Sotheby’s to Offer the Rochefoucauld Grail: Witness of the Legend of King Arthur

LONDON.- It is the greatest romance of chivalry produced in the Middle Ages, and its themes of friendship, treachery, ambition, achievement and star-crossed tragic lovers form the foundations of much of our modern literature. The stories of the quest for the Holy Grail, of the Lady of the Lake, of King Arthur and his court at Camelot, and of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, captured the imaginations of generations to come, and have inspired some of the best-selling novels of [...]

Exceptional Group of Modern and Contemporary Artworks on Offer at artnet Auctions

NEW YORK, NY.- artnet Auctions offers continuous online auctions of fine art, prints and photographs. There is currently an outstanding collection by leading contemporary artists like Christo, Robert Graham, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and others on offer. Untitled (Inverted Crucifix), 1984, by Keith Haring is the top lot in the sale. This 60 x 60 inch painting in day-glo orange acrylic is offered in pristine condition for the serious collector (estimate: $850,000-$1,200,000). Other contemporary highlights include a blackboard painting by [...]

Sale of Modern and Contemporary Turkish Art at Antik A.S. in Istanbul Totals $ 10.2 Million

ISTANBUL.- At Antik A.S. in Istanbul, the sale of Modern and Contemporary Turkish Art totals of $10,230,000 within the presale estimate of $7.2 million. Competition was fierce for many of the top lots, with multiple bidders participating. This resulted in more than 94% of the lots achieving prices at or above their starting prices. Mubin Orhon’s monumental masterpiece dated 1962 was the top-selling lot in the sale, brought a remarkable 965,000 USD. It exceeded pre-sale estimation of 500,000 – 700,000 USD. [...]

Pop! Christie’s Sets New World Auction Record for Lichtenstein Achieving $42.6 Million

NEW YORK, NY.- The Evening Sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art realized $272,873,000/£169,181,260 /€199,197,290, selling 93% by lot and 92% by value. The sale had a pre-sale estimate of $239.2 to $348.6 million with 75 lots. Buyer geography by lot was 63% American, 20% European, 4% Asian, and 13% other. Marc Porter, Chairman of Christie’s Americas, commented: “We welcomed an enthusiastic response from the global collecting community this evening, giving Christie’s the week’s highest total for Post-War and Contemporary Art evening [...]

Andy Warhol’s “Men in Her Life” Sells for Over $63,000,000 at Phillips de Pury & Company Sale

NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips de Pury & Company demonstrated renewed strength in the market delivering exceptional results this evening in the biggest ever sale of the company which totaled $137,028,00. The groundbreaking inaugural auction at 450 Park Avenue comprised 59 lots selling 92.08% by value and 88.14% by lot. Electric bidding in the room and on the telephones for Andy Warhol’s Men in Her Life, 1962, which sold for an outstanding $63,362,500. World records broken for Felix Gonzalez Torres “Untitled” [...]

Sotheby’s Announces Sales of Russian Paintings, Icons, Fabergé and Works of Art

LONDON.- In the wake of the healthy sum of £22.3 million achieved for Sotheby’s Sales of Russian Art this Summer, the forthcoming London auctions in this category will feature a broad selection of highly desirable 19th and 20th century Russian paintings, works of art, Fabergé and icons, which are set to generate great excitement among the collecting community. Russian Paintings Part I and Russian Paintings Part II will take place on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 and Russian Works of Art, Fabergé [...]

Christie’s Expects to Sell “Ordination” by Nicolas Poussin for £15 to £20 Million

NEW YORK, NY.- On 7 December 2010 in London, Christie’s will offer a masterpiece from one of the most celebrated groups of paintings in European history. Ordination by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) will highlight the Old Masters and 19th Century Art Evening Sale where it will be presented for sale for the first time in over 225 years by the Trustees of the Belvoir Estate. It is expected to realise £15 million to £20 million. Richard Knight, International Co-Head of Old Masters [...]

Schiele’s ‘Procession’ Sells for euro4.4 Million at im Kinsky Kunst Auktionen GmbH Auction House

VIENNA (AP).- A painting by Egon Schiele sold for euro4.4 million ($6.1 million) on Tuesday, a sizable sum but below estimates of its worth. “Procession” depicts three women in different stages of their lives and dates back to 1911, when the Austrian artist — known for his sexually provocative pictures — was just 21 years old. It belonged to an unidentified American art collector and was valued between euro3.5 million ($4.8 million) and euro7 million ($9.6 million) in the run-up [...]

Sotheby’s to Offer For Sale The Celebrated Collection of Stuart Cary Welch

LONDON.- Sotheby’s announced that in 2011 it will offer for sale the outstanding and scholarly collection of Islamic and Indian Art assembled by the late Stuart Cary Welch. This celebrated collection, which is estimated to realise in excess of £6 million, will be offered in London in two parts: Part I. The Stuart Cary Welch Collection: Arts of the Islamic World in April 2011, and Part II. The Stuart Cary Welch Collection: Arts of India in May 2011. Discussing the [...]

Christie’s Hong Kong Presents Masterpieces of Chinese 20th Century Art in November

HONG KONG.- Christie’s announced the Evening and Day Sales of Chinese 20th Century Art will be held on 27-28 November at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Together with the Asian contemporary art sales, over 450 highly sought-after pieces will be offered with a combined pre-sale estimate of HK$300 million (US$38 million). The market for Chinese 20th century is among the most robust. With strong prices and record results seen in Christie’s recent sales and a growing global appeal, [...]

MacDougall’s Announces Top Lots of Its Russian Art Auctions to Be Held in December

LONDON.- MacDougall’s Russian Art Auctions in London on 1-2 December 2010 will present a superb selection of significant works by important Russian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Natalia Goncharova, Robert Falk, Petr Konchalovsky, Nicholas Roerich, Ilya Repin, Ivan Shishkin and Ivan Aivazovsky. In total the three sales consist of over 600 lots, with a total estimate of over £17 million. Catherine MacDougall, Director, comments: “I believe the current auctions represent Russian art truly well: from Icons to [...]

Fifteen Classic Prints by Eugène Atget and Weston/Modotti Mexico Ensemble at Sotheby’s

PARIS.- On 19 November 2010, Sotheby’s Paris will offer for sale an exceptional ensemble of photographs by leading masters of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. This third photography sale in Paris, scheduled to coincide with the Paris Photo fair, demonstrates Sotheby’s committed presence on the Parisian, European and international market. 19TH & EARLY 20TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY The sale includes a superb selection of 152 works covering the history of photography, from vintage to contemporary, beginning with an extraordinary salt-paper print [...]

Property from the Portland Collection to Be Offered at Christie’s in November

LONDON.- Christie’s announce an historic opportunity for connoisseurs around the globe in late November and early December, when a magnificent selection of jewellery, Fabergé, old master paintings and sculpture will be offered from collections of the Dukes of Portland, in a series of auctions in London. 22 lots will be showcased in four auctions over two weeks: Russian Art on Tuesday 29 November; Jewels: The London Sale on Wednesday 1st December; Old Masters & 19th Century Art on Tuesday 7th [...]

Large-Scale Museum-Quality Asian Contemporary Art Leads Christie’s Fall Sales in November

HONG KONG.- Christie’s Evening and Day sales of Asian Contemporary Art on 27 and 28 November in Hong Kong will bring together the dynamic worlds of contemporary art from China, Japan and Korea. Christie’s continues to offer a platform showcasing the best in Asian contemporary and Chinese 20th Century art, and this season will present over 450 works with a pre-sale estimate in excess of HK$300 million (US$38 million) across three sales. Diverse in subject matter, styles and techniques, and [...]

Christie’s Presents the Landmark Lowry Sale from the Collection of Selwyn Demmy

LONDON.- Christie’s presents the landmark sale of 21 works by the iconic British artist Laurence Stephen Lowry, R..A. (1887-1976) to be offered at auction on Thursday 11 November 2010 from the private collection of Selwyn Demmy (b. 1932), renowned bookmaking magnate, boxing organiser and club owner. Only the very best collections illustrate, as this one does, the true breadth and depth of a single artist’s oeuvre. Comprising drawings and paintings which span the 1920s to the 1960s, this Lowry collection [...]