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 Tuesday, April 29, 2008
British stolen antiques fence sentenced
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Philip Capewell will have around five years to think about what he's done.  On April 25 an English judge sentenced the man for handling valuable antiques stolen from a couple, who was tied up in their country house, and threatened with various tortures like having thier fingernails pulled out if they didn't tell the thieves where the valuable antiques were. They did as any of us would have done when faced with such a thing; they told the thieves exactly where the antiques were. Two other men were also found guilty of conspiring to handle stolen antiques, but not of the theft itself. I'm not exactly sure if anybody has been charged with the deed itself, because this article from the Midhurst and Petworth Observor is rather poorly written. I do hope, however, that someone pays for the heinous act of committing the crime itself. This sentencing is a clear message at least to would be antique thieves and fences in England: You will do time if busted. Capewell is in poor health, suffers from depression - and has a penchant for selling stolen goods. He's a serial offender. I'm sorry for his health issues, but if you do the crime, you will do the time. Sorry. Them's the breaks. Capewell evidently showed no remorse for his crimes, and in so doing gave the entire antiques community a black eye. I hope he uses his time to the truly reflect on how he's wasted his life.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antique scams | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | stolen antiques
4/29/2008 11:29:02 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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Buying high-priced art?
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Antique Blog | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | fine art | Modern | Modernism | pop art
4/29/2008 11:13:57 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Great Tibetan painter dies
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Tinley Chojor was a very well-known name in Buddhist art circles. Chojor painted many many beautiful things, among them the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery in Woodstock, NY, just across the mountain from where my best friend and his family had a house in the area, and where I spent many happy hours as a young man in my 20s.  Times Herald-Record/DEBORAH MEDENBACHThis is a picture of Chojor in Woodstock, takinga break from his work. Chojor's awesome lines were second only to his deep belief in the philosophy he was charged with painting. He was a native to Tibet, who learned the art from his father. This story is from the Times Herald Record, based in the Hudson Valley, where I lived for almost a decade. I would say I'm sad, but not really. He had an amazing life and leaves behind an amazing legacy of great art - ceratinly the best at his craft in the states, if not all of the world. According to the Buddhist principles that Chojor based his life and art on, he's already moved on toward his next life. Rest in peace to a great artist.
Antique Blog | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Buddhist Art | fine art
4/29/2008 11:03:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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A pretty penny expected at auction for first edition 'Emma'
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Just a tiny mention here at The Press Association regarding the upcoming London sale of a rare three-volume first edition set of Jane Austen's "Emma," inscribed by the great woman herself to her governess.  I will plead ignorance here and tell you I've never read "Emma," or seen any of the film, PBS or BBC adaptations of it. Austen just isn't my thing, really, but I respect her place as a huge and enduring literary figure, and actually do regret the gap in my literary knowledge. Back inmy early 20s, when I was working a night job at Shakespeare and Co., on lower Boradway in NYC, my focus was really on Faulkner, Nabokov, Cormac McCarthy, Russel Hoban and a plethora of great Russians. Perhaps when my daughter gets a little older, and I have time to read a real book in large chunks, I'll pick up Austen. Oh well. The books are expected to bring about 50,000 pounds, or $100,000, depending on the exchange rate when the sale takes place June 24.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Auction | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Auction | Ephemera
4/29/2008 10:44:42 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Monday, April 28, 2008
The death of the suburbs?
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Interesting post here from a blog called Victorian Antiques and Design.  It's questions whether the current mortgage crisis is causing the death of Suburbia. I heard the story on NPR the author was talking about and was intrigued at the idea. The issue, as a whole, is very interesting, especially from a sociological, post-war point of view, as the suburbs, a big car and big backyard were the backbone of the American Dream. Now, thanks to greedy lenders lying to some unwary folks, and buyers who knew they had no business getting ARMs, all mixed with terribly suspect financial policy from our government, and you have - quite possibly - what author Paul Wilham is talking about. I grew up in suburbia, and my very sense of self and society is somewhat tied up in those ideas - the mall sas everything, the modern ranch house was uniquitous and nobody ever questioned whether it was the right place to be or the right thing to do, except when bullies threw my brother Cris's shoes into a creek, and maybe it was just me who wanted to move away... Anyway, this is an important discussion in 2008, and one that's only going to gain relevance as the housing crisis deepens and properties lie empty. Check it out. An interesting read and a good blog.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Historic Preservation | Modern | Modern Architecture
4/28/2008 3:09:24 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Antiques auction as theater?
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
There was a very contentious auction over the weekend in South Deerfield, MA, my old stomping grounds. (if you're ever in the area, go to The People's Pint in Greenfield for some of the best microbrew beers you'll ever taste, especially the Farmer Brown Ale. Mmm-mmm.)
 This story is from The Springfield Intruder, about the sale at the Old First Church, sponsored by the Springfield Museums Association, and run by Douglas Auctions. Here's what the Springfield Republican had to say about it: Museum officials this week expressed alarm that historic
items were to be auctioned and might be lost to the city. In response,
church moderator Susan R. Saunders, expressed surprise, saying that
museum and historical society officials were allowed to view and take
church items recently.
Add to this a swarm of local media, angry residents and church-goers and you have the makings of a massive Broadway hit like Tony n' Tina's Wedding (hated it!) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding (hated it!) and all those other interactive plays that were so in vogue 10 years ago in NYC. There were even reporters threatened with arrest! Reporters!
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Auction | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Auction
4/28/2008 2:51:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Sunday, April 27, 2008
New Antique Trader Web Site - Like it?
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
If you haven't checked it out yet, then check it out. If you came here through it, then you know why we're all so excited here to get this thing up and running.  The new Antique Trader Web site is the culmination of many months of hard work and collaboration, not to mention much forward-thinking by the upper management of F+W Publications. It is the hard work of all of the staff here (Karen Knapstein - Web editor; Sandra Sparks - Senior Editor; Robyn Austin, Editorial Director; Scott Tapa, Associate Group Publisher; the entire ad team, and the Interactive team in Cincinnatti) to get all the information just right, get everything linked just so, and to make sure that all our various players are up and running.  At the new AT site you'll find breaking news, industry shop, show and auction information, calendars, features, columns, advice and more than 1,000 archived articles from the past several years of AT. You'll find stories that don't get into the paper, and expanded photo coverage of auctions and features. It's easier to navigate and hopefully gives you all the information you need within a couple clicks. Check it out, click around to get a feel and see what's there. Check back often and enjoy!
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Antiques publications
4/27/2008 9:53:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, April 25, 2008
Not just a Jewish girl - The Jewish girl! Anne Frank postcard found
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This story has made the various rounds of media - electronic, tv and print all - about the discovery of a postcard from Anne Frank - she of the famous diary bearing her name - to a friend just before the family went into hiding from the nazis.  I've held back from writing about it for various reasons. One was to let it make the rounds and see what sort of life it took on. Then the gem of the Web presenting me with exactly what I was waiting for. This headline: " Card from WWII Jewish girl discovered in Dutch shop." It comes from the Chinese Xinhua news agency - which I like to frequent for just this reason. Here's a word to them, though: Anne Frank is not just a Jewish girl. She's the Jewish girl. When I was growing up, Anne Frank was revered everywhere. School, my home, my synagogue, and at the Jewish Community Center, which decided to honor Anne the year I was 14 by producing the play version of The Diary of Anne Frank. I was up for the part of Peter - Man, how I wanted that part! I would've been great, too! - as the director, his name was Fred if I recollect correct, tried without gusto to find a younger Anne, he eventually cast the older pretty boy in the part. I think Fred later offered me a part in the "ensemble" cast of the JCC production of Grease, but I never even called back. My acting career was over by then. This good thing was gone.  Anyway, the postcard... It's a wonderful piece of ephmera, and a testament to the longevity and continued relevance of a Anne Frank's story. It is a tangible link to a girl whose unyeilding faith in the goodness of humans, even as they sought her destruction, has continued to inspire countless thousands of people more than 60 years after her death in a German concentration camp. It's a shame she is not alive to see how inspirational her brief life and writings have been to so many. It's interesting to ponder if it would still mean the same had she lived.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques News | Ephemera | Historic Preservation
4/25/2008 4:24:02 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Asa Ames at AFAM in NYC - Folk art as good as it can get
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Say the name Asa Ames to collectors of folk art and their eyes will glaze and they will begin to salivate. Just look at that stuff.   Amazing amazing painted wood sculptures with so much detail, energy and life that it's hard to look at the pictures. I simply want to scoop one of these things up, take it home, make it a cup of tea and ask it about its creator. Right now, just opened - and as reported here by the New York Times - The American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan is featuring an exhibition of eight sculptures by Asa Ames, one of the most talented and mysterious of the itinerant 19th century folk artists, born and died in Buffalo, NY when he was just 27.  Ames left behind only 13 known examples - there may well be more hiding out there - many of which were done toward the end of his life. Where did he learn his art? Why didn't he make more? Did he make more? Who has them? Part outsider, part folk artist and all genius, check out the Times article and the slide show of the works in the exhibition. The AFAM is an amazing place, with as much great art as any museum of its size in the world. For lovers of real folk and Outsider art, there is nothing quite like it. Simply the best.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | fine art | Folk Art | Historic Preservation | Outsider Art
4/25/2008 12:39:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Antiques and the Russian mob. I think I smell a tv pilot...
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This is interesting and - dare I say it - sexy for the antiques industry. From ArtInfo.com.I wrote here not two weeks ago about the market in Russian art, followed by something about Muslim art, and shortly after that Sotheby's has a huge sale of Russian art. Who buys it? Oh yes, Russians. Except that one peice, and only one piece failed to sell for it's estimated amount. Why? It's alleged ties to the Russian Mob, and the death threats that came with its initial theft. No picture available to my knowledgable, which might just push this thing mainstream. I hope that guy from CSI Miam is in in the pilot... Yes. Very sexy.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antique news odd | Antiques | Antiques Auction | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Auction | fine art
4/25/2008 9:44:42 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
The most permanent impermanent - Oldest oil paintings in Afghanistan
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This is pretty cool, especially considering that a) the philosophy of the Buddha was about the impermanance of all things and b) it's in Bamayan region of Afghanistan - well associated with the destruction of the giant stone Buddhas there by the taliban in 2001  - and these paintings are the earliest oils known.  This story is from Discovery News. The giant stone buddhas are blown-up. Much gnashing of teeth. Seven years later, more, and rarer images show up in a hidden cave. Afghanistan is so widely associated with Islam and the taliban, that it's easy to forget how important the region was in terms of the Buddhist way for several hundred years. It was a center of study and art and monasteries. I hope these paintings are kept safe and sound. If not, never fear. It's all about impermanence anyway...
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiquities | Buddhist Art | fine art | Historic Preservation
4/24/2008 3:03:47 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The death of a Dallas Mid-Century Modern classic
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This one hits close to home.
I remember the house at 2505 Turtle Creek Boulevard in my home town of Dallas very very well. In fact, I would say that it's one of the buildings that is earliest in the formation of my love of Modern architecture. Turtle Creek was full of big, beautiful buildings. 2505 was a one-story office building. It was a prime 0 super prime - example of Mid-Century architecture in America, and uniquely suited to Dallas. As a kid I loved it because it looked like something out of The Jetsons, or the Sid and Marty Kroft acid-induced mid-70s live action kids shows (think Far Out Space Nuts, or The Bugaloos, or Land of the Lost). My mom used to take my brothers and I, when we were kids, out for long drives through the different parts of the city. There were a few places with decidedly "progressive" buildings in the staid high-end hierarchy of Dallas architecture. Turtle Creek was a treat for a number of reasons. 2505 was not only the highlight of that leg of the tour, it also signified Baskin-Robbins at some point in the near future. When I got my license at 16, I used to take the long drives myself, especially on the way home from my school in downtown Dallas North to where I lived close to LBJ Freeway and Preston Road, close to the Valley View Mall. I don't even know if that place still exists. I know for a fact that the Dallas I grew up in - and it was pretty darn big even back then - has been dwarfed, swallowed and spit back out in a different, much more massive, form. It was a long winding drive and I cruised by my favorite structures on the way, 2505 always among them, at a leisurely pace in my baby blue 1977 Vette - Chevy Chevette, that is - but not too slow. The Highland Park police didn't like that. Evidently the city decided to raze the building to make room for a massive luxury condo and restaurant that is going up. Just what the city needs, I'm sure. The building was very near my high school, and near a park and a creek that was close to a friend's apartment, which was also an intersting, if less well-kept, piece of modernist architecture. It too was razed years and years ago. Read the whole story at the link to KERA, the Big D PBS affiliate, above. Both tell the story of the building. I would even add there's a fundamental disrespect for the past and it's lessons in the wanton act. There is a hint of revenge in it, as well. It could end up being simply a vacant lot. The immutable truth of change is amply displayed by the decision to destroy the building. Nothing is permanent, but it would have been nice to have had this beautiful and influential architectural relic around for just a while more.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques News | Modern | Modern Architecture | Modernism
4/22/2008 11:14:06 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Fine Art? Furniture? Not an antique, that's for sure.
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This is being sold by Philips De Pury on Thursday in London. There is a much better pic on the home page of the auction house. It is expected to take $160,000. Don't know what I think of it, really. Just interesting.
Antique Blog | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | fine art | Modern | Modernism | pop art
4/22/2008 10:29:13 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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I tried not to do it, honest I did...
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
... but this has to be one of, of not the strangest collectibles that I have ever seen. The thing is, too, that it sold for $150 on eBay, and that this designer does custom jobs on My Little Ponies, bit that she didn't have any open slots right now (the emphasis is mine).  My. Little. Pony. There is a certain undeniable deviant quality to it, which is why I ultimately couldn't resist posting the link. I'm a sucker for Outsider Art, and always like to see what kind of things there are subcultures for out there. And trust me, if you like to collect things like weird '70s collectible plastic ponies, then deck them out like you favorite video game characters, then, well... You're a sub-culture. Face it. More than that, you're a subset of the whole freaky doll subculture, which is another thing unto itself that is best left off these pages. Trust me, though, it exists.
This is a link to an auction watch at a blog called Gamer Tell,and the "art" comes from a deviant artist named Anime Amy, who is good at what she does, even if it borders on the absurd, which may just be the point...
Antique Blog | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Auction | eBay | Outsider Art
4/22/2008 10:15:41 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Monday, April 21, 2008
A titanic antique - rare ticket to doomed ship sells
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
King of the world! Cue to the Celine Dion, and get me some ear plugs... No, really, in all seriousness, one of the last remaining tickets for the Titanic from a survivor that was five at the time of the sinking, and died in 2006 at age 99, sold over the weekend for $66,000. This story is from the AFP. I wonder what it is about the sinking of the Titanic that still captivates the world's imagination. It goes beyond the horrible movie of a decade ago, or so - it has to, otherwise there is no meaning in life. There is something about that night, and the iceberg that sank the ship, and the split of those that died and those that survived, that people just simply can't get enough of. There are not a lot of mementos left from the actual journey and thpse that are left are jealously guarded, which makes this even rarer. In fact, I'm surprise it didn't go for double the price. Tangentially, I can remember traveling through Asia in 1998, a good two years after the movie came out (" Craptanic" as me an my friends liked to call it) and I can remember seeing people wearing t-shirts all over the place and - especially in India - lines around the block to get in to see it. All this, despite the fact that there were no musical numbers in it. In fact, that would have made it an entertaining movie, at least. I loves me some Bollywood... But hey, I know what you're thinking. "Stick to the antiques, Fleisher. If we wanted movie reviews we'd go to RottenTomatoes.com.
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Auction
4/21/2008 4:15:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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"Shoeless" Joe Jackson bat on the block - my birthday is coming up...
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This story ultimately comes from AP, but I've linked to a Canadian Web site called SLAM! I mean, how can I resist that?  The only known signed "Shoeless" Joe Jackson bat in existence is going on the block this week at Sotheby's, and is expected to bring about $300,000. That might just be an underestimation because a sports collectible like this really only comes on the market once a generation, and Jackson is simulateously one of the most revered and reviled figures in sports. Some believe he was a saint who was framed and others that he was simply a traitor to his team. The bat, known as "Black Betsy," is a real beauty, to be sure. The thought of Jackson applying his prodigious skills with - whacking dingers and dribbling bunts - is enough to make even the most jaded sports fan drool. For all you millionaire readers out there who love this blog like your own children, my birthday is about 1-1/2 months away. Remember, when it comes to your favorite Antique Trader editor, money is no object...
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques | Antiques Auction | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Auction
4/21/2008 3:41:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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How many stories are out there like this?
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
 Karen here ... The challenges to running a business are many and diverse: competition, supply, demand, market presence, the list goes on and on. After thriving for decades, a business can still fall victim to the global economy. I can't help but wonder how many stories are out there like this: Antique store falls victim to exchange rateI'm ready ... in fact, eagerly awaiting ... some success stories. I need some good news ...
Antique News
4/21/2008 10:39:50 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, April 18, 2008
Question of the Week - EBay to end live auction affiliations. Will this affect your buying?
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
Since former eBay CEO Meg Whitman stepped down and new management took over, there has been a host of well-publicized changes at the online auction giant. Changes in fee structure, limits on selling “digital” items and now, the latest, was an announcement from the company that it will, by the end of the year, end its “Live Auction” affiliations. What does this mean? Exactly what it sounds like. No longer will eBay be partnering with brick and mortar auction houses, both big and small, to broadcast auctions live over its interface. This will surely have some smaller houses shaking a little bit, and the bigger ones not so much. EBay has also stated that the live auction segment is not too big a part of its business, thus the end of the experiment. What exactly does “not too big” mean? To a juggernaut like eBay, probably $100M or so… Pocket change, really. The question this week for AT readers is this, then: How much have you used the eBay Live Auctions feature, and will this change affect your online auction buying? Send your answer to noah.fleisher@fwpubs.com, or go online to www.antiquetrader.com/atblog, look for the question of the week, and post your answer in the comments section.
antique | Antique Blog | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques, blog, question of the week | eBay
4/18/2008 1:47:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
Good news for Wright's Taliesin West: Phoenix approves preservation plan
Posted by Antique Trader Staff
This is a happy thing for lovers of Modern architecture - Wright in particular - which anyone that knows me knows that I am.  Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Phoenix, an absolute masterpiece among the master's masterpieces, has finally gotten approval for a preservation plan from Phoenix and the Wright foundation. The link is to the East Valley Tribune. My in-laws live in Scottsdale - Hi Cy and Joan! - and they took my wife and I out there for a tour of the place about five years ago, which was precisely the time I started to get thoroughly obsessed with modern architecture in general on a wide scale. It was a real eye-opener, touring those wonderful buildings, feeling the harmony with nature that informs their very existence. I could feel the presence of the master on the grounds and I sorely wished to be young again and be able to go to architecture school there. The air is charmed at Taliesin West, and the buildings themselves rise out of the desert sand and blend with the surrounding flora and fauna in ways that are very different from Wright's other masterworks. It was, after all, the place where he would spend his winters, and would educate many of his apprentices. I will admit to you that, more than once on that tour, I thought about sneaking off and hiding in a closet until closing time so I could live there during off hours. This, though, was bound to have been a lonely enterprise, so I abandoned it. Plus I love my wife and didn't really want to put that kind of strain on our marriage...  Just this past March, visiting my in-laws - Hi again Cy and Joan - I spoke with my father-in-law about the disrepair that Taliesin West was in and the need for it to be preserved. He said he didn't know what was going to happen to it, and I lamented that that incredible campus might be razed, or crumble into dust. Obvioulsy Wright designed some complex buildings, with infrastructure that is nearly impossible to keep going in its original state. The city of Phoenix, though, with its taste for good architecture, knows what it has and has done the right thing by it. Taliesin West now has the chance to survive into the future, and to have its lessons, it incredible lines and symmetry, preserved for generations to come. In an age and society that is increasingly disposable, it's good to see that this is happening, and that rare genius is being preserved. 
antique | Antique Blog | Antique News | Antiques Blog | Antiques Blogs | Antiques News | Architecture | Historic Preservation | Modern | Modern Architecture | Modernism
4/17/2008 5:15:04 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UT | |