ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Christie's London Evening Sale Nets £134.9M with Records for Mirò and Moore

market-auction · 2026-05-05

On Tuesday, Christie's London held its Impressionist/Modern and Surrealism Evening Sale, generating £134.9 million ($213.2 million), nearly twice the sales from February 2010. The auction recorded an 86% sell-through rate by lot and 94% by value, with four pieces surpassing £10 million and 24 exceeding £1 million. Five new auction records were established. Joan Mirò's 1925 work 'Painting-Poem' fetched £16.8 million, exceeding its £6-9 million estimate. Henry Moore's bronze 'Reclining Figure: Festival' (1951) sold for £19 million, a record for the artist's bronze sculptures. Vincent van Gogh's 'Vue de l'asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy' (1889) went for £10.1 million after intense bidding. The Day Sale reached £18.2 million, with Chaïm Soutine's 'Maisons aux toits pointus' leading at £1.1 million.

Key facts

  • Christie's London Evening Sale total: £134.9 million ($213.2 million)
  • Sale sold 86% by lot and 94% by value
  • Four lots exceeded £10 million, 24 over £1 million
  • Joan Mirò's 'Painting-Poem' sold for £16.8 million (record)
  • Henry Moore's 'Reclining Figure: Festival' sold for £19 million (record for bronze)
  • Vincent van Gogh's painting from Elizabeth Taylor collection sold for £10.1 million
  • Edgar Degas' 'Autoportrait' sold for £713,000
  • Camille Pissarro's 'Pommiers a Eragny' sold for £2.9 million
  • Day Sale total: £18.2 million
  • Chaïm Soutine's 'Maisons aux toits pointus' sold for £1.1 million
  • Works on Paper auction total: £7.3 million
  • Kurt Schwitters' 'Mz 250, Grosser Tanz' sold for £870,000 (record for work on paper)

Entities

Artists

  • Joan Mirò
  • Henry Moore
  • Vincent van Gogh
  • Edgar Degas
  • Camille Pissarro
  • Chaïm Soutine
  • Kurt Schwitters

Institutions

  • Christie's
  • Alex Lachmann
  • Landau

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • China
  • Europe
  • New York
  • United States

Sources