On October 18th, Sotheby’s hosted its “Modernités” and “Surrealism and its Legacy” sales in Paris. Jean Dubuffet’s Visiteur au chapeau bleu (1955) led the “Modernités” sale, selling for €6.88 million ($7.47 million)—blowing past its €4.5 million ($4.88 million) high estimate. Meanwhile, Salvador Dali’s Rose méditative (1958) headlined the “Surrealism and its Legacy” sale later that afternoon. The painting sold for €3.9 million ($4.23 million), nearly quadrupling its high estimate. (All prices include fees.)
Sotheby’s “Modernités” auction featured works spanning from the height of Impressionism through the 21st century. Several of the lots exceeded expectations, particularly two 1948 terracotta sculptures by Lucio Fontana, both titled Maschera. These works, estimated at €500,000–€700,000 ($543,000–$760,000) each, sold for €2.16 million ($2.35 million) and €1.92 million ($2.08 million), respectively.
Other top result at the “Modernités” sale include:
- Dubuffet’s Francis Ponge Jubilation (1947), which sold for €6 million ($6.5 million).
- Alighiero Boetti’s Mappa (1983–84), which sold for €1.92 million ($2.08 million).
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Deux jeunes femmes nues, guirlandes de feuillages et de fruits (1890), which sold for €1.92 million ($2.08 million).
- Alexander Calder’s Arrows with Blue Tail (1949), which sold for €1.86 million ($2.02 million).
The third installment of Sotheby’s “Surrealism and its Legacy” continues the auction house’s celebration of the centenary of Andre Breton’s first Surrealist Manifesto. The top results from the “Surrealism and its Legacy” sale, following Dalí’s Rose méditative, include:
- René Magritte’s La Leçon de choses (1947), which sold for €3.84 million ($4.17 million).
- Magritte’s L’Incendie (1947), which sold for €3.18 million ($3.45 million).
- Joan Miró’s Femmes (1932), which sold for €1.98 million ($2.15 million).
- Man Ray’s Personnage (Femme assise) (1939), which sold for €1.71 million ($1.86 million).
On October 12th, Sotheby’s inaugurated its new Parisian headquarters at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The headquarters is a five-story, 3,300-square-meter space in an Art Deco building near the Jardin des Champs-Élysées.
