Record auctions in London: Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips | EUROtoday

The public sale rooms have been packed on the Evening Sales of recent and up to date artwork in London. How would the market react to the worsening world political state of affairs? During this system, the auctioneers performed it secure and targeted on artwork from the twentieth century in addition to gadgets recent from the market from famend non-public collections. Sotheby’s fully averted works by younger contemporaries, and even the Phillips firm, which specializes on this market phase, solely provided a couple of. However, the focused whole gross sales have been constantly nicely above these of spring 2025.

At Sotheby’s, the workforce continues to work additional laborious after workers cuts. The public sale collection kicked off with the “Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction” and generated gross sales of 131 million kilos. All 53 tons have been offered – a “white glove sale”. In order to have the ability to report so successful, two tons that had initially remained unsold have been later provided once more at a decrease reserve value. Some consignors have been additionally prepared to just accept bids beneath the said estimate.

A wall work by El Anatsui, estimated at between £800,000 and £1.2 million, offered for £580,000. The star lot of the night, nevertheless, far exceeded the worth: “Children’s Swimming Pool, 11 o’clock Saturday Morning, August” by the London painter Leon Kossoff, painted in 1969. It is one in all solely 5 giant footage wherein the artist depicted his native swimming pool, and one in all two remaining in non-public fingers. Conservatively estimated at £600,000 to £800,000, it offered to applause at simply £4.2 million. Kossoff’s file stood at £1.38 million as of 2018. The work got here from the gathering of entrepreneur Joe Lewis, who was born in London in 1937 and whose household belief majority owns the Tottenham Hotspur soccer membership. Last yr, Donald Trump pardoned him after a conviction for insider inventory buying and selling.

The public sale’s high tons additionally got here from the Lewis Collection: a small “Self-Portrait” (estimate eight to 12 million kilos) by Francis Bacon, which reached 13.5 million kilos, in addition to two work by Lucian Freud, together with “Blond Girl on a Bed,” which offered for the decrease estimate of six million. The 5 works by Lucio Fontana submitted from a group within the German Rhineland additionally discovered consumers. For a black and inexperienced “Concetto Spaziale” (8.5/12 million), a girl within the corridor provided 8.1 million. Anselm Kiefer’s work is reminiscent of the present conflicts: “For Velimir Chlebnikov: Theory of War: Sea Battles” (400,000/600,000). An on-line bidder accepted £1.1 million for it.

The following afternoon, the highest lot within the “Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale” at Phillips didn’t spark the bidding struggle that had been hoped for: “Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table” (1.5/2 million kilos) by Vilhelm Hammershøi from 1900 was offered at 1.3 million kilos. It got here from the gathering of former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark John L. Loeb Jr., as did Hammershøi’s depiction of a church that remained unsold.

“Young Girl Reading a Letter” (30,000/50,000) by the Danish painter Anna Ancher, who died in 1935, fared higher, and her exhibition at London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery is simply ending, with a hammer value of 120,000 kilos. Military helicopters with pink bows by Banksy, “Happy Choppers”, offered for 1.2 million, in response to tax. Still an excellent deal: The consignor took the work from the gathering of actor Robin Williams at Sotheby’s in New York in 2018 and paid a premium of $735,000. In whole, Phillips turned over 12.6 million kilos with 23 of 27 tons.

Christie’s started its collection of three night auctions within the expensively refurbished corridor with a brand new rostrum, large display, high-tech lighting and advertising video. But the public sale consequence spoke for itself: whole gross sales rose to a formidable 197.4 million kilos. This is a rise of 52 % in comparison with the earlier yr. 89 of 98 tons on provide have been offered. Bastienne Leuthe, who has simply moved to Christie’s as worldwide director of post-war and up to date artwork after twenty years at Sotheby’s, defined: “The evening auctions presented works of museum quality, distinguished by their rarity and provenance, and offered at reasonable prices.”

One of probably the most sought-after works at Christie’s “20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale” was Henry Moore’s 164 centimeter excessive bronze “King and Queen” (10/15 million), the one instance nonetheless in non-public fingers. The hammer fell at 22.5 million – a world file. The work thus left behind the image “Le Rond Rouge” by Wassily Kandinsky, which had entered the race as the highest lot and which in all probability went to the guarantor on the cheaper price of 10.5 million. Gerhard Richter’s “Schober (Haybarn)” was offered barely above the decrease estimate for six.9 million kilos.

Christie’s “The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale” raised £42.9 million. There have been 5 bidders within the room competing for a “Peinture” by Joan Miró (1.5/2.5 million) from the Renker Collection, which was offered for 3.9 million kilos. René Magritte’s high lot “Les grâces naturelles” offered for the cheaper price of seven million. Dorothea Tanning set a world file together with her small portray “Children’s Games” (1/2 million) from 1942, previously within the assortment of Gypsy Rose Lee. It rose to £3.8 million.

The finale was 31 tons from the gathering of Roger and Josette Vanthournout, with gross sales of £40.3 million. Only one Magritte discovered no taker. The shock was Man Ray’s erotic {photograph} “La prière” (50,000/70,000), taken in 1930 and printed in 1971 in an version of seven copies. The hammer was solely awarded at 320,000 kilos.