Market & Auctions

Market trends, sales, auction results, major lots, records, and analysis from Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips and others.

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Stingel-mania: Rudolf Stingel dominates Art Basel and auction market market-auction
Rudolf Stingel, a prominent figure in the art world, was born in Merano in 1956 and currently resides in New York. His artworks are valued at over $22 million at Art Basel, as…
Picasso's Femme assise sets record at Sotheby's London auction market-auction
On June 21, 2016, Sotheby's evening auction in London presented 27 lots, of which three did not sell, generating a total of £103,280,000. Picasso's "Femme assise" (1909) fetched…
Christo's 300 signed multiples auctioned for Bangui hospital at GAMeC market-auction
On June 22, 2016, during the run of The Floating Piers, GAMeC in Bergamo hosted a charity auction of 300 signed and numbered multiples by Christo, each priced at €1,000, to fund a…
Milan Auctions Defy Global Trends with Strong Sales market-auction
Milan's modern and contemporary art auctions have outperformed expectations, reversing the downward trend seen in New York and Paris. Italian auction houses have capitalized on…
Il Ponte auction sets 7 records for Italian artists in Milan market-auction
Milanese auction house Il Ponte achieved strong results in its Modern and Contemporary Art sale, totaling €5.7 million with a 92.7% sell-through rate. Seven new auction records…
Parigi: collezioni celebri fanno sold out da Christie's e Sotheby's market-auction
Le aste di Christie's e Sotheby's a Parigi hanno registrato vendite totali per oltre 57 milioni di euro, con percentuali di venduto tra il 93% e il 100%. Da Sotheby's, il 7…
Artnet's Top 100 Art Collectors List for 2016 market-auction
Artnet has released its annual list of the 100 most influential contemporary art collectors, organized alphabetically. The list reaffirms the dominance of US collectors, who…
Art Basel 2016: Manzoni leads sales with $7.6M Achrome market-auction
At Art Basel 2016, which opened to the public on June 16, major sales were already concluded during previews. Hauser & Wirth sold Paul McCarthy's 'Tomato Head (Green)' from…
Johnny Depp Auctions 9 Basquiat Works at Christie's London market-auction
Christie's announced that nine works by Jean-Michel Basquiat from Johnny Depp's collection will be included in its Post-War and Contemporary Art auction in London on June 29-30.…
Brexit Could Reshape Europe's Art Market, Italy May Benefit market-auction
The article analyzes the potential impact of Brexit on the art market, particularly contemporary art. London currently dominates as Europe's art hub, accounting for 23% of the…
Muhammad Ali's Artworks Auctioned in NYC After His Death market-auction
Following Muhammad Ali's death on June 3 at age 74, Ro Gallery in New York City is auctioning five of his prints, capitalizing on media attention. The works, from 1979, were part…
Modigliani Portrait Could Fetch $70M at Sotheby's London market-auction
Sotheby's London will auction an Amedeo Modigliani portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne on June 21, 2016, as part of its Impressionist & Modern Art sale. The painting, titled Jeanne…
Artnet's Top 100 Living Artists by Auction Sales (2011-2016) market-auction
Ahead of Art Basel, Artnet News published two rankings based on auction performance from 2011 to 2016: the top 100 lots by living artists and the top 100 living artists by total…
Thaddaeus Ropac to Open Fifth Gallery in London's Mayfair market-auction
Thaddaeus Ropac, one of the fastest-growing galleries of recent years, is set to open a new space in London's Mayfair district, joining a roster of international heavyweights…
Seven Arrests in Madrid for Francis Bacon Theft Worth €25 Million market-auction
Spanish police have arrested seven suspects in Madrid for the 2015 theft of five Francis Bacon paintings and other objects valued at nearly €25 million from a private residence.…
Sotheby's Milan Auctions: Fontana Leads, Market Struggles market-auction
Sotheby's Milan auctions in 2016 saw Lucio Fontana's 'Concetto Spaziale, Attesa' (1967) sell for €1.323 million, the highest price. Enrico Castellani performed strongly with four…
Romania asks citizens to fund Brancusi sculpture purchase market-auction
The Romanian state is attempting to acquire Constantin Brancusi's "The Wisdom of the Earth," one of the last available sculptures by the national artist, priced at €11 million.…
Italian auction market diversifies with Roman Pop and 1970s Conceptual art market-auction
The Italian auction market is expanding beyond its traditional focus on Spatialism, object-painting, and Arte Povera to include Roman Pop art and 1970s Conceptual works. Only…
Mixed Results for London Photography Auctions: Irving Penn and Peter Beard Shine market-auction
The end of London's spring art week revealed some lackluster results in photography auctions, with many items not selling and prices falling below their modest forecasts. At…
Yusaku Maezawa acquires record Basquiat; Warhol Museum buys rare Paint by Numbers market-auction
Japanese collector Yusaku Maezawa announced on Instagram that he is the buyer of the record-breaking Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, which is coming to Japan. The Warhol Museum,…
Paddle8 and Auctionata Merge to Form Global Online Art Auction Giant market-auction
Online auction platforms Paddle8 and Auctionata have announced their merger, creating one of the top 10 auction houses globally outside China. The combined entity will have a…
New York Auction Season: Record Sales and Market Correction market-auction
The 'Bound to Fail' auction hosted by Christie's in New York garnered $78.1 million, achieving a remarkable 97% sell-through rate. A record for Maurizio Cattelan was set when his…
Frida Kahlo record at Christie's NY: $8M in a feminine auction, with Barbara Hepworth quadrupling estimates. market-auction
During the evening auction of impressionist and modern art at Christie's New York, Frida Kahlo's 1939 oil on board piece, "Dos desnudos en el bosque (La tierra misma)," measuring…
Basquiat's Untitled Sells for $57.2M at Christie's New York, Setting New Record market-auction
Jean-Michel Basquiat's monumental painting Untitled, measuring 5 by 2.5 meters, sold for $57.2 million at Christie's New York Post-War Contemporary Art auction, setting a new…
Frieze New York 2016: Gallerists Report Strong Sales, Including $1.25M Uecker market-auction
Despite a subdued atmosphere at Frieze New York 2016, gallerists reported significant sales. Italian galleries performed well: P420 sold seven works by Milan Grygar for…
Rodin's 'Éternel printemps' Fetches Record $20M at Sotheby's, Outpacing Cattelan's $17M Hitler market-auction
At Sotheby's New York, Auguste Rodin's marble sculpture 'Éternel printemps' (1901-03) sold for over $20 million, setting a new auction record for the artist. The sale came just 24…
Cattelan's Mini-me Sells for $750K at Phillips, Megumi Igarashi Convicted Again, Santa Monica Museum Rebrands as ICA LA market-auction
Maurizio Cattelan's Mini-me sold for $750,000 at Phillips in New York, following the $17 million record for his piece Him. Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, previously arrested for…
Furio Colombo's Private Collection Heads to Finarte Auction in Milan market-auction
Finarte has released an exclusive video interview with Furio Colombo ahead of its Modern and Contemporary Art auction at La Permanente in Milan on May 11, 2016. In the interview,…
Cattelan's 'Him' Fetches $17.2M at Christie's, Paola Pivi Sets Record market-auction
Christie's New York kicked off auction week with its 'Bound to Fail' sale, achieving a 97% sell-through rate by lot and 98% by value. The top lot was Maurizio Cattelan's 'Him'…
Christie's and Sotheby's May 2016 New York Auctions Preview market-auction
The upcoming New York auction week, coinciding with Frieze Art Week, will test the art market's health after a 7% decline in transactions in 2015 compared to 2014, per the Tefaf…
Harlem emerges as New York's new art hub as galleries flee Chelsea market-auction
In 2016, Harlem has become the latest destination for New York galleries fleeing Chelsea's soaring rents and commercial homogenization. The migration began in 2014 when Nick…
Russian art market plummets 58% amid sanctions and economic crisis market-auction
In December 2014, auction sales in the Russian art market plummeted by 58%, amounting to £17.2 million, a stark contrast to the £40 million recorded in 2013. Contributing factors…
Minerva Auctions sets record with €1M sale in Rome market-auction
Minerva Auctions achieved a record total of over €1 million at its Modern and Contemporary Art sale held on April 28, 2016, at Palazzo Odescalchi in Rome. The auction house,…
National Portrait Gallery Acquires Unfinished Lucian Freud Self-Portrait via Tax Scheme market-auction
An unfinished oil-on-canvas self-portrait by Lucian Freud, valued at around £600,000, has been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in London through the Acceptance in Lieu…
Hayez 'Il bacio' sells for nearly $2M at Christie's New York market-auction
A version of Francesco Hayez's iconic Romantic painting 'Il bacio' sold at Christie's Rockefeller Plaza in New York for nearly $2 million (€1.655 million), setting a new world…
Perry Rubenstein Arrested in Santa Monica for Theft and Embezzlement market-auction
Los Angeles art dealer Perry Rubenstein was arrested in Santa Monica last week on charges of theft and embezzlement, following complaints from collectors Michael Ovitz and Michael…
David Geffen dona 100 milioni di dollari al MoMA market-auction
Il magnate e collezionista David Geffen ha donato 100 milioni di dollari al Museum of Modern Art di New York, una cifra inimmaginabile per qualsiasi altro museo al mondo. La…
Frieze signs strategic partnership with talent agency WME-IMG market-auction
Frieze Art Fair has announced a strategic partnership with William Morris Endeavor-IMG (WME-IMG), a major talent agency representing athletes like Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova,…
Minerva Auctions: crescita del 20% nel 2015 e asta di Moderno e Contemporaneo market-auction
Founded in 2012 by Fabio Massimo Bertolo, Minerva Auctions achieved a 20% increase in revenue in 2015, approaching 6 million euros. The growth is attributed to its departments…
San Francisco emerges as new art hub as Gagosian, Pace, Untitled, and Art Miami expand to Silicon Valley market-auction
San Francisco is positioning itself as a rising star in the contemporary art world, attracting major galleries and art fairs. Larry Gagosian, encouraged by the reopening of the…

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