IMPRESSIVE PRICES AT BONHAMS IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART SALE
Bonhams Impressionist & Modern Art sale on Tuesday 21st June saw an exciting selection of works by artists including Modigliani, Chagall, Picasso, Renoir and Miro make a total of £3,571,440, with 94% sold by lot and 99% sold by value.
The top selling lot was Portrait de Femme by the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani which fetched £1,812,000. Modigliani is renowned for his portraits of women – they have been described as ‘the works by which the artist has earned his place in the history of art’, and this fine example was fought over by several bidders both in the room and on the telephone.
Two works in the sale by Pablo Picasso also achieved good prices - Tête de matador made £216,000 whileFemme nue assise fetched £204,000. And Joan Miró’s works proved popular with bidders too – Tête sold for £120,000 and Femme made £90,000.
Other results include Candido Portinari Flores (£108,000), Marc Chagall L’Ècuyère bleu au coq rouge (£84,000) and Maurice Utrillo Rue de village (£66,000).
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go towww.bonhams.com (May 2010).
