“Untitled” – an installation by Cuban-American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres comprising small, individually wrapped green sweets – sold for $7.67 million, Christie’s said. It set a world auction record for Gonzalez-Torres. The Picasso remains the highest sum ever paid for an artwork at auction.
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Christie’s held Tuesday auction of postwar and modern art that also incorporated amongst the performs bronze sculpture of Louis Bourgeois Spider (Spider), which offered for $ 28 million last price tag, under the 35 professionals estimated. Particularly telling was the fact that at $32 million, he immediately began announcing that it was “selling at” that level, which, being far below the low estimate, suggested that he knew there was not enough demand to get it closer to $40 million. With premium, the final price was $36 million. The work came from the estate of Arthur and Anita Kahn which brought a total $47 million.
“Nurse”, a painting by Roy Lichtenstein not seen on the market for 20 years, sold for $95.3 million Monday night, nearly doubling the previous auction record for the pop artist of $56 million.
“I tried for two things”, the dealer said later.
“Four Marilyns” by Andy Warhol. “The cadmium orange of the canvas” background defines Monroe’s halo of golden hair and the pink tones of her complexion. Christie’s evidently believed that price was too low, and guaranteed the seller an undisclosed amount in excess of what it made tonight for the chance to reoffer it. Called simply “The Brigadier” in honor of Parker-Bowles’ career in the British Army, it was the runner-up lot in the evening sale of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s.
Notable: Part of Wool’s text-based series of paintings.
Lucian Freud was represented by a large-scale seated portrait, more Old Master in appearance than contemporary. “The Brigadier” from 2003-04 sold to a telephone bidder for $34,885,000 (unpublished estimate in the region of $30 million). London dealer Pilar Ordovas appeared to be the underbidder.
Christie’s continued on its winning streak Tuesday night with a $331.8 million sale of post-war and contemporary art, just a day after it sold a Modigliani nude portrait for a record-shattering $170.4 million. It was guaranteed, along with other offerings from the late collector and financier Damon Mezzacappa. Here, a bright Balloon Swan (2004-2011) was offered on an estimate of $15 million to $25 million, but fell a bit short, taking a premium-inclusive $14.7 million.
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Apart from Mezzacappa, a number of solid works covering America’s great Abstract Expressionist era were on offer, including Helen Frankenthaler’s widely exhibited “Las Mayas” from 1958 (painted in homage to the Goya masterpiece to which its title referred).
