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Christie's second edition of 20th Century sales week, held during FIAC, was a celebration of Modern, Post-War and Contemporary art and demonstrated a strong position in Paris, realizing a combined total of €88,5M. The week started on a high point with the sale of Grande Femme II by Alberto Giacometti which sold for an impressive €25 millionin the curated Paris Avant-Garde sale which totaled €38,66 million. The Modern art auction followed the next day with 73 lots sold for a strong €10,3 million. The exceptional Prat collection closed this flagship week of sales with the remarkable Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting which sold for €15 million bringing the grand total for this collection to €39,554,613 selling 91,5% by lot and 98% by value.  Christie's Global President, Jussi Pylkkänen, selling the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting for €15M, becoming the most expensive painting sold in France in 2017

PARIS AVANT-GARDE – Thursday 19 October

Christie's France's President, François de Ricqlès, held the hammer in a packed room selling 27 lots to international buyers from 12 countries. The highly expected Grande Femme II by Alberto Giacometti became the most expensive work of art sold in France in 2017 achieving an impressive €24,907,750.    The first edition of Facile by Paul Eluard and Man Ray was sold for €823,500 to Jean-Baptiste de Proyart bidding in the room on behalf of a private client, establishing a new auction record for any 20th century French editioned book. A world auction record was achieved for Claude Cahun's photograph that sold for €223,500 against a pre-sale estimate of €100,000-150,000.

 Jean Dubuffet was well represented in the sale with two drawings and an exceptional painting from the Hourloupe series, executed in 1964, which was acquired by international collector Mr. Samir Traboulsi for €1,927,500.  A strong result was also realized for Through the Dusk (Homage to the square) by Josef Albers which sold for €631,500, three times its presale estimate, and the mobile sculpture by Alexander Calder from the personal collection of Tal Coat was sold for €1,327,500 while Sonia Delaunay's oil on canvas created in 1913 and originally from the Bing gallery which was sold for €1,567,500”.

ART MODERNE – Friday 20 October

20th Century at Christie's Paris continued on Friday afternoon with the Modern Art sale which realized a total of €10,365,250. This strong result demonstrated a continued global interest for modern artists, in particular Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger and James Ensor, whose Nature morte au Magot-Chinoiseries, étoffes sold for €2,167,500 against a presale estimate of €700,000-1,000,000 while Moise Kisling's Selfportrait executed in 1912 was sold five times its presale estimate at €487,500”.

REGARDS CROISÉS, COLLECTION JEAN-FRANCOIS & MARIE-ALINE PRAT – Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October

Christie's exceptional week of sales ended with the superb collection of Jean-François and Marie-Aline Prat which totaled 39,554,613 for 172 lots sold in two days.  The evening sale offered 35 lots including the stunning Jean-Basquiat's Jim Crow painting which achieved €15M. Christie's Global President Jussi Pylkkänen, who came to Paris to be the auctioneer for this sale, sold the painting to a successful telephone bidder after a 10-minute bidding battle between two telephone bidders and another in the room. With this monumental painting, Christie's established a new French auction record for a work of art by the American artist. 

In addition to the success of the Basquiat painting, French auction records were also established during the evening sale for three further artists including Jean Dubuffet with Les Versatiles which sold for an impressive €5,557,500, against a presale estimate of €3,500,000-4,500,000, Lucio Fontana with Concetto spatiale, Attese selling for €4,207,500 after a long bidding battle and Sigmar Polke with his highly anticipated Was machen die Russen in Mexiko which realised €3,532,500.  The whole collection, across both evening and day sales, saw strong bidding in the room, on the telephones and online with Simon Hantaï's oil on canvas selling to a Christie's Live bidder for €247,500 (lot 2).

The day sale which took place on Saturday 21 October totalled €3,068,613 and saw strong interest for French contemporary artists such as Bertrand Lavier, Robert Combas, Claude Viallat, François Morellet and Bernar Venet whose 2 Arcs de 235,5° fetched €68,750 against a presale estimate of €25,000-35,000.