The stunning Boss Star art collection saw superb results yesterday (May 22) at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
 Glow of the City captures Stern's love of American prints |
Boss Star is a nom d'art of prominent US lawyer, Sam Stern. While international law has been the main focus of Stern's life for the past five decades, his travels have resulted in a superb and varied collection of art, ranging from American prints and photographs to Qing dynasty furniture.
The two top lots of the sale - drypoint etchings from Australian-born printmaker Martin Lewis - highlighted Stern's love of American prints. Lewis' 1929 work Glow of the City brought $25,000, achieving a 38.8% increase on its $12,000-18,000 estimate. 1928's Rain on Murray Hill followed, bringing the second highest bids in the sale at $13,125.
A fantastic lithograph print from Picasso is on offer in PFC Auctions' current sale, which closes tomorrow (May 24)
Stern's love of travel was represented by a pair of Korean calligraphic screens, which contained eight poems by the famous Chinese poet and statesman, Shu Shi. Created by Kim Jeong-hui, one of the most celebrated practitioners of calligraphy, the screens sold for $12,500.
This magnificent collection first began while Stern was living in Beijing, after he became acquainted with several prominent Chinese photographers. The name Boss Star is the literal translation of his adopted Chinese name, Xing Loban.
An excellent contemporary oil painting from Chinese-American artist Hung Liu also featured. Displaying Liu's characteristic drip technique, like many of her works the piece drew influence from historical Chinese photographs. The painting sold for $7,500.
"I'm ready to move on," said Sam Stern on his reasons for the auction. "Selling what I've retained over 60 years is, in many respects, a pleasure. Besides, buying this has had the added benefit of diverting me from stock market blunders."
Art collections provide a brilliant tangible asset for investors and can offer superb returns with the added benefit of the joy of ownership. The global art market has prospered during the global economic crisis, with several significant records smashed in the last month alone.
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