: Christie's evening sales of Impressionist and Modern Art and The
Art of the Surreal were held in London February 2, and achieved a
combined total of $72,244,249. The top price tonight was set by
Paul Cézanne's "Grand bouquet de fleurs," painted circa 1892-95,
which realized $8,172,126.
"Christie's sale of Impressionist and Modern Art achieved one of
the most successful totals ever in London, with vibrant bidding
throughout," commented Jussi Pylkkänen, auctioneer, international
director of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century art department and
deputy chairman of Christie's UK. "The market overall has great
depth and we saw very strong activity throughout all the varied
sections of the sale. Particularly sought after areas continue to
be Modernist works, in particular for German paintings and the
Surrealist market continues to develop with our strongest sale
ever staged this evening. We also saw an encouraging number of
newer collectors participating this evening and this bodes well
for the upcoming sales in 2004."
The total for the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening sale was
$55,147,658. Buyer activity was 73 percent from the UK and
Europe, 21 percent from the Americas, three percent from Asia and
three percent from others. The sale was 75 percent sold by lot
and 69 percent sold by value. This is the fourth highest sale
total ever achieved in London in the category at Christie's.
Twenty lots, well over two thirds of the works offered in the
Impressionist and Modern sale, sold for more than $1 million, an
unprecedented figure in London sales. Five further works sold for
more than $1 million in the Art of the Surreal sale.
A new world record was established at auction for Lyonel
Feininger when his outstanding "Zeitungsleser (Newspaper Readers
II)" sold for $4,498,974. Arguably, one of the most significant
works from his mature years, it was painted at a critical time in
the history of Twentieth Century painting, and shows strong
influences of Cubism and Futurism, the most significant movements
of the prewar years. A new world record at auction was also
established for the artist James Ensor tonight, when "Les bons
juges," an oil painted in 1891, sold for $1,335,982.
Building on Christie's ongoing successes in the field of German
and Austrian art, this sale offered a number of high profile
works from the property of The Wilhelm Reinold Collection.
Highlights from the collection included Max Beckmann's "Frau mit
Blumen," an oil on canvas painted in Amsterdam in 1940 that
achieved $2,764,430, almost three times the pre-sale estimate.
Pablo Picasso's "Dans l'Arène," an oil on card bull-fighting
scene, executed in Barcelona in 1900, was also offered from the
collection and was purchased by the European trade for
$1,723,703, again well ahead of pre-sale expectations.
Further highlights of German and Austrian works in the sale
include "Danseuse aux bijoux (Anita)" by Kees van Dongen, an oil
on canvas painted circa 1905 which sold for $2,617,576. The
results this evening showed the continuing demand for the very
best German works of art.
Further paintings by Picasso also sold strongly including the
major canvas, which marks the artist's reincarnation of his
Cubist style in the 1920s. "Guitare sur un tapis rouge" sold for
$3,274,590 to a European dealer.
"Zeitungsleser (Newspaper Readers II)," Lyonel Feininger, 1916,
$4,498,974.
The Art of the Surreal totaled $17,096,591 tonight, the
highest ever total for this category at Christie's. The sale was
led by Max Ernst's "La fuite" which sold for $1,805,329. This was
the fourth annual dedicated sale of The Art of the Surreal sale at
Christie's.
A number of important works by René Magritte were sold with the
highest price of $1,805,329 bid for the gouache, "Le retour,"
establishing a record for a work on paper by the artist. Executed
in 1950, the composition depicts a bird, painted sky blue with
clouds, soaring over a tranquil night seascape. "Le trait d'union
(hyphen)," painted in 1942, realized $1,070,698, and was another
notable result for the artist.
Hans Arp's "Configuration (Suivant la loi du hasard)," executed
in 1932, sold for $723,790. The relief was offered from the
collection of the Basler Kunstverein in Switzerland and was sold
in order to fund a major renovation of the exhibition spaces at
the Kunsthalle Basel.
Buyer activity in The Art of the Surreal was 76.5 percent from
the UK and Europe, and 13.5 percent other. The sale was 79
percent sold by lot and 75 percent sold by value.
