Category Archives: News

In the fascinating world of luxury watchmaking, trends are constantly evolving and we are currently witnessing a resurgence that is taking the industry’s most prestigious brands back to their roots. Yellow gold, with its timeless elegance, and watches in smaller sizes, with their understated charm, are making a triumphant return to the forefront of watch design.

The fruit of more than 40 years of collecting, this wine cellar that Setdart is offering at auction  contains some of the most coveted wines and spirits for lovers of good taste.

Setdart will be auctioning an interesting set of 19th and 20th century French and Belgian bronzes, an excellent opportunity to include some of the masters of this alloy in our collections.

One of the women artists who has had the greatest impact and repercussion on the art scene in recent decades arrives at Setdart with one of her iconic fetish-works. In addition to being part of large public collections, his creations, as controversial as they are seductive, have captivated the demanding sector of the international art market.

The Greek characters found on some of the masterpieces in the Prado Museum are the clearest example of pride, both in their origin and their craft: Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος. History has decided to nickname him “El Greco” because of his birth in Crete; there he assimilated the Byzantine icon tradition and later the Venetian taste of Titian and Tintoretto. These two influences would come together in a style of their own, unparalleled in Europe. This characteristic manner advanced a modernity that would take centuries to arrive, however, the imprint of his genius permeated his disciples.

The image of the traveler, whether strolling, wandering in front of the sea or absorbedly observing the infinite, remains rooted in our collective imagination thanks, in part, to the literature and philosophy that emerged during Romanticism, which cultivated with true enthusiasm the intimate and subjective character that has permeated its narrative ever since.

The passions of the gods of Olympus became the mythical stories that aroused the greatest interest and empathy in the devotion of the Greek faithful. If we have to talk about the patroness of love, Aphrodite, this feeling acquired a great intensity because the Goddess embodied the values of love, beauty, eroticism and passion. The Greek people represented their pantheon in an ideal and severe way, thus symbolizing the most absolute perfection and the distance between divinity and mortality.

At a time when Paris had established itself as the artistic epicenter par excellence, the pictorial experimentations of a group of young artists entered the scene to give a radical turn to the art world that would lead to the beginning of the avant-garde.

The names of Matisse, Derain and Vlaminick would forever be united under the name Les Fauves, in reference to the rebellious and fierce spirit that dominated them. In their works they used pure and arbitrary colors, exaggerated the drawing and forced the perspective to the point of astonishing those who saw their works for the first time.

After 6 decades dedicated to art, Manolo Valdés has established himself as one of our most internationally recognized artists. Reaping success around the world, Valdes continues to prove that his passion and talent are incombustible.

From his beginnings in the 1960s to the present, Valdes’ work has evolved with absolute coherence, exploring and conquering new artistic territories from a deep knowledge of the history of art and the deepest admiration for its great masters. However, far from contemplating them from afar, Valdés rescues and takes from them those aspects of his art that he considers most appropriate to carry out an apotheosic exercise of reinterpretation and recontextualization of the very history of art with which, decade after decade, he has forged his unmistakable creative universe.

Tanzanite is a gemstone with unique hues and beauty; rare, mysterious, and therefore highly valued, especially in the highest quality.

The avant-garde and contemporary art have championed the concept of creative freedom in art, but impressionism was the aesthetic current that originated a break with the precepts of the academy and laid the foundations of an artistic revolution based on color and light. Captive of their own era, the Impressionist painters accepted the vertiginousness of their time, elevating painting and detaching it from a completely anachronistic and institutional vision.

In Setdart we will delve into the world of Art Toys. To help you understand the rage of these dolls, we explain in this short video what Art Toys are, why they are works of art, who they are and what they are about. are its collectors, how much an Art Toy costs and the icons we present in our next auction.

Good luck with your bids!

The first half of the 17th century in Spain has been immortalized under the prestigious title of the “Golden Age” due to its dazzling artistic splendor. In the literary field, figures such as Quevedo, Góngora and Lope de Vega have left an indelible mark, while in painting, Velázquez, Murillo and Zurbarán have raised art to new heights. Although these names shine in literature and painting, it is essential to recognize that other Spanish masters also excelled in various disciplines, contributing to the zenith of creativity in this era.

In the tumultuous landscape of the 16th century, one female figure stands out as a beacon of stability and grace amidst religious strife, constant warfare and shifting alliances between monarchs. This immutable woman is Queen Catherine de Medici, a dominant force who held the throne of France for nearly four decades. However, in the shadows of the powerful queen, another equally fascinating figure emerges: Madeleine l’Auberpine, known as Madame de Villeroy, the subject of the portrait attributed to the renowned François Clouet, court painter and favourite portraitist of the most exclusive aristocratic circles of his time, which Setdart is privileged to present at the Old Masters auction on 13 December.

Recognized as one of the great Cuban writers and playwrights of the 20th century, Manuel Reguera was also passionate about art. As the set of photographs that accompany the collection we present here testify, during the years he spent in his native country, Reguera forged a close friendship with the most outstanding exponents of Cuban art. It was then when the writer, supported by the bond that united him with Amelia Peláez, Rene Portocarrero and Eduardo Abela, began his facet as a collector, giving birth to what would become his personal collection.

Glass vases have gone from being treated as secondary objects to being considered essential accessories in interior decoration, adding a touch of uniqueness and personality to the space we wish to enhance.
Thanks to their ability to transform any room into a unique and magical corner, as well as their visual strength, these decorative accessories have become an essential element in interior design, allowing us to play with the effects of light, vibrant contrasts and optical illusions that the nature of the material offers us. Simple, extravagant, chic or with a classic touch… whichever option best suits your style, there is no doubt that glass vases are pure trend and an indisputable ally with which to “dress up” any space.

Juan Muñoz is, without a doubt, one of the references in the renovation of contemporary sculpture. His short but brilliant career has left us one of the most disturbing, radical and lucid artistic testimonies of the existential crisis of modern man. Halfway between sculpture and installation , the Madrid artist directly challenges the viewer by creating an image that encourages us, and even forces us to get involved in the work.

As a paradigmatic example of the production he developed in the 80’s, the sculpture in bidding “Balcony and crank”, becomes one of the few occasions in which his work goes on sale within the auction sector.

Very often we make the mistake of extolling painting to the detriment of other techniques that, like drawing, have had and still have a vital importance in the development and evolution of the history of art.

Como una de las formas de expresión más antiguas que conocemos, el dibujoha acompañado al hombre desde sus orígenes, impulsado por su necesidad de expresar y dejar testimonio de sus ideas, emociones y experiencias. In fact, if we think about the academic training of an artist, we will see how drawing has been a fundamental stage in the learning and development of artistic skills, being very often the first medium that every self-respecting artist must master.

Despite being one of the most traditional artistic techniques in the history of art, it was not until the end of the 19th century that it was recognized as a form of artistic expression in its own right. Until then, it was relegated to the background in relation to painting and considered as a simple tool of the artist in the process of creating the true work of art.

Within the Spanish field, there were many artists who either with charcoal, pastel or watercolor brought the drawing technique to its maximum splendor. Among them, the figure of Mariano Fortuny played a stellar role in the international artistic culture of his time, awakening in the art of our country a real desire to emulate everything that had given fame to the Catalan master to the point of becoming the catalyst that led the watercolor technique to its peak period.

Collections such as the one presented at auction on November 6, show us the infinity and variety of options that collecting graphic art and photography offers us.

The twentieth century marked a radical change in collecting, not only in the object of the collection but also in who collects. In this regard, the dissemination of graphic art and photography through art auctions has brought about a substantial change in the way of conceiving art collecting, whose history has been inextricably linked to the social elites.

Fashion is an art that is constantly reinventing itself, but it also has a nostalgic side that allows us to relive the trends of past decades. One of the most iconic elements of fashion are handbags, and vintage handbags from big luxury brands are a real gem for fashion lovers. Collecting these fashion treasures is not only an exciting hobby, but can also be an investment. We’ll explore why collecting vintage handbags from major luxury brands is so fascinating and what considerations you should keep in mind if you want to get started in this exciting hobby. Plus, we’ll talk about the opportunity fashion enthusiasts will have at the upcoming auction on November 2 to purchase vintage handbags from luxury brands.

Different artists have sought to contribute their vision on such a passionate subject as the adultery of Venus and Mars. Each part of the mythos may be better suited to express some kind of teaching. Lying, lust or vanity are always present within the context of the scene, the result of which discredits the sins within an orderly life. The powers of the gods and their superiority over men go unnoticed in the face of something as human as passion, the deep attraction between two people and the desire it awakens between them. Joachim Wtewael seems to understand these feelings perfectly as he manages to capture them in all his versions.

The history of art has featured countless women whose talent and significance was systematically ignored and made invisible. The old structures that governed the art system and the exclusionary dynamics that condemned them to oblivion and relegated them to the simple role of muses are now collapsing as a symptom of the sign of an era that can no longer reproduce the discriminatory clichés of times past. The need to introduce and integrate women artists into the historiographic narrative has promoted new research methods and methodologies whose impact has led in recent years to a symptomatic increase in their presence within museum institutions, as well as in the approaches that have dominated the traditional hegemonic discourses.

Italian influences in the kingdom of France: Fontainebleau Mannerism and Vouet Baroque

The change of paradigm that developed from the 15th to the 17th century with the irruption of the Renaissance found in Italy the center of reference par excellence and it was then when the rest of the European countries were introducing the coming novelties from the transalpine country.

In order to understand the idiosyncrasy of this artistic period, we cannot avoid the decisive imprint left on European culture by its own classical past, palpable both in the medieval cities and in the spirit of patronage of the Church and the aristocracy.

From the second half of the 19th century, Valencian art experienced a golden age in which Joaquín Sorolla and his contemporaries initiated the well-known Valencian luminism. A whole generation of artists as heirs of the characteristics and values of this style, who sought the most pleasant reality of life in the typical scenes of Levantine costumbrismo, belonged to this prolific current. The so-called new golden century of Valencian painting finds in our auction on October 10 a magnificent representation that, by the hand of its great figures, comes to show us the indelible mark they left behind them in Spanish art.

The French painter Bernard Buffet rose to fame when he was only 19 years old thanks to a completely unique and personal style that gave us one of the most fascinating pictorial works of the last century.

José Guerrero has established himself as one of the fundamental references of contemporary Spanish painting. His career, as intense as it is personal, shows us the incessant experimentation and continuous evolution of an artist who, even shortly before his death, continued to create with the same dedication, with which he achieved resounding success and recognition on an international level His land of origin, his link with Federico García Lorca or his American adventure, are just some of the events that deeply marked the development of a professional career, intimately linked to his life experiences.

Resale is on the rise and has been for some time. According to a study by Bain & Company, the luxury secondary market grew 65% from 2017 to 2022, with no signs of slowing down. Some even predict that resale, in this field, may even surpass retail.

The consumer has now gained confidence and security in buying pre-owned luxury goods in a way that was never expected before

So we talked about the attractiveness and importance of luxury resale and why everything “old” can be “new” again.

Quality parts made to last

Luxury is synonymous with quality, and quality promises longevity. Many high-end fashion garments are hand-sewn by specially trained craftsmen and are made from the finest materials. Unlike fast fashion, they are built to last, and these quality items can be staples in a closet forever.

More than ever, consumers are choosing to invest in key pieces that will last longer and become part of their arsenal and fashion vocabulary for the long term.

When you buy vintage luxury, you are selecting an item that has been cared for by its previous owner, but also examined by a team of experts, which guarantees its authenticity and quality.

There is a rock, a singular type of alabaster, which is only found in the region of Ayacucho, and whose translucent quality, as well as its malleability, made it one of the most prized materials by collectors since the sixteenth century, the Huamanga.

Considered one of the key figures of the new Asian postcolonial art, the painter of Philippine origin Manuel Ocampo has been proclaimed as one of the enfants terribles of the current art scene.

Throughout his career, Ocampo has given birth to a creative corpus to which it is impossible to feel a hint of indifference. Under a neo-expressionist language, Ocampo destroys any pictorial imposture or conventionalism with the aim of questioning and questioning the foundations on which our social and cultural identity has been historically built.