6/08/2015

A Decade of Top Art Auction Sales Worth $1.2 Billion


After the record-breaking May sales the NY Times published a fun post on the top selling art at auctions each year for the past 10 years.  Values are adjusted for inflation and total $1.2 billion. Christie's and Sotheby's were the only two auctions on the list, with Christie' having 6 of the top sale vs 4 for Sotheby's.  All of the sales were from NY with the exception of one sale at Sotheby's in London.

To view images of the works, follow the source link below.

The NY Times reports
A Decade of Top Art Auction Sales Worth $1.2 Billion
The past 10 years have seen a steady increase in the top prices that collectors are willing to pay at auction for singular works by the most sought-after artists. A new peak arrived on Monday, when works by Picasso and Giacometti sold for more than $120 million each. Here is a look back at some highlights.

$179.4 million (2015)
"Les Femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’)," Pablo Picasso, 1955
The price at Monday's sale was the highest on record for a work of art sold at auction, Christie's said, and was well over its estimate of $140 million. Christie's New York

$141.3 million (2015)
“L’homme au doigt (Pointing Man),” Alberto Giacometti, 1947
This bronze figure had been in the same private collection for 45 years. Christie's New York 2015

$142.4 million (2013)
“Three Studies of Lucian Freud,” Francis Bacon, 1969
The painting was purchased by Elaine Wynn, a co-founder of the Wynn casino empire. (Adjusted for inflation, the price is approximately $143.5 million.) Christie's New York

$104.5 million (2013)
"Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)," Andy Warhol, 1963
This work is one of four double-panel car-crash works that Warhol made in 1963. (Adjusted for inflation: $105.3 million.) Sotheby's New York

$119.9 million (2012)
"The Scream," Edvard Munch, 1895
Munch made four versions of “The Scream.” Three are now in Norwegian museums; this was the only one still in private hands. (Adjusted for inflation, the price was about $122.6 million.) Sotheby's New York

$87 million (2012)
“Orange, Red, Yellow,” Mark Rothko, 1961
The painting was sold along with several other works from the collection of David Pincus, a Philadelphia clothing manufacturer, who died in 2011. (Adjusted for inflation: about $88.9 million.) Christie's New York

$106.5 million (2010)
“Nude, Green Leaves and Bust,” Pablo Picasso, 1932
Picasso created this work in a single day in March 1932. (Adjusted for inflation, the price was about $114.6 million.) Christie's New York

$104.3 million (2010)
“Walking Man I,” Alberto Giacometti, 1960-61
“Walking Man I” was cast in an edition of six, with four artist's proofs. It was originally intended to stand outside Chase Manhattan Plaza in downtown Manhattan, but the installation was never realized. (Adjusted for inflation: $112.3 million.) Sotheby's London

$86.3 million (2008)
"Triptych, 1976," Francis Bacon, 1976
The painting was sold in May 2008, in a moment of high anxiety for the auction market, as the economy began to falter. (Adjusted for inflation: about $94.1 million.) Sotheby's New York

$95.2 million (2006)
"Dora Maar With Cat," Pablo Picasso, 1941
The buyer of this work, still unidentified, was not familiar to auction-house employees, who usually recognize those who are competing at bid levels this high. (Adjusted for inflation: $110.8 million.) Sotheby's New York

$87.9 million (2006)
“Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II,” Gustav Klimt, 1912
This portrait sold just months after the cosmetics magnate and arts philanthropist Ronald Lauder bought a related work, “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907) in a private sale for $135 million. (Adjusted for inflation, “Portait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II” would be about $102.34. The adjusted price of the earlier portrait, now on display at the Neue Galerie, would be about $157.2 million.) Christie's New York
Source: The NY Times 


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