of a famous British government scandal in the '60s.

In addition, there are works by Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, and William Eggleston on offer. The 115-lot auction is expected to bring in over $3 million.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: London Photo Auction

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