Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale

Christie’s flagship 20th/21st Century auction series in London continues on 18 March with our landmark Evening Sale dedicated to Modern British and Irish Art.

The auction is led by Frank Auerbach’s Christmas Tree at Mornington Crescent (2004–05): commanding in scale and vibrancy, it is a triumphant celebration of paint’s power to capture a landscape rich in memory.

Conceived and cast in 1988, Lynn Chadwick’s Back to Venice encapsulates many of the artist’s most enduring themes and is inextricably tied to the city that shaped his international reputation, marking his return to the Venice Biennale more than three decades after his Grand Prix for Sculpture. Barbara Hepworth’s dedication to direct carving is honoured in Curved Form (1960), exquisitely carved from a single piece of walnut and perfectly embodying her lifelong commitment to truth to materials.

The post‑war period is represented by a dynamic group of works: Recollection (1986) captures Bridget Riley at a pivotal moment of transformation, with her introduction of tessellating ‘zig’ parallelograms creating dynamic spatial rhythms. British Pop pioneer Peter Phillips’ seminal Motorpsycho/Ace (1962) appears at auction for the first time, coming from the collection of the renowned curator and art historian Enrico Crispolti.

Several works in the sale trace the evolution of 20th‑century British modernism, including Ben Nicholson’s 1938 (white relief); Barbara Hepworth’s Solitary Form (1971) carved from white marble; and four works by Henry Moore, spanning 50 years of his practice across sculpture and drawing.

Widely exhibited, Glyn Philpot’s luminous and tender portrait Balthazar (1929) stands as the most important painting by the artist to come to auction. The sale also features works by L.S. Lowry, Sir Winston Churchill and Sir John Lavery, as well as sculptures by Emily Young and Barry Flanagan.

Explore our 20th and 21st Century Art auctions in London.