The Aguttes Auction House, in association with the Cabinet d’Expertise Dan Coissard, recently concluded a successful sale of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century paintings at Drouot-Richelieu. Impressionist, post-Impressionist, Orientalist, Russian and contemporary paintings sold well across the board, attesting to the resurgence of the French art market. Sales totaled $3,983,467 for 260 lots, with the participation of more than 400 bidders from 23 countries.

The highpoint of the auction was the sale of large oil by Bernard Buffet, “Honfleur, la lieutenance et le port, which more than quadrupled its low estimate of $63,190, fetching $281,339. The Buffet prompted heated bidding both in the salesroom and on more than a dozen telephone lines, proving that French post-Impressionist painting is still highly sought after by French and international clients alike. Directly following the sale of the Buffet, two reclining nudes by Jean Souverbie elicited a similar frenzy between a telephone bidder and a client on the floor. The first lot fetched $69,955 while the second work was sold for six times its estimate of $25,276, surpassing the $100,000 mark to bring $152,075.

Jean Souverbie (1891-1981), “Leaning Nude,” oil on canvas, signed on bottom left, 25 3/5 by 39 2/5 inches, $152,075.

Impressionist works were met with similar enthusiasm. Alandscape by Corot, “Entrée de la creusée à Marcoussis,” was soldfor $101,314 to a Russian bidder, while a Boudin landscape fetched$68,433, going to an American collector.

Two works by Henri Martin, “Bouquet of Flowers” and a landscape, realized $42,498 and $53,123, respectively. Henri Lebasque’s “Young Girl Sewing at her Window,” a charming and colorful composition dated 1911, sold for $124,459 to an English buyer.

The sale of contemporary art and photographs continues to stimulate demand from both French and international bidders.

A French bidder snapped up Jean-Michel Atlan’s “Le Chaman,” a 1958 composition inspired by his Algerian origins, which sold for $136,602. A rare abstract painting by American artist Romare Bearden fetched $65,266, as North American bidders battled on the sales floor.

Jean-Michel Atlan (1913-1960), “Le Chaman,” 1958, oil on canvas, signed on bottom right, countersigned and titled on the back, 45 2/3 by 28 3/4 inches, $136,602.

Finally, a 1965 acrylic painting and collage by Turkish-born,New York City-based artist Burhan Dogancay fetched $94,186, goingto a Swiss collector.

Following the success of previous Russian sales, Aguttes Auction House continues to dominate the Russian paintings market in France. A snowy landscape by George Lapchine was sold for $94,287, while a lovely view of a young woman at her window by Alexis Stepanof fetched $121,660.

An early 1913 oil on cardboard by the increasingly sought-after Very Rockline sold for $57,788. Both North African and European bidders remain enamored of Orientalist painting. Notably, two landscapes by Henri-Jean Pontoy fetched $77,324 each, selling to a prominent Moroccan collector.

Prices reported include 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 Friday, June 26. The sale will include works by Chagall, Manet, Dufy, Robert Indiana, Renoir, Sisley, Utrillo, Maurice Denis, Aivazovksy, Klever, Korovine, Rockline, Serebriako, Somov and others.

For information, 917-282-6044.