An Irish George II Pine Pier Mirror after a Design by William Jones, attributed to the Booker Family, Dublin, Circa 1740. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $38,100
This c1740 Dublin mirror is one of a number of Irish lots from the Hyde Park antiques farewell sale at Sotheby’s in New York on October 15. The estimate is $20,000-30,000. The historic 19th century gallery of Hyde Park Antiques on Broadway just south of Union Square has long been a treasure trove for designers, collectors and curators seeking antiques that are both museum-quality level and intended to be lived with. Founder Benard Karr, later joined by his daughter Rachel, shared their passion and knowledge with clients. After sixty years the Karrs have decided to close their gallery and Sotheby’s will auction over two hundred lots from their inventory on October 15 in New York.
Claude Lalanne – Unique Structure Vegetale bed. UPDATE: THIS MADE £889,000
Prices everywhere are skyrocketing so how about a bed for €346,000. Not imaginary, not just any old bed and probably not a bad investment. The Unique Structure Vegetale bed in gold patinated bronze was commissioned directly from Claude Lalanne in 2012 by Pauline Karpidas. It is described by Sotheby’s, who estimate it at £200,000-£300,000 (€230,880-€346,000), as a fusion of nature, surrealism and personal sanctuary.
Pauline Karpidas first met the Lalannes – Francois Xavier (1927-2008) and Claude (1924-2019) – in 1978 at their magical home and workshop at Ury, outside Paris, in 1978. Long before they became synonymous with global superstardom in the worlds of art and interiors she was one of their first collectors. No less than 60 works by Les Lalannes, including many uniquely designed commissions, will feature at Sotheby’s day and evening sales of her collection on September 17 and 18 and the online sale which runs from September 8 until September 19.
Claude Lalanne – detail, Structure Vegetale
The Surrealistic contents of the London home of this trailblazing collector, 250 lots with an estimate of £60 million (€69.34 million) in total, constitute the most valuable designated collection ever to be offered in Europe. She shares with Les Lalannes a knack of seamlessly merging high art and functional living and the sale offers masterpieces by Hans Bellmer, Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons.
Leonora Carrington – The Hour of the Angelus. UPDATE: THIS MADE £952,500
Among them are La Statue volante (The Flying Statue), one of Magritte’s most enigmatic paintings from the last decade of his career (£9 million – £12 million)(€10.4 million – €13.87 million). A 1949 work by Leonora Carrington, The Hour of the Angelus (£600,000-£800,000)(€693,420-€924,560) reflects the inspiration she drew from Mexico’s traditions where Aztec, Mayan and Catholic beliefs coexisted in harmony. It echoes the myths passed down to Carrington by her Irish grandmother. The treasure trove of paintings includes two works by Andy Warhol inspired by Munch, his favourite artist alongside Henri Matisse.
The Manchester born collector credits her late husband Constantine (Dinos) Karpidas, a Greek shipping magnate, with opening her eyes to the beauty of wonderful things. After coming face to face with exceptional Surrealist paintings at the Athens home of gallerist Alexander Iolas in 1974 her love of art took on an entirely new life. She studied Surrealism, visiting galleries and libraries and museums and became friends with Les Lalanne, Warhol and others along the way. This is the lifetime journey of a true collector who honed her eye and her sensibility as she delved deep into her subject.
An immersive exhibition telling the story of the journey of Pauline Karpidas over half a century gets underway at Sotheby’s in London on September 8.
Rene Magritte – La Statue volante. UPDATE: THIS MADE £10,120,000
The most valuable designated collection ever to be offered in Europe from the London home of trailblazing surrealist collector Pauline Karpidas comes up at Sotheby’s in September. Masterpieces by Hans Bellmer, Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons will be offered alongside unique furniture personally imagined and crafted for Pauline by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, Mattia Bonetti andAndré Dubreuil. The 250 lots on offer at evening, day and online sales on September 17, 18 and 19 have a combined estimate of around €70 million. Meantime Pauline’s London home, a journey through the realms of Surrealism, will be brought to life at a landmark exhibition at Sotheby’s conceived by the designer of the blockbuster Freddie Mercury exhibition which brought 140,000 visitors to the auctioneers New Bond St. rooms over four weeks in 2023. Pictured here is a view of the salon at her London home.
A Martian meteorite discovered in November 2023 in Niger, Africa, sold for $5,296,000 at Sotheby’s in New York. The largest piece of Mars on earth was ejected by a massive asteroid strike. It journeyed 140 million miles through space and finally the earth’s atmosphere before crashing into the Sahara Desert. Pieces of Mars are rare. Of more than 77,000 officially recognised meteorites only 400 are Martian. Weighing 24.67 kilograms this one represents approximately 6.5% of all Martian material currently known.
Louis le Brocquy – Painting Figure. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This 1959 work by Louis le Brocquy is at Sotheby’s Modern British and Irish art sale in London on June 26 with an estimate of £30,000-50,000. It was acquired by the present owner at the Esther Robles Gallery in Los Angeles. The auction features important works by British and Irish artists and those working in the UK across the 20th century, including the St Ives Modernists, Scottish Colourists, Bloomsbury, Camden Town, Vorticist and Post-War groups, and it will span paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics. Among the Irish artists featured are Sir John Lavery, William Scott and Jack Coulter.
Manuscript copy of the Thirteenth Amendment, signed by Abraham Lincoln, abolishing slavery in the United States.
One of the finest and most complete Lincoln signed copies of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the US comes up at Sotheby’s in New York on June 26 with an estimate of $8-12 million. Section 1 states: ‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction’. It is one of just 15 recorded Lincoln signed copies. A printed broadside document of the Emancipation Proclamation is estimated at $3-5 million.
Miss January dated 1997 by Marlene Dumas became the most expensive painting by a living female artist ever sold when it made $13.6 million (€11.96 million) at Christie’s in New York.
The global art market is not immune to the trade winds of change blowing us all over the place right now. Even though they brought in $1 billion the slimmed down May sales in New York failed to reach their targets.
On the minus side a bust by Alberto Giacometti of his brother Diego, estimated at around $70 million (€61.57 million), failed to find a buyer at Sotheby’s. On the plus side the collection of Barnes and Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise made $272 million (€239.46 million) at Christie’s, the only collection to realise this total in the last 18 months.
It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Marlene Dumas, South African born Netherlands based 71 year old set a new auction record for a living female artist with Miss January, 1997. She has explored portraiture for 40 years and this monumental nine feet tall work of a beauty queen naked from the waist down apart from a pink sock sold for $13.6 million (€11.96 million) at Christie’s. There were records too for previously overlooked 20th century women artists like Grace Hartigan, Dorothea Tanning, Remedios Vara and Kiki Kogelnik.
Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue made $47.6 million (€41.87 million) at Christie’s.
Christie’s global president Alex Rotter said that what we are seeing is an emphasis on individual taste among collectors. “The market is no longer about following the crowd. It is about individual taste and passions. What art makes you feel. That is a very interesting and exciting development for the market”.
The global downturn is influenced by factors like a decline in the number of Asian buyers and the absence of Russian wealth. These do not affect the market for Irish art. Underlying global uncertainty does play into the Irish market but not at a level where the highs are stratospheric and the lows catastrophic. Our very conservative market is characterised by slow, steady growth. It operates in a relatively low value segment which shows up in all current statistics as most immune to all that is going on.
Homme assis by Picasso made $15.1 million (€13.28 million) at Sotheby’s.
One segment that has proved to be not at all immune is the market for young contemporaries. Entirely absent from the sales this month were prices in the millions for young artists that few people had ever heard of. One possible explanation is that buyers of mid-career artists can afford to wait as this work will continue to be available in the future, especially at a time of uncertainty.
The top lot of the week was Mondrian’s Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue from the Riggio collection. It made $47.6 million (€41.87 million) . Magritte’s L’Empire des Lumieres from the same collection made $35 million (€30.79 million). There was a record at Christie’s for Monet when his Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crepuscule, sold for $43 million (€37.82 million) and set a new record for his celebrated Poplars series.
At Sotheby’s Picasso’s Homme Assis from 1969 made $15.1 million (€13.28 million) and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Leaves of a Plant made $12.9 million (€11.35 million). Roy Lichtenstein’s Reflections – Art made $5.4 million (€4.75 million), one of nine Lichtenstein’s which collectively made $29 million (€25.51 million).
Leaves of a Plant by Georgia O’Keeffe made $12.9 million (€11.35 million) at Sotheby’s.
Alberto Giacometti – Grande Tete Mince (Grande Tete de Diego)
This bust by Giacometti of his brother Diego, once in the collection of Marguerite and Aime Maeght, failed to sell at Sotheby’s in New York last night. The headline lot of the auction had been estimated at around $70 million, but the bids made failed to reach this figure. The work from 1955 was shown at the 1956 Venice Biennale. The Modern evening auction realised $196,225,600. The top lot of the evening was Homme Assis by Picasso which made $15.1 million. Leaves of a Plant by Georgia O’Keeffe made £12.9 million and La Traversee difficile by Magritte made $10 million.
See post on antiquesandartireland.com for May 1, 2025
Roy Lichtenstein – Reflections: Art at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $5,479,000
In a tough year for the global art market the big May New York art sales this month are seriously slimmed down but nonetheless offer rich pickings for collectors with deep pockets untroubled by market turmoil.
Auction data, the only section of the opaque art market with sales that can be computed accurately, indicates that overall turnover declined last year for the third year in a row. At blue chip levels there are very few categories where the value of art has gone up in the past two years. Add global uncertainty, tariffs and changing collecting habits to the mix and … who can tell.
Piet Mondrian – Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Grey, Yellow, Black and Blue from the Riggio collection at Christie’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE $47,560,000
Better news for collectors is that last year more art than ever was sold at auction – for less money. Record auction numbers for artworks at less than €500 or €1,000 is not what floats the boat at senior management levels at big auction houses and major international galleries but it does show that love for art is widespread.
A mere 37 lots will feature at Christie’s 20th century evening sale on Monday May 12 with 42 at the 21st century evening sale on May 14. There will be 65 lots at Sotheby’s Modern evening auction in New York on May 13 and 43 lots at the Now and Contemporary evening auction on May 15. Totals at both houses will be boosted by the sales of lots from the collection of gallerist Barbara Gladstone ($12 million – €10.52 million) along with works from the collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein (Sotheby’s) and selected works from the collection of Barnes and Nobel founder Len Riggio and his wife Louise (Christie’s) valued at $250 million (€219.20 million).
Paul Signac Saint George. Couchant (Venise) showing the facade of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice at Sunset at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE $8,102,000
Art by Mondrian, Magritte, Picasso, Giacometti, Warhol from the Riggio Collection will excite the interest of worldwide collectors and has been toured in advance to London, Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai and Los Angeles. Len Riggio died last year and his widow is downsizing from her Park Avenue apartment.
The 21st century evening sale at Christie’s reflects the seismic shifts over the last 50 years in the art landscape. There is art by Jean Michel Basquiat, Ed Ruscha, Cecily Brown, Julie Mehretu, Simone Leigh, Lisa Brice, Louis Fratino and others.
The Modern evening auction at Sotheby’s features artworks that capture the spirit of artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who dared challenge established norms. There is work by Picasso, Giacometti, Magritte, Monet, Delauney, Schiele, Matisse, Munch and Signac included.
Lisa Brice – Midday Drinking Den, After Embah I and II at Christie’s. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $2,954,000
Alberto Giacometti – Grande Tete Mince. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This busted by Alberto Giacometti highlights the New York sales at Sotheby’s this month. The painted bust of the artist’s brother Diego comes up at the Modern evening auction on May 13 with an estimate of in excess of $70 million.
The sales will be a crucial test for the art market amid global economic uncertainty, where worries about tarriffs and stock market volatility have deepened the mood of caution.
