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Auctions can be very entertaining but also extremely boring, frustrating and costly too. This 19th Century Paintings auction was in two parts. Morning and afternoon. I liked following the whole auction and registering the pulse and strength of the auctions I attended. Seeing bidders and how many bidding on a particular painting and artist helped me decide the strength of the artist’s worth and popularity. The Impressionist sale in October was a good benchmark as far as attendance and prices achieved were concerned.
Read more on March 1986 Sothebys, 19th Century European Paintings Sale…
The sales of the Lebasque and Jongkind gave me a lot of confidence. I had accumulated enough knowledge and cash that by March 1986 I could actually buy one expensive painting close to 10,000 pounds with No problems, and still have enough to buy a few others too.
Read more on November 1985 to March 1986 – Looking For The Masterpiece…
Every game and every activity in life has much to do with psychology and confidence. The Montezin work was a case where I lost my confidence in it and I was desperate to get rid of it and at the same time make some money. I tried twice in France and failed. I tried once in New York and I failed and Christies NY was my last chance to sell it at a major venue with a chance to make a little profit.
Read more on It’s As Good As I Have Already Said! Really! Incredible!…
The Pierre Montezin work was included in the first Arcade Sale of paintings of Sothebys in New York. First sale, first catalogue, new experiment. I was very upset about that but being in London, I could do nothing about it. The only thing I wished was for it to sell and sell well. I knew that this was a new business venture and different buyers attend and receive catalogues for different sales. It was not their best secondary Impressionist sale and I was worried, justifiably worried.
Read more on Montezin Sale or Unsold Odyssey? October 1986…
Wilhelm Kuchnert and Ivan Choultze
WILHELM KUCHNERT
Immediately I bought the Montezin painting from Christies King Street, I also bought a 19th century painting by a German artist called Wilhelm Kuchnert at Christies South Kensington. The Kuchnert painting was a good purchase at 2600 pounds on the evidence of auction prices. However, this painting did not have any animals in it except Mount Kilimanjaro. That was not as desirable as a lion or an African wild life image of a different animal.
Read more on If You Canot Sell, Then Buy!!!Sothebys, March 1986…
If I have had one problem in the whole of my life , that was inability to hold cash money in my pocket. Somehow, I was drawn to owing money and spending money rather than saving it.
Read more on War Chest To Buy Something Very Good-Montezin,Nov. 1985…
July, August and September are usually quiet months in the art business. Some auctions however carry on with their business. I was, more than anything, living two months down the time line and in early October.
Read more on The Sale, October 1985…
It was the first week of August 1985. I returned from another long day out at auctions and looking around in London. No money made! Expenses going from place to place were running high but I was determined and stubborn! Mullishly stubborn!
Read more on Luck Is On My Side! Jongkind Verdict and Experts Opinion, Thumbs Up!…
Butterfields and Butterfields were the biggest auction house in the West USA. It was a big auction that held a good paintings sale three times a year but always mixed. Old Masters, 19th Century, impressionists, modern and contemporary. All together and not that well known yet. That suited me perfectly. In addition and of utmost importance, I hit a great business relationship with the expert in charge in the paintings department. I trusted his opinion more than mine. That was an unbelievable stroke of luck!
Read more on Lebasque, June 1985, Butterfields, San Fransisco, USA…
Melanie Glore was a young lady expert in the impressionist department of Sothebys. She was very polite as always these experts are, but pretty shortly she was to shock me. She looked at the painting for a couple of minutes. She kept quiet, she looked at the support, the old canvas, the condition, the signatures, once, twice, time and again. She touched the paint, she felt the paint.
Read more on July 1985! The Experts Opinion! Heartbreaking or Heartwarming?…
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