1909 was a momentous year for art, a year when Munich-based Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky confirmed his transition towards pure abstraction. This had been apparent in his Mountain and Blue Mountain paintings of the same year and extended in his celebrated Improvisations series, a fantastic example of which comes up for auction at the Impressionist/Modern Art evening sale at Christie’s in London on June 18th. 

Christie’s and Sotheby’s present the best of India and a little further afield in London on June 11th, with a host of modern and contemporary masters – from Husain and Raza to Gaitonde and Souza.

With some of the world’s heavyweight auction houses involved, London’s Russian Art Week should be a highlight of the auction calendar. Running between May 31st and June 7th, four particular sales stand out, one each at Christie’s and Bonhams, and two at Sotheby’s.

Villa d’Este’s Concorso d’Eleganza is without doubt one of the more esteemed of auto shows, above such trivialities of commercialism, it is a place for appreciating the finer things in life. Taking place within the grounds of the 16th Century Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on the shore of the beautiful Lake Como, the opulent atmosphere is ideal for enjoying the cars on show in an unhurried and serene setting.

With highlights ranging from Lowry, Hockney and Spencer to Hopper, Wyeth and O’Keeffe, two sales from either side of the Atlantic offer insights into modern British and American art.

With a selection of cars on offer ranging from a pre-sale estimate low of around GBP 20,000 and rising all the way up to cars that should comfortably top the six figure mark, the upcoming auction of Aston Martins by Bonhams on May 18th presents buying opportunities at all levels.

Actress, artist and photojournalist, Gina Lollobrigida is also a highly regarded and engaged activist for numerous causes.

On May 14th, a number of the jewels from her private collection will be sold at auction house Sotheby’s in order to raise money for stem cell research.