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THE auction of Important Irish Art at Whyte’s in Dublin on November 26 offers a broad selection including many contemporary works at very reasonable prices. The catalogue, which is on-line, lists 217 lots. The front cover is a 1945 oil by Jack B. Yeats entitled Against the Stream. One of a number of works by Yeats in the sale, it is estimated at 50,000-70,000. The main Yeats in the auction, The Comforter from 1952, is estimated at 150,000-200,000.
A colour inverted Aubusson tapestry by Louis le Brocquy entitled Adam and Eve in the Garden is estimated at 40,000-60,000. Given that Irish art did not perform spectacularly well at recent London sales at Sotheby’s and Bonhams there will be much interest in how major works fare at Whytes, as this is the first of three sales of important Irish art in Dublin in the next two weeks.  The venue for the viewing and sale is Clyde Hall at the RDS.

UPDATE: The auction grossed over one million euro, with 75% of lots sold. le Brocquy’s Adam and Eve tapestry was the top lot. Over 250 bidders registered from the US, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Switzerland, France, Great Britain and Ireland.

The Comforter by Jack B. Yeats at Whyte’s. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Adam and Eve in the Garden by Louis le Brocquy at Whyte’s. (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 70,000.

A total of 195 artworks are on offer at the Morgan O’Driscoll evening sale at the Clyde Court Hotel, Dublin on November 19. Work from a broad cross section of Irish artists, including William Crozier, Cecil King, William Conor, Frank McKelvey, Mark O’Neill, Louis le Brocquy, Harry Kernoff, John Noel Smith, Alexander Williams, Sean O’Sullivan, Donald Teskey and Arthur Maderson, is on offer. Here is a small selection, the catalogue is on-line (you can click on any image to enlarge it):

Donald Teskey (b.1956) Bridge Near Capel Street (10,000-15,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 10,200

John Noel Smith (b.1952) Ogham Series (2,000-3,000).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

John Shinnors (b.1950) Seated Mannequin (4,000-5,000). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Louis Le Brocquy HRHA (1916-2012) Being, Human Image (17,500-22,500).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

William Conor RHA RUA ROI (1881-1968) Churning Butter (12,000-15,000). UPDATE: THIS MADE 12,000

Andy Warhol’s Marlon made $23,714,500.

THE market for post war and contemporary art got even hotter in New York last night. There was more than 412 million reasons to celebrate at Christie’s where the auction of 74 lots brought in a whopping $412,253,100. This became the most valuable auction ever in the Post War and Contemporary Art category.

Andy Warhol, whose  3-D Statue of Liberty made $43,762,500, shone throughout the sale. Results confirm that he remains the dominant star of the contemporary art market.
Jeff Koons Tulips made $33,682,500, a new world auction record. It places him among the world’s top selling living artists. There were seven other artists records: Franz Kline (Untitled, 1957 made $40,402,500); Jean-Michel Basquiat (Untitled, 1981 made $26,402,500); Richard Diebenkorn (Ocean Park # 48, 1971 made $13,522,500); Donald Judd (Untitled, 1989 (Bernstein 89-24), 1989 made $10,162,500); Mark Grotjahn – Untitled (Red Butterfly II Yellow…) made $4,170,500); Richard Serra (Schulhof’s Curve, 1984 made $2,882,500) and George Condo (The Manhattan Strip Club, 2010 made $1,314,5000).
The sale was 93% sold by value and 92% sold by lot, 11 works sold for over $10 million, 16 for over $5 million and 56 for over $1 million. “Over the past six years, Christie’s has led this market first over the $200 million, then over the $300 million, and now over the $400 million barrier,” said Brett Gorvy, Chairman and International Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art.

Mark Rothko’s No.1 (Royal Red and Blue) made $75,122,500. (Click on image to enlarge).

Mark Rothko’s No.1 (Royal Red and Blue) made $75,122,500 over an estimate of $35/50 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary sale in New York last night. There were artists record for Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Hans Hofmann, Arshile Gorky, Robert Motherwell, and Wade Guyton, as well as for a work-on-paper by Andy Warhol and a painting by Takashi Murakami in a sale that totalled $375,149,000. This was the best auction result in any category in Sotheby’s history.
The second best price was Pollock’s No. 4, 1951 which made $40,402,500 while Francis Bacon’s Untitled (Pope) was third on list at $29,762,500.
“This has been an extraordinary year for Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s,” commented Tobias Meyer, Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s. “Tonight’s record results bring our 2012 total to well over $1 billion, and we still have tomorrow’s Day auction, as well as our upcoming sale in Paris. The Rothko was the undisputed highlight of the evening, surpassing the Rockefeller Rothko to become the second highest price ever achieved for the artist at auction. The wonderful consignment from the Collection of Sidney and Dorothy Kohl brought more than $100 million, led by the Jackson Pollock, which sold for $40.4 million, well above expectations. If you are looking for evidence that today’s market is alive and well, look no further.”

Works by Franz Kline, Jeff Koons, Clyfford Still and Gerard Richter are among a superb selection of 74 pieces from 1928 to the present day at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary sale in New York on November 14. There is Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and contemporary masterpieces.  The auction is expected to realise more $400 million. Christie’s say it is the strongest sale ever presented to the market.  Here are just four of the works – more than enough to whet the appetite:

Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) Abstraktes Bild (779-2) ($12 – 18 million) © Christie’s Images Limited 2012 UPDATE: THIS MADE $15,314,500

Jeff Koons (b. 1955) Tulips (mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating). Executed in 1995-2004. This work is one of five unique versions. ( $20-30­ million). © Christie’s Images Limited 2012 UPDATE: THIS MADE $33,682,500

Franz Kline (1910-1962) Untitled Painted in 1957. ($20 – 30 million) © Christie’s Images Limited 2012  UPDATE: THIS MADE $40,402,500

Clyfford Still (1904-1980) PH-915 (No. 1, 1946) ($15 – 20 million) © Christie’s Images Limited 2012  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Picasso’s Nature morte aux tulipes made $41,522,500.

In an art market that at the highest levels remains functioning through tough times Picasso’s Nature morte aux tulipes was the top lot at Sotheby’s  Impressionist and Modern Art evening sale in New York on November 8.  The sexually charged portrait of his mistress Marie-Therese Walter that is at the same time a still life sold for $41,522,500 in an auction that brought in $163,009,000. Nearly one third of the 69 works on offer went unsold. Works  by Monet, Picasso and Renoir sold by American museums to benefit future acquisitions performed well and totalled $17,543,500 above a high estimate of $12.6 million. Monet’s Champ de blé from the Cleveland Museum of Art made $12,122,500. Picasso’s Mousquetaire au chapeau. Buste from the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington made $4,338,500.

Six works from the estate of Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos sold for a total of $22,093,000. They were led by Picasso’s Le Viol which made $13,522,500. Sotheby’s will next offer works from the Embiricos estate in the Contemporary Art sale in New York on November 13, and the Old Master Paintings sale in January.  Five sculptures by Henry Moore, led by the monumental Two Piece Reclining Figure No. 1  from the Embiricos estate which made $4,674,500, were all sold and totaled $14,188,500.

A trio of rare masterpieces by Monet, Kandinsky and Brancusi lead  Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art evening sale in New York on November 7. Elections and hurricanes notwithstanding the auction is expected to realise more than $250 million. Christie’s say this curated sale of 71 works reflects current collecting trends in the global art market.  There are exceptional examples of Impressionism, German Expressionism, Surrealism, Modernist painting and sculpture.

Claude Monet’s Impressionist masterpiece Nymphéas (The Water Lilies), painted at Giverny in 1905, was gifted to the not-for- profit Hackley School in New York from the estate of Ethel Strong Allen earlier this year and will be sold to benefit the school. It is estimated at $30-50 million. Wassily Kandinsky’s Expressionist tour-de-force Studie für Improvisation 8, is part of the artist’s pioneering series of 1909 and has the potential to set a new record price for any work by the artist at auction. It is estimated at $20-30 million. Constantin Brancusi’s sculptural masterpiece Une Muse is a pivotal work in plaster from 1912 that was among the first sculptures by the artist ever exhibited for American audiences. It is estimated at $10-15 million.

“As we head into our major fall auctions, we continue to see an exuberant market that responds to great art and intelligent pricing. Participation in our evening sales is more global than ever, with buyers from growth markets in South America, Asia, and the Middle East now competing with clients from established collecting markets in North America and Europe,” noted Brooke Lampley, Head of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s New York. “To answer this growing demand for the finest works from the Impressionist and Modern era, we have assembled an exciting sale that is carefully tailored to what our clients want most right now: rarity, superb quality, impeccable condition, exceptional provenance and exhibition history, and stable long-term value.”

UPDATE: THE sale total, including Buyer’s Premium amounted to  $204,800,000. A diverse audience of clients from around the world participated.  Sell-through rates of 70% by lot and 80% by value were achieved. Of the 69 works offered, 5 lots sold for over $10 million, 10 for over $5 million and 31 for over $1 million.

CLAUDE MONET (1840-1926) Nymphéas signed and dated ‘Claude Monet 1905′. Estimate: $30,000,000-50,000,000. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd.  UPDATE: IT MADE $43,762,500

Wassily Kandinsky’s Studie für Improvisation 8, part of the artist’s pioneering series of 1909 is estimated $20-30 million. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd.  UPDATE: THIS MADE $23,042,500, a new world record for the artist.

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI (1867-1957) Une muse plaster Height: 18 in. (45.7 cm.) Executed in 1912 Estimate: $10,000,000-15,000,000. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd. UPDATE: THIS MADE $12,402,500

Pablo Picasso’s Femme à la fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse) estimated at $15-20 million is one of the main works in the auction postponed to November 8. UPDATE: THIS MADE  $17,218,500

HURRICANE Sandy has impacted on Sotheby’s Impressionist an Evening art sale in New York.  The auction house has postponed the sale scheduled for Monday November 5 to Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m.  Sotheby’s say the revised timeline will give clients and international staff greater flexibility to view the exhibition and participate. Viewing will open tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. as scheduled.

One of the main works in the postponed sale in Picasso’s Femme à la fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse) painted in 1936.  It remained in the artist’s possession until his death in 1973.  The work followed the birth of his daughter Maya the previous fall with Marie-Thérèse, as well as his separation from his wife Olga and the beginnings of a passionate affair with another important muse, Dora Maar.   The painting has been exhibited in Hong Kong and London prior to the New York auction.

All Sotheby’s other auctions in New York next week remain as scheduled.  The Impressionist and Modern Art day sale takes place on November 7 and the auction of 19th century European Art takes place on November 8.  Viewing for the Contemporary Art sales will open as scheduled on November 9.

UPDATE: The sale realised $163,009,000, bringing the total for Sotheby’s November 2012 auctions of Impressionist and Modern art to $203,115,775.