Buying at auction with art for every budget

May Matthews, managing director at Bonhams Scotland and head of the auctioneer’s Scottish art department, shares the secrets of buying art at auctions. AUCTIONS can be exhilarating affairs, as bidders compete with each other until finally one emerges triumphant. But aside from the drama, buying at auction makes sound practical sense. Here are some reasons…

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George Leslie Hunter paintings at Bonhams’ Scottish art sale

TWELVE paintings by Scottish Colourist George Leslie Hunter are going under the hammer at Bonhams’ Scottish art sale in Edinburgh on 19 October. The collection was assembled by Hunter’s cousin, Arthur Leyden, and is being sold by the descendants of Leyden’s daughter, Peggie. The paintings coming up for auction include The Blue Teacup, a work…

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The Glasgow Girls open at Lyon & Turnbull

WORKS of art by The Glasgow Girls have gone on show today at Lyon & Turnbull’s gallery in their home city. The Glasgow Girls met at the Glasgow School of Art at the turn of the 20th century. “Like their male counterparts, The Glasgow Boys, this group of women artists had trouble being accepted or…

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Philip Colbert lobster raises £27,770 for university

A PAINTING of a lobster by pop artist Philip Colbert sold for £27,770 yesterday after going under the hammer to raise money for the University of St Andrews. The artist gave The Death of Marat and the Birth of The Lobster to the university to fund scholarships for its news museum and heritage studies course.…

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Fancy owning a 40 million year old crocodile?

THE fossil of a 40 million-year-old crocodile is coming up for auction next week in Glasgow. The ancient croc is one of nearly 200 fossils going under the hammer at McTear’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” auction on 10 August. The collection as assembled by a retired geologist based in the Highlands. It includes a fossilised crocodilian…

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Record sales for Chippendale School

A RECORD 55% of the pieces on display at the Chippendale School graduate exhibition in East Lothian were snapped up by shoppers. A total of 121 items were on show at the four-day event, which was staged by the 27 students following their nine-month training course. The sales – which included 37 pieces going on…

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A timely gift for a shoe tycoon goes to auction

A gold watch may be the ‘go to’ retirement gift for long serving employees, but when staff at Victorian shoemaker, Clarks of Kilmarnock, decided to honour their founder in 1880, they decided to take things a step further. As a mark of their respect for George Clark, the employees presented him with an impressive ‘skeleton’…

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A variety of beautiful objects going under the hammer

April is a busy month at McTear’s auction house in Glasgow. At Style & Taste: Fine Furniture & Works of Art on 28 April, lot 817 is a large cast iron Royal Warrant Coat of Arms. This dates from the late 19th/early 20th century, produced by Walter MacFarlane & Co (also known as the Saracen…

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First Scottish Pictures Auction of 2022 at McTears

Glasgow auction house McTears is looking for submissions for next month’s Scottish Pictures Auction. This specialist auction, held twice-annually, focuses on fine 19th to mid 20th century pictures by Scottish artists or of Scottish subject matter. The first auction of 2022 will takes place on 27 April and entries are invited. The previous Scottish Pictures…

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Private collections of works by Scots artists at auction

The inaugural sale from new auction house Curated Auctions features an extensive collection of works by two of the most important Scottish sculptors of the 20th century. Works by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi R.A. and Sir William Reid Dick R.A. will be going under the hammer. Taking place on March 16, there are many similarities between…

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