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Old Masters
Film: Pursuit of Happiness
A New York Times headline dubbed them the “In Couple,” and they are among theGreat Collectors of Our Time, according to the recently published survey of postwar collecting by James Stourton, chairman of Sotheby’s U.K. But Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, who in 1992 became major benefactors of the National Gallery of Art, are neither hotshot jet-setters nor old-money socialites.
Today's Masters: Form and Feeling
“I did that one in ’28,” says Will Barnet, pointing to a drawing of an elegant young man in a double-breasted suit, one hand draped languidly across his lap. He was a poet named Sully De Vito who lived in Barnet’s hometown of Beverly, Mass. “I don’t know what happened to him,” muses Barnet. Nineteen twenty-eight was a long time ago; few people alive today were doing much of anything then, let alone creating serious artwork.
Exhibitions: Shore Thing
When upper-class Romans looked to escape the stress of modern life in the first century A.D., they ventured to the shores of the Bay of Naples, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, where they built elaborate vacation villas filled with Greek antiquities.
In a Nutshell: Sculpted Stones
Fashionable women from the Renaissance onward were keen on collecting the carved gems known as cameos, which were commonly worn on jewelry as a symbol of elegance and high status. Queen Elizabeth I introduced the concept of using these carved gems—worn on brooches or pendants—as payment for a service or favor. At one time, Catherine the Great of Russia had more than 400 in her personal collection. And Napoleon’s first wife, Josephine, is believed to have broken up some of the family’s jewelry in order to create perfectly coordinated suites.
Collecting: Story Boards
Without documentation of such a popular pastime as the ancient Japanese hunting sport of inuoumono, which literally means “dog chasing,” its history would be as lost as the pursuit itself. Developed during the 12th century and reaching the height of its popularity in the 17th, inuoumono tested a samurai’s archery and riding skills. Contestants would mount their horses, with bows and padded arrows in hand, and compete to earn points by targeting dogs on their sides.
Figments of Pigment
Most artists would be livid if six of the seven works that they had loaned to an exhibition returned damaged, but not Eric Conklin. He was flattered. Conklin, 58, practices a type of still life painting known as trompe l’oeil—French for “deceives the eye.” Conklin strives to do just that with his paintings, to persuade people that they are looking at genuine coins, chalkboards, photographs and other carefully chosen objects.
Market: A Sculptor's Selection
By: Sheila Gibson Stoodley It’s a good time to be a collector of tribal art. Just six months after major pieces from the late Frieda and Milton Rosenthal’s collection fetched $10.8 million at Sotheby’s New York, the auction house is preparing for another promising sale drawn from the holdings of the Renee and Chaim Gross…
Market: Art at the Mart
By: Sheila Gibson Stoodley and John Dorfman Chicago celebrates bigness, and its famous Merchandise Mart is a massive structure, but Art Chicago, which will be held there May 1–4, is going to be smaller this year. The fair was huge in 2008, with 181 participants; in fact, some of the galleries thought it was too…
Market: Midwinter Nights' Dream
By: Sallie Brady It was the sale of the young century, and a powerful reminder that there is still a great deal of ready money in the international art and antiques market. When the final hammer fell on lot number 733, well after 11 p.m. on Feb. 25 in Paris’ Grand Palais, the collection of…
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