NEW YORK, NY.- New York City’s newest full-service boutique auction house, La Belle Epoque Auction Gallery is presenting their premiere auction on Saturday, February 5th at 11 am in Manhattan, offering a friendly new auction experience to art and antique lovers, dealers, collectors, first time buyers and consigners. The inaugural auction at La Belle Epoque Auction Gallery’s welcoming two-level, 5,000 square foot Meatpacking District/West Village location at 71 8th Avenue in Manhattan will be open to in-person auction lovers, with masks required, while being presented online through Live Auctioneers and Bidsquare.
In-person previews for the auction will take place on Thursday, February 3rd from 1pm-7pm and Friday, February 4th from 12 noon – 5pm, with masks required. The premiere auction will feature a selection of hundreds of items including fine and contemporary art, antiques, furniture, Mid Century Modern decorative items and collectibles from multiple estates. Highlights being offered in the Fine and Contemporary Art arena will include a Byron Browne, “Sunset on the Beach”, 20th Century Modernist Abstract painting, signed lower and titled on the verso, Cape Cod, Massachusetts 1958, 19.5” x 26” Estimate $8000 – $12000, a 20th C. Oil on Canvas Polychromed South African painting signed Gregoire Johannes Boonzaier (1909 – 2005 South African). Signed lower right, Approx. 24” x 35”, Estimate $2000 – $3000, and a French 19th C. Oil Painting of Venice in gilt frame by Paul Charles Emmanuel Gallard – Lepinay (1842 – 1885), signed lower left, crazing, 18″ x 28”, Estimate $1500 – $2000.
Also featured is an exquisite Ligue Vinicole Original Vintage Poster c. 1900 by Orazi (1860 – 1934), Depicts the little cherub dipping his arrow of love in freshly squeezed wine, promoting the French guild. Printer Charles Verneau, Paris 40” x 55” Estimate $6000 – $9000, a Charles Levier AKA “Villard” (French 1920 – 2003) Early/Mid 20th century polychromed oil of 2 Women on canvas, framed in a molded wood frame 24” x 19” Estimate $1500 – $1800 and an oversized photograph of Joan Crawford by George Edward Hurrell (American, 1904 – 1992) which has been flush mounted to archival foam board with Hurrell’s signature and edition notation 35/50 in ink on recto, printed c. 1980, 36” x 48”. Estimate $800 – $1200.
In decorative arts, La Belle Epoque is offering a Pair of late 19th / early 20th century French gilt bronze 8 light candelabra with single center tapering fluted center support radiating 7 candelabra arms with foliate motif bobeche and drip plates supported by flattened and fluted pilasters raised on a footed base now electrified as lamps. Approx. 39” H. Estimate $1500 – $2000, a Pair of 19th century French parcel gilt 4 light
candelabra raised on plinth bronze. 20” H, Estimate $1500 – $1800 and an Art Deco Style Bronze Figural Table Lamp – after a model by Feral ne Pierre Le Fageays (French 1892 – 1962) with applied patina and modeled as nude figural posed in front of draped swags raised on a stepped pinch base, 15.75 x 11 x 5. Estimated value $1000 – $1200., along with silver pieces including a 20th Century Mexican Sterling Silver Platter, 20” diameter, Estimate $1000 – $1200 and an assorted group of 20th century continental silver flatware including serving pieces in its original fitted storage box. Estimate $2500 – $3000. Other items will include a stunning Nancy Gonzales Red Crocodile Tote bag, Like New with tags, 14” x 9” Estimate $1000 – $1500.
Mid-Century Modern and other furniture will also be represented with a Black Leather Covered Console Table, Attributed to Karl Springer, Est. $2000 – 3000, a Mid-Century Modern Bookcase, Herman Miller – Charles and Ray Eames Modernica, late 20th century, 58 ½” x 47” x 16 ¾” Estimate $1500 – $1800, a Pair of Leather and Chrome LC2 Club Chairs by Le Corbusier for Cassina 28” x 27” x 24” each, Estimate $1200 – $1500 and a Pair of Giacometti Style Cast Iron XStools (Alberto Giacometti, 1901 – 1966), 19” x 25” x 18”, Estimate $2000 – $3000.
Many in the art world already know the La Belle Epoque name from being the New York area’s top vintage poster dealer and gallery, specializing in authentic Art Nouveau, Art Deco and MidCentury posters from the Belle Epoque era to modern times (1860’s to the 1990’s). La Belle Epoque Vintage Posters will continue to be maintained as a separate business.
Throughout this New Year, La Belle Epoque Auction Gallery will present numerous auctions on a regular basis, featuring multiple estate auctions and single-owner specialized auctions through 2022 and beyond. New York’s newest boutique auction house will offer a more personal approach to both buying and selling to customers around the world, while also providing a comfortable, yet sophisticated, neighborhood atmosphere, where people can browse at the previews, socialize a bit with neighbors and take part in the excitement of live auctions, all while following Covid-19 safety protocols as needed.
