Art for All
Whether you have $200,000 to spend on art or $200, independent auction houses across the country have something for you.
WESCHLER’S
Sotheby’s and Christie’s aren’t the only auction houses out there. Dozens more are selling big art, and at more affordable prices.
“I think people are intimidated by auctions, and there’s no reason for that,” says Leslie Hindman, a former HGTV host and owner of four eponymous auction houses in Chicago, Naples, Milwaukee and Palm Beach. “We sell things that most people can afford to buy, and some very expensive things, as well.”
Whatever your budget, heed the advice of Peter Loughrey, founder of Los Angeles Modern Auctions: Get to know your auctioneer, be patient and — perhaps most importantly — buy what you like.
WASHINGTON, DC
WESCHLER’S
Founded: 1890
Specializes In: American, European, Asian, 20th Century Decorative, Jewelry, Furniture
Auction Frequency: Small auctions every Tuesday at 9:30am, plus six bigger, higherend auctions per year
Recent Notable Sales: Fanny Elssler as La Sylphide, 19th century oil on canvas by Karl Joseph Begas ($49,350);A Young Aspiring Sailor, oil on canvas by John George Brown ($192,950)
Record Sale: $286,000 in 1990 for Gypsy girl, oil painting by Théodore Chassériau
Average sale price: $1,800 to $2,000
Sources: Estates, trusts, private collectors, museums
Next Auction: American and European Fine Art, Dec. 3; www.weschlers.com
CHICAGO
LESLIE HINDMAN AUCTIONEERS
Founded: 1982
Specializes In: Modern, Contemporary, American and European
Auction Frequency: Marketplace auctions (featuring reproductions and decorative fine art) monthly, and about 20 larger art auctions per year
Recent Notable Sales: Composition No. 26, watercolor by Wassily Kandinsky ($454,000); Spooks, oil on board by Reginald Marsh ($85,400)
Record Sale: $1.43 million in 1991 for a previously unknown van Gogh still life
Average Sale Price: $4,000 to $10,000
Sources: Estates
Next Auction: Modern and Contemporary Art/American and European Art, Dec. 11-12 www.lesliehindman.com
LA LOS ANGELES
MODERN AUCTIONS
Founded: 1992
Specializes In: 20th Century Modern Art and Design
Auction Frequency: Four per year Recent Notable Sales: Robert Rauschenberg Untitled (Combine), oil on Solo paper cup lid ($93,750); Reg Butler’s original maquette of The Unknown Political Prisoner, wire sculpture ($125,000)
Record sale: $293,750 in 2011 for John Baldessari’s photographic emulsion and acrylic 8th and D. National City
Average Sale Price: About $5,000
Sources: Estates, collectors
Next Auction: Important Modern Art and Design, Dec. 11 www.lamodern.com
NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS AUCTION GALLERIES
Founded: 1991
Specializes In: Contemporary, Southern 18th and 20th Century, Asian
Auction Frequency: About six per year
Recent Notable Sales: Les Soucis, oil on canvas by Bernard Buffet ($56,580); John James Audubon print Snowy Heron or White Egret ($116,850)
Record Sale: $600,000 in 2006 for oil on canvas Laundry Day on Lake Pontchartrain Near Mouth of the Tchefuncte River with Steamboat in the Distance by Marshall Joseph Smith, Jr.
Average Sale Price: About $5,000
Sources: Estates
Next Auction: Asian Fine and Decorative Art, Dec. 6-8 www.neworleansauction.com
BOSTON
SKINNER AUCTIONEERS & APPRAISERS
Founded: 1971
Specializes In: Old Masters, Contemporary, American and European Decorative, Asian
Auction Frequency: About 40 per year
Recent Notable Sales: Album Leaves, ink and colors on paper by various Chinese artists ($1.227 million); Alexander Calder’s painted sheet metal Shoe with Split Heel($125,000)
Record sale: $5.5 million in 2004 for Fitz Henry Lane’s oil on canvas Manchester Harbor
Average Sale Price: Varies widely
Sources: Estates, collectors, museums, institutions
Next Auctions: Asian Works of Art, Dec. 1-3; Prints and Photography, Feb. 3 www.skinnerinc.com
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