BEVERLY, MASS.- Kaminski Auctions announced the results from the July 20th Century Decorative Arts Sale. Offering an exciting collection of modern items from furniture and household objects to fine art, books, and collectible pieces, the collection attracted a diverse audience of bidders. Kaminski Auctions was thrilled, as always, to field interest from online bidders as well as to host a new group of clients composed largely of enthusiastic modern collectors.
The four top lots from the day were works of art. A gouache on paper work by Diego Rivera (Mexican 1886-1957) was the top seller. Considered one of the most significant contemporary Mexian artists, Rivera was influenced by the Cubism movement in Europe, specifically the work of the artist Picasso, Cezanne, and Renoir, and later, his work as a muralist. The artist is also known for his tumultuous marriage to fellow Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. The important work, which is titled “Mercado de Flores”, signed 1927 and includes booklet of documentation, including original sales invoice from 1944 and a copy of the working sketch, captured $9,700.
Several pieces by Rhode Island-based artist Dennis Akervik Coelho (b. 1968) were on offer. The top selling piece by this artist was his oil on canvas work, “Puffer Fish”, earned $9,000 on Saturday. A work by David Alfaro Siquerios (Mexican, 1896-1974) depicting an abstract tree achieved $7,000, and a harbor scene by artist Bernard buffet achieved $4,100.
Kaminski featured another artist with local prominence in their recent modern sale. David Aronson has lived and worked in the Boston area for decades. A graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and later a professor at Boston University and founder of the university’s art gallery, Aronson has earned respect around the city of Boston, and his popularity continues to grow as he appears in many galleries and museums around the Untied States. Kaminski Auctions has featured bronze works by this artist in the past, and on Saturday, a bronze plaque by Aronson for $3,630.
Among the many decorative items in the sale, a Handel Table Lamp achieved $2,450, and a Le Verre Français Cameo Glass Table Lamp, achieved a sale of $2,400. A sculpture by Mexican-American artist Feliciano Bejar (1920-2007) also realized an important price on Saturday. One large Magiscope Sculpture made up of reclaimed steel automotive parts and cut crystal sold for $1,520.
Kaminski Auctions was excited to highlight several pieces of Hans Wegner furniture in this 20th Century Decorative Arts sale, each of which realized impressive prices. The set of six side chairs sold for $2,040 and the two-piece hutch sold for $1,920. The featured piece of the auction was a pair of armchairs, nicknamed “The Chair,” which sold for $1,800. Used in the September 26, 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate, these chairs have become an icon of the era.
