The World Cup of Art

Paul Delvaux, Autograph clothbound sketchbook containing figure and architectural studies. Estimate £15,000-20,000.

Belgium

It would, pundits declare, be surreal if the Belgians won the World Cup. Well, they are famed for their Surrealism – as one of Paul Delvaux’s early sketchbooks highlights (offered in London on 3 July).

Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts and Continental and Russian Books
3 July 2018 | London

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James Bruce, Travels to discover the source of the Nile, in the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, AND 1773. Estimate $2,500-3,500

Egypt

With odds of 200-1, Egypt’s chance of winning the World Cup amounts to a brave swim upstream. James Bruce could sympathise: his 18^th-century illustrated memoir Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (offered this online only books sale ) matches Egypt’s chances against home team Russia for sheer effort.

Fine Books and Manuscripts Including Americana Online
18-28 June 2018 | Online

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E. H. Shepard, The original map of the hundred acre wood, 1926. Estimate £100,000-150,000.

England

On 10 July, Sotheby’s will offer E.H. Shepard’s original sketch of the Hundred Acre Wood, the setting for A.A. Milne’s cherished adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore. It has remained unseen for almost half a century – or, put another way, since England last won the World Cup.

English Literature, History, Science, Children's Books and Illustrations
9-10 July 2018 | London

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Pierre Bergé: From One Home to Another

France

French panache can never be underestimated. One of the most hotly anticipated highlights of this year’s auction calendar is the Pierre Bergé collection at Sotheby’s Paris in October. Before the aestheticism, however, comes the athleticism – soon on view against Australia, Peru and Denmark.

Pierre Bergé: From One Home to Another
20 October 2018 | Paris

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German Bible, Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 17 February 1483. Estimate £15,000-20,000.

Germany

This 15^th-century illuminated Bible , to be offered in London in July, features hand-coloured woodcuts and was the first German Bible to be printed in Nuremberg. As defending World Cup champions, the Germans certainly have a prayer this summer.

Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts and Continental and Russian Books
3 July 2018 | London

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Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkins. Estimate €12,000-18,000

Japan

“I adore pumpkins,” says Kusama Yayoi. “It is for the pumpkins that I keep on going.” Pumpkins features in our Contemporary Editions Online: A Private Collection online only sale (15–28 June) and highlights her other obsession: polka-dots. Considering her love of all things circular and spherical, Kusama would make the perfect official World Cup artist.

Contemporary Editions Online: A Private Collection
15–28 June | Online

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Fragments of music manuscripts, in Latin [Italy, France, Spain; 11th and 15th-16th centuries]. Estimate £500-700.

Spain

“Spain have one of the strongest squads of players available to any country playing in Russia,” The Telegraph notes. “They don’t even need a striker.” Music to a Spaniard’s ears, as are these fragments of musical manuscripts in Latin offered in London this July.

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Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana, Teddy Bear Sofa. Sold for 237,500 HKD.

Brazil

The Brazilian flair for fun and spectacle can be seen on the pitch – and in the galleries, as exhibited by the Campana brothers’ Teddy Bear Sofa sold in our Curated: Turn it Up sale. These maverick designers were the first Brazilian artists to exhibit in MoMA, New York.

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Rolex, A yellow gold automatic dual time zone wristwatch, circa 1998. Estimate £8,000-12,000

Switzerland

#watchgoals - A personal favourite of many football players, there aren’t many brands in the world that do sports chic as well as Rolex. If a man has the World Cup in his hands he probably has this watch on his wrist.

Watches Online
2-16 July | Online

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Andrei Vasilevich Korotkov, Football Match. Sold for £106,250.

Russia

Football was a favourite post-revolutionary theme for Russian artists, with its emphasis on the ideals of youth, health and unity. This is perfectly illustrated in Andrei Korotkov’s Football Match (1949), one of the highlights of our Russian Pictures sale in June.

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