New York City, May 9th 2015. Auction houses are open for business, and have been filled with contemporary art spanning many decades. There’s always the scent of blood in the air. It’s an exciting battle between Christie’s and Sotheby’s. The winner isn’t in dollars and cents. For me the winner has the best view. And as always there’s a clear winner. Below are “best bets” from Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction.
Willem de Kooning
1904-1997
Untitled
oil on canvas
54 x 60 in.
Executed in 1977
$8,000,000-12,000,000
PRICE REALIZED: $6,074,000
Cy Twombly
1928-2011
Untitled (New York City)
oil based house paint, was crayon and lead pencil on canvas
45 1/8 x 53 1/4 in.
Dated 1956 (signed NYC 1985)
$5,000,000 – 7,000,000
PASSED
David Hammons
b. 1943
Untitled
Mixed media on canvas
92 x 72 in.
Executed in 2010
$2,000,000 – 3,000,000
PRICE REALIZED: $2,290,000
Jean-Michel Basquiat
1960-1988
Untitled
29 1/2 x 41 7/8 in.
Dated 86
$800,000 – 1,200,000
PRICE REALIZED: $1,030,000
Anselm Kiefer
b. 1945
Le dormeur du val
oil, acrylic, emulsion, shellac and sediment of electrolysis on photograph mounted on canvas
74 1/4 x 129 7/8 in.
Executed in 2014
$600,000 – 800,000
PRICE REALIZED: $1,330,000
Mark Bradford
b. 1961
Smear
Mixed media and collage on canvas
96 x 72 in.
Dated 2015
$500,000 – 700,000
PRICE REALIZED: $4,394,000
Mark Rothko
1903-1970
Untitled (Yellow and Blue)
oil on canvas
95 5/8 x 73 1/2 in.
Executed in 1954
$40,000,000 – 60,000,000
PRICE REALIZED: $46,450,000
To see all lot results click here.
Efrem Zelony-Mindell is an artist who lives in New York. For more of his work click here …
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