NEW YORK ― Despite the ongoing pandemic, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, global inflation… nothing stopped the art market from having a record year in terms of auctions. However, some auctions were more memorable than others because of the astronomical sums they reached. Here are four that impressed.
‘Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ by Andy Warhol (1964)
Christie’s made a touchdown with the auction of the late Swiss gallery owners Thomas and Doris Ammann’s art collection. And it scored another with a $195 million (RM859 million) sale of Andy Warhol’s “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” (1964).
This saturated colour portrait of Marilyn Monroe sold for this historic amount on May 9, after four minutes of bidding. It thus became the most expensive 20th century work ever sold at auction. However, the all-time record still belongs to “Salvator Mundi” (16th century), attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and purchased for $450 million in 2017 by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman. The American press claims that the buyer of “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” was famous New York gallery owner Larry Gagosian, without specifying whether he acted for himself or for a client.
This iconic Andy Warhol painting had been estimated by Christie’s to fetch $200 million, but it had no trouble exceeding that estimate because of its history the series it belongs to. “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” is based on a cropped photograph of actress Marilyn Monroe used to promote her 1953 film “Niagara.” But it is not unique: there are five versions of this painting, all in the hands of private American collectors.
‘Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version)’ by Georges Seurat (1888)
This was one of the jewels of Paul G. Allen’s art collection, which was auctioned off by Christie’s. The Microsoft co-founder, who died in 2018, owned more than 150 masterpieces spanning 500 years of art history, most of which are master paintings. “Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version)” is one of them.
Painted in 1888, this work is among Georges Seurat’s most famous and iconic. It depicts three young female nudes posing in a studio beside “A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande-Jatte,” another painting by Georges Seurat now housed at the Art Institute of Chicago. The work demonstrates the pointillist technique that made the 19th century Neo-Impressionist painter famous.
“Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version)” had sold for nearly $1 million at Christie’s in 1970. Half a century later, the painting fetched US$149.2 million on November 9, again at Christie’s. The auction house had originally estimated it at $100 million.
This impressive sale set a new record for Georges Seurat (the previous one was $35.2 million), and propelled “Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version)” into the small circle of works from Paul Allen’s collection which fetched over $100 million.
‘La Montagne Sainte-Victoire’ by Paul Cézanne (1888-1890)
The sale of Paul Allen’s art collection was remarkable on many levels. It brought in the historic total of $1.62 billion and broke many sales records, including that of a work by Paul Cézanne. This feat was achieved in the exceptional sale of “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire” on November 9 in New York.
This painting had been estimated at $120 million, more than three times the amount Paul Allen bought it for in 2001 ($38.5 million). Before becoming part of the Microsoft co-founder’s collection, “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire” belonged to Auguste Pellerin, George Embiricos and Heinz Berggruen.
According to Artnet, two bidders competed for it at Christie’s. One of them finally won the lot for $137.8 million. This is more than double the previous record price for Paul Cézanne, set in 1999 with the sale of the still life “Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier” for $60.5 million.
‘Orchard with Cypresses’ by Vincent Van Gogh (1888)
This spectacular sale also took place on November 9, during the event dedicated to Paul Allen’s collection at Christie’s in New York. Vincent Van Gogh painted “Orchard with Cypresses” in 1888, when he was staying in Arles. It was in this provincial town that he produced some of his finest works, including “Field with Irises near Arles,” “Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers” and “The Starry Night.”
This painting became part of Paul Allen’s collection after he bought it from collectors Charles Shipman and Joan Whitney Payson in June 1998. David Nash, the American billionaire’s art advisor, told the New York Times that it is “certainly an irreplaceable painting,” along with George Seurat’s “Les Poseuses Ensemble (Petite version)” and Cézanne’s “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire.”
It is therefore not surprising that it went for $117.1 million, setting a new sales record for a Van Gogh. Until then, the title holder was none other than “The Portrait of Doctor Gachet,” an oil on canvas dating from 1890. That work had been bought by Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito for $82.5 million at Christie’s in 1990.
