Christie's Impressionist
and Modern Art Evening Sale held on May 6, 2009 in New Yorkachieved a
total of $102,767,000 (£68,511,333 /€77,268,421) for paintings and sculpture with
top lots from Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Tamara de Lempicka
commanding the highest prices.
A new world auction record was set for Tamara de Lempicka's
Portrait de Madame M. from 1932 for $6,130,500.
Marc Porter, President of Christie's Americas, stated “Tonight's sale demonstrated that auction is very
much the arena in which to sell works that are fresh to the market. Collectors
remain hungry for high-quality works that are reasonably estimated and finely
presented. Estate collections performed particularly well, especially those
belonging to Caral Gimbel Lebworth and Evelyn Annenberg Jaffe Hall as well as
other works with distinguished provenance including Julian Schnabel's Femme au chapeau by Pablo
Picasso.”
Pablo Picasso's late period Mousquetaire à la pipe from 1968 was the top lot of the evening, selling for $14,642,500 million.
The vivid, full-length image portrays the artist in one of his favorite guises:
the brave and adventurous musketeer with long, wavy hair, clad in doublets and
ruffled collars. The second highest lot for the evening, equally vivid in
palette, was Picasso's late period Femme
au chapeau from1971 which fetched $7,754,500. This
iconic portrait was hand-selected by Picasso for inclusion in his second solo
exhibition at the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France and had been a centrepiece
in the private collection of the artist and Oscar-nominated film director
Julian Schnabel since 1989.
Works of high quality and prestigious provenance performed
exceptionally well. In keeping with Christie's recent strong sales for Alberto Giacometti's
sculptures – including a world auction record set in May 2008 for Grande femme debout II – the artist's Buste de Diego (Stele
III), a rare full-size bronze bust
balanced on a tall, narrow plinth, sold for $7,698,500. This work was fresh to
the market, having been acquired by the Gimbel family in 1959, the year after
it was cast. The two other works offered from this collection also performed
well. Matisse's Nu à la serviette
blanche, an early figure painting that
captures the artist at a moment of bold innovation fetched $3,218,500, along with
a unique study by Joan Miró.
The seductive Portrait
de Madame M. by Tamara de Lempicka
set a new world auction record for the artist when it sold for $6,130,500. As
one of the last of the large portraits Lempicka completed on a commission
basis, Portrait de Madame M. is an exquisite swan song. A second work by the artist, La Chemise Rose I from circa 1927, achieved $3,218,500. Another top lot of the evening
was an exceedingly rare Odalyske by the Russian-born painter Alexej von Jawlensky, which
achieved $5,122,500. A sublime work by Paul Gauguin, Nature morte aux tomates from 1883 exceeded its high estimate and sold for $2,882,500.
Strong prices were achieved for works on paper by Egon
Schiele. The artist's Wieblicher torso in unterwäsche und schwarzen strümpfen from 1917, one in a series
of studies of a young red-headed model achieved $602,500; and Liegende
from 1918, a reclining figure drawn with great economy of line in black
crayon on paper, soared above its estimate of $200,000-300,000, selling for
$746,500.
Christie's Impressionist
and Modern Art Evening Sale held on May 6, 2009 in New Yorkachieved a
total of $102,767,000 (£68,511,333 /€77,268,421) for paintings and sculpture with
top lots from Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Tamara de Lempicka
commanding the highest prices.
A new world auction record was set for Tamara de Lempicka's
Portrait de Madame M. from 1932 for $6,130,500.
Marc Porter, President of Christie's Americas, stated “Tonight's sale demonstrated that auction is very
much the arena in which to sell works that are fresh to the market. Collectors
remain hungry for high-quality works that are reasonably estimated and finely
presented. Estate collections performed particularly well, especially those
belonging to Caral Gimbel Lebworth and Evelyn Annenberg Jaffe Hall as well as
other works with distinguished provenance including Julian Schnabel's Femme au chapeau by Pablo
Picasso.”
Pablo Picasso's late period Mousquetaire à la pipe from 1968 was the top lot of the evening, selling for $14,642,500 million.
The vivid, full-length image portrays the artist in one of his favorite guises:
the brave and adventurous musketeer with long, wavy hair, clad in doublets and
ruffled collars. The second highest lot for the evening, equally vivid in
palette, was Picasso's late period Femme
au chapeau from1971 which fetched $7,754,500. This
iconic portrait was hand-selected by Picasso for inclusion in his second solo
exhibition at the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France and had been a centrepiece
in the private collection of the artist and Oscar-nominated film director
Julian Schnabel since 1989.
Works of high quality and prestigious provenance performed
exceptionally well. In keeping with Christie's recent strong sales for Alberto Giacometti's
sculptures – including a world auction record set in May 2008 for Grande femme debout II – the artist's Buste de Diego (Stele
III), a rare full-size bronze bust
balanced on a tall, narrow plinth, sold for $7,698,500. This work was fresh to
the market, having been acquired by the Gimbel family in 1959, the year after
it was cast. The two other works offered from this collection also performed
well. Matisse's Nu à la serviette
blanche, an early figure painting that
captures the artist at a moment of bold innovation fetched $3,218,500, along with
a unique study by Joan Miró.
The seductive Portrait
de Madame M. by Tamara de Lempicka
set a new world auction record for the artist when it sold for $6,130,500. As
one of the last of the large portraits Lempicka completed on a commission
basis, Portrait de Madame M. is an exquisite swan song. A second work by the artist, La Chemise Rose I from circa 1927, achieved $3,218,500. Another top lot of the evening
was an exceedingly rare Odalyske by the Russian-born painter Alexej von Jawlensky, which
achieved $5,122,500. A sublime work by Paul Gauguin, Nature morte aux tomates from 1883 exceeded its high estimate and sold for $2,882,500.
Strong prices were achieved for works on paper by Egon
Schiele. The artist's Wieblicher torso in unterwäsche und schwarzen strümpfen from 1917, one in a series
of studies of a young red-headed model achieved $602,500; and Liegende
from 1918, a reclining figure drawn with great economy of line in black
crayon on paper, soared above its estimate of $200,000-300,000, selling for
$746,500.
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