PARIS – Auctioneer Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr has died at the age of 84. He founded the French auction house Cornette de Saint-Cyr in 1973, which he sold to Bonhams in 2022.
In Memoriam: Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, 96
NEW YORK (AP) – Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as I Left My Heart In San Francisco graced a decades-long career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died July 21. He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday.
Simon Vickers retires as head of Lyon & Turnbull’s Rare Books department
EDINBURGH, Scotland – After 17 years at the helm of the Rare Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photographs department at Lyon & Turnbull, Simon Vickers is retiring from his full-time position to become a consultant. He will pass the baton of leading an internationally-respected department to his colleague of 10 years, Cathy Marsden.
In Memoriam: National Museum of Wildlife Art founder William Kerr, 85
JACKSON, Wyo. – National Museum of Wildlife Art Founder and Chairman Emeritus William G. Kerr died Tuesday, July 4, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was 85 years old. “We have lost more than just a museum founder but a true visionary in the art world,” said Museum Director Steve Seamons. “Speaking about the museum in 1994, Kerr said, ‘May it long serve those who come to this place in search of the wild, the natural, the forgotten, and the serene.’ One thing that will never be forgotten is the legacy of Bill and Joffa Kerr. This museum is a testament to their vision, philanthropy, and enduring impact on the art world.”
In Memoriam: Leon Gautier, last French D-Day military commando, 100
PARIS (AP) – Leon Gautier, the last surviving member of an elite French unit that joined U.S. and other Allied forces in the D-Day invasion to wrest Normandy from Nazi control, has died. He was 100. The death was announced July 3 by Romain Bail, the mayor of Ouistreham, an English Channel coastal community where Allies landed on June 6, 1944, and where Gautier lived out his final decades. He had been hospitalized for the past week with lung trouble, Bail said.
Hindman appoints Leslie Roskind senior jewelry and watches specialist, New York
NEW YORK – Hindman announces that Leslie Roskind has joined the firm’s recently launched New York office as senior specialist for jewelry and watches. Roskind will deepen the firm’s jewelry and watches presence in New York and the greater Northeast. She joins Ruth Thuston, a senior specialist in jewelry and watches based in Hindman’s Chicago headquarters, and the well-established Chicago, Palm Beach, Denver, and San Diego Jewelry & Watches team to develop the firm’s jewelry auctions.
In Memoriam: Francoise Gilot, acclaimed painter who loved and left Picasso, 101
NEW YORK (AP) – Francoise Gilot, a prolific and acclaimed painter who produced art for well more than a half-century but was nonetheless more famous for her turbulent relationship with Pablo Picasso – and for leaving him – died June 6 in New York City, where she had lived for decades. She was 101.
President Biden appoints NOMA curator to White House committee
NEW ORLEANS – On Friday, April 14, President Joseph R. Biden announced the appointment of Mel Buchanan, RosaMary curator of decorative arts and design at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and other members to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.
Scottsdale museum appoints Todd Bankofier CEO and executive director
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, has appointed Todd Bankofier its new chief executive officer (CEO) and executive director, effective as of May 12. Bankofier will be at the forefront of Western Spirit’s crucial next phase of growth and development.
Hindman strengthens Palm Beach team with appointment of Elizabeth Marshman
PALM BEACH – Hindman announces that Elizabeth Marshman has joined the firm as director of trusts, estates and private clients in its Palm Beach sale room. In partnership with Managing Director of Trusts, Estates & Private Clients Molly Gron, Marshman will work to develop business both in Palm Beach County and the northern reaches of Florida. She will also collaborate with Hindman’s recently launched New York office, led by Gemma Sudlow, as well as its 15 additional locations throughout the country.