Christie’s Spring Season of Global 20th Century Sales Launches in London and New York

- A Family Collection: Works on Paper, Van Gogh to Freud realises £18,070,765 / $25,281,000 / €20,889,804

- Modern British Art Evening Sale achieves £25,631,750 / $35,858,818 / €29,630,303

- Global participation from 12 countries over 5 continents via phone and online bidding in Christie’s London and New York livestream sales

- Depth of bidding demonstrates competitive demand at Christie’s

-Sir Winston Churchill’s record broken twice, with the sale of Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque setting the new world auction record £8,285,000 / $11,590,715 / €9,577,460

- Van Gogh’s La Mousmé realises one of the highest prices for a work on paper by the artist £7,459,614 / $10,436,000 / €8,623,314

- Further records include Augustus John and Sir Michael Craig-Martin

Christie’s global spring season of 20^th Century art sales launched in London and New York on 1 March 2021, achieving a total across the evening of £43,702,515 / $61,139,818 / €50,520,107, with collectors convening from 12 countries over 5 continents and combined sell-through rates of 98% by lot and 100% by value. The series of sales was opened in New York with A Family Collection: Works on Paper, Van Gogh to Freud, a grouping of eight exquisite works on paper that saw the market bidding competitively for exceptional quality, with a total of £18,070,765 / $25,281,000 / €20,889,804 realised. The sale was led by Van Gogh’s rare portrait La Mousmé, one of the finest works on paper of the artist’s career which sold for £7,459,614 / $10,436,000 / €8,623,314. A world auction record was set by Augustus John’s Head of a Girl (Edie McNeill) (£348,463 / $487,500 / €402,823) while bidding across the salerooms in London and New York saw strong prices realised for works on paper by René Magritte, Henry Moore and Georges Seurat.

The Modern British Art Evening Sale directly followed, realising a total of £25,631,750 / $35,858,818 / €29,630,303, selling 97% by lot and 99% by value. The evening was led by Sir Winston Churchill’s Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque which set a new world auction record price of £8,285,000 / $11,590,715 / €9,577,460 after a nine-minute battle between 10 bidders. The painting was offered from the Jolie Family Collection. Two further works by Churchill demonstrated heightened demand for his paintings with both far exceeding the pre-sale expectations: Scene at Marrakech (£1,882,500 / $2,633,618 / €2,176,170) and St Paul’s Churchyard (£1,078,500 / $1,508,822 / €1,246,746). Henry Moore’s Maquette for King and Queen sold for £3,022,500 / $4,228,478 / €3,494,010, over three times the low estimate and testament to the rarity of the subject matter in the artist’s oeuvre. Sir John Lavery’s The Viscountess Castlerosse, Palm Springs, from the collection of Charles Delevingne, sold for £862,500 / $1,206,638 / €997,050, a record for a portrait by the artist. Sir Michael Craig-Martin’s With Red Shoes set a new world auction record for the artist (£325,000 / $454,675 / €375,700).

Giovanna Bertazzoni, Vice Chairman, 20th – 21st Century Art, Christie’s: “We are delighted with the very strong result for the exquisite works in the Family Collection: Works on Paper, Van Gogh to Freud. Quality always wins, and the infallible eye of this collector strove only for exceptional quality.”

Nick Orchard, Head of Department, Modern British Art, Christie’s: “The auction of Modern British Art demonstrated the vibrant and dynamic nature of this market with exceptional provenance as witnessed in the Churchills, Lavery, the Collection of Mireille and James Lévy and the Estates of L.S. Lowry and Carol Ann Lowry. These works generated international interest with competitive bidding throughout the evening, resulting in Christie’s second highest total for a Modern British Art evening sale.”

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS

A FAMILY COLLECTION: WORKS ON PAPER, VAN GOGH TO FREUD

- René Magritte, Journal intime £2,680,486 / $3,750,000 / €3,098,642

- Henry Moore, Two Sleepers in the Underground (recto); Figures and Sketches of Sculpture (verso), £2,251,608 / $3,150,000 / €2,602,859

- Georges Seurat, La voile blanche, £3,280,915 / $4,590,000 / €3,792,738

MODERN BRITISH ART EVENING SALE

- Dame Barbara Hepworth, Square Forms (Two Sequences), £922,500, / $1,290,578 / €1,066,410

- S. Lowry, Head of a Boy, £742,500 / $1,038,758 / €858,330

Over 185,000 viewers tuned into the sales through Facebook, You Tube, Christies.com and Christie’s Live™, highlighting the inclusive nature of the interactive livestream.

The Modern British Art Day Sale takes place on Tuesday 2 March at 2pm. The 20^th Century Sale series then continues on 23 March with We Are All Warriors: the Basquiat Auction which is followed by the 20^th Century Art Evening Sale and The Art of The Surreal Evening Sale.

B-roll footage of Sir Winston Churchill’s Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque selling can be downloaded here (Password: Christies)

Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and international expertise. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie’s has conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie’s also has a long and successful history conducting Private Sales for clients and online sales are offered year-round across all categories. Christie’s global presence is spread across a network of international salerooms and 61 representatives and offices. Christies.com provides detailed articles and videos on the objects offered for sale alongside the latest advances in digital viewing tools to make Christie’s accessible to all.

*Please note when quoting estimates above that other fees will apply in addition to the hammer price - see Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of the sale catalogue.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable fees.