The Haunting Painting That Set Peter Doig's Auction Record
3 min read · 12 Mar 2025
Swamped. Image courtesy of Christie's
Peter Doig's Swamped (1990) sold for $39.86m at Christie's in New York on November 09, 2021. The oil on canvas work had been traded 4 times in the past.
Swamped is one of the artist's early masterworks. Based on a scene from the film Friday the 13th, Doig has described how he "went out to the barn and made a painting of it that night". Removed from its original context, the white canoe on an apparently tranquil woodland lake felt "more like a romantic dream”, he said.
Doig painted his first work inspired by the horror film, entitled Friday the 13th, in 1987. It led to a memorable sequence of paintings related to moments from the film, helping to establish the artist's international reputation.
Rosedale. Image courtesy of Phillips
The sale beat Doig’s previous auction record by $11.05m, a 38% rise. His previous record was set by Rosedale (1991), which sold for $28.81m at Phillips on May 18, 2017. The work had been traded 4 times in the past.
A Brief History of Peter Doig at Auction
| Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-09 | Swamped | $39.86m | 38 % | Christie's | New York |
| 2017-05-18 | Rosedale | $28.81m | 11 % | Phillips | New York |
| 2015-05-11 | Swamped | $25.93m | 43 % | Christie's | New York |
| 2014-11-12 | Pine House (Rooms For Rent) | $18.09m | 6 % | Christie's | New York |
| 2014-07-01 | Gasthof | $16.98m | 18 % | Christie's | London |
| 2014-06-30 | Country-rock (wing-mirror) | $14.43m | 21 % | Sotheby's | London |
| 2014-05-12 | Road House | $11.93m | 0 % | Christie's | New York |
| 2013-02-13 | The Architect’s Home in the Ravine | $11.9m | 5 % | Christie's | London |
| 2007-02-07 | White Canoe | $11.29m | 512 % | Sotheby's | London |
| 2006-06-21 | Iron Hill | $1.85m | 94 % | Sotheby's | London |
| 2006-05-11 | Olin MK IV | $950,000 | 73 % | Phillips de Pury | New York |
| 2005-05-11 | Briey | $550,000 | 15 % | Christie's | New York |
| 2002-06-26 | The Architect’s Home in the Ravine | $479,000 | 17 % | Sotheby's | London |
| 2002-02-07 | Swamped | $408,500 | 165 % | Sotheby's | London |
| 1999-12-08 | Lunker | $154,400 | 306 % | Christie's | London |
| 1999-11-17 | Study for night fishing | $38,000 | - | Christie's | New York |