Wassily Kandinsky Painting Attains $2.4 Million At Aguttes' Auction

PARIS, FRANCE

:Wassily Kandinsky's 1931 painting, "Coulant," was the star at Aguttes Auction House's recent auction, when it came just shy of the 2.5 million euro mark, achieving an impressive $2,481,848. The sale of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century paintings at Drouot-Richelieu was in association with Cabinet d'Expertise Dan Coissard.

Impressionist, post-Impressionist, Orientalist, Russian and Contemporary paintings sold well across the board. The day's total sales results were $7,678,728 for 296 lots, with the participation of more than 400 bidders participating from around the globe.

Kandinsky's painting is an important work from the end of the artist's Bauhaus period, when the artist broke with the influential Constructivism and Suprematist styles of the period, noticeable in the new liberty in his works and the richly colored, layered surfaces visible in this painting. Kandinsky paintings of this caliber are rarely seen on the French market.

The energy in the room continued to rise when the large-scale sculpture, "Love - Red, Blue," by Robert Indiana was presented a few lots later. "Love," the iconic image of L and O stacked on top of V and E, a study of abstract forms, color and language, remains the most disseminated image in the world, almost better known than the artist himself.

The monumental sculpture fetched $1,218,361, slightly above its high estimate. A sculpture by the artist has never before achieved such a high price. Aguttes also holds the record for the sale of a painting by Indiana, "Yield Brother II," which sold for $1,504,150 on December 19.

French Impressionist and post-Impressionist works continued to find enthusiastic bidders, both in the gallery and on the telephone. Louis Valtat's "Café Maure," completed during the artist's voyage to Algiers in 1906, sold for $278,268. A Provencal landscape by Henri Manguin went for $75,208 while a portrait by Degas fetched $63,174.

Following the success of previous Russian sales, Aguttes continues to dominate the Russian paintings market in France. A snowy village by Konstantin-Ivanovich Gorbatov was sold for $157,936 while two portraits of women by the sought-after Vera Rockline fetched $45,125 and $90,249.

A lively "Masked Ball" by Constant Alexis Korovine tripled the estimate, selling for $108,299 and "Walk on the Beach" by Nicolas-Alexandrovitch Tarkhoff fetched $109,803.

The auction concluded with the sale of a collection of contemporary photographs. "Negresco," a large-scale beach view of Nice by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali sold for $52,645.

A rare portrait of the legendary fashion photographer Silas Shabelewska's photograph of Helmut Newton, posing in front of one of his iconic works, raised $37,603. Finally, Gérard Rancinan's two fanciful, witty and modern interpretations of Marilyn Monroe sold for more than $7,500 a piece.

Orientalist and Turkish paintings are increasingly sought-after by international collectors. A Jacques Majorelle watercolor sold for $34,834 while two desert scenes by Georges Washington took in $28,776 and $22,718.

Paintings by Turkish artist Fikret Moualla doubled estimate, fetching more than $25,000 a piece. An abstract canvas by Selim Turan sold for $20,447, tripling the low estimate. Finally, Burhan Dogancay's collaged door went for $59,067.

All prices reported include the buyer's premium. Aguttes Auction House and the Cabinet d'Expertise Dan Coissard are currently preparing an auction of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century paintings to be presented at Drouot-Richelieu on Wednesday, October 25. The sale will include works by Rodchenko and Klee. For information, Frédéric Thut at fthut@noos.fr or 917-282-6044.