London auction records: Christie's and Sotheby's rake in £470 million in single week
In March 2022, auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's in London recorded unprecedented sales surpassing £470 million. On March 1, Christie's conducted two auctions, breaking records for artists such as Emmanuel Taku and Joel Mesler. Key highlights were Franz Marc's 'The Foxes,' which fetched £37 million, and Lucian Freud's 'Girl with Closed Eyes,' sold for £13 million. Additionally, the NFT 'Woman #5672' went for £450,000. The following day, Sotheby's hosted 'The Now' and 'Modern & Contemporary' auctions, setting new records for Rachel Jones and others. Significant transactions included Monet's 'Nymphéas' at £20 million and Picasso's 'Buste de femme accoudée' at £10.2 million. Christie's saw 28% of bidders from the Millennial generation, while Sotheby's drew participants from 46 countries.
Key facts
- Christie's London evening sale on March 1, 2022, achieved £249 million in sales.
- Sotheby's London auctions on March 2, 2022, generated £221 million.
- Franz Marc's 'The Foxes' sold for £37 million at Christie's.
- Francis Bacon's triptych (1986-7) sold for £35 million at Christie's.
- Magritte's 'L'Empire des Lumières' sold for £60 million at Sotheby's.
- Record prices set for Emmanuel Taku, Joel Mesler, Genieve Figgis, Victor Man, Angel Otero, Billy Childish, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc, Eugène Boudin, Mario Schifano, Rachel Jones, Shara Hughes, Flora Yukhnovich, Hilary Pecis, and Robert Nava.
- Christie's sold an NFT, 'Woman #5672', for £450,000.
- Sotheby's had participation from collectors in 46 countries.
- 28% of registered bidders at Christie's were Millennials.
- Unsold lots included Banksy's 'Happy Choppers', works by Picasso, Schiele, Riley, Dubuffet, Chagall, Kirchner, Soutine, Moholy-Nagy, Burri, and Warhol.
Entities
Artists
- Emmanuel Taku
- Joel Mesler
- Genieve Figgis
- Victor Man
- Angel Otero
- Billy Childish
- Gabriele Münter
- Franz Marc
- Eugène Boudin
- Mario Schifano
- Lucian Freud
- Francis Bacon
- Magritte
- Pablo Picasso
- Banksy
- Egon Schiele
- Bridget Riley
- Jean Dubuffet
- Marc Chagall
- Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
- Chaïm Soutine
- László Moholy-Nagy
- Rachel Jones
- Shara Hughes
- Flora Yukhnovich
- Hilary Pecis
- Robert Nava
- Stanley Whitney
- Gerhard Richter
- Claude Monet
- Lucio Fontana
- Vincent van Gogh
- Alberto Burri
- Andy Warhol
- David Hockney
- Mario Bucolo
- Mariolina Bassetti
Institutions
- Christie's
- Sotheby's
- Artribune
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Shanghai
- China
- Italy