“The evening was distinguished by the depth and intensity of trading” – Kommersant FM
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Kommersant FM columnist Dmitry Butkevich talks about the main lots at Christie’s, including the paintings “Pool with Nymphaeans” by Claude Monet and “Figure in Motion” by Francis Bacon.
Christie’s held the 20/21 auction in New York. The marathon two-hour sale of 63 lots brought in $640.8 million. It was the last sale in a 38-year career conducted by Christie’s chief auctioneer Jussi Peltonen. Six world records were set for individual authors. The evening was distinguished by the depth and intensity of bidding both in the auction room and by telephone.
Christie’s auction was led by Claude Monet’s “Pool with Nymphaeans” (circa 1917-1919), measuring more than 2 meters on the large side. In just over a minute of bidding, it went to the telephone bidder for $74 million. The second-biggest sale of the evening ($52.2 million) was Francis Bacon’s 1976 Figure in Motion. The painting is believed to be part of a group of works painted after the death of the artist’s friend George Dyer in 1971. The competition also lasted about a minute.
Among other lots put up for auction and setting records was a painting by Californian artist Richard Diebenkorn, “Memories of a Visit to Leningrad” (1965). It testifies to the deep influence on Diebenkorn’s work of the works of Henri Matisse, which he saw in large quantities during a trip to the Soviet Union. From a low estimate of $25 million, the price of the painting rose to $46.4 million.
Another serious record was set by Arshile Gorky’s “Charred Lover I” (1946), painted shortly after a fire in the artist’s house, in which he lost about 20 paintings. The work was sold for $23.4 million. Gorka’s previous record of $14 million was in 2018.
Well, Mark Rothko’s painting “Untitled (Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Light Orange)” from 1955, which went for $46.4 million including fees. By the way, this work was recently offered at Art Basel for $60 million. And, of course, Picasso, whose “Sleeping Girl” – a portrait of Marie-Thérèse Walter – went for $43 million. Also, records were set by works by Fernando Botero, Joan Mitchell, and Barbara Hepworth.
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