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L.S. Lowry
Station Approach, Manchester
dated 1960
est. £2-3 million, sold for £2,322,500

An iconic painting of Manchester life by L.S. Lowry sold for £2.3 million at Sotheby’s in London today.  Station Approach, Manchester, dates from 1960.  It depicts one of Manchester’s historic landmarks, the London and North Western Railway Exchange Station.  This work epitomises everything that Lowry has become known and loved for. The subject was highly significant for the artist and he chose to produce a smaller version of it in 1962 to present to the Royal Academy of Arts, London, on being made a Royal Academician. It was first exhibited in the artist’s sell-out 1961 exhibition at Lefevre Gallery, London and has not been seen in public for a generation.

Frances Christie, Sotheby’s Head of Modern & Post-War British Art Department commented:  ‘Station Approach, Manchester is one of Lowry’s most exciting works to emerge onto the market in recent years. Lowry was a master at portraying the energy and vitality of everyday life and in Station Approach, Manchester he captures the hustle and bustle of the crowds heading home after a hard day’s work – it is a superb example of Lowry at his very best.’

Peter Doig (born 1959) – Country-rock (wing mirror) – estimate in the region of £9 million.  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £8,482,500, A NEW RECORD FOR THE ARTIST.

Peter Doig’s Country-rock (wing mirror) will come up at Sotheby’s sale on Contemporary Art in London on June 30.  Painted in London it depicts a much loved landmark near Toronto, the rainbow tunnel which appeared above an underpass alongside the Don Valley Parkway in 1972. Sotheby’s say it is one of the most important works by the artist ever to appear on the market. It belongs to a series of three works which rank among the most celebrated of the artists oeuvre.  The Country Rock trio all centre on the same vista of the Don Valley Parkway. This is the only one ever to have come to auction and it is estimated at in the region of £9 million.

Cheyenne Westphal, Co-Global Head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s, said: “The rainbow tunnel is one of the most prominent and resonant motifs in Doig’s oeuvre. For lovers of Doig, it has a supreme status – akin only perhaps to that of the canoe – and of all the works in which the motif appears, the Country-Rock series is the apogee. Doig is a giant in the current market, and this particular work is fabled. Its appearance at auction represents an all-time first – and hugely exciting – opportunity for collectors.”

Vermeer – Saint Praxedis – © Christie’s Images Limited 2014  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £6,242,500

A Vermeer at auction is possibly even rarer than hens teeth, so Christie’s is understandably thrilled to offer Saint Praxedis in London on July 8.  One of only two known works by Vermeer in private hands it is estimated at £6-8 million at auction for the first time in its brief documented history.   It was first considered to be by Johannes Vermeer  of Delft (1632-1675) in 1969 and has been the subject of scholarly discussion ever since. The subject matter is unusual both in the context of Vermeer and of Dutch painting.  In 1985 this work featured in the seminal monographic exhibition by Vermeer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington and The Mauritshuis, The Hague, as his earliest known painting, painted when he was 22-23.  Since then the ex-Beit/Rolin Lady at the Virginals – long considered to be by a follower – has been re-accepted into his oeuvre and is now in private ownership.  Only 36 paintings by Vermeer are known and his formative years as  a painter are shrouded in mystery.

The results of a recent material technical analysis by the Rijksmuseum in association with the Free University, Amsterdam, endorses Vermeer’s authorship of Saint Praxedis.  The lead white in the paint is consistent with Dutch painting, not Italian.  They also found a precise match with another established early work by Vermeer – Diana and her Companions – at The Mauritshuis.  The match suggests that the exact same batch of paint was used.   Christ in the house of Mary and Martha by Vermeer at the National Gallery, Edinburgh, dates to the same period. Saint Praxedis is from the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection.

Matisse, Mondrian, Giacometti and Schwitters are among the artists who will come up  at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern evening sale in London on June 24.  A group of four masterworks by Alberto Giacometti from an important private collection is headed by the artist’s iconic Le Main, conceived and cast in 1947.  This work was in the New York exhibition that launched Giacometti’s post war international career. It is estimated at £10-15 million. Other works by Giacometti are  Femme de Venise II (£8-12 million), Portrait de Femme (Annette) (£3.5-5.5 million) and Annette IV (£1.5-2 million).

Masterworks from other collections include Composition A, with Double Line and Yellow, 1935 by Piet Mondrian (£5-8 million), L’artiste et le modele nu, 1921 by Henri Matisse (£7-10 million) and Ja – Was? – Bild? (Yes – What? – Picture?) by Kurt Schwitters dated 1920 (£4-6 million).  The pre-sale estimate for this auction is £96.3-141.4 million and estimates range from £200,000 to £15 million.

L’artiste et le modèle nu, 1921, by Henri Matisse courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.  UPDATE: THIS MADE £6,802,500

Composition A, with Double Line and Yellow, 1935, by Piet Mondrian courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Kurt Schwitters Ja – Was? – Bild courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014  UPDATE: THIS MADE £13,970,500

 

Sean Keating’s Unloading the Catch at de Veres Irish art auction in Dublin on June 10 is redolent of an era not that long gone.  It is a west of Ireland scene from the Aran Islands featuring three currachs being unloaded after a nights fishing by fishermen in typical island gear.  The painting is estimated at 40,000-60,000.  There is traditional, modern and contemporary art in this sale of 168 lots.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

Unloading the Catch by Sean Keating (1889-1977) (40,000-60,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 52,000 at hammer

Low Tide by Walter Osborne (1859-1903) (10,000-15,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 13,000 at hammer

Portrait of Mrs. George Russell by Frances Baker (1873-1944) (3,000-5,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,600 at hammer

Umbrella, Beach and Kite by John Shinnors (12,000-16,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 12,500 at hammer

Palometta by Barrie Cooke (1931-2014) (20,000-30,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 20,000 at hammer