|
 While Warhol's "Four Marilyns," depicting screen siren
Marilyn Monroe, drew the evening's top price, it was upstaged by
"The Brigadier," a large-scale 2003-04 portrait of Parker
Bowles, sat casually dressed in military regalia.
Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, and Parker Bowles divorced
in 1995.
Several bidders competed for the painting via telephone and in
the salesroom, driving the final price to $34.9 million
including Christie's commission and beating the $30 million
pre-sale estimate.
It was a second consecutive steady night at Christie's, which
scored the second-highest price ever for a work of art at
auction on Monday when Modigliani's "Nu couche" soared to $170.4
million, smashing the artist's record by $100 million.
The sale of 66 works, which Christie's said echoed Monday's
"very strong response from Asia," took in $331.8 million,
beating the low estimate of about $320 million. Thirteen lots
went unsold.
Jussi Pylkkanen, Christie's' global head who also served as
auctioneer, noted "a move toward European artists" as evidenced
by the strong price for the Freud portrait, as well as a record
for Lucio Fontana whose "Concetto spaziale, La fine di Dio" set
an artist's record of $29.2 million.
[to top of second column] |
Among other highlights, Louise Bourgeois' monumental sculpture
"Spider," which graced the auction house's Rockefeller Center
entrance, fetched $28.2 million, smashing the sculptress' record of
$10.7 million.
Warhol's "Four Marilyns" was as expected the sale's top-priced work
fetching $36 million, but fell shy of expectations after Christie's
estimated it would command some $40 million. Estimates do not
include commission of just over 12 percent.
The same piece was auctioned for a higher price only two years ago
at Phillips. Officials said its quick return to the market was
likely a factor in the soft price, although two other major Warhols
failed to sell at all.
"We learn from these signals in the marketplace as to where tastes
and prices are," said Laura Paulson, post-war and contemporary art
international director.
Christie's said when works don't sell or fall short of expectations,
reasons ranged from an artist falling out of favor or price points
being too aggressive.
The auctions continue on Wednesday with Sotheby's' post-war and
contemporary art sale.
(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
