Sotheby’s “Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne.â€LONDON â€" Two paintings by Francis Bacon â€" one of the artist’s favorite female model and another of a man peering at the viewer from behind a pair of delicate glasses â€" were the stars of Sotheby’s sale of contemporary art here on Wednesday night.
It was the second night in a week of back-to-back auctions here, and the salesroom was overflowing with collectors and dealers. Most came to watch, but many bid as well. On offer were 68 works, including other examples by British artists like David Hockney and Damien Hirst, as well as an international array of blue-chip names â€" Lucio Fontana, Andreas Gursky and John Currin, to name a few.
But whilethe evening brought some solid prices, it followed a similar pattern to Christie’s sale on Tuesday night. Both lacked the frenzy (and the stellar selection of material) that made up the New York sales in May.
“We’re at the end of a marathon that started in New York, then moved to Hong Kong, Venice, Basel and now back to London,’’ said Harry Blain, a British dealer, ticking off the various events, including art fairs and auctions, that began in New York last month. “Still,’’ he added, “when something is rare people fight for it.’’
The auction totaled $116.8 million, in the middle of its $101.2 million to $144.9 million estimate. Fifteen works failed to sell. The auction was bigger than the Christie’s event, which totaled $108.4 million, within its $86.4 million to $112 million estimate. Of the 64 works at that auction, 13 failed to sell.
(Final prices include the buyer’s premium: 25 percent of the first $100,000; 20 percent from $100,000 to $2 million and 12! percent of the rest. Estimates do not reflect commissions.)
Both Bacon canvases were being sold by William Acquavella, the New York dealer, according to several dealers familiar with the works. The best of them â€" “Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne’’ â€" was a 1966 triptych of Rawsthorne, an artist, who was Bacon’s confidante and model. Two bidders fought for the painting, which was purchased by Alex Corcoran of the Lefevre Gallery in London for $17.3 million. It had been estimated to bring $15.5 million to $23.3 million. Mr. Acquavella had bought the triptych at Christie’s in London nine years ago for $4.2 million. The second Bacon â€" “Head III’’ â€" a 1949 canvas of a man’s head peering eerily out at the viewer, was bought by an unidentified telephone bidder for $16.1 million, well above its $10.8 million high estimate.
Abstract paintings have been all the rage recently and two works by Lucio Fontana commanded high prices. His “Concetto Spaziale, Le Chiese di Veneia,’’ a 1961 canvas inspired by the mosaics, frescoes, glass and stone of churches in Venice, which was expected to fetch $6.2 million to $9.3 million, went to a telephone bidder for $6.8 million. And Fontana’s 1965 “Concetto Spaziale, Attese,’’ a white canvas with his signature slashes that was expected to bring $5.1 million to $7 million, sold for $6.7 million to another telephone bidder.
David Hockney is always a favorite in London, especially after his blockbuster exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts here last year. Both Hockney works artist brought higher than expected prices. “A Small Sunbather,’’ from 1967, depicting one of his famed subjects, swimming pools, had belonged to Stanley J. Seeger, the celebrated collector who died in 2011. Although it was expected to bring $467,000 to $780,000, it sold to a telephone bidder for $1.7 million. Mr. Seeger had bought the painting at Christie’s in New York 13 years ago for $270,000. A later Hockney work, “Double East Y! orkshire,! ’’ a colorful landscape from 1998 that had been estimated to sell for $3.1 million to $4.6 million, went to another telephone bidder for $5.3 million.
The sale also included five photographs by Andreas Gursky depicting stock exchanges around the world. They were being sold by Greg Coffey, a former hedge fund manager living in London. Among the best of them was “Chicago Board of Trade III,’’ which was estimated at $935,000 to $1.2 million and went to a telephone bidder for $3.3 million.
Basquiat was a big seller at Christie’s on Tuesday night when a painting from 1982 went for $29 million. But at Sotheby’s, “Quij,’’ a 1985 canvas featuring a large yellow windmill, failed to sell. It was one of the evening’s biggest casualties, as was “Hoax,’’ a 1983 collage on canvas, also by Basquiat.
Mr. Hirst continues to lose his luster. His performance at Christie’s was bumpy on Tuesday. Sotheby’s sold what it had, but two works went for well below their estimates. “Jdgement Day/Atonement,’’ one of his canvases filled with butterfly wings from 2004-5 that was expected to sell for $780,000 to $1 million, brought $651,537 to a lone telephone bidder. “Girl,’’ another of his butterfly paintings, this one round and bright blue, from 1997, sold for $535,890, or $651,537 including Sotheby’s fees. It had been estimated at $625,000 to $600,000. By contrast, a 1996 spin painting that was expected to sell for $389,000 to $545,000, was bought by Thaddaeus Ropac, a Paris dealer, for $651,537. After the sale Mr. Ropac said he was buying the painting for a client.
The auction also included works by a younger generation of artists, some of which saw surprising results. Glenn Ligon’s neon sculpture, “Untitled (Negro Sunshine),’’ from 2005, sold to Ivor Braka, a London dealer, for $299,938, exceeding its high estimate of $234,000. And, while paintings by Mr. Currin did not perform well at Christie’s on Tuesday, his 1998 painting of a Botticelli-esqu! e woman t! hat was expected to sell for $935,000 to $1.2 million at Sotheby’s had three contenders via telephone and ended up bringing $1.7 million.
After the sale Sotheby’s officials said there were bidders from 38 countries, the broadest participation they had ever seen at a sale of contemporary art in London.
