Exciting Opportunity for Collectors - December 5

Historic Maps, Rare Books, Natural History Watercolors & Color Plate Books, New York-centric Art and American and European Oil Paintings all to be featured in Guernsey's December 5th Auction.

On December 5th, Guernsey's is honored to be conducting the sale of hundreds of treasures acquired over the last four decades by noted gallerist Graham Arader. Recognized internationally for his extraordinary collections, Mr. Arader is generously supporting several fine universities by turning auction proceeds into meaningful donations. Prospective buyers should note that the majority of auction lots will be sold either without minimum reserve or with reserves well below the amounts Mr. Arader purchased the items for over the years. Following a nearly week long preview (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4), the auction will be held live at Arader's beautiful Beaux Arts flagship gallery on New York City's Madison Avenue at 78th Street. Naturally, Guernsey's will be accommodating those unable to attend by making absentee bidding available via the Internet (liveauctioneers.com) and telephone. A massive, handsome auction catalogue (available from Guernsey's or Arader) thoroughly depicts and documents the extraordinary offerings.

Featured categories include eighty two of John James Audubon's stunning copper engravings of Birds and Quadrupeds. Many of the most sought after drawings, virtually all in uncut, pristine condition will be sold. Arguably the finest selection of historic maps and rare globes ever to come to auction will include the extremely rare hand-colored woodcut map of the Atlantic Ocean by Martin Waldseemüller, centerpiece of his groundbreaking 1513 atlas. The Natural History Section of the auction will contain sixty six lots of beautiful watercolors and color plate books including a magnificent collection of the books of John Gould, without question the most prolific ornithological artist of the 19th century. Fifty nine lots will be devoted to handsome watercolors and maps depicting early scenes of New York City. Auction lots include a 19th century landscape of Manhattan as seen from Hoboken, a wonderful Great Gatsby-era birds-eye view of Long Island's then-developing Gold Coast, and an extremely rare secret plan of the City created by a British officer on the eve of the Revolution. Additionally, there will be a fine offering of American and European paintings by such noted artists as Thomas Hill and George Henry Durrie.

Naturally, the items above represent only the smallest sampling from this extraordinary event. Interested collectors and those who appreciate amongst the rarest and most beautiful works ever created on paper are urged to contact Guernsey's for complete information.

You can download a complete catalog of all featured lots and estimates for this auction here: 

Download Arader Galleries/Guernsey Catalog (PDF, 6.62MB)

Oakland Museum of California

Albert Bierstadt

Yosemite Valley

1868

Oil on canvas

Photo courtesy of the

Oakland Museum

Discreetly located in downtown Oakland is a gem of California culture and art, the Oakland Museum of California. The museum, divided into three levels, tells the history of California and the Bay Area through numerous forms of media and allows for visitors to interact with the displays and leave their own images, writings and experiences along the way.

The history gallery is based around the theme “Coming to California.” Vividly illustrated and extremely detailed, this exhibition gives a broad view of the development California over time: from Native American life in the west, the impact of Spanish colonization, construction of major cities and railways and the impact of the ever changing political climates in California, with a special focus on the Bay Area. The interactive exhibition is fun and interesting for children and adults alike and gives a unique insight into the evolution of California.

Interactive display at the Oakland Museum

Photo courtesy of www.curatedmag.com

The art gallery at the Oakland Museum includes over 70,000 works by California artists, ranging in disciplines and topics with subject matters significant to the California region and ideologies. Large-scale landscape paintings by Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Hill and William Keith, also in the Arader Galleries collection, show the great skill of the artists and refined beauty of the Sierras in the late 1900’s.

The photography collection includes Dorothea Lange’s documentation of the Great Depression across the US and a dynamic book of Carleton Watkins photographs of Yosemite. Figurative and abstract paintings by local and California artists bring life and color to this diverse collection.

The Oakland Museum is filled with fascinating information about California history, beautifully translated and displayed with an inviting and aesthetic approach, appealing to all of the senses.