S otheby’s is pleased to present our European Art Sale featuring a large array of Belle Époque masterpieces, including magnificent Paris street scenes by Edmond-Georges Grandjean, a majestic portrait by Mihály Munkácsy, and a number of exquisite Neoclassical figures, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Daniel Ridgway Knight, John William Godward, and Eugen von Blaas.
A spectacular early racing scene by John Frederick Herring Sr., The 1828 Doncaster Gold Cup, leads an important group of sporting pictures. Other sale highlights include naval encounters by Montague Dawson, a moonlit nocturnal landscape by John Atkinson Grimshaw, and several expansive city views in gouache.
Masters Week exhibitions open at 10am on January 22 with the final sale exhibitions closing on January 27 at 5pm. To schedule an appointment to view the exhibitions in person, please click here or contact appointmentsNY@sothebys.com or +1 212 606 7171. Walk-ins are also welcome. You can read more about our safety requirements here.
Anatomy of an Artwork: Edmond-Georges Grandjean's Le Boulevard d’Italiens
An advertisement for Le Petit journal, one of the major daily Parisian newspapers, published from 1863 to 1944.
At the intersection of rue de La Michodière and boulevard des Italiens.
Passengers riding a horse-drawn double-decker omnibus on the Madeleine-Bastille route, one of the most popular lines and common means of transportation before the introduction of motor vehicles.
The Pavillon de Hanovre at right identifies the location as 33, Boulevard des Italiens, and rue Louis-le-Grand. The building was built by Cardinal Richelieu between 1758-1760 and once housed the Orfèvrerie Christofle.
Property from the Collection of the Late Paula and Don Gaston
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otheby’s is proud to be offering works from the collection of the late Paula and Don Gaston, including nineteenth century and old master paintings, throughout Masters Week 2022.
Lifelong collectors, Don and Paula met at the tender age of fourteen, and married five years later in their native Nacogdoches, Texas. They started their family in Houston and moved to Greenwich, CT in 1967, where they lived out the rest of their lives. Don became treasurer and controller of Gulf and Western Industries in 1962, was elected to the company’s board of directors in 1966 and the following year was appointed as Executive Vice President. In 1982, Don left Gulf and Western to form Richfield Holdings Ltd., an investment group that purchased Providence Capitol Insurance Company and Famous Players Canadian Corporation from Gulf and Western. In 1983, Don became Chairman of the Boston Celtics who, during his tenure, went on to win two championships (1984 and 1986).
The Gastons loved surrounding themselves with wonderful paintings and objects. Their collecting knowledge grew out of curiosity and they developed a keen eye for quality. From bustling Paris boulevards to sporting portraits and playful genre scenes, the Gaston collection epitomizes the elegance and grandeur of nineteenth-century leisure and sophistication.
