Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale brings in $170 million
The spring auction season has begun, and the Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale has brought in $170.5 million for 44 works sold out of 59 on offer. Although the sales figure falls between the pre-sale estimate of $159 million and $230 million, the total is far below last year’s parallel sale that made $196 million. Leading the chart was a 1934 Picasso painting titled “Femmes lisant (deux personnages)” that went for $21.4 million. It was earlier expected to sell for up to $35 million.
The painting shows his mistress and model Marie-Therese Walter and another woman reading. The Spanish artist met this 17-year-old blonde outside a Paris Metro station in 1927. Another highlight from the auction was a rare wooden bust by Paul Gauguin that sold for $11.2 million, setting a record for a sculpture by the French artist. The presale estimate for Gauguin’s Tahitian was $10 million to $15 million.
Many other works at the auction did quite well. Paul Delvaux’s “Les Cariatides” went for $9 million, Giacometti’s “Femme debout” brought in $7.36 million and Rodin’s “Le Penseur” fetched $4 million.
