RESULTS: Highest Total Realised for a Week of Post-War and Contemporary Art in Europe £179,609,000 / $235,144,681 / € 200,751,424
London – Christie’s Frieze Week auctions in London concluded on Saturday 7 October with a record-breaking total of £179,609,250 / $235,144,681 / € 200,751,424*, the highest figure ever achieved for a week of Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions in Europe. The highest figure for an evening of Post-War and Contemporary Art in Europe was reached at Christie’s on Friday 6 October, which achieved £134,076,500 / $175,237,986 / €149,629,374*. Records were set across the week with 17 artist records seen for some of the most celebrated and sought-after names in contemporary art including Antony Gormley, Grayson Perry, Howard Hodgkin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Hurvin Anderson. The week was led by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Red Skull (1982) which achieved a figure of £16,546,250 / $21,625,950 / €18,465,616, with proceeds of the sale benefitting KIPP New Jersey Schools. The Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction achieved a total of £23,548,250 / $30,777,564 / €26,279,848 against a pre-sale estimate of £14,847,600 with sell-through rates of 83% by lot and 95% by value. The five top prices of the week, across all auction houses, were realised at Christie’s clearly demonstrating the success of the shift in auction calendar dates pioneered by Christie’s this year.
Francis Outred Chairman and Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Christie’s EMERI: “The strength of the market was proven this week with the record set for the largest total for a single week of sales and a single evening of sales of Post-War and Contemporary Art in Europe. We were delighted by the volume of visitors to Christie’s, with over 20,000 people coming to appreciate the quality, diversity and innovation that we brought to the sales this week. We are proud to set artist records for some of the most celebrated names, including Robert Mapplethorpe, Howard Hodgkin, Grayson Perry, Michelangelo Pistoletto and David Salle. The massive international presence we’ve seen in London and the appeal of Frieze Week around the globe demonstrates the success of our strategy to make this week a focal point of the calendar.”
The week launched with an energetic start on Tuesday 3 October with two specially curated sales, ‘Masterpieces of Design and Photography’, which achieved £7,452,500 / $9,874,563 / €8,421,325 while ‘Up Close’ totalled £14,531,750 / $19,254,569 / €16,420,878, with strong sell-through rates throughout. Standout results for ‘Masterpieces of Design and Photography’ included a new record for Robert Mapplethorpe’s Self Portrait, with Christie’s now holding the top three prices for his work, while Marc Newson’s A Lockheed Lounge was the top work of the evening (£1,568,750 / $2,078,594 / €1,772,687). More notable results were seen for Andreas Gursky, Carlo Mollino, Helmut Newton and Thomas Struth. ‘Up Close’ was led by a quadruple estimate figure of £3,488,750 / $4,622,594 / €3,942,287 for Giacometti’s Apollon, from the Tàpies collection, alongside one of Andy Warhol’s early silkscreens, with Coke Bottle selling for £1,928,750 / $2,555,594 / €2,179,487. The depth of bidding ably demonstrating the irresistible allure of masterpieces on a small scale.
The week continued on Friday 6 October with the ‘Post-War and Contemporary Art’ and ‘Thinking Italian’ Evening Auctions which realised the second highest figure for an evening of Post-War and Contemporary Art in Europe. In a highlight of the evening Antony Gormley’s monumental, Case for an Angel I was bought for a record breaking figure of £5,296,250 / $ 6,922,199 / €5,910,615, by Yusaku Maezawa. More stand out moments included Howard Hodgkin’s record breaking Goodbye to the Bay of Naples which sold for £1,688,750 / $2,207,196 / €1,884,645, more than double its high estimate of £600,000 and Turner Prize nominee Hurvin Anderson’s Country Club: Chicken Wire, which realised a world auction record of £2,648,750 / $3,461,916 / €2,956,005. Francis Bacon’s Head with Raised Arm was unseen in public for 45 years prior to the auction and sold over estimate for £11,483,750 / $15,009,262 / €12,815,866. An early painting by Peter Doig, Camp Forestia (£15,421,250 / $20,155,575 / €17,210,116) was also a highlight. The starring work of ‘Thinking Italian’ was Fontana’s Concetto spaziale, In piazza San Marco di notte con Teresita, which was the highest figure realised for a work of the ‘Venezie’ series and saw records for Michelangelo Pistoletto’s portrait of Arte Povera artist Alighiero Boetti titled Uomo che guarda un negativo (Man Looking at a Negative) and Franco Angeli.
The week concluded on Saturday 7 October with the ‘Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction’, which realised a headline figure of £23,548,250 / $30,777,564 / €26,279,848. Grayson Perry’s I Want To Be An Artist (1996) achieved a price of £632,750 / $827,004 / €706,149, tripling the artist record that had only been set the evening before. Leading the auction Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (1986) saw a stand out price of £2,648,750 / $3,461,916 / €2,956,005 and demonstrated the depth of bidding for artists across each of the auctions throughout this key London season.
FRIEZE WEEK IN NUMBERS
Total sales: £179,609,000 / $235,144,681 / € 200,751,424*
17 Artist Records
Over 20,000 visitors to Christie’s King Street
Top five prices of the week achieved at Christie’s
PWC Evening Sale year on year increase – 198%
Thinking Italian year on year increase – 72%
Combined Evening year on year increase – 153%
Combined week total year on year increase – 95%
ARTIST RECORDS
MASTERPIECES OF DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Sale number: 15781
Lot 12
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE (1946-1989)
Self-Portrait
platinum print
signed by Michael Ward Stout, Executor, the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe, date of signature, titled, dated, numbered and copyright credit in pencil ‘Michael Ward Stout/Executor the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe, January 11, 1996 Self Portrait, 1988 3/3 AP-P1860 The Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe’ (verso)
image: 23 x 19 in. (58.3 x 48.2 cm.)
sheet: 26¾ x 22¼ in. (68 x 55.5 cm.)
Photographed and printed in 1988, this work is number three from an edition of three plus one artist's proof
Other platinum prints from the edition are in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles and the Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York.
Estimate: £300,000 – 500,000
Price realised: £548,750 / $727,094 / €620,087
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST
Previous record
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
Andy Warhol
Medium platinum print w/silk panels
Year of Work 1987
Size Height 42 in.; Width 42 in. / Height 106.7 cm.; Width 106.7 cm.
Edition unique
Sale of Christie's New York: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 [Lot 00044]
Photographs
Estimate 200,000 - 300,000 USD
Sold For 643,200 USD Premium
POST WAR & CONTEMPORARY ART EVENING AUCTION
Sale no: 14442
Lot 1
GRAYSON PERRY (B. 1960)
Saint Claire 37 wanks across Northern Spain
glazed earthenware
33 x 22 x 22in. (84 x 56 x 56cm.)
Executed in 2003
Estimate: £80,000 – 120,000
Sold for: £200,000 / $261,400 / €223,200
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
GRAYSON PERRY
Map of Truths and Beliefs, 2011
wool and cotton tapestry
Sotheby's London: Thursday, March 9, 2017 [Lot 00236]
Contemporary Art Day Auction
Estimate 80,000 - 120,000 GBP (97,311 - 145,967 USD)
Sold For 118,750 GBP Premium (144,447 USD)
Lot 3
HOWARD HODGKIN (1932-2017)
Goodbye to the Bay of Naples
oil on wood
22 x 26 3/8in. (55.9 x 66.9cm.)
Executed in 1980-1982
Estimate: £400,000 – 600,000
Sold for: £1,688,750 / $2,207,196 / €1,884,645
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
HOWARD HODGKIN
In the Green Room, 1984-1986
oil on wood
Christie's London: Wednesday, February 11, 2015 [Lot 00020]
Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction
Estimate 550,000 - 750,000 GBP (837,648 - 1,142,248 USD)
Sold For 1,202,500 GBP Premium (1,831,404 USD)
Lot 7
DAVID SALLE (B. 1952)
Mingus in Mexico
signed, titled and dated ‘David Salle 1990 “Mingus in Mexico”’ (on the reverse)
oil and acrylic on canvas
95 1/8 x 122 3/8in. (241.5 x 311cm.)
Painted in 1990
Estimate: £300,000 – 500,000
Sold for: £608,750.00 / $795,636 / €679,365
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
DAVID SALLE
Footmen, 1986
diptych—oil and acrylic with wood bowl on canvas
Christie's New York: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 [Lot 0013B]
Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale
Estimate 250,000 - 350,000 USD
Sold For 583,500 USD Premium
Lot 14
ANTONY GORMLEY (B. 1950)
A Case for an Angel I
plaster, fibreglass, lead, steel and air
77½ x 337¾ x 18 1/8in. (197 x 858 x 46cm.)
Executed in 1989
Estimate: £5,000,000 – 7,000,000
Sold for: £5,296,250 / $ 6,922,199 / € 5,910,615
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
ANTONY GORMLEY
Angel of the north (maquette), 1996
cast iron
Christie's London: Friday, October 14, 2011 [Lot 00005]
Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Auction
Estimate 1,500,000 - 2,000,000 GBP (2,371,166 - 3,161,555 USD)
Sold For 3,401,250 GBP Premium (5,376,620 USD)
Lot 18
HURVIN ANDERSON (B. 1965)
Country Club: Chicken Wire
signed, titled and dated 'Hurvin A., Tuesday 4th November 2008, Country Club Series: Chicken Wire' (on the overlap)
oil on canvas
Painted in 2008
Estimate: £700,000 – 1,000,000
Sold for: £ 2,648,750 / $ 3,461,916 / €2,956,005
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
HURVIN ANDERSON
Afrosheen, 2009
oil on canvas
Year of Work Christie's London: Tuesday, July 1, 2014 [Lot 00015]
Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Auction
Estimate 300,000 - 400,000 GBP (514,315 - 685,753 USD)
Sold For 1,314,500 GBP Premium (2,253,557 USD)
Lot 54
TONY BEVAN (B. 1951)
Corridor
signed twice, numbered and dated 'Bevan PC9710' (on the reverse)
acrylic and charcoal on canvas
105¾ x 82in. (268.5 x 208.3cm.)
Executed in 1997
Estimate: £70,000 – 100,000
Sold for: £112,500 / $ 147,038 / € 125,550
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
TONY BEVAN
Horizon
Acrylic on Canvas, 1997-1997
Sotheby's London: Thursday, March 30, 2000 [Lot 00008] Contemporary Art
Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 GBP (31,746 - 47,619 USD)
Sold For 54,300 GBP Premium (86,190 USD)
Lot 58
AMY SILLMAN (B. 1966)
The New Land
signed, titled and dated 'Amy Sillman 2005 "THE NEW LAND" oil/canvas' (on the overlap); signed and dated 'Amy Sillman '05' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
78 x 66in. (198 x 167.8cm.)
Painted in 2005
Estimate: £100,000 – 150,000
Sold for: £440,750 / $576,060 / €491,877
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
AMY SILLMAN
P
Medium oil on canvas
Year of Work 2007
Size Height 45 in.; Width 39 in. / Height 114.3 cm.; Width 99.1 cm.
Misc. Signed, Inscribed
Sale of Sotheby's New York: Friday, November 18, 2016 [Lot 00407]
Contemporary Art Day Auction
Estimate 70,000 - 100,000 USD
Sold For 504,500 USD Premium
Lot 44
THOMAS SCHÜTTE (B. 1954)
Study For 'Die Fremden' (The Strangers)
signed 'Th. Schutte' (lower left); dated '26.4.92' (lower right)
gouache and crayon on paper
43 3/8 x 78in. (110 x 198cm.)
Executed in 1992
Estimate: £200,000 – 300,000
Sold for: £236,750 / $309,432. / €264,213
RECORD FOR THE MEDIUM
Current Artist Record
THOMAS SCHÜTTE
Untitled (Große Geist Nr. 6)
Medium bronze w/green patina
Year of Work 1996
Sale of Christie's New York: Monday, May 12, 2014 [Lot 00026]
If I Live I‘ll See You Tuesday: Contemporary Art Auction
Estimate 3,500,000 - 4,500,000 USD
Sold For 5,317,000 USD Premium
Previous Works on paper Record
THOMAS SCHUTTE
Untitled (Portraits of Women)
Year of work 1991
Height 23 in, ; Width 19,1 in. / Height 58.4 cm, Width48.6 cm.
Inscribed, Stamped,
Christie’s London Wednesday, July 1, 2015 [ Lot 00155]
Post War and Contemporary Art Day Sale
Estimate 150,000 – 200,000 EUR
(234,265 – 312, 353 USD)
Sold For 182,500 GBP Premium (285,022 USD)
THINKING ITALIAN
Sale no: 14441
Lot 102
FRANCO ANGELI (1935-1988)
Fiore Partigiano (Partisan Flower)
signed, titled and dated 'Fiore Partigiano Angeli 1962' (on the reverse)
enamel, acrylic and plaster on canvas and toile
47 3/8 x 55 1/8in. (120.3 x 140cm.)
Executed in 1962
Estimate: £55,000 – 75,000
Sold for: £ 206,250 / $ 269,568.76 / € 230,175
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
FRANCO ANGELI
Tunisia
Medium oil, gauze, plaster and glue on canvas
Year of Work 1961
Size Height 63.8 in.; Width 55.5 in. / Height 162 cm.; Width 141 cm.
Misc. Signed, Inscribed
Sale of Sotheby's London: Friday, October 7, 2016 [Lot 00019]
The Italian Sale
Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 GBP (49,695 - 74,543 USD)
Sold For 100,000 GBP Premium (124,239 USD)
Lot 108
MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO (B. 1933)
Uomo che guarda un negativo (Man Looking at a Negative)
signed, titled and dated 'Pistoletto 1967 -UOMO CHE GUARDA UN NEGATIVO-' (on the reverse)
painted tissue paper on polished stainless steel
90½ x 47¼in. (230 x 120cm.)
Executed in 1967
Estimate: £2,500,000 – 3,500,000
Sold for: £ 3,721,250 / $4,863,674 / €4,152,915
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION
Previous Record
MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO
Amanti (Lovers), 1962-1966
Medium painted tissue-paper on stainless steel
Christie's London: Tuesday, July 1, 2014 [Lot 00004]
Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Auction
Estimate 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 GBP (1,714,383 - 2,571,575 USD)
Sold For 2,322,500 GBP Premium (3,981,656 USD)
POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART DAY AUCTION
Sale number: 14443
Lot 202
KATHARINA GROSSE (B. 1961)
Untitled
signed and dated 'Katharina 2000' (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
85 ¼ x 123 5/8in. (216 x 314cm.)
Painted in 2000
Estimate: £60,000-80,000
Price realised: £308,750 / $403,536 / €344,565
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST
Previous Record
KATHARINA GROSSE
Untitled
Medium Acrylic and soil on canvas
Sale of Grisebach GmbH: Friday, June 2, 2017 [Lot 00837]
276 - Contemporary Art
Estimate 25,000 - 35,000 EUR (28,178 - 39,449 USD)
Sold For 137,500 EUR Premium (154,981 USD)
Lot 207
HENRY TAYLOR (B. 1958)
Untitled (Symbol)
oil on canvas
95 1/8 x 76 1/8in. (241.6 x 193.2cm.)
Painted in 2007
Estimate: £30,000-50,000
Price realised: £230,750 / $301,590 / €257,517
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST
Previous Record
HENRY TAYLOR
Miss Kelley
Medium acrylic on canvas
Sale of Sotheby's New York: Friday, May 19, 2017 [Lot 00416]
Contemporary Art Day Auction
Estimate 50,000 - 70,000 USD
Sold For 231,250 USD Premium
Lot 208
IBRAHIM MAHAMA (B. 1987)
Untitled
ink, found fabric collage, thread and banana tree leaf on six joined coal sacks
79 7/8 x 85in. (203 x 216cm.)
Executed in 2014
Estimate: £20,000-30,000
Price realised: £40,000 / $52,280 / €44,640
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST
Previous Record
IBRAHIM MAHAMA
Untitled
Medium jute coal sacks
Sale of Phillips London: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 [Lot 00107]
Contemporary Art Day Sale
Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 GBP (15,725 - 23,588 USD)
Sold For 12,500 GBP Premium (19,657 USD)
Lot 222
SHUSAKU ARAKAWA (1936-2010)
Vertical Thought
oil, mirror, latex, graphite, string, plastic and pacifier on canvas
76 ¾ x 107 1/8in. (195 x 272cm.)
Executed in 1973
Estimate: £60,000-80,000
Price realised: £137,500 / $179,713 / €153,450
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST
Previous Record
ARAKAWA
Marx's Desire (From The Mechanism Of Meaning)
Medium Oil on Canvas
Sale of Sotheby's New York: Wednesday, May 9, 1990 [Lot 00168]
CONTEMPORARY ART, PART II
Estimate 150,000 - 200,000 USD
Sold For 176,000 USD Premium
Lot 233
YOSHITOMO NARA (B. 1959) & HIROSHI SUGITO (B. 1970)
Deeper than a puddle
signed and dated 'Nara 2004 Sugito' (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
102 3/8 x 110 ¼ in. (260 x 280cm.)
Painted in 2004
Estimate: £250,000-350,000
Price reaslied: £656,750 / $858,372 / €732,933
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE COLLABORATION
Previous Record
HIROSHI SUGITO AND YOSHITOMO NARA
Marianne
Medium acrylic on canvas
Sale of Sotheby's Hong Kong: Sunday, October 5, 2014 [Lot 01054]
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art - Evening Sale
Estimate 3,000,000 - 4,000,000 HKD (386,592 - 515,457 USD)
Sold For 5,080,000 HKD Premium (654,630 USD)
Lot 257
GRAYSON PERRY (B. 1960)
I Want To Be An Artist
glazed earthenware
22 7/8 x 18 7/8 x 18 7/8in. (58 x 48 x 48cm.)
Executed in 1996
Estimate 60,000 – 80,000 GBP (79,000 – 100,000 USD)
Sold for 632,750 GBP Premium (827,004 USD)
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST
Previous Record
GRAYSON PERRY (B. 1960)
Saint Claire 37 wanks across Northern Spain
glazed earthenware
Christie’s London: Friday 6 October 2017
Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction [Lot 1]
Estimate: £80,000 – 120,000
Sold for: £200,000 / $261,400 / €223,200
Lot 409
ANSEL KRUT (B. 1959)
Arse Flowers in Bloom
Oil on canvas
47 ¼ x 43 ¼ in. (120 x 110 cm)
Painted in 2010
Estimate: £12,000-18,000
Price realised: £12,500
Previous Record
ANSEL KRUT
Clockwork hearts
Medium oil on canvas
Sale of Christie's South Kensington: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 [Lot 00240]
Twentieth Century British Art
Estimate 300 - 500 GBP (608 - 1,013 USD)
Sold For 1,250 GBP Premium (2,534 USD)
Lot 412
RYAN MOSLEY (B. 1980)
Emperor Butterfly
Oil on linen laid on board
63 ¼ x 71 in. (160.5 x 180.2 cm)
Painted in 2007
Estimate: £5,000-7,000
Price realised: £17,500
Previous Record
RYAN MOSLEY
Topiary Gargantua
Medium oil on linen
Sale of Christie's London: Friday, September 15, 2017 [Lot 00141]
First Open
Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 GBP (5,430 - 8,145 USD)
Sold For 6,000 GBP Premium (8,145 USD)