Lot
7, "Nu Assis Sur un Divan (La Belle Romaine)," by Amedeo Modigliani,
oil on canvas, 39 3/8 by 25 5/8 inches, 1917
Lot
7, "Nu Assis Sur Un Divan (La Belle
Romaine)," is a 39 3/8 by 25 5/8 inch oil on canvas, painted
in 1917 by Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920). The woman’s head
is done in classic Modigliani style although the body is handled
with less finesse and the composition is almost dominated by her
large left thigh.
The
catalogue argues that "It is the immediacy
and intimacy of Nu
Assis Sur Un divan…that gives the painting
its unparalleled power," adding that the artist "manipulated
the sitter’s form, simplifying it and rendering it with great
originality, breaking away from academic conventions whilst depicting
a traditional subject. The poignant realism of this canvas epitomizes
the conflict in Modigliani’s nude paintings between the nude’s
unabashed sensuality and its enveloping purity….The erotic
appeal of the present work is heightened by the model’s pose.
Unlike the majority of other nudes painted by the artist after
1914…, the sitter provocatively conceals her sex by crossing
her legs. The voluptuous contours of the body, the sculptural
roundness of her forms – reminiscent of Modigliani’s
Caryatides… - and her frontal pose contribute to
the
painting’s highly charged quality."
His
Caryatides studies, however, are
far more abstract and beautiful. This lot had an ambitious estimate at
a Sotheby's auction in New York in November, 1999 of $12,000,000 to
$16,000,000 and had been sold in Paris in November,
1987, for more than $7 million, according to Art &
Auction
magazine. It sold then to an anonymous buyer for $16,777,500,
the top price realized at this auction and an auction record for
the artist.
The lot, which is the cover
illustration of the auction's catalogue, has an "estimate upon request"
for this auction. It sold for $68,962,500.
The
auction totalled $227,561,000 that Sotheby's said was "comfortably"
within its pre-sale estimates of $195,000,000 to $266,000,000. Of
the 61 offered lots, 46 were sold.
Lot
14, "Jeanne Hébuterne (au chapeau)," by Amedeo Modigliani, oil on
panel, 26 3/8 by 20 1/4 inches, 1917
Another work by
Modigliani is Lot 14, "Jeanne Hébuterne (au chapeau)," an oil on panel
that measures 26 3.8 by20 1/4 inches. Executed in 1917, it is
beiing sold to benefit Yountarts, the core program of the National
Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. It has an estimate of
$9,000,000 to $12,000,000. The catalogue notes that this work
is "one of Modigliani's first major portraits of the woman whose image
came to define his art." It sold for $19,122,500.
Lot 25,
"Femme nue assise, se coiffant," by Edgar Degas, charcoal and pasterl
on joined sheets of paper laid down on board, 27 1/2 by 21 inches,
circa 1887-1890
Lot 25 is a lush pastel on
joined paper laid down on board by Edgar Degas (1834-1917).
Entitled "Femme nue assise, se coiffant," it measures 27 1.2
by 21 inches and was drawn circa 1887-1890. It has an
estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,500,000. It failed to sell.
Lot
4, "Femme Nue Se Coiffant," by Edgar Degas, pastel over monotype on
paper, 8 1/2 by 6 1/4 inches, circa 1877-1879
Lot 4 is a charming and colorful small pastel over monotype on paper by
Edgar Degas of a naked woman combing her hair in front of a dressed
man. It measures 8 1/2 by 6 1/4 inches and was executed circa
1877-1879. It was formerlyh in the collectio of Henry
Ittleson Jr. of New York. It has an estimate of $900,000 to
$1,200,000. It sold for $1,314,500.
Lot 39, "Home au Fanion," by
Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 45.6 by 35 inches, 1969
Lot
39 is a large portait of a man with a spear and large hat painted
mostly in black, white and gray by Pablo Picasso. Entitled
"Homme
au Fanion," it is an oil on canvas that measures 45.6 by 35 inches.
It was painted in 1969 and is from his "musketeer" series.
It has an estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It
was
exhibited in 1970 at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. It sold for $5,402,500.
Lot 1, "Femme
se Regardant Dans La Glace," by Pablo Picasso, pencil on paper 19 5/8
by 15 3/4 inches, 1943
Lot 1 is a beautiful pencil
on paper by Pablo Picasso of a woman looking at herself in a
mirror held by another girl. It measures 19 5/8 by 15 3/4
inches and was drawn in 1943. Thge gracefulness of the
composition is very fine and it could easily be mistaken for a great
drawing by Matisse. It has a very modet estimate of $300,000
to $500,000. It sold for $422,500.
Lot
24,
"Danseuse Dans Le Fauteuil, Sol en Damier," by Henri Matisse, oil on
canvas, 18 1/8 by 21 5/8 inches, 1942, discussed by David Norman,
co-chair of Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art Department Worldwide
Lot
24 is a very pleasant oil on canvas of a dancer lounging in a chair by
Henri Matisse (1869-1954). It measures 18 1/8 by 21 5/8
inches
and was painted in 1942. It has an estimate of $12,000,000 to
$18,000,000.
"Matisse's highly stylized portrayal of the sensuous
model ensconced in a plush armchair makes no attempt at anatomical
naturalism," the catalogue entry said, "prefacing the linear simplicity
of the colorful cut-outs that would dominate his art in years to come.
The model in the present work is Carla Avogardo..., a young
Italian countess and friend of his model Nèzy Chawkat....The present
work is perhaps the most assured and compelling from this group.
Languorously reclining on an armchair and looking straight at
the
viewer, Carla is the personification of self-assurance."
It sold for $20,802,500.
“It
was very encouraging to see multiple bidders on most of the major lots
this evening, demonstrating tremendous strength and confidence in works
of great quality in today’s market,” commented David Norman, Co-Chairman of Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Department Worldwide, after the sale.
"Given
the shaky economy, the auction house was cautious going into the sale.
The Modigliani [nude] and a 1942 Matisse ['Danceuse"] had been
presold. Sotheby's had arranged what it calls irrevocable bids for both
works, meaning that buyers had already agreed to purchase the art for
undisclosed sums. If someone else whanted to pay more, the
original bidder would get a percentage of the profit," wrote Carol
Vogel in a November 3, 2010 article in The New York Times.
Lot
17, "Two Negresses," by Henri Matisse, bronze, 18 1/2 inches high,
conceived in 1907 and completed in 1908 and cast circa 1930 as number 7
in an edition of 10 plus 1 artist's proof
Lot
17, "Two Negresses," is a bronze sculpture by Henri Matisse that
is 18 1/2 inches
high and was conceived in 1907, completed in 1908 and cast
circa
1930 as
number 7 in an edition of 10 plus 1 artist's proof. It has an
estimate of $8,000,000 to $10,000,000. It is the back cover
illustration of the auction's catalogue. At a Christie's New York
auction November 1, 2001, it sold for $7,596,000 when it had an
estimate of $8,000,000 to $10,000,000. It sold for $8,482,500.
Lot 16, "La
Table Grise," by Georges Braque, oil and sand on canvas, 57 1/8 by 29
7/8 inches, 1930
Lot 16 is a large vertical
still life oil and sand on canvas by Georges Braque (1882-1963).
It measures 57 1/8 by 29 7/8 inches and was executed in 1930.
It was once in the collection of Nelson A. Rockefeller.
It has an estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000. It sold for $4,282,500.
Lot 15,
"Homme à Mi-Corps (Diego Assis)," by Alberto Giacometti,
bronze, 23 5/8 inches high, conceived in 1965 and cast in 1982,
numbered 5/8
Lot 15 is an impressing
sculpture of a kneeling man by Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966).
It is 23 5.8 inches high and was conceived in 1965 and cast
in 1982. It has a modest estimate of $2,000,000 to
$3,000,000. It is numbered 5/8. It failed to sell.
Lot
28, "Femme (Nu Debout IV)," by Alberto Giacometti, bronze, 13 3/8
inches high, conceived and cast in 1953
Lot
28 is a bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti of Annette who would
become his wife and model. It was conceived and cast in 1953
and is 13 3/8 inches high. It has an estimate of
$700,000 to $900,000. It was once in the collection of the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. It sold for $782,500.
Lot 13, "Le Bassin au Nymphéas,"
by Claude Monet, oil on canvas, 38 3/8 by 78 1/8 inches, 1917-1919
Lot 13 is a large, unfinished
painting of waterlilies by Claude Monet (1840-1926). It was
executed in 1917-1919 and is an oil on canvas that measures 38 3/8 by
78 1/8 inches. It was formerly in the Reader's Digest
Collection in Pleasantville, New York and is being sold to benefit the
core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
It has an estimate of $20,000,000 to $30,000,000. It sold for $24,722,500.
Lot 45,
"Femmes Oiseaux," by Joan Miró, oil on canvas, 45 5/8 by 35 inches, 1974
Lot
45 is a very bright and delightful oil on canvas by Joan Miró
(1893-1983) entitled "Femmes Oiseaux." It measures 45 5/8 by
35
inches and was painted in 1974. It has an estimate of
$3,000,000
to $4,000,000. It sold for $3,442,500.
The catalogue states that the painting
"is a poetic example of abstraction at its most daring," noting
that"although no identifiable features of a woman or a bird
are
visible, the artist evokes the gestural motions of these
figures
though the sweeping arabesques of his brushwork." "This
extraordinarily colorful composition remained in Miró's collection
until the end of his life," it said
Lot 58, "Ascona," by Karl
Schmidt-Rottluff, oil on canvas, 34 5/8 by 44 1/4 inches, 1927
Lot 58 is an excellent
landscape of Ascona on Lake Maggiore by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff
(1884-1976), one of the founders of the Brucke group. An oil
on canvas, it mreasures 34 5/8 by 44 1/4 inches and was painted in
1927. It has a modest estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $602,500.
Lot
18, "Gehoft (The Grange)," by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, oil on canvas, 30
1/2 by 35 4/4 inches, 1914
Lot 18 is another good
landscape by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. An oil on canvas that
measures 30 1/2 by 35 3/4 inches, it was executed in 1914. It
has an estimate of $1,250,000 to $1,750,000. It sold for $1,986.500.
Lot
52, "Le Tas de Pierres," by Georges Seurat, oil on canvas, 12 7/8 by 16
1/4 inches, circa 1884
Lot 52 is an excellent small
oil on canvas by Georges Seurat (1859-1891) entitled "Le Tas de
Pierres." It measures 12 7/8 by 16 1/4 inches and was painted
circa 1884. It has a modest estimate of $1,800,000 to
$2,500,000. It sold for $1,930,500.
Lot 34, "La
Couseuse," by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, oil on canvas, 25 5/8 by 21 1/4
inches, 1875
Lot 34 is a pleasant painting
of a young girl with long hair by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Entitled "La Couseuse," it is an oil on canvas that measures
25 5/8 by 21 1/4 inches and was executed in 1875. It has an
ambitious estimate of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000. It is similar but
sketchier and lighter than a Renoir composition at the Sterling and
Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass. It failed to sell.
Lot 12, "Bouquet de fleurs au vase de cristal" by Henri Matisse, oil on board, 13 5/8 by 10 1/2 inches, 1902
Lot
12 is a very pleasant still life of flowers in a crystal vase by Henri
Matisse. It is an oil on board that measures 13 5/8 by 10 1/2
inches and was painted in 1902. It has an estimate of $700,000 to
$900,000. It sold for $902,500.