
The London autumn art week has ended, including Frieze, collateral fairs, many appointments and contemporary art auctions.
STRUGGLING FOR THE PLACE OF CHRISTIE’S AND CONTEMPORARY ART
4-5 OCTOBER 2018
AUCTION of at 4 OCTOBER EVENING. Total sales: £ 84,610,000 including premium.
AUCTION at 5 OCTOBER DAY. Total sales: £ 20,844,000 including premium.
For this auction session, Christie has fielded several lots of the highest quality. The highest expectation is the “Figure in Movement” canvas dated 1972 by Francis Bacon, on the cover of the catalogue, which from an estimate of £ 15,000,000-20,000,000 was sold for £ 19,921,250 including premium. The work came from the private collection of Magnus Konow and portrays George Dyer, Bacon’s muse and lover who died of an overdose shortly after the creation of this canvas that had always remained in the Konow’s collection.

Francis Bacon, Figure in Movement, 1972
Oil and dry transfer writing on canvas
198 x 148 cm
Jean Dubuffet also performed well with “Lady in Garden”, oil and collage on canvas from 1956, which from an estimate of £ 2,500,000-3,500,000 was sold at £ 4,508,000 including interest.

Jean Dubuffet, Lady in Garden, 1956
Oil and collage on canvas
148 x 120 cm
Also good for Keith Haring’s great work “Untitled” of 1984, given an estimate of £ 3,000,000-5,000,000, it was sold at £ 3,946,250 including interest.

Keith Haring, Untitled, 1984
Acrylic on canvas, work in 4 parts
Total dimensions: 304.8 x 304.8 cm
Record for “Bull with Hole”, oil and resin on canvas of 1986 by Albert Oehlen, estimated £ 800,000-1,200,000 reached the amount of £ 3,608,750 thus exceeding the record of 2.9 million reached in 2017.

Albert Oehlen, Bull with Hole, 1986
Oil and resin on canvas, Diptych
Single canvas size: 187.6 x 188.3 cm
Total dimensions: 187.6 x 376.6 cm
Hurvin Anderson who with the oil on canvas of the 2003 “Country Club” adventured on £ 2,048,750 including interest, from an estimate of 1,000,000-1,500,000 £.

Hurvin Anderson, Country Club, 2003
Oil painting on canvas
162 x 265 cm
At the Lot 49 we find another work by Francis Bacon, “Painted Screen “, three panels joined by iron hinges of 1929 estimated at £ 700,000-1,000,000, which doubled and exceeded the highest estimate reaching £ 2,408,000 including interest.

Francis Bacon, Painted Screen, about 1929
Oil on plywood with metal hinges
Each panel: 183 x 61 x 2.8 cm
Total dimensions: 183 x 183 x 2.8 cm
Very good for the Turin artist Aldo Mondino, who on the occasion of his 70th birth anniversary marks the new record during the First World War and contemporary art auction with “Tappeti Stesi” (Carpets), the work of 1989, sold for £ 68,750 including interest. The starting estimate was £ 30,000-50,000 (Lot 343).
The Tappeti Stesi are wall compositions that entered Eraclite between the 80s and 90s and include one of the most famous cycles among those unleashed by the artist, fascinated by Middle Eastern culture.

Aldo Mondino, Tappeti Stesi, 1989
Acrylic on compressed chipboard, Diptych
Overall dimensions: 250 x 200 cm
Disappointment instead for “Skull”, oil on canvas of 1983 by Gerhard Richter published on the second cover, which remained unsold for 11.5 million pounds (estimate on request).
Same fate also for Jeff Koons’ “Cracked egg (blue)”, unsold 8.5 million pounds: it started from an estimate of 10,000,000-15,000,000 pounds.

Gerhard Richter, Skull, 1983
Oil painting on canvas
80.4 x 65 cm

Jeff Koons, Cracked Egg (blue), 1994-2006
One of the unique works of a series of 5
Mirror polished steel with transparent coating
165.1 x 159.1 x 159.1 cm
100 x 159.1 x 159.1 cm
Even “Still life with Zimmerlinde”, an unusual subject by Lucian Freud, remains unsold at £ 750,000 being above the maximum rating of £ 600,000.

Lucian Freud, Still life with Zimmerlinde, about 1950
Oil painting on canvas
25 x 21.5 cm
Withdrawal from the auction for Georg Baselitz’s 11 oils on canvas, estimated between 6 and 10 million pounds.
CHRISTIE’S THINKING ITALIAN
OCTOBER 4, 2018
Total sales: £ 40,408,000 including premium.
Thinking of Christie’s Italian, the first edition represents the evolution of Italian sales, a format that for the first time in 20 years has not been renewed by Sotheby’s, which has chosen to include art in art. October 5 and 6.
The evening with Christie, also packed with Italian collectors and operators, continued with a catalogue of the highest level made up of 37 important works ranging from Futurism to Arte Povera: many and predictable relaunched during the auction.
Learn more about the price achieved by the rare work “Space concept, The end of God” of 1963 which, starting at £ 12.5 million, was sold to an anonymous telephone collector for £ 17,108,750 including interest. The estimate was on demand, around £ 17 million. With this release “Spatial concept, The end of God” has become the second best-selling work at auction by Lucio Fontana.
The work had already gone up for auction in 2013 from Christie’s in New York and had reached £ 13 million on that occasion.

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept, The end of God, 1963
Oil and glitter on canvas
178 x 123 cm
“Spatial Concept” of 1953, a delicate and beautiful composition in oil and glass on canvas on the cover of the catalogue, reaches £ 1,832,750, interest included from a starting estimate of £ 1,600,000-2,500,000.

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept, 1953
Oil and glass on canvas
60 x 73 cm
The second work by price made is a “Achrome” by Manzoni from 1957-58 which was included in the Contemporary Art section and which was then moved to “Think Italian” (Lot 119A). The canvas made £ 3,608,750 including interest from an estimate of £ 3,000,000-5,000,000.

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1957-58
Kaolin on canvas
61 x 81 cm
Another Manzoni’s “Achrome” dated 1958-59 (Lot 118) touched the amount of £ 1,928,750 interest included from an estimate of £ 1,000,000-1,500,000.

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1958-59
Kaolin on canvas
60 x 80 cm
The other protagonists of this part of the evening were the Italian artists who imposed attention by setting some records.
Salvatore Scarpitta realized for £ 1,808,750 interest included with the work of 1960 from the Leo Castelli’s gallery “Alta Sposa”, starting estimate £ 1,000,000-1,500,000.

Salvatore Scarpitta, High Bride, 1960
Bandages on mixed supports on canvas
152.5 x 102 cm
Maria Lai’s work “Sheet” of 1989 from an estimate of £ 20,000-30,000 flied to £ 150,000 including interest, far exceeding the previous record of € 32,000 in 2015.

Maria Lai, Sheet, 1989
Thread and fabric embroidered on fabric
141.7 x 230 cm
Alberto Savinio also flied high with “Croix marine”, oil on canvas from 1929 estimated at £ 600,000-800,000 and sold for £ 692,000 including premium.

Alberto Savinio, Croix Marine, 1929
Oil painting on canvas
73 x 92 cm
“Great mutilation”, sculpture more than two meters high dated 1962 by Leoncillo, reached £ 728,750 including interest (estimate £ 350,000-500,000) and thus exceeded the € 283,000 record of the Christie’s auction in Milan in April 2018.

Leoncillo, Great mutilation, 1962
Stoneware and glaze
218 x 39 x 39 cm
Alberto Burri with “Sacco Nero Rosso” of 1957 reached £ 980,750 including interest from an estimate of £ 450,000-600,000.

Alberto Burri, Sacco Nero Rosso, 1957
Sackcloth, acrylic, plastic burning and vinavil on fabric
38 x 46 cm
Another nice surprise was Carol Rama, who with “Untitled”, a work of 1977, managed to double the estimate of £ 60,000-80,000 to reach £ 175,000 including interest.

Carol Rama, untitled, 1977
Tissue paper, tire, pastel, tempera, cotton thread and metal hook on soft top canvas
130.5 x 75 cm
Gino Severini with “Portrait de l’auteur” of 1916, displayed the £ 908,000 interest included from the estimate of £ 700,000-1,000,000.

Gino Severini, Portrait de l’auteur, 1916
Oil painting on canvas
100.3 x 74.3 cm
There were surprises among the unsold, including two Fontana’s works: red “Spatial Concept, Waiting” (Lot 125) and white “Spatial Concept, Waiting” (Lot 129).
SOTHEBY’S EVENING AUCTION
The David Teiger collection and Contemporary Art achieved the total revenue of £ 69,787,000 including premia, against the high estimate of £ 73.5 million.
SOTHEBY’S THE HISTORY OF NOW: DAVID TEIGER’S COLLECTION
OCTOBER 5, 2018
Total sales: £ 35,921,100 including premia.
Sotheby’s opened the auction session with 25 works mainly by contemporary artists from the collection of David Teiger, almost all of them getting a somewhat lower value than expected.
The evening was opened by the artist’s record reached by “Wants to see it all”, a work of 2002, by Kai Althoff, which from the estimate of £ 80,000 – 120,000 got £ 574,000 including interest, after a long battle between collectors on the phone.

Kai Althoff, Wants to see it all, 2002
Paint, tempera and paper on canvas, edged with iron
50.2 x 60 cm
No twists and turns until Lot 6, when “Propped”, oil on canvas of 1992 by Jenny Saville, chosen for the catalogue cover and estimated £ 3,000,000-4,000,000, came with a £ 9,537,250 including premium, after a long phone battle between collectors marking the record for a living woman artist. This result reflects competition, and the competition in the role of women in art.
This large canvas, which made Saville famous thanks to the exhibition “Sensation” held in 1997 at the Royal Academy of Arts, was owned by the magnate Charles Saatchi, and it revolutionizes the traditional representation of the woman’s body.

Jenny Saville, Propped, 1992
Oil painting on canvas
213.4 x 182.9 cm
“Station Buffalo I “, oil on canvas dated 1997-1998, reached £ 7,561,500 including premium from the estimate of £ 6,000,000-8,000,000.
With the same estimate, according to the characteristics of the former in terms of subject, data, size, and technique, the result was different for ” Station Buffalo II”, which was sold at the price of £ 4,513,000. Probably this second work by Doig went to the third party guarantor, who had ensured the painting.

Peter Doig, Buffalo Station I, 1997-98
Oil painting on canvas
175.3 x 269.9 cm

Peter Doig, Buffalo Station II, 1997-98
Oil painting on canvas
175.3 x 269.9 cm
Not very good however for “Minerva”, oil on canvas by John Currin, which first remained unsold and was then put up for auction again at only £ 370,000, included, in a starting forecast of £ 800,000 – £ 1,200,000.

John Currin, Minerva, 2000
Oil painting on canvas
71.1 x 55.9 cm
SOTHEBY’S EVENING CONTEMPORARY ART AND DAY AUCTION
5-6 OCTOBER 2018
EVENING AUCTION 5 OCTOBER: Total sales: £ 33,865,900, including premiа.
DAY AUCTION 6 OCTOBER: Total sales: £ 14,008,500, including premiа.
After the Teiger collection, the evening continued at Sotheby’s with 40 lots of Contemporary Art.
The undisputed star of all the international press was Banksy’s work, which suddenly destroyed itself after being sold for £ 1,042,000, including interest. “Girl with Ballon”, made in 2006, was the last lot of the auction and was estimated at £ 200,000-300,000. Shortly after the time, the mechanism hidden inside the frame activated and the work of the artist from Bristol was shredded in small strips. The bewildering and surprising performance immediately made Banksy claimed on social media. The value of the work has been exceeded with regards to marketing and resonance it made.

Banksy, Girl with Baloon, 2006
Spray paint and acrylic on canvas, mounted on a frame by the artist
101 x 78 x 18 cm
Part of Banksy’s unexpected performance were a few twists in this auction session. Hence two works by Georg Baselitz that far exceed expectations: “Ohne Titel” of 1966 from an estimate of £ 450,000-650,000 reached £ 1,150,000 including interest; while “Kopfkissen”, oil on canvas of 1987, took the figure of £ 1,450,000, the starting estimate was £ 40,000-600,000.

Georg Baselitz, Ohne Titel (Der Neue Typ), 1966
Tempera, ink and pastel on paper
39.1 x 26 cm
Excellent result for Adrian Ghenie’s “Boogeyman” dated 2010, which from an estimate of £ 2,000,000-3,000,000 flied to £ 4,851,900 including premium.

Adrian Ghenie, Boogeyman, 2010
Oil painting on canvas
200 x 335 cm
Among the unsold, some also present some excellent names, such as a “Spatial Concept, Expectations” by Lucio Fontana, a Castellani “Troika” and two Kapoor “Parabolic Mirror, Asagi” and “Untitled”.
“Again and again”, Kaws acrylic on canvas depicting the cartoon character Sponge Bob, set a record and a Taiwanese dealer was awarded after a long telephone battle, flying from the estimate of £ 250,000-350,000 to £ 1,030,000 interest included.

Kaws, again and again, 2008
Acrylic on canvas
172.8 x 172.8 cm
PHILLIPS SHAPE & SPACE: NEW CERAMIC PRESENCE
5 OCTOBER
Total sales: £ 2,493,250 including premia.
The Phillips auction house, in addition to being increasingly attentive to and publishes photography (auction on 4 October), dedicates an entire session to ceramics intended to strengthen the dialogue between art, design and craftsmanship.
Ceramics, a technique traditionally placed among the decorative arts, is now viewed with renewed interest also by the so-called “emerging” collectors. With a private auction, Phillips captured the public’s attention by presenting the material in a completely different light.
The new interest in ceramic artists had already emerged in New York last December during the evening design auction when the work “Rondena” by Peter Voulkos, sculpture of powerful dimensions, set a record for an American ceramic artist totalling $ 915,000, premium included, $ 400,000 beyond its high rating.
As we saw in the Christie’s Thinking Italian auction on October 4, the excellent result achieved by Leoncillo is the market trend: the “Great Mutilation” stoneware sculpture was sold at £ 728,750 against a high estimate of £ 500,000.
On the occasion of the autumn auction of Phillips, the curator Francesco Bonami proposed 32 works both modern and contemporary signed by Fontana, Ai Weiwei, Fausto Melotti, Picasso and Roy Lichtenstein followed by other lesser-known masters who worked in this material.
DESIGN FOR SALE, NEW YORK, EVENING AUCTION, DECEMBER 12, 2017
Total sales: $ 6,198,625 including premia

Peter Voulkos, Rondena, 1958
Porcelain stoneware, brushed cobalt, iron, epoxy resin
157.5 x 95.9 x 82.6 cm
Estimate: $ 300,000-500,000
Sold for $ 915,000, including premium

Lucio Fontana, Horse, 1935-36
59.5 x 79.5 x 46 cm
Estimate: £ 400,000- £ 600,000
Sold for £ 549,000, including premium

Roy Lichtenstein, Ceramic Sculpture # 10, 1965
21.6 x 22.5 x 21.6 cm
Estimate: £ 250,000-350,000
Sold for £ 309,000 prize included

Ai Weiwei, He Xie, 2010
Variable dimensions
Estimate: £ 400,000- £ 600,000
Sold for £ 609,000 including premium

Pablo Picasso, Hibou (Owl), 1975
34 x 20 x 4 cm
Estimate: £ 50,000-70,000
Sold for £ 93,750 including premium

Fausto Melotti, Female Figure, about 1950
Height 21.7 cm
Estimate: £ 40,000-60,000
Sold at £ 56,250 prize included
“The shades of the art rainbow are endless: choose your favorite!”
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