ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Christie's London evening sales total £168 million with Picasso top lot at £16.9m

market-auction · 2026-04-27

On March 1, 2023, Christie's London conducted its evening auction for 20th and 21st Century art, generating £168 million from participants across 37 countries. The buyer distribution included 59% from EMEA, 28% from America, and 13% from Asia. Notable sales included Michaela Yearwood-Dan's 'Love me nots' for £731,000, Cristina Banban's 'La Fatiga Que Me Das' at £164,000, and Caroline Walker's 'The Puppeteer' for £550,000. Liu Ye's 'The Goddess' fetched £3.1 million, while Pablo Picasso's 'Femme dans un rocking-chair' reached £16.9 million. Lucian Freud's pieces sold for £4.6 million each, and Giorgio Morandi's 'Natura morta' achieved £1.6 million. The accompanying sale showcased René Magritte's 'Souvenir de voyage' at £5.5 million, with 66% of the artworks being fresh to the market.

Key facts

  • Total sales: £168 million
  • Picasso's Femme dans un rocking-chair top lot at £16.9 million
  • Three opening records for Yearwood-Dan, Banban, Walker
  • Van Gogh's Head of a Woman doubled estimate to £4.8 million
  • Magritte's Le retour set gouache record at £6.1 million
  • Italian artists: Morandi £1.6m, Fontana sculptures £1.1m and £1.5m
  • Surrealist sale: Paalen and Domínguez records
  • 66% of works fresh to market

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • King Street
  • California
  • United States
  • Italy
  • France

Sources