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Sotheby's Paris Opens New HQ with Surrealist White-Glove Auction

market-auction · 2026-04-26

On October 18, 2024, Sotheby's inaugurated its new headquarters at 83 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, hosting a surrealist auction named 'Surrealism and its Legacy,' which garnered €23.1 million from 28 lots sold. A session titled 'Modernités' contributed an additional €36.1 million, bringing the overall total to €59.2 million. Notable sales included Salvador Dalí's 'Rose méditative' (1958) for €3.9 million and Kay Sage's 'Other Answers' (1945) at €1 million. Works by René Magritte sold within their estimated values. Leonor Fini's piece fetched €360,000, while František Muzika's 'Larva VIII' set a French record at €240,000. Jean Dubuffet's 'Visiteur au chapeau bleu' (1955) sold for €6.88 million, coinciding with the centenary of André Breton's Surrealist Manifesto.

Key facts

  • Sotheby's Paris opened new headquarters at 83 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
  • Inaugural auction on October 18, 2024, was a white-glove sale for surrealist works
  • Combined total of two sessions: €59.2 million
  • Surrealism and its Legacy session: €23.1 million, all 28 lots sold
  • Salvador Dalí's Rose méditative sold for €3.9 million (estimate €700,000)
  • Kay Sage's Other Answers sold for €1 million (estimate €300,000)
  • Jean Dubuffet set French record with Visiteur au chapeau bleu at €6.88 million
  • Lucio Fontana's ceramic Maschera sold for €2.2 million, second highest for a ceramic by the artist

Entities

Artists

  • Salvador Dalí
  • Kay Sage
  • Jane Graverol
  • František Muzika
  • René Magritte
  • Leonor Fini
  • Juanita Guccione
  • Dorothea Tanning
  • Jean Dubuffet
  • Lucio Fontana
  • Alighiero Boetti
  • André Breton
  • Amedeo Modigliani
  • Raymond Radiguet
  • Dorothy Lichtenstein
  • Roy Lichtenstein

Institutions

  • Sotheby's
  • Sotheby's Europe
  • Centre Pompidou
  • Artribune
  • Christie's
  • Art Basel Paris
  • Schlumberger Collection

Locations

  • Paris
  • France
  • 83 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris
  • Londra

Sources