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The French Impressionist and Modern paintings from the collection of George, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910-1998) at Sotheby’s in London on February 5 and 6 are on the market for the first time in 70 years. It contains outstanding examples of works by Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, Gauguin, Boudin and Dufy. Born into a family already well endowed with great houses and estates and their respective collections of art – the most famous of which was Osterley Park – he sensed that his other properties already had enough Old Masters and wanted to bring the family collection up to date.
The catalyst to Grandy Jersey’s decision to buy French Impressionism was the influence of his second wife, the American actress Virginia Cherrill, whom he married in 1937. She had enjoyed a glamorous film career, playing opposite Charlie Chaplin in City Lights (1931) and then marrying Cary Grant. She was also a close friend of Edward G. Robinson. Hollywood’s love affair with Impressionist painting embraced moguls, directors and stars, but the most serious collector was Robinson who put together a very fine group of pictures, the pick of which later passed into the Niarchos Collection.
When filming in London in 1935, Robinson called at the Lefevre Gallery to look at their stock. He established a lasting relationship with them. When Cherrill came to London it is likely that, on Robinson’s recommendation, she directed her new British husband to the same dealers. Sotheby’s say further sales of furniture and works of art from the Collection will take place later in the year.

CLAUDE MONET (1840 – 1926) LE GIVRE À GIVERNY (£4-6 million). (Click on images to enlarge them).  UPDATE: THIS MADE £8,777,250, A NEW RECORD FOR A SHOWCAPE BY MONET

PAUL GAUGUIN (1848 – 1903) LA MAISON BLANCHE (£800,000-£1,200,000).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

ALFRED SISLEY (1839 – 1899) LA TAMISE AVEC HAMPTON CHURCH (£900,000-£1,200.000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE £1,889,250

Mark Rothko’s Orange, Red, Yellow made $86,882,500, a world record for contemporary art at auction.

THE global appeal of art continues to grow according to Christie’s, which recorded annual sales of £3.92 billion in 2012, up 10% on 2011. In 2012 the average number of registered bidders per auction was 53% higher than a decade ago. On-line initiatives are driving greater accessibility and 19% of all registered bidders were new clients. Private sales of £631.3 million increased by 26% and represented the highest annual total in both company and art market history. Bidders came from 136 countries. Christie’s sold 686 works at auction for over $1 million and 49 for over $10 million.

Significantly the market at more accessible price levels represents the majority of transactions and continues to perform strongly. Post-War and Contemporary art led the categories with record auction sales of £986.5 million. Notable increases were also seen for Impressionist and Modern Art which realised auctions sales of £623.6 million and Old Masters & 19th Century Art which totaled £201.6 million. Mark Rothko’s Orange, Red, Yellow sold for $86,882,500 last May in New York, a world record price for any contemporary work of art sold at auction.
Steven P. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Christie’s commented: “Our third straight year of record results is a sign that more people in more places in the world are captivated by art and are seeking to acquire it, and Christie’s has aligned itself with collectors and their needs. More importantly, this trend is apparent at every level of the art market, from under £1,000 to over £50 million, as technological advancements highlight the appeal and the ease of engaging with Christie’s and the works of art we handle”.

A monumental 1932 portrait of Picasso’s ‘golden muse’ Marie-Therese Walter will lead Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art in London on February 5. Picasso first encountered Marie-Therese in 1927 when she was 17. Their subsequent love affair is one of the most compelling in 20th century art history. This portrait of Marie-Therese is estimated at £25-35 million.
Claude Monet’s Nymphéas avec reflets de Hautes Herbes is estimated at £12-18 million. There are three works by Egon Schiele from the Leopold Museum in Vienna, an outstanding post war painting by Miro Femme revant de l’evasion of 1945 from the collection of Miriam and Ira D. Wallach estimated at £8-12 million, a selection of works from the collection of the late Earl of Jersey, two pastels by Edgar Degas and a strong offering of German Expressionist art. The auction is expected to bring in more than £103 million.

UPDATE: The auction brought in a combined total of £121,075,400, the second highest total for an evening sale in this category at Sotheby’s.  A total of 18 lots sold for over £1 million.  The impressionist and modern sale brought in £104.4 million, Surreal works achieved £16,6 million.

PABLO PICASSO 1881 – 1973 FEMME ASSISE PRÈS D’UNE FENÊTRE (£25-35 million). (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £28,601,250

CLAUDE MONET 1840 – 1926 NYMPHÉAS AVEC REFLETS DE HAUTES HERBES (£12-18 million). (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE:  THIS MADE £9,001,250.

EGON SCHIELE 1890 – 1918 LIEBESPAAR (SELBSTDARSTELLUNG MIT WALLY)(LOVERS – SELF-PORTRAIT WITH WALLY) (£6.5-8.5 million). (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: IT MADE £7,881,250, A RECORD FOR A WORK ON PAPER BY THE ARTIST.