In the News

Vast Collection Goes Under Wraps
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum will pack up the vast musical-instrument collection this spring to make way for expanded fashion galleries. Though the museum has no future plans to display the collection, one of the largest and most important in Europe, officials point to the five instruments on view in other galleries. Instruments have been part of the museum’s collection since it moved to its current site in 1857, but museum director Mark Jones, a fashion specialist, has said that “the history of music and performance does not fall within the remit of the museum.”

Petitions protesting the decision can be signed at petitiononline.com/22210/petition.html and, for citizens of the United Kingdom, at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/VandAchange/.

Tarisio to Sell Contents of Moennig Shop
Tarisio is planning a special auction in June to liquidate the contents of the recently closed William Moennig and Son shop. The date is yet to be announced, but the sale features many of the items in this photograph of the Moennig shop, taken in the 1970s, including the viola d’amore in the foreground, cabinets, display cases, and the portrait of the founder, William Moennig Sr., hanging over the mantle. tarisio.com

From the Manufacturers

BAM Turns 30
On April 1, 1980, Laurence O’Neill and Philippe de Trogoff made their first violin case in the family tannery in Normandy, France. Thirty years later, BAM cases are known for combining a chic, minimalist aesthetic and innovative safety features into one lightweight package. The flagship HIGHTECH line, introduced in 1998, is BAM’s most innovative design. The shiny, rigid shell is made of a patented three-layer sandwich of tough ABS plastic, insulating PVC foam, and thermoplastic that closes with a waterproof seal. Inside the shock-resistant, weatherproof shell, the instrument is suspended on injected-foam cushions. To ensure longevity and resilience, BAM manufactures their own foam.

The company has continued its growth and innovation. In 2005, BAM opened a workshop in Thailand to produce more affordable lines of fabric-covered, polyurethane foam cases. Today, BAM also makes cases for guitars and wind instruments. The company remains a small, family-operated business of just 70 employees in France, Thailand, and Hackensack, New Jersey, says Carole Boutry, who heads the New Jersey office. “I think our strength is related to being small,” she says. “When you call, you speak to someone who is trying to solve your problem.” bamcases.com

In the Shops

Contemporary Bow Exhibition at Hans Weisshaar
The Hans Weisshaar Co. hosts the fourth annual International Exhibition of Contemporary Bows February 13–27 at its Los Angeles shop. This sales exhibition features fine violin, viola, and cello bows by 39 top contemporary bow makers from France, Germany, England, the United States, and Canada. A selection of antique bows also will be on view. The exhibition is open by appointment during business hours, Tuesday through Saturday. Contact Marie-Ange Durham at mdurham@hweisshaar.com, (323) 466-6293, for an appointment. hweisshaar.com

From the Auction Houses

Cozio Counts the Decade in Fiddles
The highest auction price for a violin in 2009 hit £388,993, according to data compiled by Phil Margolis of Cozio.com, a website that tracks information on fine stringed instruments. Impressive? Not compared to violin sales during the rest of the go-go ’00s. Top sales were well over a million quid in 2005–07. And yet the highest number of auction records of the decade were set in 2008 and 2009, the worst economy since the Great Depression. Go figure. Find out more at cozio.com. 

Spring Previews
Christie’s kicks off the spring musical instruments auction season April 28 at Rockefeller Center in New York with some impressive items. “There is a spectacular G.B. Guadagnini [violin],” says Christie’s vice president Kerry Keane, “and a wonderful offering of bows—like the last sale, part of a large single-owner collection. Many of those who viewed the selection of bows in our last sale confirmed that such quality in bows had not been offered in recent memory.” The presale estimate on the Guadagnini (Milan, ca. 1753), is $350,000 to $450,000.

Skinner’s April 25 Boston sale features several fine instruments, including an 1803 violin by G.B. Ceruti in superb condition with a Hill certificate and a presale estimate between $80,000 and $100,000, and a violin by Peter Guarneri, Venice, beautifully, but heavily, restored by W.E. Hill and Sons at $30,000 to $50,000. A modern Italian viola by Romeo Antoniazzi is expected to fetch $38,000 to $42,000.

Tarisio, which previews in Boston opposite the Skinner showroom, boasts violins by late Cremonese maker Lorenzo Storioni and Giuseppe Rocca. Bidding closes April 28 and 29, depending on the lot. Register to bid at tarisio.com.

Calendar
2010 Events Calendar: Including exhibitions, competitions, auctions, and trade shows.