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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.

A private collection of more than 100 ceramics by Pablo Picasso will be auctioned at Sotheby’s  in London on March 19. The single owner sale will include a collection of prints by Picasso, Joan Miró and Andy Warhol. Individual ceramic estimates range from £2,000-£30,000.

Picasso stunned the art world when, in 1947, as one of the most famous western artists, and approaching 65 years of age, he absconded from post-war Paris to undertake an apprenticeship at the then little-known Madoura pottery in Vallauris, in rural Southern France. Over two decades he transformed plates, bowls and vases into owls, goats, men, women, bulls and fishes. Pottery has been produced in Vallauris since Roman times.

 Pablo Picasso Vase Gros Oiseau Vert  9£25,000 – £35,0000.  (Click on image to enlarge).

Pablo Picasso Chouette (£6,000 – £8,000). (Click on image to enlarge).

Pablo Picasso – Cavalier et Cheval (£4,000-£6,000). (Click on image to enlarge).

Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) Jeanne Hébuterne (Au chapeau), painted in 1919 – (£16,000,000-22,000,000). Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.  UPDATE: IT MADE £26,921,250 

A Modigliani portrait of his muse and lover Jeanne Hébuterne leads Christie’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art in London on February 6. This is an auction of 37 works which builds on the strengths of the international market of 2012 at which the best and rarest works were celebrated. The elegant and lyrical portrait that Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) created of his muse and lover is estimated at £16-22 million.
The auction features work by a roll call of the most important artists of the period including Renoir, Picasso, Kandinsky and Matisse. Estimates range from £200,000 to £22 million, with a pre-sale estimate of £67,470,000 to £99,710,000. Jay Vincze, Christie’s international director who heads the sale said: “Buyers continue to be hungry for the best and rarest works of Impressionist and Modern art. We have ensured that this sale focuses on significant works by the most important artists and are proud to present a rich and focused offering which spans figuration to abstraction, presenting international collectors and institutions with rare and exciting opportunities.”

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) L’ombrelle (£4-7 million). Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013. UPDATE: THIS MADE £9,673,250

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Nu accroupi (£3 – 5 million). Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.  UPDATE: THIS MADE £7,321,250

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) Jeune fille a la mauresque, robe verte (£2.5-3.5 million). Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.  UPDATE: THIS MADE £3,065,250

AN art auction by the Galway based Dolan’s  Irish Art Auction House will take place at Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork on Sunday, January 20.  There will be 146 lots of mostly contemporary Irish art on offer at very affordable prices.  Here is a small selection.  You can click on any image to enlarge it. The catalogue is on-line.

Manus Walsh – BURREN, OLD FARM, GLEAMING POOL – Acrylic On Canvas Board. (480 – 650). Update:  This sold for 55o.

Alan Kenny – Trad Session with Troupies – Acrylic on Canvas Board. (650 – 850). Update: this sold for 550.

Shawlies by Markey Robinson – Mixed Media. (3,000 – 3,500). Update: This was unsold.

Eileen Meagher – In the Heart of Connemara – Oil on Canvas. (900 – 1,400). Update: This made 950.

James Brohan – Mending the Nets, Kinsale – Oil on Canvas. (4,000 – 6,000). U;date: This made 4,000

FRANCIS BACON 1909 – 1992 THREE STUDIES FOR A SELF-PORTRAIT signed, titled and dated 1980. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS MADE £13,761,250.

Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for a Self-Portrait will headline Sotheby’s evening auction of contemporary art in London next February 12. Dating from 1980, when Bacon was 71, the work is part of a corpus of 11 small scale triptych self-portraits in the artist’s standard 14 by 12 inch format. Sales of contemporary art at Sotheby’s in 2012 totalled $1.25 billion, making it the third most successful year ever for contemporary art. Dealers note that wealthy individuals who are concerned about the wider economy are turning to contemporary art as an alternative investment. Gold standard names have been making record prices. The Bacon is estimated at £10-15 million.
Another headline work in the sale, an untitled piece by Jean Michel Basquiat, was previously in the collection of U2. It is estimated at £7-9 million. The evening auction, which features outstanding works by Gerhard Richter, Alexander Calder, Mark Rothko, Lucio Fontana and others, comprises 56 lots. It is estimated to make more than £63 million.

UPDATE: THE SALE BROUGHT IN £74,364,200.

GERHARD RICHTER b.1932 WOLKE (CLOUD). (£7-9 million). (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: THIS MADE £7,601,250

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT 1960 – 1988 UNTITLED (PECHO/OREJA) (£7-9 million). (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: THIS MADE £6,817,250

ALEXANDER CALDER 1898 – 1976 THE RED BASE (£500,000-700,000). Click on image to enlarge.  UPDATE: THIS MADE £690,850.