A painting entitled ‘Village With Church’ by renowned artist Sayed Haider Raza will appear at Sotheby’s March 2012 Asia Week sales in New York. It will be one amongst rare lots to highlight the sale and is estimated to sell for $1.5/2.5 million. It will feature in Sotheby’s sale of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art on 19 March 2012 and will be on view beginning 16 March.
The painting was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III from the landmark 1958-59 exhibition Trends in Contemporary Painting In India and remained in their historic collection until 1994. It represents the apex of Raza’s early period. Having spent a considerable portion of his career in France, he was deeply moved by the works of the European modernist masters, particularly Cezanne and van Gogh. He is the receipt of the prestigious Prix de la Critique (Critic's award) in 1956. Village with Church exudes a dynamic, tempestuous energy which is characteristic of the artist; a hybrid of the lyrical abstraction redolent of the postwar ecole de Paris, and the vibrancy and direct color treatment of a Rajput miniature. Village With Church is one of the seminal paintings from this period and stands as an enduring legacy of one of the pioneers of Indian Modern Art.
Priyanka Mathew, Head of the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art Sale at Sotheby’s said: “We are delighted to bring this important and historic painting to auction. John D. and Blanchette Rockefeller were two of the most important early champions of modern Indian painting in the United States. Their patronage and support was key in introducing the work of the Progressive Artists’ Group in America, of which Village With Church is such a significant example.”
2012年1月10日星期二
Sotheby's New York to sell 'The Rockefeller Raza' during Asia Week sales in March
NEW YORK, N.Y.- Among the highlights of Sotheby’s March 2012 Asia Week sales in New York is one of the most significant paintings by Sayed Haider Raza ever to appear on the market - Village With Church from 1958. The painting was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III from the landmark 1958-59 exhibition Trends in Contemporary Painting In India and remained in their historic collection until 1994. Village With Church represents the apex of Raza’s early period and is estimated to sell for $1.5/2.5 million. The painting will be included in Sotheby’s sale of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art on 19 March 2012 and will be on view beginning 16 March.
Priyanka Mathew, Head of the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art Sale at Sotheby’s said: “We are delighted to bring this important and historic painting to auction. John D. and Blanchette Rockefeller were two of the most important early champions of modern Indian painting in the United States. Their patronage and support was key in introducing the work of the Progressive Artists’ Group in America, of which Village With Church is such a significant example.”
John D. Rockefeller III, the eldest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., devoted his life to the promotion of Asian-American relations. Along with his wife he made several visits to India, meeting numerous artists, businessmen and politicians, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi.
Perhaps his most notable achievement was the establishment of the Asia Society in New York - an organization that continues today with the goal of bringing ‘the peoples of the United States and Asia closer together in their knowledge of each other and each other’s way of life.’ Central to this mission was promoting cultural exchange and addressing the lack of exhibitions of Asian art in the US.
In addition to the Asia Society, John D. Rockefeller III founded both the Indian Cooperative Union and the American Association for Economic and Social Development, for which Thomas Keehn was the representative of the Rockefeller Foundation. Keehn lived in India and befriended many of the artists who became known as the Progressive Artists’ Group. He went on to organize 8 Painters, an exhibition of their work held in Delhi in 1956 that included Village With Church. This exhibition would later expand and transfer to the U.S. as Trends In Contemporary Painting In India, the first such exhibition ever mounted in America. It was shown in numerous museums and galleries throughout the U.S. and was received as both a critical and popular success. Among the stops was a show at Graham Gallery in New York where the painting caught the eye of the Rockefellers.
Raza spent a considerable portion of his career in France, first arriving in 1950 and still today maintaining a studio in the south of France. He was deeply moved by the works of the European modernist masters, particularly CEzanne and van Gogh, and his works from this period echo the structure and formalism of both of these artists. Receipt of the prestigious Prix de la Critique (Critic's award) in 1956 afforded Raza both international recognition and the freedom to leave Paris and travel throughout his beloved adopted homeland. Throughout the 1950s in France, Raza painted the landscapes of Europe in semi-abstracted forms, but with identifiable architectural elements that provide a constant link to human activity. Heavy with impasto and punctuated with staccato gestural strokes, Village with Church exudes a dynamic, tempestuous energy so characteristic of the artist; a hybrid of the lyrical abstraction redolent of the postwar Ecole de Paris, and the vibrancy and direct color treatment of a Rajput miniature. Village With Church is one of the seminal paintings from this period and stands as an enduring legacy of one of the pioneers of Indian Modern Art.
Priyanka Mathew, Head of the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art Sale at Sotheby’s said: “We are delighted to bring this important and historic painting to auction. John D. and Blanchette Rockefeller were two of the most important early champions of modern Indian painting in the United States. Their patronage and support was key in introducing the work of the Progressive Artists’ Group in America, of which Village With Church is such a significant example.”
John D. Rockefeller III, the eldest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., devoted his life to the promotion of Asian-American relations. Along with his wife he made several visits to India, meeting numerous artists, businessmen and politicians, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi.
Perhaps his most notable achievement was the establishment of the Asia Society in New York - an organization that continues today with the goal of bringing ‘the peoples of the United States and Asia closer together in their knowledge of each other and each other’s way of life.’ Central to this mission was promoting cultural exchange and addressing the lack of exhibitions of Asian art in the US.
In addition to the Asia Society, John D. Rockefeller III founded both the Indian Cooperative Union and the American Association for Economic and Social Development, for which Thomas Keehn was the representative of the Rockefeller Foundation. Keehn lived in India and befriended many of the artists who became known as the Progressive Artists’ Group. He went on to organize 8 Painters, an exhibition of their work held in Delhi in 1956 that included Village With Church. This exhibition would later expand and transfer to the U.S. as Trends In Contemporary Painting In India, the first such exhibition ever mounted in America. It was shown in numerous museums and galleries throughout the U.S. and was received as both a critical and popular success. Among the stops was a show at Graham Gallery in New York where the painting caught the eye of the Rockefellers.
Raza spent a considerable portion of his career in France, first arriving in 1950 and still today maintaining a studio in the south of France. He was deeply moved by the works of the European modernist masters, particularly CEzanne and van Gogh, and his works from this period echo the structure and formalism of both of these artists. Receipt of the prestigious Prix de la Critique (Critic's award) in 1956 afforded Raza both international recognition and the freedom to leave Paris and travel throughout his beloved adopted homeland. Throughout the 1950s in France, Raza painted the landscapes of Europe in semi-abstracted forms, but with identifiable architectural elements that provide a constant link to human activity. Heavy with impasto and punctuated with staccato gestural strokes, Village with Church exudes a dynamic, tempestuous energy so characteristic of the artist; a hybrid of the lyrical abstraction redolent of the postwar Ecole de Paris, and the vibrancy and direct color treatment of a Rajput miniature. Village With Church is one of the seminal paintings from this period and stands as an enduring legacy of one of the pioneers of Indian Modern Art.
2012年1月9日星期一
IMPORTANT SALE OF ESTATE ANTIQUES FEATURING AMERICANA AT CRN AUCTIONS
CRN Auctions of Cambridge, MA., announces a major winter Americana sale to be held at their gallery on Sunday, January 29th at 10:00 a.m. The auction is primarily comprised of material from a northern New Jersey estate as well as items from a Boxford, MA collector. Most of the items have not been on the market for years. The auction itself is made up of fine American antique furniture, American and European paintings, a fine collection of clocks, silver, decorative accessories, antique English furniture and accessories, and Oriental rugs.
Furniture is highlighted by an 18th century New England Chippendale cherry bonnet-top highboy with carved rosettes, fluted columns, shell caved knees and unusual webbed ball and claw feet. The original flamed finials are intact, as well as the large batwing original brasses. A choice set of six Salem Chippendale mahogany ball and claw foot chairs, originally from the Bradlee family of Boston, are in wonderful old surface. There is a fine Newport Chippendale stop-fluted leg card table with its original pierced corner brackets. Another featured item is a highly inlaid serpentine sideboard in old color from the Baltimore or Charleston South Carolina area.
A group of English furniture includes a magnificent Regency hexagonal library table, attributed to Thomas Hope with a large scale inlaid star to the top. Tea caddies and early porcelains are among the English accessories offered.
Paintings consist of both American and European 18th, 19th and 20th century oil paintings by well known and listed artists. There is also a collection of 19th century folk paintings of children, adults and various scenes. Decorative accessories are plentiful throughout the sale, and consist of lots of silver, samplers, Nantucket baskets, Native American baskets, folk art, Chinese Export and domestic porcelains, bronzes, and a private collection of Chinese snuff bottles. Particularly noteworthy is an important large full-bodied fish weathervane with the original gilding, in untouched condition. It is first time offered from a local family.
A collection of American clocks comes from our New Jersey collector. A very fine Simon Willard banjo clock with its original glass tablets and T-bridge movement fitted in an inlaid mahogany case should inspire much interest. A Daniel Monroe, of Concord, Massachusetts, tall clock with 8-day brass works is another feature of the clock section. A Federal Massachusetts shelf clock with a kidney shaped dial is worthy of attention. There are several other tall, wall and shelf clocks that make up this powerful sale.
Buyers will have several decorative antique roomsize oriental rugs to chose from as well as a selection of scatters.
This sale offers an eclectic array of furniture and accessories, a fine mix as found in the homes of these collectors whose tastes were diverse and discriminating.
Furniture is highlighted by an 18th century New England Chippendale cherry bonnet-top highboy with carved rosettes, fluted columns, shell caved knees and unusual webbed ball and claw feet. The original flamed finials are intact, as well as the large batwing original brasses. A choice set of six Salem Chippendale mahogany ball and claw foot chairs, originally from the Bradlee family of Boston, are in wonderful old surface. There is a fine Newport Chippendale stop-fluted leg card table with its original pierced corner brackets. Another featured item is a highly inlaid serpentine sideboard in old color from the Baltimore or Charleston South Carolina area.
A group of English furniture includes a magnificent Regency hexagonal library table, attributed to Thomas Hope with a large scale inlaid star to the top. Tea caddies and early porcelains are among the English accessories offered.
Paintings consist of both American and European 18th, 19th and 20th century oil paintings by well known and listed artists. There is also a collection of 19th century folk paintings of children, adults and various scenes. Decorative accessories are plentiful throughout the sale, and consist of lots of silver, samplers, Nantucket baskets, Native American baskets, folk art, Chinese Export and domestic porcelains, bronzes, and a private collection of Chinese snuff bottles. Particularly noteworthy is an important large full-bodied fish weathervane with the original gilding, in untouched condition. It is first time offered from a local family.
A collection of American clocks comes from our New Jersey collector. A very fine Simon Willard banjo clock with its original glass tablets and T-bridge movement fitted in an inlaid mahogany case should inspire much interest. A Daniel Monroe, of Concord, Massachusetts, tall clock with 8-day brass works is another feature of the clock section. A Federal Massachusetts shelf clock with a kidney shaped dial is worthy of attention. There are several other tall, wall and shelf clocks that make up this powerful sale.
Buyers will have several decorative antique roomsize oriental rugs to chose from as well as a selection of scatters.
This sale offers an eclectic array of furniture and accessories, a fine mix as found in the homes of these collectors whose tastes were diverse and discriminating.
2012年1月8日星期日
After Radeon HD7970 'Tahiti', GPU Compute becomes mainstream
Being among the first to get a hold of the new GPU - and multiples of them at that, in this case AMD Radeon HD7970 'Tahiti' has its advantages, one of them running a lot of tests for the first time for the public to see. In our case, benchmonkey Lennard ran quite a few such benchmark tests on one, two, three and, of course, four cards in parallel. You'd have noticed that the results from the compute tests scaled just as well, if not even better, than the 3-D graphics ones, which on their own did a wonderful scaling job as well - notice even the 3Dmark and Heaven test scaling gains between one and four cards!
Putting aside the numbers, which you can see on our site and widely across the Net now as well, the impact is interesting. The AMD GCN new GPU architecture, which basically looks a lot like a vector FP processor surrounded by graphics acceleration hardware, did provide for much higher usable vs peak FP rate, especially for double precision FP critical for mainstream PC and HPC applications. On top of it, the OpenCL programming model has now matured well to handle single and multiple tasks with many threads being well balanced and spread across multiple GPUs, which the benchmark performance gains when running on up to four GPUs have shown.
One important thing here is that the GPU compute is not limited by CrossFire - or SLI, on Nvidia - four-GPU barrier. If your application, or multiple tasks, can handle it, and the underlying board has enough PCIe slots to support it, there's nothing to stop you from having, say, eight or more GPUs in a single system, all running GPU compute and/or graphics at the same time. For instance, the upcoming Xeon E5 4600 quad-socket LGA 2011 platform, slated for release mid year, will have a whopping 160 PCIe v3 lanes available direct from the CPUs, enabling 8 or more GPU cards in the system. If each of these is a, say, 1.1 GHz pre overclocked 6 GB RAM HD7970, it would mean a 9 TFLOPs DP FP capability in a single box, yet with 48 GB dedicated RAM on these GPUs for large local dataset processing without having to go to the over an order of magnitude slower PCIe link - keep this in mind, as having to often go to PCIe for slow data movement was one of key limitations in wider GPGPU spread.
In those apps where you can tolerate even higher PCIe latency induced by PCIe bridges present on dual-GPU cards, in return for higher total performance, that same Quad Xeon E5 box could take eight dual-GPU, say 975 MHz pre overclocked AMD HD7990, cards, and have 16 TFLOPs peak DP FP performance in a single box. Whether one can fit 2 x 6 GB RAM on a single dual-GPU card right now, remains to be seen, but it would help keep all those data away from having to shuffle over comparatively slower bridged PCIe.
Why do I mention pre-overclocked here? Well, it seems AMD was really conservative with clocking the new parts, as so many of them run comfortably even at 1.1 GHz without any voltage changes or such. The yields seem to be good, and there's nothing wrong in producing higher-end binned parts, combined with more memory, to breach the 1 TFLOP peak DP FP limit, which for these cards would be at 980 MHz GPU, or let's just round it up to 1 GHz, frequency. The extra performance helps get a few more FPS in gaming, but it means real, monetizable, compute performance in supercomputing, workstation and multimedia use.
Let's see what Nvidia answers in with the GK100 chips in the next few months, then followed by Intel's 'Knights Corner' compute version of the Larrabee project. Either way, with the new 'Tahiti' chips, GPU accelerated computing seems to be more efficient and meaningful.
Putting aside the numbers, which you can see on our site and widely across the Net now as well, the impact is interesting. The AMD GCN new GPU architecture, which basically looks a lot like a vector FP processor surrounded by graphics acceleration hardware, did provide for much higher usable vs peak FP rate, especially for double precision FP critical for mainstream PC and HPC applications. On top of it, the OpenCL programming model has now matured well to handle single and multiple tasks with many threads being well balanced and spread across multiple GPUs, which the benchmark performance gains when running on up to four GPUs have shown.
One important thing here is that the GPU compute is not limited by CrossFire - or SLI, on Nvidia - four-GPU barrier. If your application, or multiple tasks, can handle it, and the underlying board has enough PCIe slots to support it, there's nothing to stop you from having, say, eight or more GPUs in a single system, all running GPU compute and/or graphics at the same time. For instance, the upcoming Xeon E5 4600 quad-socket LGA 2011 platform, slated for release mid year, will have a whopping 160 PCIe v3 lanes available direct from the CPUs, enabling 8 or more GPU cards in the system. If each of these is a, say, 1.1 GHz pre overclocked 6 GB RAM HD7970, it would mean a 9 TFLOPs DP FP capability in a single box, yet with 48 GB dedicated RAM on these GPUs for large local dataset processing without having to go to the over an order of magnitude slower PCIe link - keep this in mind, as having to often go to PCIe for slow data movement was one of key limitations in wider GPGPU spread.
In those apps where you can tolerate even higher PCIe latency induced by PCIe bridges present on dual-GPU cards, in return for higher total performance, that same Quad Xeon E5 box could take eight dual-GPU, say 975 MHz pre overclocked AMD HD7990, cards, and have 16 TFLOPs peak DP FP performance in a single box. Whether one can fit 2 x 6 GB RAM on a single dual-GPU card right now, remains to be seen, but it would help keep all those data away from having to shuffle over comparatively slower bridged PCIe.
Why do I mention pre-overclocked here? Well, it seems AMD was really conservative with clocking the new parts, as so many of them run comfortably even at 1.1 GHz without any voltage changes or such. The yields seem to be good, and there's nothing wrong in producing higher-end binned parts, combined with more memory, to breach the 1 TFLOP peak DP FP limit, which for these cards would be at 980 MHz GPU, or let's just round it up to 1 GHz, frequency. The extra performance helps get a few more FPS in gaming, but it means real, monetizable, compute performance in supercomputing, workstation and multimedia use.
Let's see what Nvidia answers in with the GK100 chips in the next few months, then followed by Intel's 'Knights Corner' compute version of the Larrabee project. Either way, with the new 'Tahiti' chips, GPU accelerated computing seems to be more efficient and meaningful.
2012年1月5日星期四
Schiffer antiques lead off Pook & Pook auction
Friday night will have a selection of pieces from three collections including Margaret Schiffer of West Chester, Pa., the Studdiford family of Point Pleasant, N.J., and a southeastern Pennsylvania collection.
Margaret B. Schiffer is a well-known Chester County, Pa., author and expert in the antique field and a specialist in historical needlework, toys and Christmas ornaments. The volume Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania, written in 1958, was a definitive reference book for the time, recording the origins and progression of the art in the 18th and 19th centuries primarily in southeastern Pennsylvania. With her husband, Herbert, and son Peter, Schiffer Publications, printed numerous books on antique furniture and accessories.
The Saturday session will begin at 9 a.m. with a variety of pieces from Charlene Sussel of Garrett Park, Md. Her father-in-law was the pioneer collector Arthur Sussel. This group of 236 lots will be the beginning of several sales with items from the same collection. This selection includes paintings, furniture, silver, fine porcelain, Asian objects, textiles and accessories.
Furniture highlights include a Chester County, Pa., mahogany tall-case clock by Benjamin Garrett of Goshen Township, Pa.; a William and Mary armchair, circa 1735, early Chester County or southeastern Pennsylvania example with a baluster back and old black painted surface with punched star decorations; a Philadelphia William and Mary mahogany spice or valuables box on frame from the William E. and Johanna Studdiford collection. of Point Pleasant, N.J.; a rare Delaware Valley walnut armchair, circa 1715; and an important Pennsylvania or Maryland lowback Windsor bench.
Also selling in Friday’s session is a Chester County sampler wrought by Mary Graves under the tutelage of Hannah G. Carpenter. It is pictured in Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania by Margaret Schiffer, page 61.
The Kriebel name is well known in the field of Schwenkfelder fraktur drawings. These bright colorful pictures were executed in Montgomery County, Pa., in the mid-19th century. The fraktur in the auction was probably executed by Sarah Kriebel for a family member, Regina Kriebel. This is one of a number of fraktur by various artists in the collection including works by Brechall, Peterman, Krebs, Faber and others.
Paintings will include an oil on zinc scene of the Berks County Almshouse by John Rasmussen, a Pennsylvania itinerant painter; a painting titled Boy with Sheep by John Edward Costigan that was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 118th annual exhibition; a Ghent, Belgium, street scene by Pierre Francois de Noter; an industrial illustration done for the Speakman Co. of Wilmington, Del., by Stanley Massey Arthurs; and the painting of the American side wheeler J.B. Schuyler by James Edward Buttersworth.
Other artists represented include Fern Coppedge, Antonio Martino, Arthur Meltzer, Samuel Phillips, John Barnes, Hans Bebie, Bruce Crane, Bela De Tirefort, Alfred Bricher and many more.
Miscellaneous lots include a selection of English pearlware; Chinese carved jade; Boston silk on linen needlework memorial by Louisa Nouvse; and a fine group of turned woodenware by the maker Joseph Lehn working in Lancaster County, Pa., in the 19th century.
The sale will continue with items from the estate of Thelma Bennett of Toms River, N.J.; James and Sally Sorber of Chester County, Pa.,; as well as the estates of William Guyton and Richard Cloney.
A vibrantly painted Rhode Island sleigh, circa 1840, the decoration attributed to Thomas Frederick Hoppin will be sold. It was exhibited at the Rhode Island School of Design 1988.
Margaret B. Schiffer is a well-known Chester County, Pa., author and expert in the antique field and a specialist in historical needlework, toys and Christmas ornaments. The volume Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania, written in 1958, was a definitive reference book for the time, recording the origins and progression of the art in the 18th and 19th centuries primarily in southeastern Pennsylvania. With her husband, Herbert, and son Peter, Schiffer Publications, printed numerous books on antique furniture and accessories.
The Saturday session will begin at 9 a.m. with a variety of pieces from Charlene Sussel of Garrett Park, Md. Her father-in-law was the pioneer collector Arthur Sussel. This group of 236 lots will be the beginning of several sales with items from the same collection. This selection includes paintings, furniture, silver, fine porcelain, Asian objects, textiles and accessories.
Furniture highlights include a Chester County, Pa., mahogany tall-case clock by Benjamin Garrett of Goshen Township, Pa.; a William and Mary armchair, circa 1735, early Chester County or southeastern Pennsylvania example with a baluster back and old black painted surface with punched star decorations; a Philadelphia William and Mary mahogany spice or valuables box on frame from the William E. and Johanna Studdiford collection. of Point Pleasant, N.J.; a rare Delaware Valley walnut armchair, circa 1715; and an important Pennsylvania or Maryland lowback Windsor bench.
Also selling in Friday’s session is a Chester County sampler wrought by Mary Graves under the tutelage of Hannah G. Carpenter. It is pictured in Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania by Margaret Schiffer, page 61.
The Kriebel name is well known in the field of Schwenkfelder fraktur drawings. These bright colorful pictures were executed in Montgomery County, Pa., in the mid-19th century. The fraktur in the auction was probably executed by Sarah Kriebel for a family member, Regina Kriebel. This is one of a number of fraktur by various artists in the collection including works by Brechall, Peterman, Krebs, Faber and others.
Paintings will include an oil on zinc scene of the Berks County Almshouse by John Rasmussen, a Pennsylvania itinerant painter; a painting titled Boy with Sheep by John Edward Costigan that was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 118th annual exhibition; a Ghent, Belgium, street scene by Pierre Francois de Noter; an industrial illustration done for the Speakman Co. of Wilmington, Del., by Stanley Massey Arthurs; and the painting of the American side wheeler J.B. Schuyler by James Edward Buttersworth.
Other artists represented include Fern Coppedge, Antonio Martino, Arthur Meltzer, Samuel Phillips, John Barnes, Hans Bebie, Bruce Crane, Bela De Tirefort, Alfred Bricher and many more.
Miscellaneous lots include a selection of English pearlware; Chinese carved jade; Boston silk on linen needlework memorial by Louisa Nouvse; and a fine group of turned woodenware by the maker Joseph Lehn working in Lancaster County, Pa., in the 19th century.
The sale will continue with items from the estate of Thelma Bennett of Toms River, N.J.; James and Sally Sorber of Chester County, Pa.,; as well as the estates of William Guyton and Richard Cloney.
A vibrantly painted Rhode Island sleigh, circa 1840, the decoration attributed to Thomas Frederick Hoppin will be sold. It was exhibited at the Rhode Island School of Design 1988.
2012年1月3日星期二
N.O. man gets prison for role in art forgery plot
A man was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison for his role in a plot to sell forged paintings that he claimed to be the work of a renowned Louisiana folk artist.
U.S. District Judge Dee Drell in Alexandria sentenced Robert E. Lucky Jr., 64, of New Orleans, to 25 months in prison and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service and pay nearly $327,000 in restitution.
Lucky pleaded guilty in August to one count of mail fraud. He was charged with conspiring with a Baton Rouge couple, William and Beryl Ann Toye, to sell fake Clementine Hunter paintings to unsuspecting art collectors.
The Toyes were sentenced in October to two years of probation.
Lucky’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
Prosecutors said Lucky sold many of the forgeries that William Toye, 80, painted. Toye and his wife, who is 70, also allegedly sold some of the paintings themselves.
Hunter, a black folk artist who died in 1988 at age 101, taught herself to paint while living in rural Natchitoches Parish. Her paintings depict cotton picking, baptisms, funerals and other scenes of plantation life and can sell for thousands of dollars apiece.
Prosecutors described Lucky as a well-known figure in the antique and art community who owned a shop in Natchitoches before he worked for a New Orleans antiques and art dealer. He allegedly used the dealer’s letterhead to promote his sale of forged paintings, which he claimed to have acquired from Hunter collectors and investors.
The FBI said in a 2009 court filing that Lucky learned from experts that the Toyes’ paintings were forgeries but continued to sell them.
"There is no doubt that Ms. Hunter was a gem of the State of Louisiana and our nation. Her artwork was her legacy to all of us. Robert Lucky and the Toyes not only committed fraud as it related to her paintings, but they also diminished her legacy, all for greed."
U.S. District Judge Dee Drell in Alexandria sentenced Robert E. Lucky Jr., 64, of New Orleans, to 25 months in prison and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service and pay nearly $327,000 in restitution.
Lucky pleaded guilty in August to one count of mail fraud. He was charged with conspiring with a Baton Rouge couple, William and Beryl Ann Toye, to sell fake Clementine Hunter paintings to unsuspecting art collectors.
The Toyes were sentenced in October to two years of probation.
Lucky’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
Prosecutors said Lucky sold many of the forgeries that William Toye, 80, painted. Toye and his wife, who is 70, also allegedly sold some of the paintings themselves.
Hunter, a black folk artist who died in 1988 at age 101, taught herself to paint while living in rural Natchitoches Parish. Her paintings depict cotton picking, baptisms, funerals and other scenes of plantation life and can sell for thousands of dollars apiece.
Prosecutors described Lucky as a well-known figure in the antique and art community who owned a shop in Natchitoches before he worked for a New Orleans antiques and art dealer. He allegedly used the dealer’s letterhead to promote his sale of forged paintings, which he claimed to have acquired from Hunter collectors and investors.
The FBI said in a 2009 court filing that Lucky learned from experts that the Toyes’ paintings were forgeries but continued to sell them.
"There is no doubt that Ms. Hunter was a gem of the State of Louisiana and our nation. Her artwork was her legacy to all of us. Robert Lucky and the Toyes not only committed fraud as it related to her paintings, but they also diminished her legacy, all for greed."
2012年1月2日星期一
ART WORLD ACCOUNTS
Artists and collectors say they fell victim to St. Armands art gallery owner Robert Preiss, even as Preiss was facing prison time on an art theft charge. They say they are now missing payments or valuable high-end original paintings and sculptures. Here is a look at what they say happened:
In January, Rut agreed to send Preiss a group of original paintings for a two-day art show in Key Biscayne. "After the event, the paintings - whatever did not sell - was supposed to be brought back to my studio," Rut said.
Rut kept asking Preiss to return the artwork. "I said Robert, I want my paintings back, you're keeping them."
"The next thing I know is he gets arrested," Rut said of Preiss' conviction and jailing in October. "Out of all my consigned artwork, I recovered 5 out of 10."
Rut later went to the home of a Venice dentist who previously had purchased Rut's art. As the dentist gave him a tour of the house, Rut saw one of his missing paintings in the bedroom, a red monochrome of a woman fanning herself. He asked the dentist and his wife where they got it, and they told him Preiss had sold it to them; Rut said he was never paid.
In late 2010, Zhao agreed to send Preiss a few originals and a few limited editions for a new gallery in Tampa called Bugatti Fine Art.
Months went by and Zhao contacted Preiss. "We'd like you to send all the pieces back because we haven't heard anything from you that you had sold anything," said Jessie Zhao, Zhao's daughter.
They were missing three originals and two limited editions. Then, they heard from the manager of Bugatti that Preiss was convicted and in jail.
Later, a customer called to say he had purchased one of Zhao's paintings, "Riders of the Dawn," at an estate sale. It was one of the pieces Preiss had never returned or paid for. "We don't know how that piece got to an estate sale," Jessie Zhao said.
Preiss approached Zimmerman, a renowned portrait artist, with an impressive offer: Paint a portrait of Carlos Slim, the world's richest man, as a gift from Preiss, and Zimmerman would receive a $300,000 commission.
Preiss told Zimmerman it would be in appreciation for the 10-year relationship he shared with Slim as his best client, to be presented to him in Slim's home in Mexico.
Zimmerman created what he considers to be one of his most detailed and meaningful portraits. He incorporated examples of works by Dali and Rodin into the background. During the unveiling at Preiss' gallery, Preiss declared the painting a masterpiece that would soon be hanging in Somaya Museum in Mexico City.
Then, in July, Zimmerman said Preiss came up with one excuse after another as to why the presentation to Slim was not happening. Then, Zimmerman heard about Preiss' conviction for fraud.
Zimmerman now has reason to believe that Slim and Preiss were not as close as represented, and that the portrait was just a tool that Preiss was using to get closer to Slim. Zimmerman said he was never paid.
Ginzberg knew Preiss from years ago when he sold art through Preiss' ex-wife's gallery in Miami. So when Preiss called in late 2009 with stories of people owing him hundreds of thousands of dollars, Ginzberg gave him art to sell.
Preiss guaranteed sales right away, and "to show good faith" gave Ginzberg a check and five postdated checks for the full amount. Only the first one was good, Ginzberg said.
Preiss came up with excuses, including sending a photo of himself in the hospital, and always said payment was just around the corner, Ginzberg said.
"We subsequently found out the artwork was already sold, and there was no way to trace it," Ginzberg said. "He was selling the art and not telling us, but he was taking any price. He sold paintings valued at $40,000 for $10,000."
"Somebody told me they walked into a restaurant on St. Armands, and there was a painting of mine hanging that was retailed at $40,000."
"They said they got it from Preiss," Ginzberg said. "He never paid me for that."
Cloud's husband was a private collector of Salvador Dali sculptures and other fine art, much of it purchased from Preiss. The two became close friends before Cloud's husband died in 2008 and left the artwork to his 6-year-old daughter.
"Robert sent me many emails, beautiful, wise, showing great compassion and how he felt so sorry," Cloud said. "If at any time the storage costs got too much or he needed funds for my daughter, he'd be happy to assist."
In 2010, with the costs of London storage space costing thousands, Cloud decided to sell the pieces and put the money in a trust. She said she called Preiss, who had sold most of the art to her late husband.
Five months later, Cloud started asking about the art or the money. Preiss had neither. In October, someone anonymously sent her a link to a Herald-Tribune news story about Preiss' conviction and prison sentence. "You can imagine, I almost fell out of my chair," Cloud said.
In January, Rut agreed to send Preiss a group of original paintings for a two-day art show in Key Biscayne. "After the event, the paintings - whatever did not sell - was supposed to be brought back to my studio," Rut said.
Rut kept asking Preiss to return the artwork. "I said Robert, I want my paintings back, you're keeping them."
"The next thing I know is he gets arrested," Rut said of Preiss' conviction and jailing in October. "Out of all my consigned artwork, I recovered 5 out of 10."
Rut later went to the home of a Venice dentist who previously had purchased Rut's art. As the dentist gave him a tour of the house, Rut saw one of his missing paintings in the bedroom, a red monochrome of a woman fanning herself. He asked the dentist and his wife where they got it, and they told him Preiss had sold it to them; Rut said he was never paid.
In late 2010, Zhao agreed to send Preiss a few originals and a few limited editions for a new gallery in Tampa called Bugatti Fine Art.
Months went by and Zhao contacted Preiss. "We'd like you to send all the pieces back because we haven't heard anything from you that you had sold anything," said Jessie Zhao, Zhao's daughter.
They were missing three originals and two limited editions. Then, they heard from the manager of Bugatti that Preiss was convicted and in jail.
Later, a customer called to say he had purchased one of Zhao's paintings, "Riders of the Dawn," at an estate sale. It was one of the pieces Preiss had never returned or paid for. "We don't know how that piece got to an estate sale," Jessie Zhao said.
Preiss approached Zimmerman, a renowned portrait artist, with an impressive offer: Paint a portrait of Carlos Slim, the world's richest man, as a gift from Preiss, and Zimmerman would receive a $300,000 commission.
Preiss told Zimmerman it would be in appreciation for the 10-year relationship he shared with Slim as his best client, to be presented to him in Slim's home in Mexico.
Zimmerman created what he considers to be one of his most detailed and meaningful portraits. He incorporated examples of works by Dali and Rodin into the background. During the unveiling at Preiss' gallery, Preiss declared the painting a masterpiece that would soon be hanging in Somaya Museum in Mexico City.
Then, in July, Zimmerman said Preiss came up with one excuse after another as to why the presentation to Slim was not happening. Then, Zimmerman heard about Preiss' conviction for fraud.
Zimmerman now has reason to believe that Slim and Preiss were not as close as represented, and that the portrait was just a tool that Preiss was using to get closer to Slim. Zimmerman said he was never paid.
Ginzberg knew Preiss from years ago when he sold art through Preiss' ex-wife's gallery in Miami. So when Preiss called in late 2009 with stories of people owing him hundreds of thousands of dollars, Ginzberg gave him art to sell.
Preiss guaranteed sales right away, and "to show good faith" gave Ginzberg a check and five postdated checks for the full amount. Only the first one was good, Ginzberg said.
Preiss came up with excuses, including sending a photo of himself in the hospital, and always said payment was just around the corner, Ginzberg said.
"We subsequently found out the artwork was already sold, and there was no way to trace it," Ginzberg said. "He was selling the art and not telling us, but he was taking any price. He sold paintings valued at $40,000 for $10,000."
"Somebody told me they walked into a restaurant on St. Armands, and there was a painting of mine hanging that was retailed at $40,000."
"They said they got it from Preiss," Ginzberg said. "He never paid me for that."
Cloud's husband was a private collector of Salvador Dali sculptures and other fine art, much of it purchased from Preiss. The two became close friends before Cloud's husband died in 2008 and left the artwork to his 6-year-old daughter.
"Robert sent me many emails, beautiful, wise, showing great compassion and how he felt so sorry," Cloud said. "If at any time the storage costs got too much or he needed funds for my daughter, he'd be happy to assist."
In 2010, with the costs of London storage space costing thousands, Cloud decided to sell the pieces and put the money in a trust. She said she called Preiss, who had sold most of the art to her late husband.
Five months later, Cloud started asking about the art or the money. Preiss had neither. In October, someone anonymously sent her a link to a Herald-Tribune news story about Preiss' conviction and prison sentence. "You can imagine, I almost fell out of my chair," Cloud said.
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