Christie's and Sotheby's 2017 Top Lots: Basquiat, van Gogh, and Klimt Lead Record Sales

In 2017, both Christie's and Sotheby's achieved impressive results, with Christie's experiencing a 30% increase and Sotheby's a 13% rise compared to the previous year. On November 15 in New York, Christie's made headlines by auctioning Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi for a staggering $450.3 million, establishing a new record; the buyer, Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, plans to showcase the artwork at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Sotheby's set a record for an American artist when Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled (1982) sold for $110.5 million in May, acquired by Yusaku Maezawa. Other significant sales included Vincent van Gogh's Laboureur dans un champ ($81.3 million), Fernand Léger's Contraste de formes ($70 million), and Andy Warhol's Sixty Last Suppers ($60.8 million).