Art auctions -Top 5 Sales 2015
2015 was a particularly challenging year for art auction houses and investors from around the world! Although the “oficial” report numbers haven’t been released yet, you don’t need to search too hard to realize how often the phrase “record sale” was used this year! Contemporary art is more capitalized than ever, and because of its attractive componente as investment, and its permeability as a renegotiation fund, art auctions seem to be increasingly prospering.
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Mark Rothko, No. 10 (1958)
Mark Rothko, No. 10 (1958)
Christie’s, sold for $81,925,000 in May 2015
The work painted in 1958, when Rothko was at the height of his artistic creation, has reached a value 62.2% higher than estimated for the art auction. This No.10, formerly owned by American Collection, is a magnificent creation, crafted from the most basic materials: fabric, oil and pigment.
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Roy Lichtenstein, Nurse (1964)
Roy Lichtenstein, Nurse (1964)
Christie’s, sold for $95,365,000 in November 2015
Painted in 1964, this artwork, from one of Pop Art’s giants, is an absolutely significant piece, because it marks a turning point in artistic creation. In a kind of femme fatale evocation, it finds inspiration in a comic romance novel from the early 60s.
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Alberto Giacometti, L’homme au doigt, (1947)
Alberto Giacometti, L’homme au doigt, (1947)
Christie’s, sold for $141,285,000 in May 2015
L’Homme au doigt, created in 1947, conquered the title of most expensive sculpture ever sold at art auctions, dethroning the sculpture L’homme qui marche I, also by Giacometti, that was sold in 2010.
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Amedeo Modigliani, Nu couché, (1917-1918)
Amedeo Modigliani, Nu couché, (1917-1918)
Christie’s, sold by $170,405,000 in November 2015
The 2nd place of 2015 ranking for the most expensive artwork bought in art auctions is headed by Liu Yiqian, a former taxi driver who gained a reputation for breaking art records, by acquiring artworks of enormous artistic and monetary value. Yiqian them in his own museums in Shangai.
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Pablo Picasso, Les femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’), (1955)
Pablo Picasso, Les femmes d’Alger
Christie’s, sold by $179,365,000 in November 2015
The 2015 top selling belongs to the artist who wrote “To me there is no past or future in my art”, Pablo Picasso. Les femmes d’Alger, part of a serie of 15 different variations, (designated as versions A through O), represents the culmination of a project which Picasso started after Matisse’s death, in homage to his friend.
