Colin Gleadell does a little follow-up on the Bonhams’ Scottish Colourist collection that was sold in August. Bonhams is the last house to hold a separate Scottish sale in Scotland. The centerpiece of the sale was a collection of Scottish Colourists from a California collection that was assembled a decade or so ago. The works that did sell, sold well. Unfortunately, Bonhams and Christie’s had trouble selling all their Scottish Colourist works this Summer:
They went under the hammer last week and realised 1.8 million pounds as a vibrant still life of fruit and flowers by Peploe sold to a private collector for £512,800, the second highest price for the artist. Nearly all the works that were sold went to private UK collectors apart from a smaller Peploe still life that sold to the specialist dealer, Duncan Miller, for £216,000, just below the estimate. Miller, who had advised on the formation of the collection, said that prices for many of the artists had doubled since they were bought eleven years ago.
However, six works by Peploe, Cadell, Hunter and McTaggart, each estimated to bring six figure sums, were not sold, as dealers said the estimates were too high. The collection therefore fell short of its lower estimate of £2.6 million including the auctioneer’s commission. In the summer, Christie’s had offered a number of paintings by Scottish colourists in London, but sold only one.
Jeff Koons to lend works to new Old Master paintings art fair in Paris (Telegraph)