March 12th, 2008
72.22-carat diamond, so large it could fill a tablespoon, is expected to bring up to $13 million when it goes on the auction block next month.
Cut from an original rough diamond, the D-color, flawless gem is prized for its pear shape and GIA-graded excellent polish and symmetry.
D-color is actually colorless and considered the most highly valued. It was previewed in Manhattan on Monday and will be offered on April 10 at Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries, which estimates its value at $10 million to $13 million.
March 5th, 2008
According to auction giant Sotheby’s, pieces by Francis Bacon & Andy Warhol have been auctioned off for the staggering figure $190 million.
Due to the large amount of cash the modern art pieces brought in, Sotheby’s is claiming a new world record for a European art auction.
The pieces that were sold included: Francis Bacon’s ‘Study of Nude With Figure In A Mirror’, which brought in $40 million & three of Andy Warhol’s self-portraits sold for $23 million.
March 1st, 2008
A contemporary art auction raised 95 million pounds (125 million euros, 188 million dollars) on Wednesday in London, the highest total for such a sale in Europe, auction house Sotheby’s said.
The highlight of the evening was Francis Bacon’s “Study Of Nude With Figure In A Mirror”, which was bought by a private European collector for 19.9 million pounds, compared to its pre-sale estimate of at least 18 million pounds.
Before the night began, the auction had been expected to raise about 72 million pounds.
Despite the high price for the Bacon painting, the record for an artist at auction was established last May, when his “Study From Innocent X” (1962) sold for 26.58 million pounds.
Andy Warhol’s “Three Self Portraits”, three canvasses dating from 1986, fetched 11.4 million pounds, and were sold to an anonymous buyer. The work had been expected to sell for 10 million pounds.
Meanwhile, “Concetto Spaziale” by Lucio Fontana smashed both the pre-sale estimate and the record for a work by the artist at auction, four million pounds and 2.4 million pounds respectively, to sell for 10.3 million pounds.
February 24th, 2008
A triceratops skeleton is expected to fetch 500,000 euros at an upcoming Christie’s auction in Paris, where giant shark teeth and a sabre-toothed tiger skull are also up for bids.
The skeleton of the three-horned dinosaur, from a private European collection, is the highlight of the April 16 auction. It will mark the first time that such a dinosaur specimen goes up for public sale since a T-Rex called “Sue” was sold in New York in October 1997.
The four-legged triceratops, which dates back between 65 and 67 million years, measures 7.5 metres in length and bears a large bony frill and three horns.
February 22nd, 2008
In what is said to be a historic sale, a 101-carat, near-flawless diamond will go under the hammer later this year in Hong Kong, media reported Wednesday.
The squash-ball sized stone, which will be sold at the Hong Kong branch of Christie’s auction house on May 28, is now on exhibition in London and is also the biggest white diamond at auction in nearly two decades, Christie’s said.
The gem that has been cut from a 460-carat South African rough stone is expected to fetch over US $6 million
February 19th, 2008
What’s in the perfect license plate number? Does it hold emotional significance, prestige or just bragging rights? Incredibly, a select few numbers placed on an aluminum license plate may bring all the above.
In Abu Dhabi, monthly auctions of worthy numbers, (typically 1-10 and 11-99 are the most popular), bring high bidders and license plate collectors forward to spend millions on that perfect number.
The most expensive to date was the recent sale of plate No. 1 which sold for a whopping $14.3 million sold to businessman Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri.
