Die Helfer by Neo Rauch sells for $980,378
Posted on Mar 7 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
The oil painting by Neo Rauch titled “Die Helfer” sold during Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction on February 12 for £623,650 ($980,378), over 2 times the pre-auction estimate.
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L’amore del mondo by Giorgio De Chirico sold for $902,500
Posted on Nov 10 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
On the same note as our previous post and because Christie’s and Sotheby’s like to have similar auctions at the same time, here is a pick from Christie’s recent “Impressionist Modern Sale” auction event on Nov 4 in New York
“L’amore del mondo” by Giorgio De Chirico – sold for $902,500
From the lot description:
“L’amore del mondo of 1960 is a reworking of an earlier painting entitled Le mauvais génie d’un roi of 1914-1915 and now in the collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Depicting almost identical scenes in which the details are executed skillfully and painstakingly, this work differs only from the earlier version in that de Chirico has introduced a mannequin, known as the troubadour, behind the vertical board which divides the composition asymmetrically, thought to be “originally inspired by a play written by de Chirico’s brother in which the main protagonist is a ‘man without voice, without eyes or face’” (On Classic Ground, exh. cat., Tate Gallery, London, 1990, p. 81). The troubadour was an important hallmark and recurring motif in his more carefully gauged and meditated compositions of later years. “Hiding” behind the board, the troubadour; “…is afraid of feeling in his back or his side the piercing arrow of a glance, even a benevolent one” (de Chirico quoted in de Chrico by de Chirico, exh. cat., The New York Cultural Centre, New York, 1972).L’amore del mondo is one of the great paintings in a series of “metaphysical” works where importance is given to the reallocation of reality and where the still life vocabulary is usually fantastic and based on intuition. De Chirico aimed to take commonplace objects and buildings out of their natural environment with the idea of suggesting a counter reality which would communicate with the subconscious mind. “The artist likes what reminds him of certain visions that he has in his mind and in his instincts, and which are his secret world that nobody can take away from him” (de Chirico quoted in op. cit.).
Underlying de Chirico’s philosophy of the metaphysical still-lifes was the writings of Nietzsche. In his complete works he writes: “Art is above all and first of all meant to embellish life, to make us to ourselves endurable… Hence art must conceal or transfigure everything that is ugly… A man who feels with himself a surplus of such powers of embellishment, concealment and transfiguration will finally seek to unburden himself of this surplus in works of art” (F. Nietzsche, Human, “All-Too-Human,” Part Two,” in Dr. O. Levy, ed., The Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche, New York, 1911, pp. 91-92).”
Two pieces of Tyeb Mehta sell at Christie’s South Asian and Modern Art auction in the million dollar range
Posted on Sep 27 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
Two paintings of Tyeb Mehta were bought in the million dollar range at Christie’s South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art event in New York on September 16.
Mahishasura – sold for $1,280,900
Two Figures – sold for $926,500
A sad actuality of this event is Tyeb Mehta recent passing on July 2, 2009. You can learn more about him on Wikipedia or through this editorial of the New York Times
Some/one by Do-Ho Suh sells for £493,250 ($810,410)
Posted on Jul 12 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
Made of stainless steel military dog tags Some/one by Do-Ho Suh sells for £493,250 ($810,410) at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction
Other top sellers include “Untitled” by Rudolf Stingel at £349,250 ($573,818) and “O Brinquedo” by Beatriz Milhazes at £277,250 ($455,522)
Vasilii Shukhaev’s painting – A Finnish Village Roofs – sells for $1,116,414
Posted on Jun 19 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
Vasilii Shukhaev’s painting – The Finnish Village – was sold for £690,850 ($1,116,414) in London during the “Russian art” auction event by Christie’s
“Ripley Street Ridge” by Californian painter Wayne Thiebaud sells for $1,022,500
Posted on May 21 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
Wayne Thiebaud’s painting titled “Ripley Street Ridge” was bought for $1,022,500 during Christie’s Post-War And Contemporary Art auction in New York on May 14. I for one love this painting a lot. As the lot note describes it well, Thiebaud captures something very uniquely Californian so well on this painting. And it’s more than the obvious, the landscape and lights.
A rare Patek Philippe 18K pink gold wristwatch sold for $1,751,218
Posted on May 13 - Filed Under Jewelry | View Comments
During Christie’s Important Watches auction in Geneva on May 11, the highest price of CHF1,935,800 ($1,751,218) was paid for the rare Patek Philippe wristwatch (pictured above). Another Patek Philippe came in sencond with CHF1,891,000 ($1,710,690) including buyer’s premium.
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A Diamond Pendant by Harry Winston
Posted on Apr 25 - Filed Under Jewelry | View Comments
It was all about diamonds this time at Christie’s and Sotheby’s jewelry auction events on the 22nd and 23rd of April (respectively).
Christie’s produced a few million-dollar sales including a diamond pendant by Harry Winston that was sold for $986,500 including buyer’s premium. See below:
Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé collection breaks records at Christie’s
Posted on Feb 27 - Filed Under Antiquities, Arts | View Comments
One of the most anticipated art sale events this year so far was the week long viewing exhibition and auction of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé. This stunning collection of antiquities, modern and decorative arts, interior designs, sculptures and everything in between and beyond was collected by the two men during a period of 50 years and now auctioned off by Christie’s and Pierre Bergé Associates in Paris. This Legendary Collection – as Pierre Bergé said – is a piece of art itself. Yves Saint Laurent noted – “Pierre Bergé and I wished for our selection to reflect our favourite pieces and for it to evolve with them, quality being the only criterion to guide us.”
The auction raised a total of €373,935,500 ($483,835,144), which is the world record sum for a private collection sold at auction. The nearly half a billion dollars will benefit the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and a new foundation with the purpose of supporting scientific research and the fight against AIDS. Many blogs and news outlets covered the record breaking sales and some of the controversies, so we decided to include some of the lots with million-dollar hammer prices, categorized according to Christie’s lots.
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Contemporary art million-dollar sales: Warhol, Fanzhi, Dubuffet
Posted on Feb 20 - Filed Under Arts | View Comments
Recent million dollar contemporary art sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s
As usual, the competing auction houses were running similar events around the same time. February 5, London, New Bond Street and February 11, London, King Street respectively.
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