[ArtQuid] Art Market News

How To Tell Authentic Ivory From Fake - Dream Art Gallery

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:21:09 +0000

Ivory is one of the hardest organic materials in existence, but it has very poor elastic properties. Any area which is under pressure or tension is therefore subject to the formation of cracks.

The regions most exposed to the danger of cracking are holes for hanging or securing other objects like hinges, handles, metal ornaments etc. Forgeries do not present cracks in these regions. But cracks ( craquelure) can also be imitated. This is why they should always be carefully examinated with help of a magnifying glass. A natural craquelure creates narrow cracks with sharp edges and contours, while a simulated craquelure made with a knife has splayed and rounded contours.

Moreover, natural cracks almost always start out from the base or edge of the object, which are more subject to the influence of humidity and contamination. The underside of the base is particularly exposed to moisture, so that very old ivory gets damaged there by crack running right across. Forgers create cracks by dipping the objects into hot and cold liquids in rapid succession and then colouring them black. The distribution of fissures of this kind does not follow the same logic as those that have formed naturally.

Synthetic ivory can be recognized immediately with the help of two simple tests:

Heat:
A simple and practical tes is heating a needle or nail by holding it over a flame with a pair of pincer and then pressing the point against the object. Plastic is easily penetrated by the glowing needle and gives off a pungent, unpleasant odour and some smoke. The same needle barely deforms ivory, leaving only a small black point and a slight smell similar to that of singed fingernails.

Ultraviolet light:
A normal UV lamp, like those used for suntanning, makes natural materials fluoresce to a light colour, while synthetic materials, instead, show up darker

Please don't hesitate to contact us should you have any queries about Asian Art. Dream Art Gallery has 20 years of experience in studying and collecting Asian Art. Established in 1999 as online gallery Dream Art Gallery specialises in exclusive Chinese ceramics and works of art from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.
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How To Tell Authentic Lacquer from fake - Dream Art Gallery

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:17:53 +0000

Chinese lacquer is one of the oldest lacquers known to us. For over a thousand years Chinese lacquer has been used to fashion, cover or decorate boxes, screens, vases, figures, jewellery and many other objects. Thin layers of lacquer could be painted on or gilded, whilst if built up to greater thickness, patterns could be carved in the lacquer.

The oldest lacquer objects ever found come from Chinese graves of the 15th century BC. Chinese lacquer ware has undoubtedly been known to and prized by europeans since the first contacts between East Asian and European traders. But it began to be regularly imported only in the early 17th century, after which it quickly become so sought after that it was imitated in enormous quantities and in the most various forms.

It is not always easy to distinguish between original lacquers and European products of the 19th century, when the ingredients for preparing the lacquer were imported. Lacquers produced in Europe can be distinguished by their lesser resistence to time and wear.

Original Chinese lacquer remains smooth and perfect for centuries, whilst the surface of European black lacquers and their painted decorations show evident signs of frequent restoration.

The raw material is the sap of a tree called Rhus Vernicifera which is indigenous to China and grows extensively. Like rubber, it is tapped from incisions made in the bark. The light coloured sap grows dark on exposure to the air and is not smoked like rubber, but heated for a number of hours and strained until all impurities have been removed and the lacquer has become suitable for application in thin, perfect and uniform layers.

The lacquer is not self supporting but needs a base, which is generally wood. In antiques objects a coat of woven straw or hempen cloth was first fixed onto the wood and smeared with very fine clay in order to obtain an absolutely even surface in preparation for painting, this coating often makes it possible to detect authentic Chinese furniture and similar articles. European imitations have a gesso base.

Just to produce the lacquered surface and possibly a painted decoration on a basis of wood or other material, 10 to 20 coats were applied one after the other, with intervals of a number of hours in between to allow them to dry and harden in contact with the oxygen in the air. Thanks to this long hardening process Chinese lacquer is insoluble in pratically all known solvents and consequently extremely resistant to atmospheric agents and wear. After drying, each layer was carefully ground smooth. In order to obtain a sufficient thickness for carving, up to 300 layers of lacquer had to be applied.

By boring a small hole with a drill in a fake lacquer it is often possible to discover that under the thin red coating the actual body is a whitish grey substance. A similar hole in an authentic vase reveals that covering and body are made of the same material. A fake vase also has a waxy feel, whilst authentic lacquer is hard and dry to the touch.

The main characteristics indicative of a substitute material for Chinese lacquer are as follows:

Plastic is inflammable and gives off pungent smell. Chinese lacquer burns to ash and is perfumed
Generally speaking, plastic is deformed by heat and grows soft, whereas Chinese lacquer does not run.
Plastic is dissolved by certain chemicals, lacquer is insoluble.
Chinese lacquer needs a support which may be for example, woven bamboo or porcelain. Plastic is self supporting.

Please don't hesitate to contact us should you have any queries about Asian Art. Dream Art Gallery has 20 years of experience in studying and collecting Asian Art. Established in 1999 as online gallery Dream Art Gallery specialises in exclusive Chinese ceramics and works of art from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.
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Picasso - Walking the Walk

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:37:44 +0000

Next week we set off for Paris for the Piasa auction. I love this event - for me it is a "must-go" opportunity to buy art, see friends, eat wonderful dinners and do some good business. This year I take with me a wonderful new book: "Picasso's Paris" by Ellen Williams. The book is a walkers guide to Picasso's life and times in Paris - I intend to walk the walk!

The book describes the life of Picasso in the French capital. Where he lived at different periods, the cafes he frequented, the restaurants he dined in and some of the people he knew. Having left his native Spain and before he lived in the South of France, Picasso spent most of his time in Paris. The book is divided into 4 different "walks"

WALK ONE: Bohemian Montmartre - The time of the Bateau Levoir, the Blue and the Rose periods. Picasso lived with "La Belle Fernande" in the so called "Bateau Lavoir" - 13 Place Emile-Goudeau between 1904 - 1909. This "slum dwelling" was a haven of poverty-stricken artists inhabited by Juan Gris, Kees Van Dongen and Modigliani - to name but a few. The walk then takes you to a bourgeois apartment in Montmartre where Picasso and his girlfriend moved to as he was now achieving considerable financial success and finally we climb up a steep hill to the wonderful Basilica of Sacre-Coeur (A subject dealt with often in early cubist paintings. In Montmartre we will probably stop for a coffee/drink in "La Mere Catherine" on the Place de Tertre. The many passing tourists will not realise that in this place the "Bande Picasso" would often meet and greet each other. We go down the steep hill to the Boulevard de Clichy where Picasso and Fernande lived in their time of affluence.

WALK TWO; MONTPARNASSE - Picasso and Fernande split up and the artist eloped with his new love, Eva Gouel in the summer of 1912. On returning to Paris his dealer, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiller, found the young couple a new place to live in Montparnasse. Picasso , now a man of substance, lived in a fine neighborhood - (1912 -13) - 242 boulevard Raspail, (1913 - 16) 5 rue Schoelcher . In Montparnasse Picasso embarked on ground breaking Cubist collages and his reputation soared. Eva, however, suffered from bad health and died tragically at a young age. At this period the "Bande Picasso" split up as many were enlisted in the First World war. Picasso then met his wife to be, the Russian Ballerina Olga, and they lived for a while, in 1918, in the high status Hotel Lutetia, 45 boulevard Raspail. On the walk we can stop at "Le Dome" (108 boulevard du Montparnasse). It is a venue renowned for "serious drinking" - doubtless the "Bande Picasso" misbehaved themselves badly there!

WALK THREE - ETOILE QUARTER. When Picasso and his wife Olga moved to 23 rue La Boetie (1918 - 1942) it was THE PLACE to be in Paris. Later it would be eclipsed by the Champs Elysee but in 1918 the rich and chic lived there. Picasso had two apartments with his working apartment being one floor up. The Picasso's had a liveried chauffeur who drove them, at weekends, to their wonderful Chateau in the village of Boisgeloup. Picasso met Marie Therese and installed her, just down the road, at 44 rue de la Boetie. Picasso's marriage started to split up and he moved away from Olga to the Hotel California on the rue de Berri. Walk 3 takes us past numerous cafes and restaurants used by Picasso, his wife and their friends.

WALK FOUR - SAINT GERMAIN DE PRES : - When his marriage broke up the middle aged artist decided to live in a much less smart more bohemian neighborhood and moved to 7 rue des Grands Augustines (From 1937). Our walk definitely takes us to the cafe of Les Deux Maggots - a favorite place for me where I often meet my wife for a drink after a hard days art dealing. The rue de grands Augustines is just off the main drag which goes along the riverbank of the Seine and it was here that Picasso was photographed by Dora Maar as he painted his famous work "Guernica" . Dora did not live with Picasso and we will visit her apartment, round the corner at 6 rue de Savoie. The Second World War happened at this time and Picasso sat it out in Paris as Nazi troops occupied his city. After the war Picasso moved down to the South of France and, apart from a short term during the 1950's, Paris was no longer his home. The walk will take us past 19 Quai Saint-Michael where Henri Matisse lived and the splendid Monument to Guillaume Apolliniaire - a bust of Dora Maar - in the churchyard beside St Germain. We will pass Appolinaire's house at 202 boulevard St-Germain a few blocks away. We might finish the walk with a drink at the Cafe "La Pallette". This is a place much frequented today by art dealers such as myself being in the middle of the rue de Seinne where I go to buy works of art from the many dealers nearby.

Call me a romantic if you like but these walks will take me alongside most interesting places and show me the life more clearly of a man who has had huge influence on art and culture in the 20th century. I recommend this small book!

Who else might "walk the walk"?
________________________________________
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Post-it Art

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:28:56 +0000

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Dusan Rakic : my marquetry

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:22:06 +0000

My marquetry
Expressing the world through the beauty of texture and warmth of wood.
Dusan Rakic

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The dragon as symbol of imperial authority

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:37:45 +0000

At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor Huang Di was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider Huang Di as their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.

The dragon, especially yellow or golden dragons with five claws on each foot, was a symbol for the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. The imperial throne was called the Dragon Throne. During the late Qing Dynasty, the dragon was even adopted as the national flag. It was a capital offense for commoners to wear clothes with a dragon symbol. The dragon is featured in the carvings on the steps of imperial palaces and tombs, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

In some Chinese legends, an Emperor might be born with a birthmark in the shape of a dragon. For example, one legend tells the tale of a peasant born with a dragon birthmark who eventually overthrows the existing dynasty and founds a new one; another legend might tell of the prince in hiding from his enemies who is identified by his dragon birthmark.

In contrast, the Empress of China was often identified with the Phoenix Fenghuang.

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Giacomo de Pass

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:28:49 +0000

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Do Durst

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:48:45 +0000

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Orson Star

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:14:59 +0000

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Exhibition of Zalans in Paris

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:57:20 +0000

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Excavated Chinese Pottery How To Tell Authentic Antiques From Fakes

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:24:04 +0000

Much of the inhabited area of China is covered in porous loess, which produces scant mineral deposits on the pottery surface.

Distinguishing between excavated and recent objects is therefore sometimes very difficult and often thermoluminescence is the only scientific method permitting the recognition of fakes.

But it must be borne in mind that it is impossible to date items on the market with certainty unless their exact provenance is known together with the measurement of the radiation emitted by the soil in which they were found.

Authentic figures generally have characteristics which, if examined at least under a microscope, can permit a reliable distinction between recent and antique items.

For example the petrified or fossilized remains of tiny animals which live in loess leave no doubts, under the base snail shells can be seen, together with fossilized slime trails. These organic residues do not permit dating but attest to a long period of time spent in the soil.

Visible traces of the damp earth, not noticeable on the painted and glazed areas, must instead be expected in the unprotected areas of the porous ceramic surface, such as on the face and in the interior of a figure. If for example, the inside surface of a figure is clean without any marks, then it is right to be sceptical.

Valid proof that an item is faked is offered by stylistic deviation from the norm. It is easy to detect fakes on the basis of mythological and iconographic errors, given that the Chinese have been very sensitive up to our day about the exact representation of these themes.

Greek female figures can present the most disparate variety of heads of goddesses and dancers on similar bodies. This was unthinkable for Chinese figures. Clothes, bodies, facial features and attributes were the symbols that served to identify a specific entity.

Enormous treasures must still be lying buried in the vast territory of China. If we think of the huge amount of archeological finds made in tiny Greece relating to only three of four hundred years of its history, enough to fill museums and collections the world over, we can imagine what the ten times bigger China must have produced in almost three thousand years of uninterrupted art creation.

Excavation began but a few decades ago and in only a few selected localities. It is presumable that in the future the antiques market will be swamped with finds from official and unofficial excavation sites.

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info@dreamartgallery.com

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Robert Johnson Stones

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:02:38 +0000

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How to make jewelry and wax carvings Tegan Hope Ojai Style

www@artquid.com () — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:21:36 +0000

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Bassin aux nymphéas by Claude Monet sold for £40.9 millions

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:45:44 +0000

40.9 millions GBP for a Monet
London – Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale took place this evening (24 June 2008) and realised £144,440,500 / $283,970,023 / €182,428,352 - the highest ever total for an art auction held in Europe. The top lot of the auction was Le bassin aux nymphéas, a masterpiece painting by Claude Monet which realised £40,921,250 / $80,451,178 / €51,683,539, a world record price for the artist at auction. 34 works of art sold for over £1 million (44 for over $1 million), and buyer activity at the auction (by lot) was 62% Europe including United Kingdom, 34% Americas, 3% Asia and 1% other. The auction saw a total of 8 artist records established, including for Claude Monet, Henry Moore and Natalia Goncharova.

Olivier Camu, Director and Head of Impressionist and Modern Art, Christie’s London and Thomas Seydoux, International co-head of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s: “This evening’s auction realised the highest total for any art auction ever held in Europe, and illustrates the continuing strength and confidence of the art market. We saw particularly strong bidding for works of the highest quality which were fresh to the market. The leading lot of the auction was ‘Le bassin aux nymphéas’, a masterpiece painting by Claude Monet which witnessed a bidding battle involving many international collectors, before selling to a client in the saleroom for £41 million, a new world record price for the artist at auction. A further highlight was ‘Danseuse a la barre’, an extremely rare early masterpiece in pastel by Edgar Degas, which also drew bidding from a number of international clients and far exceeded its pre-sale estimate, selling for £13.5 million, the second highest price for the artist at auction.”

The top 5 prices of the evening were:

- Le bassin aux nymphéas, a masterpiece painting by Claude Monet which was offered from the Estate of J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller and which realised £40,921,250 / $80,451,178 / €51,683,539, a world record price for the artist at auction.

- Danseuse a la barre, an extremely rare early masterpiece in pastel by Edgar Degas (1834-1917) which realised £13,481,250 / $26,504,138 / €17,026,819 far exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £4,000,000 to £6,000,000.
- Les Fleurs, circa 1912, a rare and powerful work by Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) which sold for £5,529,250 / $10,870,506 / €6,983,443, a world record price for the artist at auction, and a world record price for a work by a female artist at auction.

- Draped Reclining Woman by Henry Moore (1898-1986) which was also offered from the Estate of J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller and which realised £4,297,250 / $8,448,394 / €5,427,427, a world record price for the artist at auction.

- The Portrait of Yanaihara by Alberto Giacometti (1906-1966) which was painted in 1958 and which sold for £4,297,250 / $8,448,394 / €5,427,427.

Property from the Estate of J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller
The auction was led by a selection of seventeen works from the Estate of J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller. J. Irwin Miller, an industrialist from Columbus, Indiana, and his wife Xenia Simons Miller, who were major philanthropists and patrons of the arts and who were instrumental in turning the American city of Columbus, Indiana, into a showcase for modern architecture. The seventeen Impressionist and Modern works together realised £67,540,050 / $132,783,738 / €85,303,083, and was led by Claude Monet’s Le bassin aux nymphéas which realised £40,921,250 / $80,451,178 / €51,683,539, a world record price for the artist at auction.

Works from the Collection of the late Simon Sainsbury
A selection of 7 works from the collection of Simon Sainsbury were sold this evening for a total of £10,424,750 / $20,495,059 / €13,166,459, led by Collioure. Les Balancelles, 1887, an early Pointillist picture by Paul Signac (1836-1935) which sold for £2,953,250 / $5,806,090 / €3,729,955. One of Britain’s most generous philanthropists and discerning collectors, the late Simon Sainsbury assembled throughout his lifetime one of the finest private British collections of the 20th century, from which a selection of furniture, ceramics and art was sold at a landmark auction on 18 June 2008 at Christie’s in London for £16,512,025 / $32,214,961 / €20,772,127, bringing the total to £26,936,775 / $52,710,020 / €33,938,586. Proceeds from the sale of the collection as a whole will benefit the charity established by Simon Sainsbury in 1965, The Monument Trust.

Works from a Distinguished European Collection
A selection of 11 works from a Distinguished European Collection assembled nearly half a century ago realised £9,494,550 / $18,666,285 / €11,991,616, and was led by Les Sapins, Varengeville, a luminous coastal landscape by Claude Monet (1840-1926) which was painted in the Summer of 1882, when the artist was staying at Pourville on the Norman coast in France and which sold for £3,177,250 / $6,246,474 / €4,012,867.

The Hoh Collection
The auction sold 7 works from the impressive collection of 20th century avant-garde works assembled by Alfred and Elisabeth Hoh, which toured various German institutions between 1998 and 2000 as the ‘Languages of Art’ exhibition and which realised £12,816,750 / $25,197,730 / €16,187,555. Leading the selection was Les Fleurs, circa 1912, a rare and powerful work by Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) which sold for £5,529,250 / $10,870,506 / €6,983,443, a world record price for the artist at auction, and a world record price for a work by a female artist at auction.
Source : Christie's

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Guayabo

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:08:06 +0000

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Montecitorio, tomorrow Bertinotti opens show on Faenza Ceramics

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:48:12 +0000

Fausto Bertinotti, the chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, in the Hall of the Palace Refectory of the seminary he will inaugurate tomorrow, 1st of April 2008, at 5 pm the exhibition: "Faïence. Hundred years of the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza. " Organized by the Chamber with the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, the exhibition falls on the centenary of Torricelliana Faenza, 1908, the third centenary of the birth of Evangelista Torricelli, which coincided with the founding of the Museum.
The inauguration will be 'preceded, at 12:30 pm in the same place, from a press conference of the Chamber of Quaestor, Gabriele Albonetti, and the director of the museum, Jadranka Bentini.
The works will be exhibited to the public on the premises of the Library of the House from April 2 to May 30 (with free admission from Via del Seminario 76, Rome) with the following schedule 10 am -6 pm Monday to Friday, and on Saturday from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Closed Sunday.
On show about 150 masterpieces of ceramics, from the XV to the twenty-first century, as well as a sampling of tiles, selected in the rich collection of the museum, the famous "Bell Faenza" to the works of Matisse, Fontana, Picasso and contemporary artists renowned undisputed. Also available in a catalogue of 350 pages, full of color images, texts and critical equipment, published by Allemandi.
The initiative will be 'made with the support of four companies: the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna, Enel, the Sacmi and Unipol.
Published by Antonella Sberna

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Holistic Art by Shayna Bracha Farber-TM

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:56:14 +0000

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Alejandro cabeza

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:12:27 +0000

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Franz Marc’s Weidende Pferde III sells for £12.3 Million

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:33:23 +0000

Sotheby’s Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art tonight realized £116,699,900 ($230,517,312) – considerably in excess of the pre-sale estimate of £81,090,000 - 112,110,000. The total realized is the highest for any sale ever staged by Sotheby’s in Europe and the highest total in this category this year. Five lots sold for over £5 million – the highest number of lots ever sold at this level in any European auction; 30 lots were sold for over one million pounds and 47 lots were sold for over $1 million. Four new artist’s records were established, including those for Alexej von Jawlensky and Franz Marc.

Commenting on the sale, Melanie Clore, Co-Chairman Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department Worldwide, said: “We are thrilled with tonight’s results, which demonstrate the strong hunger in the market for quality works. The broad international buying from Russia and Asia as well as Europe and the Americas was very much in evidence this evening. The sale was carefully edited with the best offerings across a range of categories, and buyers responded with great enthusiasm.”

The top price achieved this evening was for Franz Marc’s Weidende Pferde III (lot 13), which made £12,340,500 ($24,376,190 ) – doubling the pre-sale low estimate of £6,000,000, and exceeding the record price established at Sotheby’s in New York in November last year (when Der Wasserfall sold for $20,201,000). A magnificent museum quality work, it is the only example from the artist’s iconic paintings of horses still in private hands.

Source: Sotheby's

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Francis Bacon Triptych sells for £26.3 million

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:13:59 +0000

London –Triptych 1974-77 by Francis Bacon (1909-1992) sold for £26.3 million ($51.7 million/€35.2 million), becoming the most expensive work of art ever sold at Christie’s in London and the most valuable Post-War and Contemporary work sold in Europe.

Christie’s Post War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale realised a total of £72,930,500 ($143,089,641/€97,581,009). The sale was 88% sold by value and 69% sold by lot. 23 lots sold for over $1 million and 12 lots selling for over £1 million with four artist records established. The buyer breakdown was (by lot): 57% European including UK; 43% Americas.

“Christie’s established the highest price for any Post-War and Contemporary work of art sold in Europe this evening, with the superb result for the Triptych 1974-77 by Francis Bacon,” said Pilar Ordovas, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s London. “Throughout the sale, we saw active participation from American clients who bid competitively alongside other international collectors. Christie’s again established very strong prices for works of art of the highest quality, resulting in the second highest total for Post-War and Contemporary Art sale at Christie’s London demonstrating the underlying, continued strength of the market.”

Appearing at auction for the first time and offered from a private collection, Triptych 1974-77, is the last in the great series that Bacon painted in response to the tragic death of his lover George Dyer in 1971. Many of Bacon’s works after that date - marking what David Sylvester maintained was the absolute ‘peak period’ of Bacon’s entire career - were preoccupied with Dyer. Painted between May and June of 1974 and revisited in 1977, this great, strangely open, Baconian landscape was immediately recognised as a major landmark in his oeuvre.
Further highlights at Christie’s sale this evening included Zwei Liebespaare, 1966 by Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) that sold for £7,300,500 ($14,323,581/€9,768,069), establishing a new world record price for the artist. Painted at the height of his involvement with Pop, the work was acquired from the artist by the mother of the present owner. It has been on long-term loan to the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich.

A monumental Concetto spaziale, Attesa by Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), 1965, sold for £6,740,500 ($13,224,861/€9,018,789), a world record for the artist at auction (estimate: £3,500,000-5,500,000). An inconic piece dedicated to the artist’s wife, the smooth, red surface is interrupted by one single, long straight slash over a metre long.

Palm Springs Jump, 1982 by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), an electrifying work made in a surge of creativity when he had just broken through to star status, was a further highlight selling for £6,516,500 ($12,785,373/€8,719,077).

Further world auction records were established for British artist, Bridget Riley, whose Static 2 obtained £1,476,500 ($2,896,893/€1,975,557), bought by an anonymous collector.

Source : Christie's

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Christie's 2007 Global Art Sales total $6.3 billion

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:04:40 +0000

London/New York/Hong Kong – Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, today announced 2007 art sales totals of £3.1 billion/$6.3 billion, a 25% increase in £ and 36% increase in $ over 2006 sales. The results were achieved through more than 600 sales in 14 saleroom locations worldwide and include auction premiums plus private sales of £268 million/$542 million. For the year, Christie’s sold a total of 793 works of art at auction for over $1 million.

25% increase over 2006 in £ and 36% increase in $

Private sales total £268 million/$542 million, up 95% over 2006 in £ and 111% in $

793 works of art sold at auction for over $1 million

Continues market share leadership across international collecting categories, including Impressionist & Modern, Post-War & Contemporary and Jewellery; takes market share lead in American Paintings

Christie’s LIVE™ celebrates first year anniversary with great momentum; for 2007, £78.2 million/$158 million sold or directly underbid online, including premium

“In 2007 Christie’s once again led the art market in terms of sales, profitability and quality of works offered”, said Edward Dolman, Chief Executive Officer of Christie’s International plc. “Our continued market share lead in the high-end auction sales of Post-War and Contemporary art, Impressionist and Modern art and in Jewellery was the result of our ability to offer the best expert advice available to our clients and market their property globally, employing the most sophisticated, innovative and compelling strategies. Our investment in new and emerging markets, including India, Dubai, Russia and China, as well as in other areas of our business such as private sales, Interiors sales, Christie’s Education and Christie’s Great Estates, has introduced an unprecedented number of collectors to Christie’s. Christie’s has the art market’s largest and most experienced team of specialists and our collective expertise will remain the foundation of our success as we move into 2008.”

Source : Christie's

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Living dresses...

www@artquid.com () — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 22:51:05 +0000

Living Dresse is the title of the new Loretta Viscuso's Exposition, now in Verona from the 9th to the 24th of November inside the Ethic Shop in vicolo Mazzini 5/a.

Since 1990 Loretta has organized hundreds of workshops inspired by the “playing with art” method developed by Bruno Munari. She has also had over 40 exhibitions of her work in Italy and abroad, including a personal exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Malta, and the interactive workshop/exhibition “Drawings on the Palm of the Hand” in Verona, Italy. She currently lives in Verona with her daughter Marta and teaches Art at the Art Institute of Trento.
This exhibition is something new…particular…innovative and absolutely fashion…!!! A series of handmade drawings, full of colours and catching moments of a woman's life in front of their closet…and not only. "We have dresses that gather among their tucks more than what we would know or we are able to tell about us. There are some quotation that encourage to reflect upon on the research of the sense and happiness."

Everywhere, among the drawings this words…:

Dresses wait patiently.
They stay in the darkness of closet wardrobes
or hang naked in shops.
They are warmed by the touch of our hands,
living their season on our skin.
They take the shape and the smell of our bodies,
being chosen or left every day.
They get unstitched, torn, dirty, faded,
they allow us to shorten, lengthen, enlarge them,
to be able to cover or uncover what we want.
Some dresses tell about us much more than what we would say.
Other dresses hide us and make us invisible.
They have such memories, the dresses, that sometimes we can’t wear them
anymore.
We measure ourselves with them looking at our body on the mirror.
Some dresses smile, some are serious:
black and contrite they wait for the big occasion.
From the darkness of the wardrobes they know that one time, not knowing
when, it will be their turn.
How do dresses see us?
and what do bodies feel from inside a dress?
is it a skin, a second skin, and how thick is it?
How does it breathe?
How much space is there,
in the crook of the elbows, under the armpits, behind the neck?
and in these tiny spaces between us and them,
what happens?
Emptiness ,
air in the dusk of the night,
bright air in the daylight, reflecting the colour of our eyes.

In my opinion it's something to see, to reflect upon and to appreciate in order to fine a new meaning of the word dress....and don't forget that they all on sale!

Published by Antonella Sberna

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Jeff Koon's Hanging Heart, record for a living artist at auction

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:03:01 +0000

New York, New York, November 15, 2007 – “Last night and today’s results, the most spectacular in Sotheby’s 263-year history, are evidence of the hunger that exists across a global community of buyers for Contemporary art of the highest quality,” said Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art and the auctioneer of the historic auction. “Among the thirteen artist records we established in our evening sale was one for Jeff Koons, set by his remarkable Hanging Heart, which was also a record for any living artist at auction, eclipsing the previous record set at Sotheby’s London earlier this year for Damien Hirst’s Lullaby Spring. I am immensely proud of the extraordinary offering that our international team of specialists was able to assemble.”

Last night Sotheby’s achieved its highest sale total ever when its evening sale of Contemporary Art in New York brought $315,907,000, exceeding its high estimate (est. $220.3/298.7 million*), with sold values of 98.2% by value and 91.6% by lot1. The day sale achieved $102,410,000 (est. $77.4/109.5 million), unprecedented for a Day sale of Contemporary Art, bringing the two-day total to $418,317,000, far above the high estimate (est. $297.7/408.2 million). Francis Bacon’s Second Version of Study for Bullfight No. 1, 1969, which commanded $45,961,000 and sold to an American dealer, was the top lot of the two week series of sales in New York (lot 29, est. to sell for in excess of $35 million), and his Self Portrait, from the same year, brought $33,081,000, selling to an anonymous buyer (lot 19, est. to sell for more than $15 million). Additionally, a new record for a living artist at auction was set when Jeff Koons’ dazzling Hanging Heart brought $23.6 million. Artist records were set for Koons, Ellsworth Kelly, John Chamberlain, Fang Lijun, Zhang Xiaogang, Anish Kapoor, Ad Reinhardt, Yei Pei Ming, Richard Serra, Josef Albers, Sol LeWitt, Walter de Maria, Matthew Barney, Takashi Murakami and Louise Nevelson, among many others. Six lots sold for over $10 million; 16 for over $5 million; and 71 for over $1 million.

Anthony Grant, International Senior Specialist of Contemporary Art, continued, “Sculpture was very present in our evening sale. Following Sotheby’s world record for a sculpture set by Pablo Picasso’s Tête de femme (Dora Maar) last week, and in addition to the remarkable price achieved for the Koons, we set artist records for sculpture by John Chamberlain, Anish Kapoor, Richard Serra and Sol LeWitt, among others. The widely admired installation of the Koons in Sotheby’s unparalleled 10th floor gallery space inspired bidding in the evening sale. Additionally, we had works in our sale dating from 1935 to 2006 of various nationalities and mediums, and over the past week, an unprecedented number of clients came to Sotheby’s from all points around the world.”

The cover lot of the sale, Jeff Koons’ spectacular Hanging Heart (Magenta and Gold), 1994-2006, one of the most important works by Koons ever offered at auction, sold to Gagosian Gallery to applause for $23,561,000, a record for the living artist at auction and also for the artist (lot 14, est. $15/20 million). The previous record was for Damien Hirst’s pill cabinet, Lullaby Spring, which sold for $19.2 million at Sotheby’s London in June. The price almost reached the record for a Contemporary sculpture, currently held by David Smith’s Cubi XXVIII, which sold for $23.8 million at Sotheby’s New York in November 2005. The brilliant magenta heart and gold undulating bow, which took ten years from conception to completion, is one of five uniquely colored versions of this dazzling work from Koons’ famed Celebration series. The perfect surface is coated in more than ten layers of paint. Executed in high chromium stainless steel, Hanging Heart weighs over 3,500 pounds, is almost nine feet tall and took over 6,000 man hours to produce.

The sale also featured two works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, including his large-scale canvas, Untitled (Electric Chair) from 1981-82, watershed years for the artist, which sold for $11,801,000 (lot 16, est. $8/10 million). Untitled (Electric Chair), offered by a Foundation, was selected and purchased prior to completion from Basquiat’s first dealer Annina Nosei Gallery, New York. The work went into the collection of a Foundation, where it has remained ever since; this is the first time the work appeared on the market since it was painted in the artist’s studio in the basement of the Nosei Gallery. Also offered by the same Foundation were works by post-war sculptors, including Donald Judd’s Untitled, 1977, which brought $7,433,000 (lot 26, est. $6/8 million) and John Chamberlain’s Big E, 1962, which achieved $4,633,000 (lot 11, est. $2/3 million), both records from the artist at auction. Another Untitled work by Basquiat from 1981, which depicted one of the most engaging and combative warrior-figure paintings of the artist’s early years, sold for $7,769,000 (lot 48, est. $7/9 million).

Highlighting the 15 works included in the evening sale from a Distinguished Private Collection, which brought $33.4 million (est. $29.9/40.8 million), was Andy Warhol’s Self Portrait (Green Camouflage), 1986, from his last series of self-portraits, which sold for $12,361,000 (lot 47, est. $9/12 million). Other works featured from this offering include Ellsworth Kelly’s Spectrum VI, 1969, formerly from the collection of the curator of 20th century at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Henry Geldzahler, and related to Spectrum V, currently in the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which sold for $5,193,000, a record for the artist at auction (lot 23, est. $4.5/6 million). Alexander Calder’s Untitled, 1935, a rare early wood and wire sculpture, similar to those in the Collections of the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, sold for $4,409,000 (lot 34, est. $2.5/3.5 million).

Other works by Andy Warhol which brought strong prices included his Campbell’s Soup Can (Pepper Pot), 1962, which sold for $8,441,000 (lot 41, est. $7/9 million). This classic pop painting combines Warhol’s keen graphic sensibility with his use of an appropriated image in the manner of Jasper Johns’ flag and target paintings. This work was formerly in the collection of Emily and Burton Tremaine, who had one of the foremost collections of avant-garde and contemporary art on the East coast from the 1950s through early 1980s. Also by Warhol from his Death and Disaster series was Four Jackies, 1964, which achieved $5,641,000 (lot 13, est. $4/6 million), and Suicide, 1964, which brought $5,193,000 (lot 12, est. $3.5/4.5 million).

Works by Chinese Contemporary artists brought strong prices, including Zhang Xiaogang’s Family Portrait, 1994, which sold for $4,969,000 (lot 68, est. $2.5/3.5 million) and Fang Lijun’s Series 2, No. 6, 1991-92, which brought $4,073,000 (lot 65, est. $800,000/1.2 million).

The Day sale fetched an extraordinary $102,410,000 (est. $77.4/109.5 million), and highlighting the sale was Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild, which sold for $3,009,000 (lot 519, est. $1.2/1.8 million). Gabriela Palmieri, Vice President and specialist of Contemporary Art, said: “Following last night’s historic sale, the highest total ever achieved for a Sotheby’s auction, today’s hugely successful sale broke the $100 million mark, which is unprecedented for any Day sale of Contemporary art. Sixty-nine percent of the lots sold above their high estimates, and 16 lots sold for over $1 million, compared to nine last season and one a year ago. Artist records were set for Takashi Murakami and Louise Nevelson, among a number of others. The market responded particularly well to our single-owner offerings, which provided collectors with the rare opportunity to acquire historically important works which were fresh to the market. We saw strength across a number of periods, from American Pop, with works by Thiebaud and Warhol, to Minimalism, with works by Judd, Marden and Ryman, and also for sculpture, particularly for Calder, which was evident in last night’s sale. Our global team also saw an active climate both in the salesroom and on the phones, with strong American and European bidding.”

Source : Sotheby's

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Auction records for Post-War and Contemporary Art sales

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:46:12 +0000

New York – Christie’s Evening Sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art totaled $325,006,000 this evening, the second highest ever for a sale in the field. Sixteen new world auction records were set including for artists such as Jeff Koons, Lucian Freud, Ed Ruscha, Richard Prince and Gerhard Richter. The sale was 94% sold by value and 93% by lot. Buyers were 51% American, 26% European, 7% Asian and 16% others.

“Tonight’s auction surpassed all of our expectations. It was a robust, sophisticated and well-edited auction, which established multiple records for the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The sale realized the second highest total ever for the field and it provided excitement, awe and energy,” said Marc Porter, President Christie’s Americas. “In a market as watchful and alert as today’s, this sale was a clear and resounding vote of confidence of a deep and global client base, which is willing to spend millions of dollars on great works of art.”

Mark Rothko’s superbly magical and reflective work never fails to stun one in its serene but almost tangible power. Untitled (Red Blue Orange) realized $34,201,000, second only to the Rockefeller Rothko which sold for $72 million in May of this year, and No.7 (Dark Over Light), 1954 fetched $21,041,000. Both derive from Rothko’s classic period and they reflect the artist’s spare but emotive vocabulary of luminous rectangles stacked and set afloat within a radiantly hued ground. Untitled (Black and Gray), 1969, part of his final series of works went for $10,681,000 and the verdant Green, Blue, Green on Blue realized $6,089,000 and set a world auction record for a work on paper by the artist.

At the zenith of the art market lives Andy Warhol and two major works were presented in the sale. Coolly sexy and stunningly beautiful, Liz, part of the series of portraits Warhol executed in the 1960s, realized $23,561,000. Elvis 2 Times, one of the celebrated pictures of “the King” that Warhol executed in his Firehouse studio in 1963 and based on a publicity image for the movie, Flaming Star, was acquired for $15,721,000.

Lucian Freud’s Ib and Her Husband, a deadly honest and deeply intriguing portrait of Freud’s daughter Isobel and her partner realized $19,361,000 and set a new record for the artist. Dating from 1992, Ib and her Husband, a work that has been included in several major exhibitions since it was painted, is another splendid example of the intricate father-daughter artistic relationship. This new record set in New York proves a truly global market for a School of London artist.

An iconic Photo-Painting from the earliest phase of Richter’s career, Düsenjäger, part of a rare group of works depicting military aircrafts, most of which reside in museum collections, fetched $11,241,000, setting a new record for Richter at auction. It is one of the largest and rarest of the artist’s monumental depictions of a single fighter jet in motion. The work was offered by well-known Chicago collectors Lewis and Susan Manilow.

Untitled XXIII is a prime example of de Kooning’s oeuvre after his ‘renaissance’ of the mid-1970s when a sudden bout of energy and renewed force drove and inspired him to take up painting again. Once again, the artist found himself reveling in the act of painting as a joyous and deeply sensual experience and these works form the culmination of much that he had attempted in the past but never resolved. The painting realized $19,921,000.

Dazzling, magnificent, and staggeringly beautiful, Jeff Koons’s Diamond (Blue), 1994-2005 from the famed Celebration series which the artist commenced in 1994 became Koons’s most expensive work sold at auction at $11,801,000, doubling the previous record for Koons at auction.

Chinese contemporary art continued to rise. The center piece, Zhang Xiaogang’s Bloodline Series: Mother with Three Sons (The Family Portrait), painted in 1993 realized $3,961,000, a new record for Xiaogang at auction while Cai Guo-Qiang’s Tiger and Eagle went for $601,000 and Zeng Fanzhi’s Mask Series 1995 No. 26, 1995 totaled $1,385,000.

Other highlights included two major works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Black Figure) ($9,897,000)and Sugar Ray Robinson ($7,321,000) as well as Burning Gas Station by Ed Ruscha, 1965-66, which set a new record for Ruscha at auction at $6,985,000 and Richard Prince’s Piney Woods Nurse, 2002 which set a world auction record for the artist at $6,089,000.

Source: Christie's

Posted by Isabella Georgiou

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The Allan Stone collection at Christie's New York

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:29:54 +0000

Christie's, New York - This evening, a packed and busy room saw Selections from the Allan Stone Collection, a group of Post-War and Contemporary Art; tribal and folk art; and Art Deco works of art, realizing $52,423,400, selling 94% by value and setting 12 new world auction records. Following last week’s highly successful sales which totaled $472 million and witnessed the second highest fine art auction result ever at $395 million for the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale, the sale of the Stone Collection showed the strength of the art market and the commitment of connoisseurship and capital from around the world. Vibrant and energetic, the sale was a bold prelude to tomorrow’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale. New records were set for artists including Wayne Thiebaud and John Chamberlain, Antoni Gaudí and Carlo Bugatti and for an American folk art piece attributed to Thomas V. Brooks.

“This evening, we enjoyed fantastic participation from around the world, including our first evening sale lot sold through Christie’s LIVE™,” said Christopher Burge, Honorary Chairman and the evening’s auctioneer. “It was Christie’s honor to celebrate Allan Stone’s passion and visionary connoisseurship with such a successful sale.”

The Allan Stone Gallery gave Wayne Thiebaud his first one-man show in 1962. The success of that show led to the artist’s first single-artist museum exhibition, just a few months later, at the M. H. de Young Museum in San Francisco. Thiebaud highlights in the sale were the record-setting Seven Suckers, 1970 ($4,521,000); Tie Rack, 1969 ($3,401,000) and Blue Hill, 1967 ($1,721,000).

One of the important changes in Willem de Kooning's art occurred in 1963, when the artist left New York for a studio on the light-filled eastern end of Long Island. From this period, Man combines two of the strains of his art until that time: the bravura landscapes of the late 1950s and the celebrated Women of a decade before. The painting fetched $4,521,000 this evening at Christie’s. Other works by de Kooning included Untitled, 1942 ($5,305,000) and Study for Marshes, 1945-46 ($4,297,000).

Chamberlain took the known visible world and transformed it into something new and unique, and did so with glistening chrome and a full spectrum of brilliant coloration. The sale offered several quintessential works by Chamberlain, including Hatband, 1960, which realized $2,841,000 and set a new world auction record for the artist.

Other highlights in this evening’s sale included Franz Kline’s Untitled, 1951 ($2,729,000); Alfred Leslie’s Nix on Nixon ($385,000); and John Graham’s Woman with Dodecahedron, 1959 ($1,609,000).

In the 20th Century Decorative Art and Design category, the sale offered a two-part folding screen by Antoni Gaudí, created for Casa Milà, one of Barcelona’s most striking modernismo buildings. The screen realized $1,385,000, setting a new world auction record for the Catalan master. Carlo Bugatti, the pre-eminent Italian designer from the early years of the twentieth century, was present with a metal-inlaid stained wood and painted parchment double-sided partner’s desk, circa 1900, which realized $1,553,000, twelve times greater than the previous record for the artist.

The formalized and puritanical lines of American Folk Art bore a perennial fascination for Allan Stone and tonight’s sale included some memorable pieces such as a Swift Meat Packing Company trade sign, circa 1900 in the form of a larger-than-life cast zinc bullock ($493,000); a carved and painted tobacconist attributed to Thomas V. Brooks fetched $217,000, setting yet another record.

Highlights in the tribal art field were an Urhobo male figure, which fetched $361,000 and a rare Bamileke beaded head from Cameroon which sold for $121,000.

Source: Christie's

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Important pocket watches & wristwatches

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:21:31 +0000

Geneva - Today’s auction is the most successful various owner sale ever organized in the history of watch auctions. Christie's once more proved in the most impressive manner its undisputed dominance over any other auction house and also confirmed the absolute strength of the market for fine collector watches.

Numerous world records were shattered in today’s auction and many more were established. Amongst them a world record for any stainless steel watch ever sold at auction (lot 223) which fetched SFr. 2,513,000/$ 2,263,964 and for any A.Lange & Söhne, IWC and Movado just to name a few.

The 10 hours auction was continuously supported by over 100 bidders in the room, 100 logged on to Christie's Live, over 200 telephone bidders and 400 absentee bids which were entrusted to Christie's before the auction.

With over 98% sold by value, the world leading auction house has reunited collectors from all the five continents; North and South America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa were all represented by bidders and buyers during the auction, leaving an unforgettable mark in the history of watch auction.

Source: Christie's

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Rare Qing dynasty blue-and-white vase makes record

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:04:55 +0000

WEDNESDAY, 7 NOVEMBER, 2007 -- A newly-discovered - and extraordinarily rare - Chinese “dragon vase” sold at Sotheby’s in London this afternoon for £2,820,500 - establishing a new auction record for piece of Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelain. The vase, which had been dismissed as a copy in the 1970s and had subsequently lain neglected in the bottom of a wardrobe, was discovered by Sotheby’s expert Alastair Gibson earlier this year. It was bought today by Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art, of London and New York.

Its discovery came after a chance conversation with a collector during the recent Three Emperors exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. On seeing a fine blue-and-white moonflask in the show, the collector remarked that she thought she had something similar at home. Her description of it piqued Alastair Gibson’s interest and he asked if he could take a look. Last summer, he visited the collector’s home and saw something that - although dusty from years of neglect – was almost identical to the piece they had seen in the London exhibition.

Further research confirmed that the piece was, indeed, closely related to the piece in the exhibition – although the painted decoration and size were different. As the only known example of this particular “blue and white” design, the piece sold today ranks as one of the most important examples of Chinese porcelain to have come to the UK market in many years. Its importance was recognised today as no fewer than 7 bidders fought to secure this unique piece of Chinese craftsmanship, driving the price well in excess of the £800,000-£1,200,000 pre-sale estimate.

Alastair Gibson, Head of Sotheby’s Chinese Department in London, said: “I remember seeing the brother of this piece – a fantastic doucai vase, decorated with five-clawed dragons, in the Zwinger museum in Dresden many years ago. The memory of that piece has stayed with me always, and so to have come across the example sold today was for me the kind of dream that rarely comes true. It is an enchanting piece, and I am thrilled that so many collectors were prepared to fight so hard to get it.”

Source: Sotheby's

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World records in Middle East art market

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:36:42 +0000

Dubai – Christie’s third auction of International Modern and Contemporary Art held in Dubai tonight (31 October 2007) far eclipsed pre-sale expectations, selling for a total of $15,235,725/AED 55,915,111 and establishing 62 new world records, reinforcing the strength and vibrancy of the Middle East art market and Christie’s dominant position within it. Christie’s smashed world records at auction for works by Arab and Iranian artists many times over tonight. The sale was led by Ahmed Moustafa’s Qur’anic Polyptych of Nine Panel, which sold for $657,000/AED 2,411,190.Tonight’s sale will be followed by Christie’s second sale of Contemporary Jewels and Watches in Dubai, to be held at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel at 6.30pm on 1 November 2007.

The sale was 94% sold by lot and 95% sold by value. Buyer breakdown this evening was 59% from the Middle East, of which 50% was represented by the UAE, 31% from Europe including 23% from the UK, 8% from USA, and 2% from elsewhere.
“This auction underlines the importance and quality of Arab and Iranian art now available. Finally the record-breaking results of tonight’s sale demonstrate the category’s true potential,” said William Lawrie, Specialist, Modern & Contemporary Arab & Iranian Art. “Tonight clients from the Middle East competed with buyers from around the world at the highest level in order to secure these ‘must-have’ pieces, demonstrating that in the space of just under two years the Middle East art market has received the international attention it has long deserved.”

“Christie’s has truly internationalized the market for the major artists from the region. The Christie’s team in Dubai is delighted,” added Michael Jeha, Managing Director, Christie’s Middle East, after the auction finished.
Spectacular results were achieved for artists from every area in the Middle East. Egyptian artist Ahmed Moustafa realized the highest price ever achieved for a painting by an Arab artist, as well as a world record price at auction for his work. The result tonight more than doubled the previous record for any work by an Arab artist, also set for Moustafa’s Where the Two Oceans Meet (Variant No 3), 2001, which sold to a private Middle Eastern buyer for $284,800 /AED 1,045,814 at Christie’s May 2006 Dubai sale. A prize-winning work of the 1970s by Moustafa also performed extremely well tonight - Excavation from the Twentieth Century, an installation of an engraved, hand-folded aluminium sheet, with animal bones achieved $457,000 /AED1,677,190.
Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri, the most sought-after young artist in the Middle East, was represented in the sale by One World – Yek Donia (estimate: $60,000-80,000), a depiction of a map of the world executed in thousands of crystals on canvas on board in 2007, which sold for $601,000 /AED2,205,670, the second highest price achieved tonight, and a new world record for a work . Clients demonstrated an insatiable appetite for the Iranian works offered tonight, again smashing the world record price for a painting by an Iranian artist at auction many times over. Another top selling Iranian work was Charles Hossein Zenderoudi’s Mir + 54 + BZ + S, painted in 1962 and offered from a private French collection, which sold for $481,000 /AED 1,765,270. A new world record price at auction was also established for a sculpture by an Iranian artist, for Parviz Tanavoli’s Standing Poet, executed earlier this year, which sold for $337,000/AED 1,236,790.
A further highlight of the sale tonight was a group of six paintings by the Syrian masters Fateh Moudarres and Louay Kayyali, from the collection of an American couple, Edwin and Traudis Kennedy, which collectively sold for $403,750 /AED 1,481,763. In 1961 Edwin was posted as the Cultural Attaché at the Embassy of the United States in Damascus, the same year that he befriended the two Syrian artists. The top selling work from the collection was The Last Supper by Moudarres which sold for $145,000/ AED 532,150, nearly three times more than the low estimate.
Christie’s holds world auction records for all the Lebanese artists presented tonight. The top selling work by an Iranian tonight was Chafic Abboud with Chambre – La Serviette Bleue, 1977, which sold for $265,000 /AED 972,550. All of the North Africa artists in tonight’s sale achieved world records at auction. This group was led by Farid Belkahia’s Nuit Étoilée leading the group, selling for $109,000/ AED 400,030.
The second sale of International Modern and Contemporary Art in February 2007 established a new world record for Adbul Kadir Al-Rais, with Yesteryear, 1995, which sold for $262,400/AED 970,880. Tonight the UAE based artist was represented by Untitled (from the ‘Waw’ series), a rare, very large calligraphic watercolour, painted in 2007 which sold for $133,000/AED 488,110. Another UAE artist, Najat Makki was represented by What happens behind closed doors, which realized $63,400 /AED 232,678.

The sale also included a carefully curated selection of works by some of the most exciting international and Western artists spanning several important periods which received excellent prices tonight, demonstrated the huge potential and power that Dubai commands as an international selling platform in Middle East. The section was led by Arnaldo Pomodoro’s Sfera con sfera which was the third highest price achieved tonight, fetched $505,000/AED1,853,350. Damien Hirst, Atorvastatina (estimate: $400,000-600,000), from his continuing ‘Pharmaceutical Paintings’ series begun in the early 1990s, sold for $481,000 /AED1,765,270. A new world for Shirin Neshat was also achieved, with Guardians of the Revolution (from the ‘Women of Allah’ series), which realized $241,000 /AED 884,470.

The sale tonight saw bidders registered from 30 countries, and online bidders from 13 countries participating in the sale via Christie’s LIVE™, a real-time multi-media auction service. The first lot of sale, Moudarres’ The Last Supper, saw a LIVE™ underbid of $95,000, and momentum from clients participating via Christie’s LIVE™ continued throughout the sale, enabling collectors and interested parties around the Middle East and the world to enjoy the look, sound and feel of Christie's auctions from their personal computer, as well as participate in them. Christie’s LIVE™ has ensured that Christie’s auctions in Dubai to have the widest possible global outreach, as the results of the auction tonight demonstrate this.

“Tonight the young market here in Dubai came of age,” concluded Jussi Pylkkänen, President of Christie's Europe and the Middle East, and auctioneer of the sale.

Source: Christie's

Posted by Isabella Georgiou

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Art blogs and art websites (art gallery, art directory, artist, museum, art school)

www@artquid.com () — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:51:15 +0000

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Mounia Dadi, Modern art expressionism

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:45 +0000

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Opening Gianfranco Meggiato Art Gallery Positano

www@artquid.com () — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:15:38 +0000

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The Magna Carta: important document offered at auction

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:01:55 +0000

New York, NY, September 25, 2007 – During the week of December 10, 2007, Sotheby’s in New York will present for sale The Magna Carta, the royal document revered as the birth certificate of freedom. This iconic manuscript, dated 1297, is the original charter that enshrined the rights of man into English law, and inspired the passion for liberty that flowered in America in the 18 th century and continues around the world today. It is the most famous single document in existence. Issued by King Edward I, and sealed by the king, this astonishing survivor is one of fewer than twenty examples of the Magna Carta, and the only one ever likely to be sold. This medieval vellum manuscript is well-known to millions, having been on view with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. since arriving in America over 22 years ago. This is one of only two copies of the Magna Carta outside of England (the other belonging to the people of Australia).   The document is estimated to sell for $20/30 million with the proceeds benefiting the charitable activities of The Perot Foundation.

David Redden, Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s, said, “The Magna Carta is the first rung on the ladder to freedom, followed by the great American charters of freedom - the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and The Gettysburg Address. This document symbolizes mankind’s eternal quest for freedom; it is a talisman of liberty.”

...here is a law which is above the King and which even he must not break. This reaffirmation of a supreme law and its expression in a general charter is the great work of Magna Carta; and this alone justifies the respect in which men have held it. -- Winston Churchill, 1956

The Magna Carta, which is Latin for “Great Charter”, was initially issued in 1215 but not finally confirmed as English law until 1297, the year this Magna Carta was issued. Originally written because of disagreements between King John and the English barons about the rights of the King, the charter required the king to renounce certain rights, respect specified legal procedures and accept that his will could be bound by the law. The fundamental right enshrined in the Magna Carta is that no man is above the law. More specific, and enduring, rights stated by the Magna Carta include the right against unlawful imprisonment, the right to a speedy trial and the right to a trial by a jury of one’s peers.

No freeman shall be taken, or imprisoned...but by lawful judgment of his Peers, or by the Law of the Land. We will sell to no man, we will not deny or defer to any man either Justice or Right.”

The spirit of the Magna Carta reached far beyond England, however. The seeds of the American Revolution were sewn in the Magna Carta. Colonists from Boston to Charlestown demanded the same rights as British citizens resident in Great Britain, and when these rights were denied, the principles of the Magna Carta were cited in justification of the American rebellion by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and scores of other patriots. When the founding fathers searched for a precedent for asserting their rightful liberties from King George III and the English Parliament, they found it in the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta made it clear that no man, not even the king, is above the law and in 1779 John Adams evoked that sentiment when he called for: “A government of laws, and not of men.”

With each king that succeeded King John, the Magna Carta was ratified and reissued. The present Magna Carta, issued by Edward I in 1297, is the original charter confirming and ratifying the 1225 issue of the Magna Carta, and was intended for the shire of Buckingham. The present Magna Carta was documented in the possession of the Brudenell family of Deene Park, Northamptonshire since the late 14 th or early 15th centuries. It is not known how the document came into the possession of the Brudenell family, but it is likely through one of two family members who were distinguished lawyers. The manuscript was purchased by the Perot Foundation directly from the Brudenell family in 1984 and immediately placed on exhibition in the rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C.   Together with a 1297 Magna Carta in the National Library of Australia, this is the only Magna Carta outside England.

Source: Sotheby's

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Record sale of contemporary Asian art

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:28:15 +0000

September 19-21, 2007 – Sotheby’s five sales of Asian art this fall brought $61,931,226, nearly reaching the high estimate (est. $46.6/65.8 million*). The week was highlighted by Sotheby’s fourth sale of Contemporary Art Asia: China Korea Japan in New York, which far exceeded expectations, commanding $38,448,575, almost $10 million over its high estimate and a record sale for the category of Contemporary Asian Art (est. $19.2/27.9 million).

The top lot of the week was a work by Zhang Xiaogang, whose auction record was broken twice during the course of the sale. One of his earlier works from 1992, Chapter of a New Century - Birth of the People’s Republic of China, sold for $3,065,000, over its high estimate, to an Anonymous buyer, after competition among at least five bidders (lot 11, est. $1.5/2.5 million). The record was briefly held by Zhang Xiaogang’s enigmatic Bloodline Series, Bloodline Series: Comrade, 1995, which commanded $2,505,000, four times its high estimate, also selling to an Anonymous buyer (lot 10, est. $400/600,000). Records were also set for works by Fang Lijun, Liu Ye, Cai Guo-Qiang, Liu Dan, Ai Weiwei and Su Xinping. The sale of Contemporary South Asia: India and Pakistan, the second of its kind, also exceeded its high estimate, bringing $3,202,200 (est. $1.9/2.6 million). The top lot of the sale was Atul Dodiya’s Father, which sold for $601,000, a record for the artist at auction (est. $230/280,000). Records were also set for works by Chintan Upadhyay, Jyothi Basu and Zarina Hashmi.

Other top lots of the week included a magnificent pair of cloisonne? and gilt bronze ‘hehe’ twin boys, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, purchased by an Asian Private collector (lot 156, est. $1.3/1.8 million) in the September 18 th sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art; M.F. Husain’s Pagan Mother, which brought $658,000, selling to the Trade (lot 12, est. $500/700,000) in the September 19 th sale of Indian Art including Modern Paintings and Miniatures; and an Imperial Buddhist painting of a Lohan, mark and period of Yongle, which brought $1,609,000, selling to an Anonymous buyer (lot 33, est. $1.5/2 million) in the September 22 nd sale of The Arts of the Buddha.

Source: Sotheby's

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Contemporary Art Asia

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:34:11 +0000

New York, New York, September 20, 2007 – Today Sotheby’s fourth sale of Contemporary Art Asia: China Korea Japan in New York far exceeded expectations, commanding $38,448,575, almost $10 million over its high estimate and a record sale for the category of Contemporary Asian Art (est. $19.2/27.9 million*). The record for a work by Zhang Xiaogang was broken twice today: the top lot of the sale was one of his earlier works from 1992, Chapter of a New Century - Birth of the People’s Republic of China, which sold for $3,065,000, over its high estimate, to an Anonymous buyer, after competition among at least five bidders (lot 11, est. $1.5/2.5 million). The record was briefly held by Zhang Xiaogang’s enigmatic Bloodline Series, Bloodline Series: Comrade, 1995, which commanded $2,505,000, four times its high estimate, also selling to an Anonymous buyer (lot 10, est. $400/600,000). Records were also set for works by Fang Lijun, Liu Ye, Cai Guo-Qiang, Liu Dan, Ai Weiwei and Su Xinping, among others.

Xiaoming Zhang, Assistant Vice President and Specialist of Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art department in New York, said: “In today’s dynamic sale we saw a market that is continuing to expand, with a greater depth and diversity in the artists achieving high prices. There was particular significance for contemporary ink painting with the exceptional price achieved for the work by Liu Dan, as well as the recognition of historically significant works by Japanese and Korean artists such as Shiraga Kazou and Lee Ufan, respectively, as well as younger artists. We also saw continued strength by the post-89 China avantgarde artists such as Zhang Xiaogang and Fang Lijun, both of whom achieved new records today.”

A number of works in the sale by Chen Yifei, who practiced in the school of Realism brought strong prices, including The Cellist, 1983, a work which demonstrates Chen’s mastery of detail, which brought $2,281,000, selling to an Asian Private collector (lot 13, est. $800,000/1 million). Shanghai Dream, 1998, also realized $993,000, far above the high estimate, also selling to an Asian Private collector (lot 15, est. $250/350,000).

Infanta (The Princess), 1997, by Yue Minjun, one of the leading artists in the Cynical Realism movement,   sold for $1,945,000 to an Asian Private collector (est. $1.8/2.5 million). Perhaps one of his most powerful paintings to date, Infanta (The Princess) is a rare example of the artist’s nod to Western art history. The work finds inspiration in Diego Velazquez’ famed canvas Las Meninas from 1656, which depicts the Infanta Dona Margarita reluctantly posing for the artist. This follows the sale of his The Pope at Sotheby’s London earlier this year, which brought $4.2 million, a record for a Chinese contemporary artist at auction. The Yue Minjun work was reoffered at the end of the first session.

One of the most important works to appear at auction by Fang Lijun, a founder of the Cynical Realist movement, 98.10.1, sold for $1,721,000, a record for the artist at auction, to an Asian Private collector (lot 24, est. $600/800,000). Executed in 1998, this monumental work illustrates the turning-point in the artist’s career when the psychological tension and disillusionment evident in his early works gave way to joyfulness, a theme which characterizes Fang Lijun’s work today.

Another highlight of the sale was Liu Ye’s The Little Mermaid, 2004, an example of the artist’s combined themes of Eros and innocence, which achieved $1,385,000, a record for the artist at auction, selling to an Asian Private collector (lot 8, est. $1/1.5 million). Another work by Liu Ye, Der Ausflug (Outing), 1992-93, sold for $737,000 to an Asian Private collector (lot 7, est. $200/300,000).

Other highlights in the sale included Cai Guo-Qiang’s Man, Eagle and Eye in the Sky: Eyes (six panels), 2003, the result of an eponymous large-scale collaborative project enacted in Siwa, Egypt, which sold for $1,273,000, a record for the artist at auction, to an Asian Private collector (lot 31, est. $500/700,000); Zeng Fanzhi’s Mask Series No. 15, 1997, whose solitary masked figure before the viewer evokes palpable tension, which achieved $1,273,000, selling to an Asian Private collector (lot 77, est. $500/700,000); Liu Dan’s Dictionary from 1991, a tour de force of an arresting combination of grand scale and minutely detailed perfectionism, which sold for $713,000, a record for a contemporary ink painting at auction (lot 36, est. $250/350,000); and Ai Weiwei’s grandiose Chandelier, 2002, approximately eighteen feet tall and executed in crystal, light bulbs and metal, reflecting the competitive drive among Beijing’s builders for ever greater opulence, sold for $657,000, a record for artist at auction (lot 63, est. $400/600,000).

Source : Sotheby's

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Dr. Stanley Ho donates to China

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:23:21 +0000

Sotheby's Hong Kong is pleased to announce that Dr. Stanley Ho, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, has decided to donate the Bronze Horse Head of Haiyantang in the Yuanmingyuan (or Summer Palace) to China upon his purchase of the piece in a sale brokered by Sotheby’s for HK$69.1 million (£4.42 million, US$8.84 million). The Bronze was originally scheduled to be auctioned in Hong Kong in October, but given Dr. Ho’s good intentions to donate this rare and magnificent Chinese imperial piece to China, the Bronze was sold to Dr. Ho under an agreement with the consignor through Sotheby’s Hong Kong. The purchase has set a world record price for any Chinese Qing sculpture.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People's Republic of China commented, “We are glad to witness the home-coming of the Bronze Horse Head after its expatriation for nearly one and a half centuries. We highly commend and are grateful for Dr. Ho’s patriotic act and appreciate Sotheby's Hong Kong's for its efforts in making this possible.”

Dr. Stanley Ho said, “I am very honoured to be able to participate in the recovery program of China’s lost cultural relics by donating the Bronze Horse Head to China, following my donation of the Boar Head to our country in 2003. I hope this will help encourage more people to join efforts in preserving China’s cultural relics and nurture patriotic feelings.” To fulfill Dr. Ho’s wish of enabling more people to appreciate this national treasure, the Bronze Horse Head will be exhibited to the public from 4th to 8th October at the Sotheby's Hong Kong Autumn Sales 2007 Preview held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and be subsequently displayed at Hotel Grand Lisboa in Macau from 9th October onwards.

Mr. Kevin Ching, Chief Executive Officer of Sotheby's Asia, said, “Sotheby’s Hong Kong is proud to have concluded this sale. The home-coming of the spectacular Bronze Horse Head is most exciting and its patriotic donation by Dr. Ho to China commands great admiration. With our unparalleled expertise and our strong client base, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will continue to be a leading international platform for the collection of pre-eminent works of art.”

Source : Sotheby's

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Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Collection

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:43:27 +0000

London, 17th September 2007 – At the request of the family of Galina Vishnevskaya, Sotheby's announced today that the Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Collection has been acquired privately in its entirety and that the new owner, Alisher Usmanov, prominent Russian businessman, intends to bring the Collection to Russia. The Collection was acquired for an undisclosed sum that was substantially higher than the highest presale expectations. As a result, the auction, which had been scheduled for the 18th-19th September in London, will not take place.

At the request of Sotheby's, the new owner has agreed that the public exhibition at Sotheby's London Salesrooms will be extended through 19th September. The Collection will be on public exhibition from the 17th through the 19th September, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

In a letter, Mr. Shvydkoi, the Head of the Russian Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography (Roskultura), said that “for Russian culture and Russia as a whole, all things relating to the name of Mstislav Rostropovich are invaluable.”

Mr. Shvydkoi expressed his gratitude to Mr. Usmanov for purchasing the collection with the intention to bring it to Russia.

Speaking of the sale, the family of Galina Vishnevskaya said: “We are delighted that the Collection is being acquired in its entirety. It is especially meaningful for our family that the new owner will bring it to Russia.”

The Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Collection is one of the most distinguished collections that Sotheby’s has ever handled and one of the most important collections of Russian Art in private hands. Sotheby’s is delighted that the buyer intends to bring the collection in its entirety to Russia for the benefit of the Russian people. The company is also pleased that now Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya will be remembered not just as two of the greatest musicians of their generation, but as art collectors too, and their achievements in this field will be finally recognised.

Source : Sotheby's

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Jean Coulot, painter

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:52:12 +0000

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María félix: la doña totals $7.3 million

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:18:30 +0000

Estate of María Félix: La Doña totals $7.3 million
Christie's, New York – The July 17-18 auction of the estate of María Félix: La Doña at Christie’s New York totaled $7,299,640, far surpassing the pre-sale estimate, and setting six artist records. Fans of La Doña paid tribute to the international movie star, art collector and humanitarian over the course of the two-day sale, as auctioneers fielded lively bids from an international audience, with active bidding in the room, on the phone, and a strong presence from online buyers.

François Curiel, Chairman of Christie’s Europe, said “The María Félix magic ran through the salesroom for two entire days, as her extravagant and exhilarating collection was being wooed and coveted by collectors worldwide. She was a genuine star, a legend pur sang, and although she finished her acting career in the 1960s, the spectacular and spirited international response to this sale made clear that she had lost none of her beguiling appeal. She also was one of the great personalities of the 20th century and as a close friend of hers, I was deeply honored and touched to be an auctioneer during this memorable sale.”

Portraits of La Doña dominated the top lots, and the demand for Leonora Carrington was feverish with four of her works selling in the top ten lots. A world auction record was set for Carrington’s Sueño de Sirenas, a folding triptych depicting María as three mermaids, which fetched $609,600. Antoine Tzapoff’s, Amazona, also set a world auction record at $66,000, in his portrait of María riding a rhino. Artist records were also achieved for Stanislas Lepri, Chavez Marion, Tao Izzo, and Bridget Tichenor.

Diego Rivera’s Estudio de María Félix (Madre), a charcoal portrait of María holding a baby in her arms, was the third highest lot at $352,000. The portrait was commissioned by the film producer of Río Escondido, and María hung the exquisite drawing in her Mexico City bedroom.

High prices were also realized for European furniture, porcelain, couture clothes, and jewelry. An exceptional price was paid for a brown suede embroidered Hermès sleeveless long vest coat, which totaled $19,200, exceeding its low estimate by 12 times. A set of gold bangel bracelets set with diamonds spelling “Doña Doñita,” “Bonita María,” and “Puma Pumita,” also smashed expectations and sold for $48,000, more than 8 times its pre-sale low estimate, owing tribute to the fashion maven who once earned the title, “One of the World’s Best Dressed Women.”

Source: Christie's

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Historic worldwide sales of $3.25 billion

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:17:27 +0000

Largest Half Year Sales in Art Market History

Historic worldwide sales of £1.63 billion ($3.25 billion) for the first half of 2007.

London/New York – Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, announced today worldwide sales of £1.63 billion ($3.25 billion) for the first six months of 2007, an increase of 32% by £ (45% by $) on last year’s figure of £1.24 billion ($2.24 billion) for the same period. This figure includes buyer’s premium. In Christie’s salesrooms around the world, 358 works of art sold for more than $1 million, compared to 189 sold during the same period last year. Sales totals include private sales of £82 million/$163 million brokered by Christie’s in the first half of 2007 and post acquisition sales of Haunch of Venison.

Source: Christie's

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Napoleon’s love letter to Josephine

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:14:18 +0000

The Albin Schram Collection of Autograph Letters
Christie's, London, 3 July 2007

Thomas Venning and Susannah Morris, Specialists in charge of the sale: “Today’s remarkable results pay a fitting testament to a great collector, the late Albin Schram. Assembled over a period of 30 years, this very private collection drew enormous interest from around the world and today’s auction saw over 250 registered bidders fight for the manuscripts on offer in a packed saleroom.

The international appeal of the collection was also illustrated by 80 clients who bid by telephone, and 40 clients who registered through Christie’s LIVE and acquired 33% of the sale by value via the internet.

Letters and manuscripts throughout the sale sold far above their pre-sale estimates, and we are particularly pleased with the result achieved by Napoleon’s love letter to Josephine which was subject to substantial pre-sale interest before selling to a telephone bidder for £276,000, establishing a new record for a letter by Napoleon.”

Source: Christie's

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Freud sells for £7.86 million

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:12:39 +0000

POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART

£74 MILLION RECORD SALE

London – Christie’s record-breaking auction of Post-War and Contemporary Art on 20 June 2007 realised £74,072,800 / $147,256,726 / €109,553,671, a record total for any auction in this category in Europe. The top lot of the sale was a portrait of Bruce Bernard by Lucian Freud (b.1922) which sold for £7,860,000 ($15,625,680/ €11,624,940), a world record price at auction for any work by a living European artist and a world record price for the artist at auction.

The fast-paced sale saw auction records broken, including those for Lucian Freud, Piero Manzoni, Michael Andrews and Antoni Tàpies among others, as international clients competed for the works on offer. Buyer activity at the auction was 25% United Kingdom, 37% rest of Europe, 27% Americas, 10% Asia and 1% Middle East (by lot). The auction was 91% sold by value and 89% by lot against a pre-sale estimate of £54 to £76 million.

Pilar Ordovas, Director and Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s in London, said: “This evening’s record results demonstrate Christie’s continuing leadership of the Post-War and Contemporary art market. In the last six months at Christie’s in London, we have sold over £165 million of Post-War and Contemporary Art and established a record total for the category in Europe on two successive occasions, firstly in February and then again tonight. This demonstrates a confident market which responds with strength when works of quality and freshness are offered at Christie’s. We are particularly pleased with the result realized by Lucian Freud’s exceptional portrait of Bruce Bernard which drew interest from a huge number of international clients and was subject to fierce competition in the saleroom before selling for £7.86 million. We look forward to tomorrow’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale.”

This evening’s auction is one of a series of five sales of Impressionist and Modern Art and Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s this week. With a combined pre-sale estimate of between £172 and £241 million, this is the most important and valuable week of auctions ever held in Europe. This evening’s results build on the success of Monday’s auction of Impressionist and Modern Art which realized £121 million ($240 million / €178 million), a record total for any auction ever held in Europe. The Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale will take place on 21 June 2007 from 10am at Christie’s King Street salerooms.

Highlights of this evening’s sale:

- Lucian Freud’s (b.1922) portrait of Bruce Bernard sold for £7,860,000 ($15,625,680/ €11,624,940), a world record price at auction for any work by a living European artist and a world record price for the artist at auction. Painted in 1992, this work was a highlight of The Elaine and Melvin Merians Collection, from which a selection of nineteen works were sold at this evening’s auction for a total of £16,815,600 ($33,429,412 / €24,870,272). Bruce Bernard, who died in 2000, was a close friend of the artist for many years and a highly respected picture editor of The Sunday Times Magazine. Bruce wrote a number of books on photography and painting and was the author of one of the most important monographs on Freud’s work; he was also the brother of the legendary columnist and Soho bon vivant Jeffrey Bernard.

- Three Marilyns, 1962, by Andy Warhol (1928-1987) realized £5,620,000 ($11,172,560 / €8,311,980). One of the first multiple images that Warhol made of the deceased star Marilyn Monroe, this work is particularly rare in its vertical form: of these Marilyns from 1962, only one other is recorded with a single strip of vertical images, and in that case there are only two, in black and white. Here, though, with the triple repetition, Warhol manages to give this silk-screened image of Marilyn Monroe a filmic appearance, as though it were itself related to the strips of celluloid of her cinema career.

- Two Men Working in a Field, 1971, by Francis Bacon (1909-1992) realized £5,060,000 ($10,059,280 / €7,483,740) while Landscape with a car, 1939-1946, also by Francis Bacon (1909-1992) sold for £4,276,000 ($8,500,688 / €6,324,204). This is one of the very few paintings made by the artist during the Second World War to have survived both the ravages of the period and the destructive violence of the artist’s ferocious self-criticism. A mere twenty six paintings from this era remain today, of which Landscape with a car is one of the scarce and important survivors which can also be positively ascribed to the first twenty years of Francis Bacon's career.

- Still Life with Stretcher, Mirror, Bowl of Fruit, 1972, by Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) sold for £4,052,000 ($8,055,376 / €5,992,908).

- A selection of eighteen works from the CAP Collection sold for a total of £6,602,000 ($13,124,776 / €9,764,358). Assembled since 1996 by Anthony Pilaro, founder of Duty Free and BriteSmile and CAP Foundation Chairman, the majority of sale proceeds will benefit the Ron Brown Scholar Program, which annually awards scholarships to academically talented, highly motivated African-American high school seniors. The top lot of the Collection was Grosse Geister No. 9 and No. 14 by Thomas Schütte (b.1954) which sold for £1,400,000 ($2,266,320 / €1,686,060), a world record price for the artist at auction.

Record prices at auction were established for 15 artists at this evening’s auction: Kara Walker (lot 1), Thomas Schütte (lot 6), Rosemarie Trockel (lot 11), Christopher Wool (lot 15), Piero Manzoni (lot 23), Paulo Rego (lot 27), Michael Andrews (lot 33), Lucian Freud (lot 35), John Wonnacott (lot 37), R. B. Kitaj (lot 41), Christopher Bramham (lot 43), Craigie Aitchison (lot 44), Antoni Tàpies (lot 71) and Pei-Ming (lot 89).

Source: Christie's

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£121 million highest ever auction in Europe

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:10:12 +0000

Christie’s achieves highest ever auction total in europe
London – Christie’s evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art held on 18 June 2007 realised £121,127,200/ $239,952,983 / €178,056,984, a record total for any auction ever held in Europe. The top lot of the sale was Waterloo Bridge, temps couvert, 1904 by Claude Monet (1840-1926) which sold for £17,940,000 ($35,539,140 / €26,497,380), the second highest price for the artist at auction. Buyer activity at the auction (by lot) was 22% United Kingdom, 56% rest of Europe, 21% Americas and 1% Asia.

Jussi Pylkkänen, President of Christie’s Europe and auctioneer for the evening (pictured above), and Olivier Camu, International Director and Head of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s, London said:

“This evening’s sale at Christie’s was a landmark event in the history of the art market, realising the highest total for any auction ever held in Europe. The international art market congregated at Christie’s saleroom in London this evening as an ever increasing international group of collectors fought for the exceptional selection of works. The top work of the sale was bought by a private American collector, with 6 of the other top 10 works were won by private European collectors.

Today’s results reflect the continuing confidence and depth of the art market, with thirty works selling for over £1 million and forty-six works over $1 million. The results underlines Christie’s position as the world’s leading art business as we continue to present the best works of art and to invest in the new markets of Russia, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the traditional markets of Europe and North America. We look forward to tomorrow’s Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sales as well as to Wednesday’s Evening Sale of Post War & Contemporary Art.”

Highlights of this evening’s sale:

Waterloo Bridge, temps couvert, 1904 by Claude Monet (1840-1926) sold for £17,940,000

Les arceaux de roses, Giverny, 1913, also by Claude Monet (1840-1926) sold for £8,980,000 ($17,789,380 / €13,263,460). A very rare and beautiful depiction of Monet’s water-lily pond which demonstrates the artist’s virtuosity at using all the colours of his palette, this work shows the artist’s rose bower and its dazzling reflection on a water surface strewn with water-lilies in full bloom.

Mousquetaire et nu assis, 1967, by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), a large and bold rendition of a female nude seated with a comical musketeer, sold for Â£6,740,000 ($13,351,940 / €9,954,980). ($35,539,140 / €26,497,380), the second highest price in pounds for the artist at auction and the highest ever price in US dollars. A painting from the artist’s most celebrated series of paintings which depict various views of the Thames, it nearly tripled its pre-sale estimate of Â£6,000,000-8,000,000 and was sold to a private American collector on the telephone. Painted from his room in the then newly-built, luxurious Savoy Hotel, the work captures Waterloo Bridge with the morning sun glinting on the blue and purple water between the arches.

Le Coq by Joan Miro (1893-1983) realized £6,628,000 ($13,130,068 / €9,789,556), exceeding its pre-sale estimate of Â£3,500,000-4,500,000 and establishing a record price for the artist at auction.

Picking Apples by Russian artist Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) far exceeded its pre-sale estimate of Â£1,000,000-1,500,000, eventually selling for £4,948,000 ($9,801,988 / €7,308,196), a world record price for the artist at auction and a world record price for a female artist at auction. This work is one of a series of highly important paintings of Russian peasants made by the artist between 1908 and 1911 that proudly announced the awakening of a new indigenous spirit in Russian art and laid the foundations of its avant-garde.

Further highlights of the sale included Constantinople (Corne d’Or) by Paul Signac£4,836,000 ($9,580,116 / €7,142,772) against a pre-sale estimate of Â£1,500,000-2,500,000, Le sabbat by RenÃ© Magritte (1898-1967) which sold for Â£4,500,000 ($8,914,500 / €6,646,500), L'escalier rouge Ã Cagnes by ChaÃ¯m Soutine (1893-1943) which realized Â£3,940,000 ($7,805,140 / €5,819,380), and Un disque dans la ville, 1919 by Fernand LÃ©ger (1881-1955) which sold for Â£3,380,000 ($6,695,780 / €4,992,260).

New auction record prices were set for 7 artists at this evening’s sale: Emile Othon Friesz (lot 7), Natalia Goncharova (lot 19), Jean Metzinger (lot 25), Giorgio Morandi (lot 27), Alberto Magnelli (lot 29), Lasar Segall (lot 47) and Joan Miro (lot 54).

This evening’s auction was the first in a series of 5 sales to be held at Christie’s this week. With a combined pre-sale estimate of between £172 and £241 million, this week is the most important and valuable week of auctions ever held in Europe. The auctions of Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale and Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper will take place on Tuesday 19 June 2007. The Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale will take place on Wednesday 20 June and is highlighted by Lucian Freud’s Bruce Bernard, 1992 (estimate: Â£4,500,000-5,500,000) which is expected to set an unprecedented world auction record for the artist and potentially a new world auction record for any work by a living artist. The Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale will take place on Thursday 21 June 2007. All auctions will take place at Christie’s King Street salerooms.

Source: Christie's

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$28,600,000 sculpture

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:09:17 +0000

New world record for scupture at auction

Artemis and the stag sells for $28,600,000

New world record for an antiquity at auction

New York, NY - June 7, 2007 – Today at Sotheby’s, in a hushed and standing-room only salesroom, auction history was made when an exquisite bronze figure of Artemis and the Stag, circa 1 st Century B.C./1st Century A.D., sold for $28,600,000, immediately becoming the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction*. “She deserved it!” said Richard M. Keresey, Worldwide Director of Sotheby’s Antiquities Department.

That outstanding price also eclipsed the previous record for an Antiquity at auction and quadrupled the pre-sale high estimate of $7 million**. When auctioneer Hugh Hildesley opened the bidding at $4.1 million, two bidders immediately began battling for the masterpiece. It appeared that the sculpture was going to sell for just over $12 million when a new bidder, seated in the rear of the salesroom, entered the contest. The bidding continued for a total of more than 10 minutes, in $100,000 increments, before the masterpiece was sold to Giuseppe Eskenazi, the premiere connoisseur of Chinese Art, who was bidding on behalf of a private European collector. The rare bronze, which had been consigned by the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, was included in a sale of Antiquities which brought a total of $47,194,020 (est. $8.3/12.1 million), the highest total ever for an Antiquities sale. “Artemis is certainly the greatest work of art that I have ever sold,” commented Mr. Keresey. “But she is also much more than that. She is among the most beautiful works of art surviving from antiquity.”

Following the auction, Mr. Eskenazi commented, “This is certainly one of the finest, if not the finest, bronze or any sculpture that I have seen in my 50-year career. “On the world scale, it is certainly at the top. It is the height of bronze casting; it is of the highest quality, and it is exceptionally refined. It is comparable to any other sculpture of this size and quality in any museum or any private collection anywhere. I am very proud to be associated with it.”

Among the very finest large classical bronze sculptures and the most splendid to appear on the market in memory, the rare bronze figure of Artemis and the Stag is remarkable for its beauty, size, excellent state of preservation, and most notably, its dramatic capture of the split-second moment when the Greek goddess of the hunt has just let fly her arrow. The elegant sculptural group features Artemis standing on a quadrangular base with a stag to her left. Wearing elaborately laced sandals and short chiton with drapery billowing at the sides, the goddess’ extended left hand would have held a bow that is now missing. The exquisite detail of this work is apparent in her face: silver-overlaid eyes, incised irises, recessed pupils and her ears pierced for earrings.

Artemis and the Stag was the highlight of today’s sale of Antiquities, which was an overwhelming success totalling $47,194,020, the highest total ever for sale in this category. The sale was 97.5 % sold by lot and 99.9% sold by value, with 88.8% of the lots exceeding their high estimate.

Other highlights from the afternoon include an Elamite Copper Figure of a Horned Hero, Proto-Literate Period, circa 3000-2800, which commanded $3,176,000 (lot 80, est. $150,000/250,000); a Marble Funerary Portrait Statue of a Roman Poet, Late Republican/Augustan, circa 50 B.C./A.D. 14, which brought $2,056,000 (lot 70, est. $125/175,000); and a Sumerian Alabaster Figure of a Worshipper, Early Dynastic III, circa 2800-2550 B.C., which realized $1,720,000 (lot 81, est. $300/500,000).

Source: Christie's

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Important Jewelry £9,389,084

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:08:51 +0000

Important jewelry

Christie's, London

“The superb results of today’s auction, including two Royal collections, demonstrate the enthusiasm for jewellery of exceptional provenance.

The 41 jewels from the collection of HRH Princess Maria Gabriella di Savoia realised £1,703,164 ($3,358,639), led by the magnificent Fabergé tiara which set a new world record price for a tiara at auction.

HRH Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia’s collection realised £803,280 ($1,189,657).

The result of the sale demonstrates the outstanding strength of the diamond market and London’s preeminent position in selling outstanding jewellery,” said Raymond Sancroft-Baker, Director of Christie’s Jewellery, London.

Source: Christie's

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Jean Prouvé, world record

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:07:59 +0000

20th century decorative art & design

Total $17.6 million

Prouvé Prototype Maison Tropicale Realizes $4.97 Million

New York – Christie’s New York Spring 2007 20th Century Decorative Art & Design Week concluded today and totaled $17,610,320. Three auctions were held across two days: the Various-Owner sale on Tuesday, The Pinhas Collection Part II on Wednesday – and Works from the Collection of Eric Touchaleaume on Tuesday evening.

The Evening sale included the undoubted highlight of the New York Spring 20th Century Decorative Art & Design auction week, the Prototype Maison Tropicale by Jean Prouvé - a visionary pre-fabricated construction which sold for $4,968,000, setting a new world auction record for the legendary designer.

Philippe Garner, International Head of 20th Century Decorative Art & Design, and Josh Holdeman, Director of 20th Century Decorative Art & Design, Christie’s Americas, say, “This series of sales has confirmed our pre-eminent position across the full spectrum of 20th Century Decorative Art & Design. From French Art Nouveau and contemporary prototypes, to mid-century Modernism and the spectacular sculpture of Rembrandt Bugatti, these sales achieved remarkable results for an equally remarkable range of works”.

The Prouvé Prototype Maison Tropicale was bought by hotelier André Balazs, who owns Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, among other properties including The Mercer in New York and The Raleigh in Miami. One of only three ever produced by the legendary French designer, this Prototype Tropical House was designed and manufactured for Brazzaville, West Africa, and is one the most striking and sophisticated of all his architectural achievements and is exemplary of his oeuvre.

Source: Christie's

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Dryade gallery

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:31:03 +0000

Discover the Dryade gallery

Galerie Dryade
47 rue Mazarine
75006 Paris
Tel/Fax : 01 46 33 81 60

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Australian art

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:30:32 +0000

With Mr Stéphane Jacob, expert in Australian art.

Discover Australian art on ArtQuid!

> Australian Aboriginal
> Sculptures

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Khenghavars gallery, primitive art

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:31:14 +0000

With Mrs Marie Crouvisier of the Khenghavars gallery
Galerie Khenghavars
41 rue Vieille du Temple
75004 Paris
Tel: 01 42 77 30 77
mc@khenghavars.com
www.khenghavars.com

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Lélia Mordoch gallery

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:31:27 +0000

Discover the Lélia Mordoch gallery

Galerie Lélia MORDOCH
50 rue Mazarine
75006 Paris
Tel: 01 53 10 88 52
Fax: 01 53 10 88 49
lelia.mordoch.galerie@wanadoo.fr

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Chen Dehong, chinese painter

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:01:53 +0000

Look at his work on ArtQuid, click here!

> Bienvenu le Printemps
> Cheval Céleste
> Immortalité
> Sur le même bâteau dans la tempête
> Catastrophe
> Papillon amoureux des fleurs
> Maquillage
> Feu

Born inKunming, China, Chen Dehong received his training at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. In the very beginning of China’s opening up, he passed a competitive examination for a scholarship to study art abroad and arrived in Paris in 1982 to study at the Beaux Arts, He continues to live and work in Paris.
DEHONG combines Chinese and Western techniques of painting in a highly individualistic style. His paintings are often inspired by the pictographic but abstract forms of Chinese characters. His brush work is full of vitality and movement. With a broad brush, he transformed the ideographs from mere means of communication to highly expressive imagery. He chooses different mediums and materials to fit his needs. He also enjoys practising Chineses calligraphy in various ways.
His work has been exhibited widely in France, Germany, England, Holland, Hong Kong and the United States. Many of his works can be seen in books written by French writer P. Aroneanu, such as "Le Maitre des Signes", "L'Empereur et l'Immortel" and "La Grande Muraille des Caractères".

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How to buy art?

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:31:51 +0000

With Mr Jean-Pierre Arnoux
President of Art St Germain des Prés

Galerie Arnoux
7 rue Guénégaud 75006 Paris
Tél. : + 33 (0)1 46 33 04 66
Fax : + 33 (0)1 46 33 25 40
Email : galeriearnoux@noos.fr

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Art and humor...

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:32:04 +0000

With the Lefor Openo gallery
Galerie Lefor Openo
29 Rue Mazarine
75006 Paris
Tel : 01 46 33 87 24
Fax : 01 46 33 19 40
www.leforopeno.com

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Learn about photography

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:32:18 +0000

With the Berthet-Aittouares gallery
Galerie Berthet-Aittouares
29, rue de Seine 75006 Paris
Tel : (33) 1 43 26 53 09
Fax : (33) 1 43 26 95 66
www.galerie-ba.com

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Colette Gourvitch, photographer

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:58:04 +0000

Look at Colette Gourvitch's work on ArtQuid, click here!

> Nuit 8
> Pola 23
> Pola 12
> Pola 4
> Liberté 2
> Liberté 1
> Liberté 1
> Flamboyants

Colette Gourvitch has been a photographer for more than thirty years.

She explores the concept of light and it's relationship with the traditional silver matter, the concept of space, - scrutiny and contemplation, play on dimensions in which the vast is reduced in order to better capture the attention and better render the form.
She also examines the concept of time. The time needed for a creative piece to evolve, the time required to elaborate a work and take it further along its poetic sense whereupon the instant of time used to capture the image is modified allowing the spectator the time needed to relate to the image.
Her imagination takes precedence over reality and she strives to transcend it in order to create new stories and new propositions.
After having worked for six years on the "Série des 32"- the Series of 32 -where she treated : life, death, love, eroticism, fears, in a word the human condition, she turned her creative work to Nature and the Countryside, where she constantly experiments and re-interprets them.
Facinated by the 19th century photographic processes, Colette Gourvitch is no stranger to precision and has an intense interest in the sophistication of the grey colour scale which then enhances her work in black and white.
However, her experience with colour Polaroid has allowed her to work with colour at a primary level where the colour spectrum is de-sophisticated.
Colette Gourvitch sells her work directly from her Studio, and also teaches students the art of printing.
Her limited edition prints are dated and signed and each has a certificate of authenticity.
Sales direct from Studio upon request. Otherwise, via the internet, with delivery by national or international mail. Artistic resume upon request.

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Daniel Hourdé, sculptor

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:56:30 +0000

Look at Daniel Hourdé's work on ArtQuid, click here!

> Coup de foudre
> Ahlala
> Et moi
> Le désarroi de narcisse
> Au diable l'ombre
> Abracadabra
> Vanité
> Minotaure
> Mickey

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What is Art brut?

www@artquid.com () — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:33:26 +0000

With Mrs Valérie Schmidt

Galerie Valérie Schmidt
41 rue Mazarine
75006 Paris
Tel: 01 43 54 71 91

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Contemporary art

www@artquid.com () — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:06:38 +0000

With Mr Renos Xippas of the Xippas gallery in Paris.
Galerie Xippas
108, rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris
France
t. + 33 (0)1 40 27 05 55
f. + 33 (0)1 40 27 07 16
www.xippas.com

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$760,193,000 Impressionist, Modern, Post-War & Contemporary art sales

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:01:15 +0000

Grand total of $760,193,000

Highest Ever Total for Post-War & Contemporary Art at $477,751,600

Third Highest Result for Impressionist and Modern Art at $282,441,400

Andy Warhol was the star of the sale, with Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) slowly making its way up to a dramatic $71.7 million, quadrupling Warhol’s previous auction record.

New York – Christie’s, the world’s leading art business, concluded its sales of Impressionist, Modern, Post-War and Contemporary Art in New York with a grand total of $760,193,000, a record that was only second to the legendary results of $866 million realized at Christie’s in November 2006, still the most monumental figure ever achieved in art auction history. The sales were characterized by strong participation from across the world, unlimited spending on works of art that have shaped and defined 20 th and 21st century art history and a strong-felt sense of confidence and stamina that ran through all sales, evening and day.

“Christie’s is once again the undisputed leader of these critical top two weeks in market share and the number of most expensive objects sold,” said Marc Porter, President Christie’s Americas. Of the 142 masterworks we sold in two evening sales, 82% realized a price above $1 million, 20% above $5 million and 8% above $10 million and these striking figures were reflected in a total result which outstripped that of our nearest competitor significantly. Christie’s as a company has positioned itself as the best art service provider in the world, and the main feedback provided by these results is that our assessment of the crucial factors shaping our business – the needs of global clients, the dynamics of the market and the growing potential especially in the Post-War & Contemporary Art field – is clearly superior.”

Christie’s sales of Impressionist and Modern Art took place on May 9 and 10 and realized a total of $282,441,400 which was composed of $236,464,000 for the evening sale and $45,977,400 as a combined total for the Works on Paper sale and the Day sale. In the evening sale, buyers were 29% American, 48% European, 2% Asian and 21% others. 52 works sold above $1 million, 69% of the lots sold above their pre-sale high estimate, 87% of the lots were sold, both by lot and value. One of the most prominent features of these sales was an ever-growing appetite for sculpture. The evening sale saw a new record for Alberto Giacometti at $18,520,000 which was obtained by his stunning bronze L’homme qui chavire, and a record for a sculpture by Joan Miró whose Projet pour un monument fetched $9,896,000. The highest selling work in the day sales was again a sculpture, this time with a surrealist angle – La Joconde by René Magritte which sold for $2,280,000, once more establishing a new record for a sculpture by the artist.

Post-War and Contemporary Art formed the second chapter of the spring 2007 season with three sales on May 16 and 17. The combined total constituted $477,751,600, a record result for the category anywhere, ever. The Morning and Afternoon Sessions accrued $93,097,200, surpassing all previous day sale totals for the category. The Morning Session was led by another sculpture, Calder’s Fleur Jaune which fetched $1,384,000 and the Afternoon Session crowned the day with Keith Haring’s Untitled, a painting on tarpaulin, which realized $2,840,000, nearly tripling Haring’s previous record at auction. The evening sale was hammered down at a stunning $384,654,400 and marked another landmark in auction history. The sale not only surpassed its pre-sale estimate by nearly $80 million, it also propelled the Post-War & Contemporary Art category into an entirely new dimension and price structure. Andy Warhol was the star of the sale, with Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) slowly making its way up to a dramatic $71.7 million, quadrupling Warhol’s previous auction record. Buyers were 47% American, 19% European, 18% Asian and 16% other. 65 works sold above $1 million, 74% of the works sold above their pre-sale estimate and 99% of the lots were sold by value, 95% by lot.

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Record contemporary art sales $344,572,000

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:04:06 +0000

Contemporary art in New York

Total record $344,572,000

Highest total ever for sales of contemporary art

Masterpiece by mark rothko, owned by david rockefeller, commands $72,840,000, setting a record for a contemporary work of art at auction

Francis bacon’s study from innocent x sells for $52,680,000, a record for the artist at auction

New-York, May 16, 2007 – Sotheby’s spring sales of Contemporary Art in New York made auction history yesterday and today, bringing $344,474,800, exceeding its high estimate and achieving the highest total ever for sales of Contemporary Art (est. $251.3/340.3 million*). Two masterpieces shattered the previous record for a contemporary work of art at auction. At least five bidders competed for Mark Rothko’s White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) from the collection of David Rockefeller, which sold for $72,800,000 to an anonymous buyer over the telephone to a wave of applause, setting a new record for a contemporary work of art at auction, as well as for the artist (est. in excess of $40 million).

At least four bidders battled for Francis Bacon’s Study from Innocent X, 1962, which brought $52,680,000, a record for the artist at auction, selling to an anonymous buyer over the telephone (est. in excess of $30 million). Records were also set for works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg, Tom Wesselmann, Richard Prince, Hans Hofmann, Dan Flavin and John Baldessari, among many others. Four lots in the two-day auction brought over $10 million; six achieved over $5 million; and 50 sold for over $1 million. Nearly 70% of the lots sold exceeded their high estimates.

Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art, said of the May 15 th sale: “Tonight was a fantastic evening – a record on many levels. It was a record for any Contemporary Art sale and also achieved the record for a work of contemporary art at auction – twice in the same evening – first with the Bacon, which was followed by the spectacular price achieved for the Rothko. There was international bidding tonight coming from a global client base that pursues great quality ferociously.” “In addition,” continued Anthony Grant, Senior Specialist of Contemporary Art, “in this remarkable sale we doubled our previous record total for Contemporary Art, $128.8 million fetched in our evening sale last May, and set at least fifteen artist records, the most notable of course being the Rothko and the Bacon.”

A masterpiece by Mark Rothko, White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), which came from the collection of David Rockefeller, prominent philanthropist, banker, statesman and patriarch of one of America’s most renowned families, brought $72,800,000. It was a new record for a contemporary work of art at auction and a record for the artist at auction, and it sold to an anonymous buyer over the telephone after competition from at least four other bidders. The pristine work, which had never before appeared at auction, was estimated to sell for in excess of $40 million, and at the post-sale press conference, Mr. Meyer confirmed that “going into the sale, the quality of the work had attracted interest from many potential bidders above the $40 million level.” Dating from the pivotal year of 1950, White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) is the first fully-realized painting of Mark Rothko’s mature style – the canvas with which Rothko succeeded in articulating the painterly dialectic that he would maintain throughout the remaining decades of his career. The masterpiece had been acquired by David Rockefeller in 1960, at the recommendation of Dorothy Miller, the first chief curator at the Museum of Modern Art. He purchased it from Elizabeth Bliss Parkinson, niece of Miss Lillie P. Bliss, one of the three founders of MoMA in 1929 along with Mrs. Cornelius J. Sullivan and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., through the Sidney Janis Gallery, one of the premier New York dealers of mid-century American and European art.

Mr. Rockefeller attended the evening sale and commented afterwards, “I am very pleased that it did so well. I have enjoyed living with it for 47 years. I am sorry to see it go, but I hope the next owner enjoys it as much as I have.”

Another highlight of the sale was a striking masterpiece by Francis Bacon, Study from Innocent X, which sold for $52,680,000, a record for the artist at auction. Executed in 1962, Study from Innocent X comes from a series of paintings, the most important in Bacon’s oeuvre, based on Spanish artist Diego Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1650. Study from Innocent X, which comes from a Private Collection, was acquired by the present owner over thirty years ago. The painting, which had never before appeared at auction, was estimated to sell for in excess of $30 million.

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Impressionist and modern art $236,464,000

www@artquid.com () — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:06:47 +0000

Impressionist and modern art evening sale

Realizes $236,464,000

Alberto Giacometti’s L’homme qui chavire sets new world auction record for the artist at $18,520,000
Juan Gris’s Le pot de géranium achieves $18,520,000, doubling the previous world auction record for the artist

Arrière du Tub by Paul Signac sets second highest price for a Pointillist work and a new world auction record for the artist at $11,688,000

New York – This evening’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s New York totaled $236,464,000, the third highest result for the category at Christie’s. Highlights of the sale were Signac’sArrière du Tub, Juan Gris’s Le pot de géranium, Giacometti’s L’homme qui chavire and Miró’s Projet pour un monument. Five world auction records were set, 52 works sold above one million and 69% of the lots sold surpassed their pre-sale high estimates. Buyers were 29% American, 48% European, 2% Asian and 21% others.
“The overruling message of tonight’s sale was that great objects continue to bring great prices,” said Christopher Burge, Honorary Chairman and the evening’s auctioneer. “Bidding was truly global with considerable activity on the phones and many new collectors vying for works. The continued vibrancy of the market is apparent in the consistently strong results for works from different periods, different movements and in different media. It was an extraordinary evening.”

Juan Gris’s Le pot de géranium, 1915, a virtual guidebook to the artist’s compositional practices, preferred subject matter, formal interests and chromatic concerns became one of the evening’s highlights when it realized $18,520,000, doubling the artist’s previous world auction record which stood at $8.5 million. The painting showcases Gris in his most richly imagined and profoundly inventive synthetic Cubist manner, infused with the brilliance of a master colorist.

A painting of extraordinary luminosity and beauty, Paul Signac’s Arrière du Tub, 1888, was acquired for $11,688,000, almost doubling the previous record for the artist. This is the second highest price paid for a Pointillist work at auction. Maximilien Luce’s La Seine au Pont Saint-Michel sold for $2,840,000, again a new world auction record for the artist.

The sale offered a superb group of bronzes by Alberto Giacometti which roused fantastic interest in the saleroom. The highest selling work was his incredibly captivating L’homme qui chavire, a superb rendering of a capsizing figure, a drowning man, swallowed up in the abyss and sinking in ultra slow motion. The sculpture was acquired for $18,520,000, easily sailing by the previous world auction record for the artist. Giacometti’s quintessential Femme de Venise I,

The huge appetite for sculpture was also evident in the strong result for Joan Miró’s Projet pour un monument, 1981. Against a pre-sale estimate of $3.5 – 5 million, the work sold to a European dealer for $9,896,000, eight times the previous world auction record for a sculpture by the artist.

Tête et main de femme, painted by Picasso while residing in Fontainbleau near Paris in the summer of 1921 with his wife Olga and their son Paulo, fetched $18,520,000. The painting depicts Olga, who inspired Picasso to make his first neoclassical oil painting in 1917 and whose image continued to permeate his classicism for the next six years.

Doris Grosse – affectionately called Dodo – was Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s lover and favorite model during his Dresdner years and the model for the powerful and sensual Dodo mit grossem Fächer, a painting executed in 1910. It sold for $12,920,000.

The sale offered superb group of Van Gogh drawings from a Private American Collection.

The collection, also comprising two Rodin sculptures and one bronzy by Maillol, achieved $14,486,640. the first sculpture of the series bearing the name, achieved $3,736,000.

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