This fall promises a plethora of timely and compelling auctions. Engaging standouts range from Blazing a Trail: Modern British Women, a sale exclusively dedicated to Contemporary female artists, to Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection, which Christie's promises will be the “largest and most exceptional art auction in history."
Art News
Two of Andy Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Monroe portraits are scheduled to go up for auction this May at two different, leading auction houses—Christie’s and Bonhams. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this unplanned duet is the vast difference between their estimated costs.
Although Sotheby’s sale of Sandro Botticelli’s The Man of Sorrows was proceeded by considerable hype and still managed to close with an impressive bid, the sale was not as grand, nor the painting as ultimately expensive, as pre-sale estimates had led many to expect.
On November 15, Sotheby’s hosted the first of two stand-alone auctions of the Macklowe Collection. The results were historic. In total, the sale achieved a landmark $676.1 million, making it the most valuable single-owner auction of all time and the most valuable auction ever held at Sotheby’s.
The auction of a Roman Villa—known as Villa Aurora or Casino Dell’Aurora—has recently been announced and set a stir within the art world. Why? Because it contains the only known ceiling mural executed by the legendary artist Caravaggio.
On Thursday, October 14, one of Banksy’s most iconic artworks—a self-destructive piece entitled Love is in the Bin—sold for triple its high estimate at $25,383,941 (£18,582,000), setting a new record for the artist. The artist’s previous record, a $22 million sale of Game Changer, was set earlier this year at Christies.
Wayne Thiebaud’s painting of a young tennis player sold for almost $8.5 million on May 13, 2021, nearly five times the Christie’s estimate of $1.2–1.8 million.
Auctioneer Antoine Petit spotted Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s "Philosopher Reading"—which, on June 26, 2021, sold for £6.6 million ($9.2 million)—during a standard estate inventory of a Parisian apartment.
Later this month, Sotheby’s will offer five exceptionally rare CryptoPunks. Of the 10,000 Cryptopunks created, only twenty-four were issued in physical form, as certified prints signed by co-creator John Watkinson.
Sotheby’s blended in-person and digital experiences to execute three sales on the evening of May 12 with stunning results including the five-person bid over a star piece, Claude Monet’s Le Bassin aux nymphéas.
