SOTHEBY'S RESULTS: JUNE SERIES OF IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART SALES IN LONDON REALISES £130 MILLION SOTHEBY’S JUNE SALE OF IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART TOTAL OF £102.2 MILLION (US$201.2 MILLION), EXCEEDS HIGH ESTIMATE OF £97.4 MILLION
five works from the collection of Haaken A.
Christensen (1924-2008), one of Norway’s most influential art connoisseurs and dealers. Proceeds from
the sale of these, and other works from Christensen’s collection, will benefit Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) – one of the world’s leading international humanitarian aid organisations, providing emergency
medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 60 countries. Works from the Christensen
collection performed exceptionally well, realising a combined total of £13,022,250 (US$25,626,486)
against an estimate of £5.6 – 8.5 million.
The collection included:
• Tête de femme (Dora Maar) (mentioned above). Estimated at £3,000,000-5,000,000, this
powerful depiction of Picasso’s mistress and artistic companion Dora Maar made £7,881,250 (US$
US$15,509,512);
• L’Homme au maillot rayé in which Picasso depicts himself (sporting a fictional beard) wearing
the same signature striped T-shirt in which he was so often photographed. Estimated at
£900,000-1,200,000, the painting made £ 1,833,250 (US$ 3,607,653);
• Femme au chapeau assise. Buste of 1962. A portrait of Jacqueline Roque, Picasso’s devoted
second wife who remained with him until the time of his death in 1973, this powerful work made
£1,777,250 (US$3,497,450) against an estimate of £700,000-900,000;
• Picasso’s Nature morte au poron of 1948, which made £1,049,250 (US$2,064,819) against an
estimate of £600,000-800,000;
• And Fernand Léger’s L’Araignée verte of 1938, which made £481,250 (US$ 947,450) against
an estimate of £400,000-600,000.
Marc DuBois, Executive Director of MSF in the UK, said: “We were enormously grateful to receive
Mr. Christensen’s generous legacy and tonight’s results have far and away exceeded all our expectations. The
money raised is absolutely vital for helping people in crisis in many countries around the world.”
Other works that performed well:
Painted around 1879-80, Cézanne’s Verre et Poires belongs to a genre (the still life) that has long
been recognised as ranking among the artist’s greatest achievements - the works which demonstrate
most clearly the innovations that led to the stylistic developments of early 20th-century art. Recognising
the importance of this work, four determined bidders drove the final price to £4,073,250 (US$8,015,749)
against an estimate of £2,500,000-3,500,000.
Two works by Paul Gauguin attracted strong competition this evening: Deux vases de fleurs et un
eventail of 1885 made £2,841,250 (est: £1,500,000-2,000,000), while Tête de Tahitienne of 1891
made £2,841,000 against an estimate of £1,000,000-1,500,000.
In line with other recent high prices for his work, (his L'homme au foulard rouge, made a record £8.7
million at Sotheby’s in February 2007) Chaïm Soutine’s striking La Jeune Polonaise soared above
estimate this evening, realising £2,169,250 / US$ $4,268,867 (est: £650,000-850,000) - nine times
more than the sum made by the same work in 2003 ($455,500).
Similarly dynamic, Raoul Dufy’s Le Havre, 14 Juillet was an exceptional example of Fauvism – of
which Dufy was a key exponent. Executed in 1906, at the height of the Fauve movement, the painting
realised an impressive £1,553,250 (US$3,056,641) against an estimate of £900,000-1,200,000.
Painted in the summer of 1906, at the height of Albert Marquet's involvement with the Fauves, La
Plage de
