Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) – Das bunte Leben, 1907 (The colourful life)
This monumental canvas by Kandinsky, exhibited to critical acclaim at the Salon d’Automne, is a leading highlight at Christie’s 20th/21st Century London evening sale on October 14. Restituted to the heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein-Weyermannin in 2023 Das bunte Leben is widely regarded as the defining achievement of Kandinsky’s formative years. The sale will feature an exceptional group of masterpieces by Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky and Andy Warhol, alongside key highlights by David Hockney, Gerhard Richter, Paul Signac, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Cy Twombly, Flora Yukhnovich, Lucian Freud, Josef Albers, August Macke and Auguste Rodin, coming from international private collections.
Building on the strong results achieved in the first half of the year, Christie’s will present seven evening, day and online auctions this season, led by Monsoon: The Peter Simon Collection, the highest-value single-owner collection ever offered at Christie’s London. Presented across three dedicated auctions, this exceptional collection of nearly 200 lots from the renowned businessman Peter Simon traces the evolution of 20th-century art, bringing together works that connect the St Ives School with European Modernism, Abstract Expressionism with Op Art, and the School of London with contemporary painting from around the world. Highlights include masterworks by Francis Bacon, Joan Miró, Bridget Riley, Fernand Léger, Hurvin Anderson, Beatriz Milhazes and many others.
Francis Bacon – Study for a Figure c1945 from the Peter Simon Collection