RECORD SALE OF POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT CHRISTIE’S TOTALS £37 MILLION / US$ 64.5 MILLION Christie’s Realises Highest Ever European Sales Total For Post-War and Contemporary Art - 10 Record Prices including for artists Ackermann, Andrews, Auerbach, Baselitz, Borremans, Chillida, Havekost &
barbeque with the duke, 1999, which sold for £299,200 ($521,505/€435,036).
Michael Borremans’s dream-like and haunting painting of The Mirror, 2001, which realised £131,200 ($228,682/€190,765) and Matthias Weischer’s Ohne Titel, which sold for £220,800 ($384,854/€321,043) were also auction records. A world auction record for a work on paper by Yves Klein and a record for a photograph by Sigmar Polke were also set.
Andy Warhol was well represented in the sale and the prices achieved by his works were unparalleled on the London market. An outstanding example from his final great series of pictures the extremely rare black and white image, Last Supper, 1989 realised £2,969,000 ($4,699,128/€3,919,984). Another Warhol, Dollar Sign, after fierce bidding sold for £2,584,000 ($4,503,912/€3,757,136), the highest price ever paid for a work in this series.
The Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale continues tomorrow.
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Images available on request
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Notes to Editors
Christie’s are global market leaders in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Market. In 2005, sales realized $542 million achieving a 61% market share.
