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NEWS All the latest Relatively speaking A 54-page manuscript by German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), which was crucial in the development of the theory of relativity, goes under the hammer in Paris this month. Written between June 1913 and early 1914 with his lifelong friend, the Swiss engineer Michele Besso and described as “the most valuable Einstein manuscript ever offered at auction”, the manuscript is expected to make €2-€3m. The manuscript goes on sale on November 23. Above The manuscript is expected to make 2-3m Time lord The 1½in silver pocket watch Oliver Cromwell had with him in 1650 during his New Model Army campaign in Ireland has been rediscovered. The unrecognised mid-17th century fob was spotted at a sale by Cambridge dealer Martyn Downer whose lockdown research established it as the long-lost timepiece Cromwell had given to John Blackwell, his deputy treasurer-at-war, during the siege of Clonmel. The watch was made by William Above Oliver Cromwell’s watch has resurfaced Clay whose business was in King Street, Westminster, where Cromwell moved to in 1647. As a Puritan, Cromwell owned few possessions and, after the restoration of the monarchy, his name was in such ill repute that most possessions were dispersed or destroyed. Downer said: “The watch has been mentioned over the years but no one knew its whereabouts. I saw it at an auction in the north of the country and it seemed to go unnoticed. What I bought it for was low, even if it hadn’t had the Cromwell connection – these sleepers are out there.” Pleasure dome Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye OBE has been chosen as the designer of a new exhibition space for rarely-seen paintings and drawings by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). Game girl The V&A has pledged its support for women in photography by announcing a new curatorial programme. The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project, funded by the online gaming billionaire Ruth Monicka Parasol, will see a new curatorial post, research and public displays. Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure, opens on April 9, 2022 at New York’s landmark Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea. In recognition of The Parasol Trust’s support, the V&A’s gallery 97 of contemporary photography, will be named after it. Gibraltarbased Parasol is an American born entrepreneur and lawyer who founded PartyGaming in 1997. Above The V&A’s gallery 97 is home to contemporary photography Above Jean-Michel Basquiat 1982, © 1983 Van Der Z Since his death from an overdose at 27, Basquiat has been the subject of countless exhibitions, with Untitled becoming his most expensive work to sell at auction in 2017 when it achieved $110.5m. His sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, who run the Jean-Michel Basquiat Estate with their stepmother, Nora Fitzpatrick, came up with the idea for a new exhibition space during lockdown. 30 seconds with... TV archaeologist and British Museum curator Jago Cooper, who is the new director of the Sainsbury Centre at the University of East Anglia in Norwich In your travels is there a material culture you are most drawn to? One of my favourite things about travelling around the world is spending time in local museums and immersing myself in the histories and stories of pieces on display. One of my favourite places for this is the south Asian country of Nepal, with its spellbinding textiles and stonework connecting the rich and diverse cultural traditions from across Asia. What was the last exhibition you visited and how was it? The very last exhibition I saw was Anish Kapoor Painting (at Modern Art Oxford until February 13 next year) which didn’t include many antiques but quite a lot of giant body parts that were very powerfully visceral to be around. What do you like most about the Sainsbury Centre’s collection? There are so many wonderful works at the Sainsbury Centre but, in a Desert Island Discs kind of way, I think it would be hard to look past Henry Moore’s bronze reclining figure. Positioned outside as a welcoming greeting to the Sainsbury Centre, it creates that foundational link between object, visitor, designed space and landscape. I think it has a dynamism that is timeless – forever changing through the seasons of the year and the shadows of every day. How will museums look in 50 years? A good museum is a place where people want to spend time and is welcoming. It should intrigue, inform and inspire. As such, the museum experience in 50 years will be just as diverse and varied as today. The role of digital and virtual experiences will increase but the human desire to spend time with works that encapsulate the wonderment of humanity and creative achievement will always remain. For more details on current and upcoming exhibitions go to www.sainsburycentre.ac.uk Above A Henry Moore sculpture at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich 8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
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HARES RAISING Following a boom in demand for garden sculptures in lockdown, a Hertfordshire-based company has launched a range of life-size animal models. Nelson & Forbes in Hemel Hempstead creates bronze sculptures designed by some of the UK’s most talented contemporary artists, including Sue Maclaurin (b. 1948) and Jonathan Sanders (b.1958). Nelson & Forbes’ 2021 collection of 213 limited-edition pieces includes three life-sized animals – an otter, hare (both by Maclaurin) and a dog. The animal sculptures are all cast by hand in a British foundry using the ancient art of lost wax casting. Founder Deborah Foster said: “The recent lockdown saw an increased demand for garden sculptures among collectors, so we were happy to respond by creating several of their most popular pieces in a life size.” For more details go to www.nelsonandforbes.co.uk or call 01442 256290. Above 46cm tall bronze, Garden Alert Hare by Sue Maclaurin, from a limited edition of 95, priced £2,500 Store punt Silver, jewellery and watches from Searle & Co. in London’s Royal Exchange have gone under the hammer following its closure earlier in the year. The longrunning family business established in 1893 had offered bespoke pieces from premises described as “more like a cabinet of curiosities than a shop”. The store relocated to the Royal Exchange in 1933 creating bespoke pieces including enamel and gem-set badges for livery companies. Its owners chose Birmingham-based Fellows Auctioneers to sell the stock over a number of sales this autumn. Above The historic retailers closed earlier in the year High brow A Frida Kahlo self-portrait could become the second most expensive work by a female artist ever sold when it goes on sale this month. The painting, titled Diego y yo (Diego and I), was completed in 1949 five years before her death in 1954, and depicts the Mexican artist’s face with an image of her husband the artist Diego Rivera, on her forehead. It has an estimate of £30m when it goes on sale in New York on November 15. According to Artnet’s price database, the highest price ever paid for a Kahlo work at public auction was $8m at Christie’s in the spring of 2016. If Diego y yo were to meet its estimate, it would be the secondpriciest work by a female artist ever sold at auction. The current record is $44.4m paid for Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No.1 (1932) in 2014. Above Frida Kahlo’s 1949 painting Diego y yo (Diego and I), courtesy of Sotheby’s. WHAT A GEM Iconic British jeweller Shaun Leane was one of 25 designers who helped raise £13,770 to support women in Afghanistan. The collaboration, Jewellers for Afghanistan, with London auctioneers Roseberys, saw work by Solange, Annoushka, Theo Fennell and Pippa Small go under the hammer. Each designer donated a piece of jewellery retailing between £270 and £1,750 with all the proceeds going to Women for Afghan Women a grassroots women’s rights organisation. The charity is helping to evacuate and provide urgent resources, shelter and care to vulnerable women, children and families during the ongoing crisis. Above left The British jeweller Shaun Leane was among the jewellers donating work Quiet please English Heritage has introduced an ‘hour of contemplation’ at its monasteries when visitors will be encouraged to turn off their mobile phones and keep schtum. Mental health campaigner, actor and broadcaster, Stephen Fry, is backing the project which includes a downloadable recording of a reading from Saint Aelred, a 12th-century abbot from Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire. The abbey is one of 16 taking part across England, including the Carthusian monastery Mount Grace Priory in North Yorkshire once home to a solitary order of monks, and Battle Abbey in East Sussex, founded by William the Conqueror following the Battle of Hastings. Above right Rievaulx Abbey on the North York Moors, the ruins of one of England’s most powerful Cistercian monasteries, image English Heritage ANTIQUE COLLECTING 9

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NEWS All the latest

Relatively speaking A 54-page manuscript by German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), which was crucial in the development of the theory of relativity, goes under the hammer in Paris this month.

Written between June 1913 and early 1914 with his lifelong friend, the Swiss engineer Michele Besso and described as “the most valuable Einstein manuscript ever offered at auction”, the manuscript is expected to make €2-€3m.

The manuscript goes on sale on November 23.

Above The manuscript is expected to make 2-3m

Time lord The 1½in silver pocket watch Oliver Cromwell had with him in 1650 during his New Model Army campaign in Ireland has been rediscovered. The unrecognised mid-17th century fob was spotted at a sale by Cambridge dealer Martyn Downer whose lockdown research established it as the long-lost timepiece Cromwell had given to John Blackwell, his deputy treasurer-at-war, during the siege of Clonmel. The watch was made by William

Above Oliver Cromwell’s watch has resurfaced

Clay whose business was in King Street, Westminster, where Cromwell moved to in 1647. As a Puritan, Cromwell owned few possessions and, after the restoration of the monarchy, his name was in such ill repute that most possessions were dispersed or destroyed.

Downer said: “The watch has been mentioned over the years but no one knew its whereabouts. I saw it at an auction in the north of the country and it seemed to go unnoticed. What I bought it for was low, even if it hadn’t had the Cromwell connection – these sleepers are out there.”

Pleasure dome Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye OBE has been chosen as the designer of a new exhibition space for rarely-seen paintings and drawings by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988).

Game girl The V&A has pledged its support for women in photography by announcing a new curatorial programme. The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project, funded by the online gaming billionaire Ruth Monicka Parasol, will see a new curatorial post, research and public displays.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure, opens on April 9, 2022 at New York’s landmark Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea.

In recognition of The Parasol Trust’s support, the V&A’s gallery 97 of contemporary photography, will be named after it. Gibraltarbased Parasol is an American born entrepreneur and lawyer who founded PartyGaming in 1997. Above The V&A’s gallery 97 is home to contemporary photography Above Jean-Michel Basquiat 1982, © 1983 Van Der Z

Since his death from an overdose at 27, Basquiat has been the subject of countless exhibitions, with Untitled becoming his most expensive work to sell at auction in 2017 when it achieved $110.5m. His sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, who run the Jean-Michel Basquiat Estate with their stepmother, Nora Fitzpatrick, came up with the idea for a new exhibition space during lockdown.

30 seconds with... TV archaeologist and British Museum curator Jago Cooper, who is the new director of the Sainsbury Centre at the University of East Anglia in Norwich In your travels is there a material culture you are most drawn to? One of my favourite things about travelling around the world is spending time in local museums and immersing myself in the histories and stories of pieces on display. One of my favourite places for this is the south Asian country of Nepal, with its spellbinding textiles and stonework connecting the rich and diverse cultural traditions from across Asia.

What was the last exhibition you visited and how was it? The very last exhibition I saw was Anish Kapoor Painting (at Modern Art Oxford until February 13 next year) which didn’t include many antiques but quite a lot of giant body parts that were very powerfully visceral to be around.

What do you like most about the Sainsbury Centre’s collection? There are so many wonderful works at the Sainsbury Centre but, in a Desert Island Discs kind of way, I think it would be hard to look past Henry Moore’s bronze reclining figure. Positioned outside as a welcoming greeting to the Sainsbury Centre, it creates that foundational link between object, visitor, designed space and landscape. I think it has a dynamism that is timeless – forever changing through the seasons of the year and the shadows of every day.

How will museums look in 50 years? A good museum is a place where people want to spend time and is welcoming. It should intrigue, inform and inspire. As such, the museum experience in 50 years will be just as diverse and varied as today. The role of digital and virtual experiences will increase but the human desire to spend time with works that encapsulate the wonderment of humanity and creative achievement will always remain. For more details on current and upcoming exhibitions go to www.sainsburycentre.ac.uk

Above A Henry Moore sculpture at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich

8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

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