European Art

Sale Overview

Christie’s European Art sale offers a curated selection of works from one of the most diverse and revolutionary eras in the history of art. Spanning from the years following the French Revolution into the Art Nouveau style of the early 20th century, the category encompasses nearly 90,000 artists from the many movements of the era. From the landscapes of the Barbizon painters to the bustling cities of the Belle Époque, the sale also includes works from the Victorian, Scandinavian, Orientalist, Realist, Spanish and Academic schools, among others. All of the elegance and transformation to modernity that the 19th century embodies is captured in the paintings and sculptures presented in this sale.

Highlights include works by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, Léon Lhermitte, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Fritz Thaulow, Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta, Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, Valerius de Saedeleer, and Joh William Waterhouse, among others. A strong selection of paintings by female artists, two studies for the Rockefeller Center murals by Frank Brangwyn, works on paper, and sculpture are also featured.

A celebration of the female form is represented in works from three private collections of marble statuary. Ranging from neoclassical figures of the mid-19th century to modern interpretations in the early 20th century, selections include 'Falling Stars' and its pendant 'Nereids' by Vittorio Caradossi, a monumental figure of Venus by Fantacchiotti and American sculptor Arthur Lee's torso of 'Volupté'.

Explore the auction in person at our New York galleries from 4 to 9 October.

Auction times

09 Oct 10:00 AM (EDT) Lots 1-74

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Laura H. Mathis

VP, Specialist, Head of Sale | 19th Century European Art

Laura Mathis joined the 19th Century European Art Department in 2015 and has been the New York department’s Head of Sale since 2018. She is a graduate of NYU's Department of Art History and began her career working at Richard L Feigen and Company in New York, one of the city’s premier Old Master and 19th Century galleries. Following this, she received her MA with distinction from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and returned to New York to begin her work at Christie’s. She is responsible for sourcing, cataloguing and promoting pictures for the department’s bi-annual sales and works closely with Christie’s international department on sales at other sale sites as well. Laura has a particular academic interest in Scandinavian, Symbolist, and Art Nouveau painting.