The Easel

29th May 2018

Are Auction Guarantees the New Private Sales? Yes, for Art Sellers Who Don’t Want to Get Ripped Off

Felix Salmon | artnet news | 24th May 2018

For art market buffs. Auctions are a great way to sell expensive art but have a drawback – price uncertainty. Arrangements similar to underwriting help manage this risk. The added complexity is such that it “defeats the purpose of hiring an auction house in the first place. In a sense, then, the real purpose of going to auction is increasingly just rip-off insurance.”

The Days of Duveen

S N Behrman | The New Yorker | 27th May 2018

From the New Yorker archives, a gorgeous essay on Joseph Duveen, the legendary art dealer. Of a year long campaign to sell some busts to John D Rockefeller: “In all love affairs, there comes a moment when desire demands possession. For Rockefeller, this occurred on the day before the option expired … he informed Duveen that he was buying the busts at a million and a half.”

22nd May 2018

Art dealer discovers unknown Rembrandt missed by Christie’s

Staff | Sky News | 16th May 2018

A grimy old painting caught the eye of a dealer who bought it at auction on a hunch. After much research experts have now confirmed it as a previously unknown Rembrandt. A rueful auction  underbidder admits – “I thought on seeing the picture that it had an excellent chance of being by Rembrandt. The brilliantly painted collar in particular I thought was almost as good as a signature.”

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