Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524

Bidding from 36 Countries | Global Participation: 55% AMERICAS / 31% EMEA / 14% APAC.

Christie’s Marquee Week continued with the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale. In keeping with the season’s fantastic momentum, the two-session auction was 91% sold by lot and 115% sold against the low estimate. New records were established for 14 artists. In total, the sale achieved $78,025,524.

Combined with the Paul G. Allen Collection and last night’s 20th and 21st Century Evening Sales, the result brought the running total of Christie’s Fall season to $2,122,311,724.

Joan Mitchell’s Conte Bleu was the top lot of the sale. This fine example painted circa 1962, which had been in the same private collection for more than 50 years, achieved $3,420,000. Andy Warhol’s Diamond Dust Shoes was the second highest price of the sale, selling for $2,580,000. A portion of proceeds from the sale will generously be donated to AIDS relief. The work notably had been acquired as part of a 1987 amfAR charitable exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery.

Philanthropic initiatives were a core component of the sale, with additional works selling to benefit Storm King, Pioneer Works, Right of Return USA, the Dina and Raphael Recanati Family Foundation, the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation, and the Sant Foundation.

Additional highlights included works by California contemporary icons. Wayne Thiebaud’s Clouds and Ridge sold for $2,460,000 and David Hockney’s Arlington Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas realized $1,524,000—more than five times its low estimate. Paintings by abstractionists across multiple time periods achieved stellar prices. A Willem de Kooning and a Helen Frankenthaler sold for $2,100,000 and a vibrant Cecily Brown sold for $1,740,000. Louise Nevelson’s Dawn’s Landscape XLIII achieved $1,159,200, becoming the second-highest price for the artist, and Julio Galan’s El Hermano sold for $187,200—also establishing it as the artist’s second-highest price at auction.

Notable Highlights

Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Diamond Dust Shoes
Executed in 1980
Price Realized: $2,580,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
WAYNE THIEBAUD (1920-2021)
Clouds and Ridge
Painted in 1969/1975-1983
Price Realized: $2,460,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)
Untitled
Painted in 1977
Price Realized: $2,100,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
CECILY BROWN (B. 1969)
Untitled
Painted in 2007-2008
Price Realized: $1,740,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
Arlington Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Executed in 1976
Price Realized: $1,524,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
HELEN FRANKENTHALER (1928-2011)
Bride’s Door
Painted in 1967
Price Realized: $2,100,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
MORRIS LOUIS (1912-1962)
Untitled
Painted in 1960.
Price Realized: $1,860,000
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
JULIO GALÁN (1958-2006)
El Hermano (The Eggplant Boy and the Santa Claus Girl)
Executed in 1985
Price Realized: $182,700
Post-War And Contemporary Art Day Sale Totals $78,025,524
LOUISE NEVELSON (1899-1988)
Dawn’s Landscape XLIII
Executed in 1976
Price Realized: $1,159,200
Christies

editor

Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had auction sales in the first half of 2019 that totalled £2.2 billion / $2.8 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and international expertise. Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectables, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery.