2008 Auction History (Part III)

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

All Results in BOLD

On 10 December, Sotheby's in Paris sells two paintings by Soulages, lots 5 and 8, 800 and 500 K €. They have the same size (130 x 162 cm) but the first one is dated 1958 (SOLD 1.5 M€ including fees) and the other one 1965. (UNSOLD)

A result : 5 M€ including fees for a drawing by Seurat, sold by Sotheby's in Paris on December 3.

A burned cardboard mounted on a panel by Yves Klein is estimated 300 K € at Sotheby's in Paris on December 10, lot 15. (SOLD 370 K€ including fees).

On 11 December in London, Bonhams sells in one lot the copy 1 / 4 of 44 statuettes executed by Clot from lost wax models by Dali (750 K £ according to press release, 800 K £ according to catalog, lot 56). (UNSOLD)

On December 3 at Christie's in New York, Munnings is leading the race ($ 1.2 million, lot 82). (SOLD 1.05 M$ including fees)

The heartfelt lot of the week: a painting by Martin Johnson Head showing pink orchids and a hummingbird, for sale by Christie's in New York on December 4, $ 1 million, lot 162. (UNSOLD)

Ziem shows Istanbul on the painting that Bali sells also in Istanbul on November 30, Lot 310, 46x77 cm, estimated 180 KYTL.

The fans of Georgia O'Keeffe are invited to view two paintings for sale at Sotheby's in New York on December 3, sale N08495 : Lot 39 estimated $ 2 million, (UNSOLD), lot 53 estimated $ 1.5 million. (SOLD 1.65 M$ including fees). In the same sale, there is Marsden Hartley: Lot 50 estimated $ 1.5 million. (SOLD 1.5 M$ including fees)

The sale of American art organized by Christie's in New York on December 4 includes a watercolor by Winslow Homer showing an animated landscape ($ 2.5 million, lot 61). (UNSOLD)

Recent sales of Italian art have been successful, so let us follow with curiosity two still lifes of Morandi at Sotheby's in Milan on November 25 (Lot 210, 650 K €, (UNSOLD) and lot 205A, 450 K € (SOLD 550 K€ including fees)).

We were interested in a Victoire de Samothrace represented as a blue statue by Yves Klein, announced in the sale of Nov. 26 in Dorotheum in Vienna (50 K €, lot 226). (UNSOLD)

The third tempo of the Great Arabesque by Degas is in Paris on December 12 at PIASA. (SOLD 450 K€ including fees).

Alberto and Diego Giacometti are not artists but children on the outdoor family painting by Giovanni Giacometti, for sale at Christie's in Zurich on December 1 (2.5 MCHF, lot 132). (SOLD 2.6 MCHF including fees)

Guided by Canada.com, I offer a triple preview in this country:

Emily Carr shows a totem, Lot 184 in Heffel on Nov. 19 in Toronto (900 KCdn$). (SOLD 1.05 MCdn$ including fees).

At Joyner in Toronto in association with Waddington, a very colorful painting of Tom Thomson is estimated 600 KCdn$, Lot 050 on November 25. (UNSOLD)

At Ritchies and Sotheby's on November 24, also in Toronto, a surprising lake landscape by Lawren Harris is estimated 1 MCdn$ Lot 96. (SOLD 1,06 MCdn$ fees included ; SOLD by the same artist a Greenland landscape 2,07 MCdn$ including fees)

Lot 8 of the sale of Sotheby's in London on November 24 is a painting of Aivazovsky (£ 2.5 million). (UNSOLD)

On 28 November in Berlin, Villa Grisebach devotes a separate catalog to Lovis Corinth on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the artist. Two landscapes and a portrait are estimated 400 K€ each (lots 26 (UNSOLD), 29 (SOLD 540 K€ including fees) and 24 (UNSOLD at hammer))

On 12 November in London, Christie's sale is devoted to Cecil Aldin. The maximum of low estimates is £ 15 K (Lot 116). (SOLD 13 K£ including fees)

Lovers of Richard Diebenkorn have a choice between
An abstract painting at $ 6 million at Sotheby's in New York on November 11, lot 28 (SOLD 5.2 M$ including fees)
and
A landscape at $ 3 million at Christie's in New York on November 13, lot 183. (SOLD 2.5 M$ including fees)

Spotted in the sale of Christie's in New York on November 6: A statue of Degas cast by Hébrard ($ 500 K, lot 25) (SOLD 540 K$ including fees) and a painting by Cezanne of Pontoise ($ 7 million, lot 27). (SOLD 7.9 M$ including fees)

This is an opportunity to speak about Anker: a portrait of an old man, estimated 800 KCHF by Fischer in Lucerne (Lot 1313 from the sale of 12 to 17 November). (UNSOLD)

On November 6, we find at Christie's in New York a key work of Gris, and not of Klee as I mistakenly indicated on September 21 ($ 12.5 million, lot 7). (SOLD 21 M$ including fees). We will also look at a Picasso from 1934 showing two women ($ 18 million, lot 58). (SOLD 18 M$ including fees).

On 19 November in New York, Christie's sells a late figurative painting of Torres Garcia ($ 2 million, lot 13). (UNSOLD)

Sotheby's has devoted a press release to a painting by Volanakis showing a heroic episode of Greek wars of independence (£ 1.5 million). (SOLD 1.6 M£ including fees). The sale takes place on Nov. 11 in London. Two genre scenes by Ralli are estimated 600 K£ (UNSOLD) and 400 K£, (SOLD 480 K£ including fees) respectively. A painting by Fassianos is characterized by its size (1.6 x 3.5 m) but also by the surge trend of the value of this artist (200 K£). (UNSOLD)

The next session of sales of China Guardian will be held in Beijing from November 7 to 12 and will include seven major works by Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien). (SOLD 2.1 and 1.8 MRMB including fees)

American lovers of Bouguereau will be made happy in New York:
First at Christie's on Oct. 22: $ 1.5 million, lot 135 (UNSOLD) ; $ 1.2 million, lot 134. (UNSOLD)
Then at Sotheby's on Oct. 23: $ 2.2 million, lot 66 (UNSOLD) ; $ 1.5 million, lot 63 (UNSOLD) ; $ 900 K, lot 64. (SOLD 1.6 M$ including fees)

The ten skulls of Warhol that Sotheby's will sell altogether in London on October 17 have the distinction of having been united by a collector friend of the artist, and not by Warhol himself. These are paintings in acrylic and ink on canvas (£ 5 million, lot 20). (SOLD 4.3 M£ including fees).

For $ 60 million, here is a Suprematist oil on canvas by Malevich, at Sotheby's in New York on November 3. (SOLD 60 M$ including fees). A ballerina by Degas, pastel and gouache, expects $ 40 million and is at rest. (SOLD 37 M$ including fees). A cathedral of Rouen by Monet is worth $ 16 million (only?). (UNSOLD). A seated man painted by Modigliani looks for something, too: $ 16 million. (UNSOLD).

On November 5, Christie's devotes a whole evening to two collections, in New York. Let us see there Rothko ($ 20 million), (UNSOLD), Manet ($ 12 million) (UNSOLD), Toulouse-Lautrec ($ 6 million) (SOLD 4.4 M$ including fees), De Chirico ($ 6 million) (SOLD 6.1 M$ including fees), but also a nice Morris Louis at $ 2 million. (SOLD 2.1 M$ including fees).

The 50s are important in the evolution of Italian art. Within this time range, Sotheby's presents on October 20 in London paintings by Morandi (£ 500 K) (SOLD 650 K£), Marini (£ 400 K) (SOLD 410 K£) and Burri (£ 700 K), (SOLD 780 K£) and sculptures by Marini (£ 500 K) (SOLD 530 K£ ; SOLD another one 770 K£) and Fontana (800 K £). (SOLD 1.05 M£) Results include fees.

A large oval painting on a black background from the series La Fine de Dio by Fontana is announced by Christie's for sale in London on October 19. The press release gives an estimate around £ 12 million (Lot 11). (SOLD 9 M£ including fees).

One of the four original oils on canvas of the Vampires by Munch is presented by Sotheby's in New York on November 3 ($ 35 million). (SOLD 38 M$ including fees). A 1909 Harlequin by Picasso is worth $ 30 million. (WITHDRAWN)

For the first time, Seoul Auction organizes a sale in Hong Kong, led by an oil on canvas by De Kooning (45 MHK $, 203 x 178 cm, lot 34). (SOLD 40 MHK$ before fees). A still life of Lichtenstein painted in 1972 has no estimate on the site of the auction house, but an indiscretion of Fortis gives the figure of 9 MUS $ (245 x 137 cm, lot 32). (SOLD 62 MHK$ before fees). It will happen on October 7.

Christie's begins to give details on their sales of November in New York. On November 6, the top works are signed Kandinsky ($ 15 million), (SOLD 17 M$ including fees), Gris ($ 12.5 million) (SOLD 21 M$ including fees) and Giacometti ($ 14 million). (SOLD 11.5 M$ including fees).

An oil on canvas by Anglada Camarasa is estimated € 1.5 million by Christie's in Madrid on October 2 (104 x 191 cm, lot 44). (UNSOLD).

Heffel present in Toronto on November 19 an oil on canvas made in 1951 by Riopelle (1 MCAN$, 127 x 164 cm). (SOLD 1.6 MCan$ including fees).

On October 20 in London, I noted in the sale of Italian art organized by Christie's an installation by Pino Pascali (£ 1.5 million) (UNSOLD) and an achrome by Piero Manzoni (£ 1.5 million). (SOLD 1.6 M£ including fees).

A blue abstract painting by Ad Reinhardt is estimated 1.75 million by Heritage. It will be in December in Dallas (December 12). (UNSOLD)

£ 5 million are expected for the unfinished portrait of Bacon by Freud, at Christie's in London on October 19. (SOLD 5.4 M£ including fees).

A sculpture by Degas, le Tub, is estimated $ 4 million at Sotheby's in New York on November 3. (SOLD 3.8 M$ including fees)

A pointillist painting by Luce, 74x91 cm, showing the port of Saint-Tropez, is estimated 500 K €, by Bretagne Enchères at Rennes on October 12. (SOLD 970 K€ before fees).

Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, NY, presents a dynamic Bronco Buster by Remington for 500 K$ (Lot 150, 81 cm) on September 27. (SOLD 660 K$ including fees).

Heffel announce for November 19 in Toronto a small painting by Tom Thomson (22x27 cm) showing shades of autumn (600 KCan $) (SOLD 940 KCan$ including fees).

The heartfelt lot of the week goes to a roaring lion, a work on paper by Xu Beihong for sale in Hong Kong at Sotheby's on October 6 (MHK $ 2.2). (SOLD 5.3 MHK$ including fees).

A very large mural of Tamayo dominates the sale of Sotheby's in New York on November 18 and 19 ($ 7 million). (SOLD 6.8 M$ including fees)

I had not yet spoken to Philip Guston. Here he is with an abstract painting estimated $ 4 million at Sotheby's in New York on November 11. (SOLD 10 M$ including fees).

The first important work of the sale of November 25 of MacDougall's in London has just appeared on their site. This is a view of Kiev by Klodt (900 K £). (UNSOLD)

K Auction in Seoul are preparing an important sale of modern art on September 8, with two paintings by Kim Whanki (1400 M won, lot 49; 180 million won, lot 48), but also a portrait of a woman by Renoir, 40x50 cm ( 1300 M won, lot 132) and a Calder mobile, 71 x 104 x 25 cm (680 million won, lot 148). Information found on Artnet.

In the sale of modern art in South Asia that Christie's makes in New York on September 16, important paintings are those of Tyeb Mehta ($ 600 K) (SOLD 900 K$ including fees) and Maqbool Fida Husain ($ 600 K). (SOLD 1M$ including fees).

At Deutscher and Hackett in Melbourne on 27 and 28 August, an oil on canvas by John Brack estimated 1.4 MA$ is considered important by the Australian press (81 x 146, lot 20). (SOLD 1.5 MA$ including fees).

A painting by the Korean Park Sookeoun is expected to $ 400 K at Christie's in New York on September 18. (SOLD 800 K$ including fees).

On September 19 in Zurich, Koller presents a large painting of Aivazovski (2 MCHF). (SOLD 2.2 MCHF before fees)

A landscape of Belle-Ile painted by the Australian impressionist John Russell during his stay in France is waiting for 1 MA$ at Bonhams & Goodman in Melbourne on August 26. (SOLD 1.3 MA$ before fees).

Jackson Hole Art Auction estimate 350 K $ the portrait of an Indian sitting between pottery wares and busy making an arrow. This is an oil on canvas by Eanger Irving Couse, 61 x 74 cm, for sale on September 20 in Jackson, Wyoming. (SOLD 300 K$). Dated 1976, a painting showing an Indian with two ponies by Howard Terpning, 76 x 86 cm, is estimated 400 K $. (SOLD 625 K$). (These results are probably before fees).

To complete my visit to Sotheby's Melbourne, here is lot 28 of the auction sale of August 25: the portrait in bust of an adventurer of the bush painted by Russell Drysdale (1.8 MA$, 111 x 86 cm). (SOLD 1.9 MA$ including fees).

There will be three major paintings by Boris Grigoriev at Sotheby's in New York on November 4. They are estimated $ 4 million (SOLD 3.2 M$ including fees), $ 2.5 million (SOLD 3.7 M$ including fees) and $ 600 K. (SOLD 1.1 M$ including fees).

For October 31 at Drouot, Aguttes announce in an ad in La Gazette de l'Hotel Drouot a nude by Vera Rockline, 92 x 74 cm. (SOLD 160 K€ including fees).

We will see on September 9 at Bonhams in Knightsbridge a painting by Pierneef showing baobab trees (£ 300 K) (SOLD 720 K£ before fees) and a very important group of works by Irma Stern, in the same price range. (SOLD before fees, 330 K£ a portrait and 300 K£ a still life).