Cat Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 From the Daily Telegraph Art sales: Whole lotta Burne-Jones Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 05/02/2008 To see photo, here's the link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml.../basales105.xml Colin Gleadell on Rock Star collections Market news The rock stars Jimmy Page and Gary Kemp are selling rare works of art in the largest-ever sale of British design from the 19th and 20th centuries, which is to be held at Sotheby's next month. Both have been collectors for several decades and are selling because their new homes do not properly accommodate the works. The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement, which is estimated to fetch a record £1 million Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, is offering a spectacular 24ft-long Burne-Jones tapestry, The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement, which is estimated to fetch a record £1 million. He is also selling five stained-glass windows designed by Burne-Jones, estimated at £25,000 to £35,000 each. Kemp, the guitarist and lyricist for the 1980s New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, is selling furniture from the 19th-century Arts and Crafts movement, which, centred on the pioneering figure of William Morris, sought to equate the status of the craftsman with that of the fine artist. Examples from Kemp's collection include a group of works by Edward William Godwin, the pre-eminent architect and designer who designed houses for Oscar Wilde and James Whistler. A typically stylised 1875 ebonised hanging bookcase by Godwin is estimated to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000 - a record for a piece of furniture by the designer. The auction, worth more than £3 million, is the first either at Sotheby's or Christie's to be organised by a dealer; and there can be few dealers more able to add rock-star glamour to a sale than Paul Reeves. Reeves originally made his name as a clothes designer in the 1960s. Among his clients were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, David Bowie, T.Rex and Led Zeppelin. Reeves met Page in 1966 when the guitarist was playing with the Yardbirds. The two discovered they had a shared interest in the Pre-Raphaelites, 19th-century Gothic revival and Arts and Crafts design, and have remained friends ever since. In 1973, Reeves was commissioned by Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, to decorate his home. This led to further commissions and in 1981 he opened a shop specialising in the decorative arts in Kensington High Street, from which he still operates. Here the roll call of celebrity clients increased from George Harrison of the Beatles and Roger Daltrey of the Who, to Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Barbra Streisand and Brad Pitt, not to mention numerous international museums. The sale Reeves has organised underlines how rock stars have often played a pioneering role in the formation of taste, fuelling the market at the same time. Today, the trend might be more towards Damien Hirst or Banksy, but in the 1970s art history had more appeal. "The romance of the Arthurian legends and the bohemian life of the artists who were reworking these stories seemed very attuned to our time," says Page, who studied at Sutton College of Art in Surrey. In 1972, just as scholarship in the Arts and Crafts movement was being revived, he bought William Burges's neo-Gothic Tower House, built a century earlier in Holland Park. Six years later, he acquired the Burne-Jones tapestry for what was then the princely sum of £40,000. For Kemp, who began collecting in 1982, aged 22, late-Victorian Arts and Crafts design, with its "exotic connections with both Whistler and Wilde", appeared both modern and romantic. It was, he says, "the furniture of an impudent youth movement, set on outrage, hedonism and infamy - every pop star's dream". At the same time it incorporated "the medievalism and hippyness of Morris". But how modern does it look now? Far from appearing outdated, Kemp's living room looked completely à la mode when featured in Sam Taylor Wood's 25ft-long Five Revolutionary Seconds, shown in the Turner Prize exhibition in 1998. Gilbert and George, the so-called fathers of young British art, have also filled their house in Fashion Street, East London, with period furniture supplied by Paul Reeves. And for those who think the claims for contemporary design to be considered and valued as art are new, think again. In the 1860s and 70s, much was written about the "art furniture" of Godwin, Morris and Burges et al. There were even self-styled "art furniture" manufacturing companies. Because so many Arts and Crafts designs were hand made, they are now extremely rare. The sale, which also includes classic works by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris, is therefore unusual in the abundance of material that has been made available. It will take place on March 20 and is preceded by a week-long selling exhibition at Sotheby's of designs from Paul Reeves's extensive stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledded1 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 And only a little more expensive than Ross Halfwit asks for his photo's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyedye Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'm putting in my bid for The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement.... anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 And only a little more expensive than Ross Halfwit asks for his photo's How else is an artist supposed to make a living? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aen27 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I wish I could afford that painting! I could picture him owning that. It's so beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScreamingGallery Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 From the Daily Telegraph Art sales: Whole lotta Burne-Jones Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 05/02/2008 To see photo, here's the link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml.../basales105.xml That is a beautiful work of art! It reminds me of something that you would see in the collection of the Rockefeller family in the Cloisters. Even back in the early 70's my friends and I were always cognizant of the way in which the LZ guys lived when they were home in England (castles, tower houses, moated estates, collections of fine arts, servants, etc.); we never allowed ourselves to forget that. It kept things in perspective for us, gave us a sense of reality, and enabled us to stay grounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyedye Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I wonder if the picture of The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement in that article is just part of the tapestry? It must be stunning either way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Galahad_grail.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceangal Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If I owned such beautiful things I'd never sell them, but since most of my art I've bought at yard sales or thrift stores, and years ago e-bay, I'd probably let them go for a million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisonAdler Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Thanks for the article, Cat. Wow, I've been using that tapestry in my Pre-Raphaelite and Arthurian classes for years without even knowing that Jimmy owned it! I'm kind of bummed he's selling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterfly Bleu Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Woah, it really is a truly beautiful piece of artwork. I've always loved tapestry pieces, for example: (a little unrelated) At the Air Museum in Perth, there's a beautiful tapestry about 8 feet high of the Battle Of Britain/London Blitz. I'd spend alot of time just staring at it, it's really great. And if i had the money, I'd definitely bid for this! Although, i wouldnt have much place to put it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspensound Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If you guys want a copy of that tapestry, you can order one here http://www.medievalware.com/The-Holy-Grail...sion-p/2210.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katuschka Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Burne-Jones I'd NEVER sell it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisonAdler Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Burne-Jones I'd NEVER sell it! I completely agree on both points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katuschka Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I completely agree on both points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solar Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Tell me I'm not the only one who finds it completely and amusingly ironic that "satanist" Jimmy Page owns a gorgeous piece of artwork depicting the search for the Holy Grail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScreamingGallery Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I wonder if the picture of The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement in that article is just part of the tapestry? It must be stunning either way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Galahad_grail.jpg It is stunning, isn't it? Tell me I'm not the only one who finds it completely and amusingly ironic that "satanist" Jimmy Page owns a gorgeous piece of artwork depicting the search for the Holy Grail? It may be that Mr. Page purchased that tapestry because of the connections between Gnosticism and Thelema. I think that this is probably as good a time as any to sell that tapestry. I am sure that the fact that it was part of Jimmy Page's collection for decades adds cachet to that piece and it may end up selling for more than the estimated price. There are more than a few baby-boomers (who may or may not have been Zep fans) who could comfortably afford to purchase that tapestry. The piece seems to be museum-worthy but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it ends up as part of another private art collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katuschka Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Tell me I'm not the only one who finds it completely and amusingly ironic that "satanist" Jimmy Page owns a gorgeous piece of artwork depicting the search for the Holy Grail? Do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunChild Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 It is stunning, isn't it? It may be that Mr. Page purchased that tapestry because of the connections between Gnosticism and Thelema. I think that this is probably as good a time as any to sell that tapestry. I am sure that the fact that it was part of Jimmy Page's collection for decades adds cachet to that piece and it may end up selling for more than the estimated price. There are more than a few baby-boomers (who may or may not have been Zep fans) who could comfortably afford to purchase that tapestry. The piece seems to be museum-worthy but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it ends up as part of another private art collection. Excellent points. Satan is a Christian icon, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledded1 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If you guys want a copy of that tapestry, you can order one here http://www.medievalware.com/The-Holy-Grail...sion-p/2210.htm This looks like a couple of fans begging the 3 Zep members to tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'm putting in my bid for The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement.... anyone else? Than how are you going to afford Led Zeppelin tix if they decide to tour this year or next by spending all this loot on a tapestry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledded1 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 How else is an artist supposed to make a living? Missed the sense of irony there cactus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 Both have been collectors for several decades and are selling because their new homes do not properly accommodate the works. My question is: where is he moving to and why won't this piece no longer fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyedye Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Than how are you going to afford Led Zeppelin tix if they decide to tour this year or next by spending all this loot on a tapestry? If I can afford that tapestry, I think concert tix would be no prob, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 This looks like a couple of fans begging the 3 Zep members to tour OMG..that's very funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyedye Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Both have been collectors for several decades and are selling because their new homes do not properly accommodate the works. My question is: where is he moving to and why won't this piece no longer fit? I think that it not fitting means it doesn't fit into the decor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.