By Sama Marwan,
Christie’s auction house recorded a total of £82.1 million in its Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Evening Sale. Additionally, its annual “Surrealist Art” auction surpassed high estimates of £38.98 million, achieving over £48 million. This brought the total sales for the night to £130.1 million, according to ArtNews.
Several artworks exceeded expectations. Michael Andrews’ School IV: Barracuda under a Jumping Tuna (1978) set a new record for the artist, selling for over £6 million, surpassing its high estimate of £5 million.
Similarly, Wassily Kandinsky’s watercolor Schwarze Begleitung (1923) sold for £2.2 million, more than twice its high estimate, after an intense bidding war lasting several minutes.
Other notable sales included:
- Lucian Freud’s Mark the Collector – £1.6 million (high estimate: £1.8 million).
- David Hockney’s Between Kilham and Langtoft (2006) – £5.1 million (high estimate: £6 million).
- Frank Auerbach’s Primrose Hill – Early Summer (1981-2) – £2.4 million (high estimate: £3 million).
- Bridget Riley’s Daphne (1988) – £1.3 million (high estimate: £1.8 million).
Among the standout pieces, Tamara de Lempicka’s Portrait of Doctor Boucard (1928) sold within its estimated range for £6.6 million. A stunning drawing by Egon Schiele, Boy in a Sailor Suit (1914), achieved £3.3 million, more than double its high estimate.
Surrealist Art Auction Highlights
Now in its 25th year, the Surrealist Art Auction featured exceptional sales among its 25 lots. The highlight was René Magritte’s L’Ultime Concorde (1933), which stole the show, selling for over £10 million.
Additionally, three rare works by Paul Delvaux fetched a combined total of £12.4 million. Impressively, 96% of artworks sold by lot, while 98% sold by value.
With these outstanding results, Christie’s continues to demonstrate the strength of the global art market, particularly in the realms of modern and surrealist art.
