March 30, 2012: Material Culture, purveyor of antiques, textiles, handcrafted furnishings and decorative arts from around the world, announces the opening of Material Culture Auctioneers. Philadelphia is a city of the arts, and Material Culture Auctioneers intends to bring its rich experience in the field of art and antiques collecting to the auction business, for the convenience of the local community, and to the benefit of collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.
Material Culture Auctioneers aims to best serve both local and global connoisseurs of antiques and collectables by applying its expertise to the consigning and selling of all kinds of artifacts from local, national and international consignors, including estates, private individuals, trusts, businesses, educational and cultural institutions. Different auctions will carry items of varying kind, origin, and price range, to be able to encompass the needs of various buyers and sellers. Material Culture has always believed that art is for everyone, and Material Culture Auctioneers aims to make participation in the auction business easier and more accessible to a spectrum of art lovers, and collectors of all interests.
Material Culture Auctioneers’ exhibition galleries, nearly 20,000 square feet of naturally-lit space, are housed under the same roof as Material Culture’s retail space, at 4700 Wissahickon Avenue, located off the Roosevelt Expressway, only 15 minutes from Philadelphia’s city center. This location is an easy, quick distance for either visitors or residents of the area, an advantage over auction houses far from a large metropolitan center. At the same time, this location provides spacious, hassle-free parking facilities, avoiding a problem that can plague auction houses in dense urban areas. Both exhibitions and auctions will take place in Material Culture Auctioneers’ dedicated spaces, though buyers around the world will have easy access to online catalogues and the ability to participate directly in live auctions through liveauctioneers.com, along with a variety of other options offered for those unable to make the auctions in person.
The inaugural auction, entitled “New World Orders,” will take place on Saturday, May 5th, 2012, at 11 am. Approximately 500 lots of art, antiques, collectables and decorative arts will be brought to auction. Highlights of this eclectic sale include a 19th century Samuel Robb cigar store statue, for sale for the first time since the 1940s, when it was purchased by the consignor’s late father (estimate $40,000 -$60,000) and an early painting of a nude by modern Chinese painter Gou Runwen (estimate $50,000 – $70,000). Material Culture Auctioneers is proud to be featuring works by American self-taught artist James Castle (1899-1977) who was the subject of a retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art which toured nationally in 2008-2009, several pieces by Felipe Jesus Consalvos (1891-1960), a Cuban-American self-taught artist whose work has appeared at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the American Folk Art Museum, and three early works by Nigerian artist Prince Twins Seven-Seven (1944-2011), one of Africa’s most famous contemporary artists, whose international fame has garnered him exhibitions on every continent, and a place in the permanent collections of major museums around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Other lots in the May 5th sale include several 13th century stone carvings from northern India; a very large George Nakashima low table; a pair of rare early 1930’s Bauhaus tubular steel and leather lounge chairs; a collection of exquisite mother of pearl inlay furniture produced in Damascus in the late 19th and early 20thcentury.
Material Culture Auctioneers will offer its second auction, “Antique Textiles, Carpets & Ethnographic Arts,” on Saturday, May 26th, 2012, at 11am. It will include over 300 lots and showcase the remarkable Bill Liske Collection of Antique Chinese and Tibetan Textiles, Carpets and Artifacts, featuring a truly exceptional 12th century Yuan silk embroidered thangka in excellent condition, a Tashi Taki embroidery and mandala also from the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and many other items collected over a period of thirty years. The May 26th sale will include a diverse selection of items from many different estates and collections, including: a Ming period (1368-1644) carved wood Buddha; a group of 16th-early 20th century Ottoman, Persian, European and north African textiles; an early 17th century Spanish Alcaraz carpet; several outstanding mid-19th century west Anatolian village carpets; a rare 19th century Shah-Savan horse cover from Azerbaijan; and a large selection of collectable and decorative 19th century Caucasian, Persian, Turkish and Central Asian carpets.
Material Culture Auctioneers welcomes all interested collectors, buyers, and art enthusiasts to take advantage of the extended inaugural preview in its facilities in person. The May 5th auction preview will be open daily from April 14th through May 4th, while the May 26th auction will receive its in-house preview from April 28th through May 25th. Previews are open 7 days a week, 10am-6pm. Interested parties not able to visit the exhibition gallery in person can also find full catalogues of these upcoming auctions online at materialculture.com.
Material Culture Auctioneers invites the public to an inaugural auction party and special exhibition preview on Saturday, April 28th, 6pm-10pm, with live music, refreshments. The event is free and open to the public, with unlimited parking. RSVP at info@materialculture.com or call (215) 849 – 8030.
Material Culture Auctioneers invites the public to a talk and reception on Saturday, May 19th at 7pm, when Bill Liske discusses his life and experience as a collector. The event is free and open to the public, with unlimited parking. RSVP at info@materialculture.com or call (215) 849 – 8030.