Sotheby's and Christie's October 2019 London Auctions: Italian Art Mixed Results, Banksy Record
In October 2019, during Frieze London, both Sotheby's and Christie's conducted auctions focused on contemporary art. Sotheby's event on October 3 garnered close to £55 million, highlighted by Banksy's 'Devolved Parliament,' which fetched £9.9 million, setting a new record for the artist. Additionally, new highs were achieved for Nicole Eisenman (£520,000), Salvatore Scarpitta (£2.5 million), and Lucio Fontana (£2.5 million). Meanwhile, Piero Manzoni's pieces did not perform well, and Alberto Burri's results were varied. Christie's hosted two auctions, including Post-War and Contemporary Art, where Gerhard Richter's 'Abstraktes Bild' sold for £7 million and Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Four Big' for £8.6 million. The Thinking Italian auction saw impressive sales, with Burri's 'Sacco' at £4.58 million, contributing to Christie's total of 70 lots sold for £89 million.
Key facts
- Sotheby's auction achieved nearly £55 million with 5 unsold lots.
- Banksy's 'Devolved Parliament' sold for £9.9 million (with premium), a new artist record.
- Nicole Eisenman's 'Close to the Edge' set a record at £520,000.
- Salvatore Scarpitta's 'Housing Developed' set a record at £2.5 million (with premium).
- Lucio Fontana's 'Concetto Spaziale, Natura' sculpture set a record at £2.5 million (with premium).
- Piero Manzoni's works performed poorly: one withdrawn, one unsold, two sold near low estimates.
- Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art auction included UniCredit collection works.
- Gerhard Richter's 'Abstraktes Bild' sold for £7 million, below estimate.
- Records set for Loie Hollowell, Thomas Bayrle, Tschabalala Self, Thornton Dial, Bob Law, and Nicolas Party.
- Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Four Big' sold for £8.6 million (with premium), below estimate.
- Christie's Thinking Italian auction had 31 lots: half exceeded high estimates, 3 below low, 2 unsold.
- Alberto Burri's 'Sacco' sold for £4.58 million (with premium), within estimate.
- Works by Maria Lai, Emilio Vedova, Mimmo Rotella, Salvatore Scarpitta, Lucio Fontana, Enrico Castellani, Giorgio Morandi, Giovanni Anselmo, and Giorgio de Chirico sold above estimates.
- Christie's two auctions sold 70 lots for £89 million total.
Entities
Artists
- Banksy
- Nicole Eisenman
- Salvatore Scarpitta
- Lucio Fontana
- Piero Manzoni
- Alberto Burri
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Gerhard Richter
- Loie Hollowell
- Thomas Bayrle
- Tschabalala Self
- Thornton Dial
- Bob Law
- Nicolas Party
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Thomas Schutte
- Mark Tansey
- Robert Mangold
- Carl Andre
- Sigmar Polke
- Georg Baselitz
- Yves Klein
- Joan Mitchell
- Kazuo Shiraga
- Pierre Soulages
- Martial Raysse
- Jonas Wood
- Damien Hirst
- Maria Lai
- Emilio Vedova
- Mimmo Rotella
- Enrico Castellani
- Giorgio Morandi
- Giovanni Anselmo
- Giorgio de Chirico
- Giuseppe Gallo
- Franco Angeli
- David Hockney
- Andy Warhol
- Cy Twombly
- Francis Bacon
- Alighiero Boetti
- Markus Lüpertz
- Alfredo Volpi
- Tracey Emin
- Lucian Freud
- Yoshitomo Nara
- Andrea Bonaceto
- Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
- Flora Yukhnovich
- Frank Auerbach
- Caroline Walker
- Caroline von Heyl
- Louise Giovanelli
- Julien Nguyen
- Kiki Kogelnik
- André Butzer
- Thomas Struth
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Prince Philip
Institutions
- Sotheby's
- Christie's
- UniCredit
- George S. Rosenthal Children's Art Trust
- Matthys-Colle Collection
- Artribune
- Frieze London
- National Gallery
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Hong Kong
- China
- Austria
- Germany
- Italy
- California
- United States
- King Street
- New Bond Street
- Margate
- Windsor Castle
- Europe
- Americas
- Asia
- Pacific Ocean