Banksy, Damien Hirst works draw high prices in London

Nearly 20 pieces from the street artist known as Banksy fetched about $650,000 at a Bonhams auction in London. "Girl and Balloon," a painting on the back of an Ikea frame, sold for $115,000, almost five times more than expected. 

Banksy's stencil painting "Leopard and Barcode," bought from the graffiti artist's Existencilism exhibition in Los Angeles, sold for about the same price.

The auction, which also featured works by pop artist Andy Warhol and German visual artist Gerhard Richter, were part of Bonhams' Urban Art sale.

At International Autograph Auctions in London, a doodle by Damien Hirst that depicts the artist's famous work of a shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde sold for about $7,500. The drawing, which has "a great drive" written at the top of the page, was given to a chauffeur as a tip.

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-- Jamie Wetherbe

Photo: A scene from Banksy's "Exit Through the Gift Shop." Credit: Associated Press

Andy Warhol's Elvis Presley painting could sell for $50 million

Andy Warhol would have another headline for his scrapbook. The prince of pop art’s portrait of Elvis Presley is set for the Sotheby's auction block and is expected to fetch $30 million to $50 million.

"Double Elvis (Ferus Type)," which shows the King as a cowboy shooting from the hip, will be offered in New York on May 9 as part of a larger Sotheby's auction of postwar and contemporary art.

The life-size painting from 1963 was exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles the same year and will show in L.A., Hong Kong and London before the spring sale. 

"Eight Elvises," also a 1963 silkscreen painting, sold to a private collector in 2009 for $100 million (that’s $12.5 million per Elvis), making it one of the most expensive paintings ever sold. 

Throughout his life, Warhol was obsessed with tabloids and celebrities, collecting newspaper articles of his favorite Hollywood stars as a teenager; later keeping clippings of himself in a series of 34 scrapbooks. 

"Warhol: Headlines,” an exhibit of Warhol’s tabloids turned fine art, is making the gallery rounds in Frankfurt, Germany, and Rome and will wrap its tour in the Andy Warhol Museum in his hometown of Pittsburgh in October.

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-- Jamie Wetherbe

Photos: "Double Elvis (Ferus Type)," left, and Andy Warhol, right. Credits: AP Photo/Sotheby's, left; Los Angeles Times, right

Gunter Sachs' art collection heading to auction

A trove of modern art owned by the late Gunter Sachs, the multimillionaire European industrialist and playboy, will hit the auction block in May and is expected to bring in more than $31 million, Sotheby's announced this week.

The collection comprises close to 300 pieces by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, René Magritte, Salvador Dalí and other major artists. Among the items that will be offered are two portraits of Brigitte Bardot, who was Sachs' second wife. One portrait is a silkscreen by Warhol and the other is a Richard Avedon photograph of the French screen siren that served as an inspiration for Warhol's portrait.

Sachs led a colorful life marked by money, leisure and beautiful women. Born in Germany to a wealthy family of industrialists, Sachs pursued many passions during his life including bobsledding and astrology as well as art collecting.

A close friend of Warhol's, Sachs organized the artist's first large-scale exhibition in Europe at his gallery in Hamburg, Germany. Sachs' collection includes a number of pieces by Warhol, including a version of the painting titled "Flowers" that is estimated to be worth as much as $6.3 million.

Though he seemingly had it all, Sachs shot himself in 2011 at his home in Gstaad, Switzerland. His family said he chose to end his life after concluding that he had an incurable degenerative disease. He was 78.

The Sotheby's auction will also include items from Sachs' furniture collection. The sale is set to take place at Sotheby's London gallery May 22 and 23.

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Photo: "Gunter Sachs" (1972) by Andy Warhol. Credit: Uli Deck / AFP/Getty Images

Edvard Munch's 'Scream' headed for auction at Sotheby's

 

A version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" will go on sale at a Sotheby's auction in New York and is expected to rake in $80 million or more. The sale, which was announced this week and is scheduled for May, will feature a version of the famous image created by the Norwegian artist in 1895.

"The Scream" is being sold by Petter Olsen, a member of a prominent Norwegian shipping dynasty. The artwork is the only version of "The Scream" that still resides in private hands, according to reports. Two versions of the work belong to the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, while another is at the National Museum, also in Oslo.

Olsen's father was a friend and patron of the artist. The Sotheby's sale is scheduled for May 2 and will be part of a larger auction of Impressionist and modern art.

The auction house said in a release that this version of "The Scream" is a pastel-on-board work with a frame that was hand-painted by the artist to include a poem about the work's inspiration.

Munch's paintings, drawings and prints are highly coveted by museums and collectors around the world. They are also highly coveted by art thieves, who have made headlines by pilfering a number of the artist's works from museums.

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Photo: A detail of "The Scream" (1895) by Edvard Munch. Credit: Sotheby's

 

Francis Bacon, Gerhard Richter works bring in millions at auction

 

Francis Bacon, the late British artist whose paintings habitually bring big bucks at auction, didn't disappoint this week when his 1963 "Portrait of Henrietta Moraes" sold for an impressive $33.2 million.

The sale was part of a Christie's auction of contemporary art in London. Gerhard Richter's painting "Abstraktes Bild" (1994) sold at the same auction for approximately $15.6 million.

Bacon's "Portrait of Henrietta Moraes" is a sort-of nude depiction of the British model who was famous in the mid-20th century for serving as the artistic muse for Bacon, Lucian Freud and others. (In the painting, her nude body is partially concealed by a green serpent-like figure.)

The sale isn't a record for a Bacon painting. That distinction still belongs to one of his "Triptych" works that sold in 2008 for $86.3 million.

The seller of "Henrietta" was Sheldon Solow, the New York real estate developer and art collector, according to Bloomberg. The buyer was identified only as a telephone bidder.

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Star power: Liz Taylor's painting by Frans Hals brings $2.1 million

-- David Ng

Photo: Francis Bacon's "Portrait of Henrietta Moraes." Credit: Matt Dunham / Associated Press

Van Gogh painting owned by Elizabeth Taylor sells at auction

 

A painting by Vincent Van Gogh that was owned by Elizabeth Taylor has sold at auction for nearly $16 million, according to reports. The work, titled "Vue de l'asile de la Chapelle de Remy," used to hang in the actress' home in Bel Air. 

The artwork was sold at a Christie's auction in London. The buyer was an anonymous telephone bidder. Two other paintings owned by Taylor also sold -- a self-portrait by Edgar Degas and a landscape by Claude Pissarro. The total amount of the three sales was about $22 million.

In January, a painting by Frans Hals that belonged to Taylor sold at auction for $2.1 million. The actress' art collection is being sold off piecemeal, with some of the proceeds benefiting the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

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Photo: Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Vue de l'asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy." Credit: Kerim Okten / EPA

Would you buy this painting by Adolf Hitler?

 

Adolf Hitler was an avid painter in his youth before entering politics, though he was noted more for his failures than his artistic successes. The budding demagogue was twice rejected from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna for his perceived lack of talent. One can only speculate how 20th century history might have been different had the young Hitler been accepted to art school.

A painting created by the 24-year-old Hitler has recently sold at an online auction, according to reports. The painting, titled "Maritime Nocturno," sold for approximately $12,000 in a closed sale by the Darte auction house in Slovakia.

The owner of Darte has been quoted as saying that the painting was offered for sale by an unnamed family of a Slovak painter who may have met Hitler when he was a struggling artist in Vienna during the early 20th century.

"Maritime Nocturno" depicts a moonlit seascape, with the moon partially concealed by clouds. The painting stands about 24 inches tall by 19 inches wide.

Paintings by or thought to be by Hitler have hit the auction circuit in recent years. In 2009, a seller in New Jersey offered a painting by a young Hitler that depicts a snowy mountain overlooking a quaint European town.

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Photo: A computer screen featuring an image of a painting by Adolf Hitler, done before he became Nazi Germany's dictator, titled "Maritime Nocturno." Credit: Samuel Kubani / AFP/Getty Images

 

Monster Mash: Brian Stokes Mitchell on 'Glee'; a new Liz auction

That explains it: Tony award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell and film and television's Jeff Goldblum will appear on "Glee" as Rachel's gay dads. (Broadwayworld. com)

Sign of hope: The New York City Opera and its orchestra union have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, a step toward a new season. (New York Times)

Saved: The American Folk Art Museum is declared "reasonably secure," with more than $3.5 million in contributions and pledges since it sold its main building to the Museum of Modern Art last year. (Bloomberg News)

For sale: Elizabeth Taylor's collection of paintings and drawings by British modernist Augustus John will be sold at a Christie's auction in February. (The Telegraph)

Encyclopedia black: Wikipedia and other popular websites will black out their services Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. (Los Angeles Times)

Circling for a space: Big-name architects are taking on the most basic of urban structures: parking garages. (Wall Street Journal)

Asian power: Chinese artist Zhang Daqian surpasses former champion Picasso as top auction earner, with $506.7 million from auctions in 2011 alone. (Huffington Post)

Early music boon: The Juilliard School announces a $20-million gift to endow its graduate-level program in historical performance. (New York Times)

Spy zone: The heart of the former East German police state -- the office of Stasi chief Erich Mielke -- has been restored as a museum, "Haus 1," open now in Berlin. (BBC News)

Generous: "Phantom of the Opera" will celebrate its 10,000th performance on Broadway with a benefit for the Actors Fund on Feb. 11. (Theater Mania)

Tribute: Writer Jake Gorst reflects on contributions from his grandfather, architect Andrew Geller, to mid-century design. (The Architect's Newspaper)

Passing: Gustav Leonhardt, master harpsichordist, dies at 83. (New York Times)

Also in the LA Times: Jori Finkel previews the PST Performance Art Festival; David Ng follows the 'Spider-Man' vs. Julie Taymor scuffle; more casting news for the L.A. staged reading of Dustin Lance Black's Proposition 8 play, "8."

-- Margaret Wappler

Photos, from left: Jeff Goldblum (Credit: AFP/Getty Images); Lea Michele (Adam Rose / Fox); Brian Stokes Mitchell (handout).

Monster Mash: Elizabeth Taylor portrait sells; 'War Horse' author

Iconic: An Andy Warhol painting of Elizabeth Taylor has sold for more than $662,000 at auction in New York. Meanwhile, clothes and jewelry owned by the late movie star are also selling at auction. (Associated Press via Wall Street Journal and Reuters)

Part of the crowd: Michael Morpurgo, the author of "War Horse," is making a small cameo appearance in the Broadway production of the play adapted from his book. (Associated Press)

Ethical quandary: The Tate Galleries in Britain may not renew a sponsorship deal with BP following environmental protests. (Guardian)

House of Saddam: Federal prosecutors said Wedgewood china looted from one of Saddam Hussein's palaces -- and later used in an art exhibit -- has been turned over to Iraqi diplomats. (WNYC)

We have a winner: Stanford University has chosen Ennead Architects to design a new $30.5-million contemporary art museum. (Los Angeles Times)

Collective action: Jazz musicians in New York are launching a campaign for pensions. (New York Times)

To the tune of ... : A former office manager with the York Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania said she stole more than $200,000 from the organization to support her gambling addiction. (York Daily Record)

Ancient: Experts from the British Museum are examining a trove of Viking coins and jewelry found buried in northern Lancashire. (BBC News)

Not coming home: A small manuscript by Charlotte Bronte was purchased at auction by a French museum, despite efforts to bring it back to Britain. (Reuters)

Peer recognition: Laurence Fishburne has received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his performance in "Thurgood," a stage play that was filmed for HBO. (Los Angeles Times)

Passing: Anthony Amato, the founder and artistic director of the Amato Opera Theater in New York, has died at age 91. (New York Times)

Also in the L.A. Times: Critics pick their best of 2011 in the fields of classical music, theater, dance and jazz.

-- David Ng

Photo: A portrait of Elizabeth Taylor by Andy Warhol. Credit: Aaron Tam / AFP/Getty Images

Peter Loughrey does pop-up blog for L.A. Modern's Dec. 11 sale

How did Philip Johnson solve the problem of lighting his glass house in New Canaan, Conn., which didn't have any plain or non-reflective exterior walls? With the help of lighting consultant Richard Kelly, he created a standing floor lamp capped by a painted white brass shade that would reflect light back down to the floor. This is one of the design tidbits you can learn from Peter Loughrey's new weeklong blog.

Anyone who writes about design knows that Loughrey, who runs Los Angeles Modern Auctions with his wife, Shannon, is a go-to person for inside information about 20th century objects and furniture. (The couple was also a big help behind the scenes in assembling "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way" at LACMA, down to loaning works like a Craig Ellwood stereo cabinet and a steel Eames planter to substitute for one that had been deemed too fragile to move from the Eames house.)

This week Loughrey speaks directly to design fans with entries pegged to his upcoming Dec. 11 auction, covering objects for sale like the 1953 Johnson Lamp (estimated at $25,000 to $30,000) and Raymond Loewy's 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 (above; estimated at $60,000 to $80,000), notable for having a body made of fiberglass.

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-- Jori Finkel

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Image: Raymond Loewy's Avanti Studebaker, 1963, Model 63R2 (Super Charged); estimate $60,000 – 80,000. Credit: Los Angeles Modern Auctions