Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Composition No. III (Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow and Black), 1929. ($15-25 million). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $50,565,000
THE schedule for the New York Spring sales of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s has been revised to reflect the cross-collecting tastes of todays buyers. The series will now launch on May 11 with a special curated sale entitled Looking Forward to the Past led by Picasso’s Femmes d’Alger (Version O) which is set to become the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. It is estimated in the region of $140 million. By adding this sale with its blend of Impressionist, Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary objects, Christie’s created what it saw as an opportunity to fully embrace the cross-category collecting approach to the benefit of clients.
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Les meules à Giverny ($12-18 million) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015 UPDATE: THIS MADE $16.4 MILLION
Christie’s Impressionist and Modern art sales will then resume on a new date, Thursday May 14, with the evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art led by two superb examples from the era: Monet’s Les Meules à Giverny ($12-18 million) and Piet Mondrian’s Composition No. III (Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow and Black) ($15-25 million). This sale is anchored by offerings from the collection of John C. Whitehead, the late former chairman of Goldman Sachs. Of the 44 lots to be offered on May 14, 95% have been in private collections for the last decade or more, and 84% of the works have been previously been featured in museum exhibitions.
UPDATE: The evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art realized $202,608,000 with sell-through rates of 93% by lot and 99%
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for March 9, March 16 and March 29)
