3 min read · 13 Dec 2024
Four Pyramids and Sun by Sandy Calder consigned by Christian Levett sold for $112,400. Image courtesy of Christie's Online
This was the week Sotheby’s announced a further round of redundancies in addition to cuts made earlier in the year. Cold comfort for the affected staffers who worked on the auction house’s New York marquee sales in November. There was brighter news from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which unveiled a striking design for a new Modern and Contemporary wing, which will overlook Central Park.
Market: A work by Manoucher Yektai led Christie's $4m '20th/21st Century Art' online auction. The painting, which sold for more than $225,000, was once owned by US actress Jean Seberg and her husband. For all the highlights, see the HENI News report.
New York: A work by Rafa Macarron and Damien Hirst's spin drawing were among the 61% of lots selling above their low estimate at Phillips 'Modern & Contemporary’ online auction. HENI News
Market: A work by John Wesley was among the 40% of lots selling above their low estimate at Sotheby's ‘Works from the Collection of A.G. Rosen, Part II' online auction. The sale totaled $914,000. HENI News
London: A work by S.H. Raza was among the 67% of lots selling above their low estimate at Bonhams 'Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art' auction. The sale totaled $7.42m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate. HENI News
Munich: Ilona Singer's auction record jumped 375% when her 1929 still-life of cacti and a rubber tree sold for $214,800 (EUR203,200) at Karl & Faber. HENI News
Market: A work by Sandy Calder was among the 65% of lots selling above their low estimate at Christie's sale of pieces consigned by Christian Levett from his Mougins Museum of Classical Art. The sale totaled $662,900, meeting the pre-sale estimate. HENI News
London: Works by Charles Conder lead the sale of the late performer Barry Humphries' collection at Christie’s in February. HENI News
Max Hollein, the director of the Met, posts about its planned new Modern and contemporary art wing.
In Other News
Market: Sotheby’s laid off more than 100 staffers in a further round of redundancies, blaming a challenging market, first reported ARTnews.
Museums: Frida Escobedo’s design for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new, $500m wing for Modern and contemporary art was unveiled by the institution's director, Max Hollein. The new wing is due to be completed in 2030.
Shows: Peter Doig will reveal the contents of his record collection, pairing his paintings with music and film in "House of Music" at the Serpentine Galleries from October 2025, The Art Newspaper reported.
"‘To cough was to risk death.’ Lawrence Abu Hamdan recalls the words of survivors of Sednaya, Bashar al-Assad’s most notorious prison."
- The Guardian