It is a shame, but a lot of people, myself included, question just how Great Britain is these days. Our Empire seems to have dwindled somewhat.
In Particular, we did rule the waves. The Maritime exploits of our past are something to be proud of. Now, there is a possibility of owning something tangible and unique relating to our National sea heroics.
Daniel Crouch Rare Books, specialist dealer in antique atlases, maps, plans, sea charts and globes, presents its inaugural exhibition of The Gestetner Collection of Maritime Atlases and Voyages from Thursday 16th to Wednesday 22nd December 2010.
The collection has examples of the earliest printed maritime atlases, the Italian ‘isolari’, The best example being the beautifully engraved L’isole piu famose del Mondo by Thomaso Porcacchi, which was published in 1590, and was the first isolario to be engraved on copper (£7,500).
‘Arcano del Mare’ – which is present in the collection in the second, and best, edition of 1661. This Atlas has been called one of the “greatest atlases of the world”. The last example to come on the market sold for $824,000 in the Frank Street sale, 2007. This example is offered at £485,000.
Possibly the item with the most historic significance would be Waghenaer’s ‘Mariner’s Mirrour’. It was used by Sir Frances Drake and his victorious fleet at the battle of the Spanish Armada. The most recent known sale of a complete example of this work sold 30 years ago for £90,000.
This fascinating collection is available to view at Apter Fredericks Gallery (265-267 Fulham Road, London).
The new collection from acclaimed Spanish designer Jaime Hayon for Lladró is an exciting and welcome release.
Whilst in keeping with Lladró’s signature delicacy, a touch of humour and cute has been added. The combination is a winning formula, which looks set to be hugely popular.
The Fantasy Collection consists of 01: Lover’s Garden, Scene 02: Raining Hearts and Toy.
The new Lladro collection adds a dreamlike element to Lladró’s signature delicacy, capturing special moments from magical worlds. Each individual piece reveals a surreal and fantastic scene, from heady, romantic love through to child like play.
Lover’s Garden - £1,700. This Limited Edition piece is, for me, simply delightful. The character and hearts are reminiscent of Doug Hyde’s Smile collection. This is a big box ticked as far as I am concerned.
The character of The Lover plucks a heart from his garden, which instantly turns to the brightest red from Lladró’s colour palette as a symbol of passionate love. The scene is captured in a glass dome and appears as if frozen in time.
Raining Hearts - £765. This shows an intimate group of toys enclosed within a glass dome, with each monochrome element featuring beautifully hand painted hearts.
Jaime Hayon’s toy theme has been a signature element of his work over the years and has been incorporated within his collection for Lladró and can be seen within this piece. This is also a limited edition piece.
Toy - £135. Toy is Jaime Hayon’s signature toy that pops up throughout The Fantasy Collection. This piece has been transformed into an originally functional piece as a decorative chopstick rest.
This New Lladro edition has a guilt free sentiment that I like very much.
(For Stockists - http://www.lladro.com / 0800 015 2413)
Posted by Paul Handley on Fri 22nd October 2010 at 08:09 AM, Filed in Expensive Art
The work of David Spiller ticks every personal box for me. Here is a man who has been in the game since the 1960s. However, David Spiller produces the most current, “hip” even, works of art being released at the moment.
I recently confessed to not having an understanding of what makes “art” valuable. I maintain that I have no authority in judging the true value of a piece. That does not mean I don’t know what I like.
Evening shadows Acrylic and pencil on canvas £14,500
I like David Spiller. If you have a bit of soul and a touch of humour, it’s hard not too.
His work draws on the iconography and sounds of popular culture – on comics, TV cartoons, art history, lyrics by the greats of 20th-century song-writing and even graffiti.
He is the man.
Beaux Arts are holding an exhibition of his recent works from November 10 to December 11 2010. The exhibition is aptly titled “Forever Young”.
The 25 new pieces take the onlooker on a journey, in which snatches of well-known song lyrics (from Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and The Troggs, among others), poetry and cartoons jostle with stories from the Old Testament as well as visual references to artists such as Picasso and Manet.
It’s such a perfect day 2010Acrylic and pencil on canvas £16,250
This is the “Peter Pan” of the contemporary art world. Born in 1942, Spillar produces up to 50 works a year, many of which are in private collections and museums throughout the world, from Belgium to Korea.
The exhibition is full of charm, originality and works as a great footnote for today’s world. The fun, the vibrance, the cool – I love it all.
The exhibition is at Beaux arts, 22 Cork Street, London, W1S 3NA
Says Spiller: ‘I don’t have any grandiose expectations about the effect of my work on people. It’s enough if they want to stop and look… But you want to make a difference, even if it’s only for ten minutes.’
When I am this old, I want to be this cool. Don’t miss this delightful collection.
Lavazza, better known for producing and importing fine coffee world-wide, have “done a Pirelli” on us.
The Lavazza calendar rivals only the famous Pirelli calendar, in terms of artistic fashion photography and using the talents of world renowned photographers.
Now set to unveil its 19th edition, The Lavazza calendar goes from strength to strength.
Previous photographers include Eugenio Recuenco, Ellen Von Unworth and the might of two of the world’s best photographers, in the form of Annie Leibovitz and David LaChapelle.
The 2011 calendar sees Mark Seliger behind the lens, with his interpretation of the theme “Falling in Love in Italy”.
Tuscany - July / August
Mark Seliger is more used to celebrity portraits and album covers. Previous clients have included Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
With the Lavazza calendar, Seliger was able to introduce a quirky, fun element.
The end result? “Six intimate moments involving him, her and coffee.”
In front of the lens sees, amongst others, “House” and “The OC” actress Olivia Wilde and her husband, film director Tao Ruspoli who feature in the Capri picture.
Capri - January / February
Other beautifully shot scenes of romance in Italy have more than a touch of humour to them.
The six images are all striking in their own way, with the Lavazza brand placement in evidence.
The locations include the iconic scene of Romeo and Juliet’s balcony, the Faraglioni of Capri, A Tuscan landscape and a love story in Naples.
Florence - November / December
Mark Seliger has produced the 19th Lavazza Calendar - Falling in Love in Italy and it is a masterpiece of love, Italy and coffee.
A limited print run of just 30,000 calendars make these very hot property, hopefully you will be lucky enough to obtain your own copy!
Posted by Paul Handley on Tue 19th October 2010 at 08:04 AM, Filed in Expensive Art
The art world can be a fickle place. If you are looking for a great return on an investment, just how do you spot the next masterpiece?
Honestly? I haven’t a clue….
Fortunately, I know of a dealer that has that rare talent of spotting a work of art, before anyone else does. His name is Michael Goedhuis .
Michael Goedhuis was one of the first western dealers to enter the Chinese contemporary market. He identified artists previously unknown to the West such as Zhang Xiaogang,
Goedhuis spotted one of Zhang Xiaogang key works in the Estella collection which subsequently sold for $6million when the collection was offered at auction in 2008.
Yes, he knows his onions.
Liu Kuo-sung (b. 1932) Full Moon 2008 Ink and color on paper 39.17 x 72.56 in (99.5 x 184.3 cm)
Now, Goedhuis has put together an exhibition of New Ink Painting from China. Ten carefully selected artists will exhibit a total of 30 pieces.
This collection of contemporary ink paintings is the first comprehensive display of Chinese New Ink Painting ever held in Britain and will take place at 16 Bloomfield Terrace, London SW1W 8PG.
The exhibition coincides with the internationally celebrated event “Asian Art in London” (4-13 November 2010), the exhibition will run from Friday, 5 November to 3 December 2010.
The ten ground breaking artists range from internationally recognized Liu Kuo-sung to the new generation of the avant-garde, Qin Feng, will each exhibit three works. New Ink Painting is the genre poised to be China’s choice for the modern pictorial expression of Chinese civilization and as such is a must for collectors interested in this area.
Prices range from $25,000 - $150,000.
Yao Jui-chung (b. 1969) Honeymoon: Love River, 2010 Hand made paper, ink with gold leaf 27.56 x 39.37 in (70 x 100 cm)
“The New Ink Painting is perhaps the boldest pictorial experiment in contemporary Chinese culture. Artists trained rigorously in the traditional brush and ink on paper painting tradition, which is still considered the foundation stone of Chinese civilization, have, in the past few years, broken away from the classical canon and are making works which are meaningful for and relevant to society in modern China”, comments Michael Goedhuis.
