Christie’s 247

Art stories to feed the mind and soul



Baseball treasures: from Joe and Marilyn’s passport photo to Babe Ruth’s bat — and more



‘I wanted to be Beethoven’ — why Larry Poons turned his back on fame for a new style of art


‘
Michel Comte on his life in war and fashion photography — and why his focus is now on glaciers



Claude Monet, Gerhard Richter, and how their ideas echo across a century of radical painting



‘You can touch the tool marks’ — the modello for a statue still standing in Italy after 300 years



Model, muse, tastemaker: Nina Griscom, the Eighties ‘It Girl’ who loved Old Master drawings


More stories

Editor’s picks





Despite the bright red and gold of the child’s dress in this portrait by Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp, her grave expression and the sombre landscape behind her hint at the seriousness of life. The presence of her affectionate little dog seems to offer a measure of comfort in an uncertain world

Estimate: £18,000-25,000
until 17 December, Online






The public only gets to see Leonardo’s Mona Lisa behind protective glass. But once a year it is removed from its case and examined by conservators. The opportunity to be present at this rare event is being auctioned as part of a sale to benefit the Louvre’s social and educational programmes

Estimate: €10,000-30,000
until 15 December, Online






Engraved with a male and a female figure on either side of a cross, this Byzantine gold ringdating from the 6th or 7th century was made for a wedding or betrothal, which explains the significance of the single word inscribed below the figures: OMONOIA means ‘harmony’

Estimate: £6,000-8,000
16 December, London






The Only Way to Travel #2 was drawn by the book illustrator Quentin Blake for an exhibition that explored issues including the refugee crisis and mental health. ‘I thought,’ he explained, ‘that the idea of ways of travelling was something that almost anyone of any age might relate to’

Estimate: £400-600
until 16 December, Online










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Larry Poons in his studio. Photo: Jason Mandella. Artwork: © Larry Poons/VAGA, New York and DACS, London 2020 // Michel Comte, Aialik Glacier, 2017 (detail). Photo: © Michel Comte // Claude Monet in his studio, Giverney, 1920. Photo: Roger-Viollet, Paris / Bridgeman Images / Gerhard Richter in his studio, 1994. Photo: © Benjamin Katz, DACS 2020. Artwork: © Gerhard Richter 2020 (11122020) // Nina Griscom. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

 

That was very cool to peruse!! Thanks for posting, @springfld.arsenal !!

 

Iggy as Don Giovanni by Michel Comte.

"But my father said, ‘No way. Go to school. Then, if you finish, you can do whatever the hell you want.’" so typical ! my uncle told me the same on his deathbed when I was 17 and he waited to pass away in hospital at 44 only.