There was a new world record for Rene Magritte at Christie’s in New York on November 19 when L’empire des lumières sold for a hammer price of $105,000,000 ($121,160,000 with fees). This was a record too for a painting sold at auction in 2024 as it was the first picture this year to break the $100 million barrier. The painting was from the collection of designer and philanthropist Mica Ertegun whose world-class collection includes art, exquisite furnishings, jewellery and more.
A significant portion of the seller’s sale proceeds is intended to benefit philanthropic initiatives. During her lifetime, Mrs. Ertegun generously supported the Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities at Oxford University, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the World Monument Fund and more.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 23, 2024)
The Thinker on the Butte de Warlencourt by Sir William Orpen. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £756,000
The private collection of Mary and Alan Hobart, founders of the Pyms Gallery, comes up at Christie’s in London on November 19. From premises in Belgravia and Mayfair the Hobarts mounted pioneering exhibitions at the Pyms Gallery, founded in 1974, which championed Irish art in Britain for the first time since Sir Hugh Lane at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Key artists included in Christie’s sale are William Orpen, Jack Butler Yeats, Mary Swanzy, F. E. McWilliam, Jerome Connor, William Crozier, Rita Duffy, Micheal Farrell, Cecil King, Charles Tyrrell, William Scott, Sean Scully, Grace Henry, Gerard Dillon, Augustus John, Bridget Riley, Patrick Heron, John Tunnard and Eileen Agar. The Hobarts collection was showcased at an exhibition at IMMA in Dublin last year.
The Poet by Orpen made £504,000 and his Changing Billets, Picardy made £441,000. An Afternoon in Dorset by Augustus John made £214,200, a world record for an oil on panel by the artist. There was a world record for Grace Henry when The Rosary sold for £47,880 and one for Rita Duffy when Crossroads Dancing made £14,490.
UPDATE: THE COLLECTION REALISED £5,979,204
O’Connell Bridge by Jack Butler Yeats. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £882,000
George I coffee pot with side handle by Thomas Walker, Dublin (1726)
The National Antique Fair at Limerick Racecourse next weekend, magnificent jewels in Geneva and Irish art in London are among upcoming events which will draw large numbers of collectors to the fascinating world of art, antiques and collectibles at all price points this month.
Among the many treasures for which the hunt is hotting up are an antique Irish silver coffee pot, a Georgian officers gorget or throat covering from the Royal Meath Militia, vintage fashion and Irish art and collectibles at the Limerick fair, a Cartier diamond necklace at Christie’s in Geneva on November 12, jewellery from the Royal Court of Bulgaria at Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 13, masterpieces by William Orpen and John Lavery at Sotheby’s Modern British and Irish art evening sale in London on November 14 and a selection of Irish art from Paul Henry, George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson and Nano Reid to contemporary works by Jack Coulter, Richard Hearns, John Behan, Orla de Bri and more at Sotheby’s day sale in London on November 15.
Eily Henry vintage fashion will feature this headwear at the National Antiques Fair in Limerick
Opening times for the National Antiques, Art and Vintage fair at Limerick Racecourse are from 11 am to 6 on November 16 and 17. There will be 80 dealers from right around Ireland with everything from a pair of vases by Zak Scherzer of Vienna with paintings by Rembrandt at Edwin Mercer, vintage flagons, clocks and collectibles at Dan Hartnett and an exceptional George I coffee pot by Thomas Walker (Dublin 1726) which Weldon’s will display on November 17.
Vintage fashion and jewellery is enduringly popular. Among the choices available are an eyecatching Philip Treacy type hat at Eily Henry and a nine carat yellow gold wide gate bracelet at Bedlam antiques. There is porcelain and glass at Brian Hurley, Irish art at the Purple Onion gallery, militaria including the gorget of Lt. Col. Thomas Pepper of the Royal Meath Militia and selections of antique furniture, jewellery, books and collectibles to inspire and delight.
Art Deco diamond necklace, signed Cartier London, 1935, at Christie’s UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR US$5,090,571
It is rare to encounter a group of jewels from the 1920’s and ’30’s which have remained in the same family and have not been remodelled. A magnificent Cartier Art Deco Indo-Persian diamond necklace from 1935 will highlight a collection of superb jewels from the Sassoon family at Christie’s in Geneva next Tuesday The bank where they were stored was completely in World War II. A helpful policeman advised the owner at the ruins to check with a local police station. It transpired that her deposit box had been transferred there. Never at auction before the necklace is estimated at US$1 million – $1.5 million (€920,000-€1,380,000). At Sotheby’s in Geneva on the following day more than 100 pieces from Tsar Ferdinand and the Royal Court of Bulgaria will come under the hammer.
Sotheby’s will bring a great selection of Irish art to the international stage at sales in London next Thursday and Friday. A portrait of Mrs. St. George by Orpen and a Venetian scene by Lavery will feature in the evening sale on Thursday. A Cork collection of maritime paintings by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson and art and sculpture by Gareth Reid – Sky Portrait Artist of the Decade, 2023 – Tony O’Malley, Rowan Gillespie, Patrick Hennessy, Felim Egan, John Kingerlee and William Conor and others feature at the day sale next Friday.
Still Life with Butterfly by Patrick Hennessy at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) – Femme et jeune garcon nus
A retrospective of Picasso will be among the highlights of next year’s programme at the National Gallery of Ireland. The gallery, in collaboration with the Musée Picasso national-Paris, will present Picasso: From the studio from October 11, 2025 to February 22, 2026. Picasso lived surrounded by his art. His personal life and his work, his homes and his studios were always intimately linked. This exhibition places Picasso in the context of his studios, highlighting the various facets and phases of his art and life. It will explore the key locations that defined him, from his arrival in Paris at the start of the twentieth century to his studio in Villa La Californie (1955-1961) in Cannes. It will feature paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and works on paper, as well as photographic and audio-visual works. Pictured here is a 1969 work on paper entitled Femme et jeune garcon nus which comes up at Christie’s 20th century evening sale in New York on November 19 with an estimate of $1 million – $1.5 million.
JACK BUTLER YEATS, R.H.A. (1871-1957) – O’Connell Bridge. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £882,000
This painting by Yeats is among the highlights of the private collection of Alan and Mary Hobart comes up at Christie’s in London on November 19. The estimate is £400,000-£600,000. Their personal collection — at Farm Street, Mayfair and Cap Ferrat — bears witness to the Hobarts’ highly renowned expertise and discerning taste.
UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR CHF 7,765,000 – US$8,859,865
A brooch commissioned by Prince Aga Khan at Cartier Paris in 1960 and shortly after gifted to his wife, Nina Dyer (1930-1969) comes up at Christie’s in Geneva on November 12, 55 years after it was last auctioned in the Swiss city. It was sold for $75,000 at the inaugural Magnificent Jewellery sale at Hotel Richemond in Geneva on May 1, 1969. This time round the estimate is $6 million – $8 million. It is adorned with a 37.00 carat emerald and accentuated by a row of diamonds, epitomizing the elegance and sophistication of its era. Like many of the beautiful jewels commissioned by The Aga Khan for Nina Dyer, she wore this exceptional piece at numerous prominent events.
At the Hotel Richemond in 1969 40 lots were offered, most of which belonged to Nina Dyer. The sale was a huge success, with the jewels selling for more than twice the estimates and the entire collection achieved over CHF 12.7 million. Dyer’s will stipulated that the proceeds from the sale of her jewels would benefit animal welfare causes in Africa, Asia, and Europe. This auction also marked the beginning of Christie’s long-standing tradition in Geneva, where auctions continue to thrive today, drawing collectors from around the globe.
A silk Safavid silk Safavid ‘Polonaise’ carpet probably Isfahan, Central Persia, early 17th century
A recently discovered 17th century silk Safavid ‘Polonaise’ carpet probably from Isfahan will lead Christie’s Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds sale in London on October 24. It was woven in Persia during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great (1588-1629) and has remained preserved in remarkable condition in a Japanese private collection until very recently. This previously unrecorded rare silk carpet is estimated at £1 million – £2 million. The auction offers a curated selection of carpets, ceramics, manuscripts, textiles, works on paper and metalwork from across the Islamic world, with objects spanning over a thousand years of history.
FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE (1927-2008) – Le Très Grand Ours, 2009 – CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2024
There was a world record price of $6.1 million for this bear by Francois-Xavier Lalanne at Christie’s in New York last night. The first solely dedicated sale to François-XavierLalanne from the collection of his daughter, Dorothée achieved nearly $59 million with 14 lots making more than $1 million and four records set. The 70-lot auction lasted more than four hours with lively bidding from phones, online, and the room. The sale made almost 300% of its low estimate, with 97% of lots surpassing their high estimates. The sale total of $58.9 million more than doubled the high estimate. There was global participation with 54% of bidders and buyers from the Americas, 15% Asia Pacific and 31% from Europe.
FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE (1927-2008) – Lapin à Vent de Tourtour, 2002 sold for a world record of $2,954,000
Lucian Freud – Ria, Naked Portrait. Painted in 2006-2007. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £11,810,000
A seminal work by Lucian Freud – Ria, Naked Portrait – with an estimate of £10 million – £15 million is a highlight at Christie’s 20th/21st century evening sale in London on October 9 during Frieze Week. The painting is deeply rooted in the art historical tradition of the reclining female nude, drawing from a lineage that includes Giorgione, Titian, and Velázquez, and finds a modern culmination in Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863), a work that Lucian Freud greatly admired.
The sitter, Ria Kirby, was an art handler whom Freud initially met at the Victoria & Albert Museum during his joint exhibition with Frank Auerbach in 2006. Ria went on to become one of his most significant sitters during the final decade of his life, with sessions totalling an intense 2,400 hours over the course of 16 months. Ria, Naked Portrait was completed in 2007 and it is the only portrait of Ria the artist realised. The painting is offered at auction for the first time.
René Magritte (1898-1967) – L’empire des lumières, 1954. UPDATE: THIS MADE $105,000,000 AT HAMMER – A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR THE ARTIST.
This spectacular L’empire des lumièresby René Magritte which depicts a paradoxical Surrealist scene in which day and night are in simultaneous occurrence from the collection of Mica Ertegun is estimated by Christie’s at in excess of $95 million. It is billed as the most important Surrealist work ever at auction. There will be a series of auctions from the collection in New York beginning on November 19-20. The series spans a vast array of art and objects acquired over more than half a century and are part of Mrs. Ertegun’s personal collections in Manhattan, Southampton and Paris. An arbiter of style she was a renowned interior designer and co-founder of MAC II. A significant portion of proceeds is intended to benefit philanthropic initiatives. During her life, Mrs. Ertegun generously supported the Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities at Oxford University, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the World Monument Fund and more. Jewellery, Design and Decorative Arts sales will be held on December 10 and 13 in New York and Paris. The sale in New York on November 19-20 will feature the finest in Surrealism, rare examples of Russian and Ukrainian Modernism, Purism, de Stijl and Color Field paintings.
Ioana Maria Banu Ertegun, known as “Mica,” was born in 1926, the only child of a prominent Romanian family. In 1948, the Communist takeover forced Mica from her native country to Switzerland; she later moved to Paris, then Canada, where she and her first husband settled and worked on their chicken farm on Lake Ontario. In 1958, Mica traveled to New York to meet with the Turkish ambassador in the hope that he could help extricate her father from Romania. There, she met her future husband, Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records. The couple married in 1961 and established their life in New York.
René Magritte (1898-1967) – La cour d’amour, 1960. UPDATE: THIS MADE $8,800,000 AT HAMMER
