Auction World Wonders of 2013

 Not only has 2013 brought a great year of wild and wonderful auction results in McTear's, but also the world over. Auctioning is becoming more and more popular, with a lot of money to be spent and gained. Here we have some of the best and brightest results in the world from 2013.

 On 5th June in New York, this Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet estimated between $5-7 million, broke records by selling for an unbelievable $34 million, making it the most expensive carpet and also Islamic work of art to be sold- we are sure there will be a 'no shoes' rule on this carpet!



 Diamonds are always a favourite in McTears... this stunning white diamond was the largest diamond to ever be sold at an auction. The diamond sold on 7th October in Hong Kong weighed 118 plus carats and sold for $30.6 million- a lot to pay for a 'best friend', but I am sure the owner is will have a very happy future with this one!



 In New York, the highest price achieved for any modern artwork in 2013 was this Alberto Giacometti 'Grande tête mince', selling at just over $50 million.

 On 21st November in New York, this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was sold at an impressive $14.3 million at the first major car auction in Manhattan in over 10 years which set records for many models, but this one coming up top- great for a Sunday drive!

 A fantastic year for auctions! Keep yourself up to date with the auctions we have coming up in McTear's in 2014 here to make sure you don't miss out, and if you think you have a valuable item that you are curious about the value of let McTear's help, see for valuations here.

A Record Breaking 'Scream'

This week was not only an exciting week for McTear's with our various auctions, it also saw the record breaking sale of the world famous painting: 'The Scream' at an auction house in New York.

Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', painted in 1895 sold for a record breaking $119.9million (roughly £74 million) at an Auction yesterday at Sotheby's in New York. The previous record for a piece of artwork sold at auction was for Picasso's Nude, Green, Leaves and Bust sold by Christies in 2010 for $106.5million but 'The Scream' has now exceeded this and now holds the title as most expensive piece of art sold at auction.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/may/03/scream-price-edvard-munch

In an article on The Guardian by Jonathan Jones, he describes the painting as a 'poet in colour', portraying feelings and as the sky of blood and despair are revealed in this painting, the feelings, like in most of his work, are dark.

Born in December, 1863 Munch was a Norwegian painter and print maker. His paintings conveyed great symbolism most of which towards that of spiritual anguish which can be seen in 'The Scream'.  This symbolism portrayed in his paintings can be owed to his father who was described as being extremely religious and would amuse his children with graphic ghost stories and tales. Living a long life, Munch sadly died at the age of 80 years old, leaving behind him a legacy and paintings that today are valued by many and famous around the world.

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