Art/Auctions: Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby's New York November 6, 2013

Impressionist & Modern Art

Sotheby's New York

7 P.M., November 6, 2013

Sale 9035

Simon Shaw and David Norman and Giacometti head

Simon Shaw, left, and David Norman, right, of Sotheby's discussing bronze head by Alberto Giacometti

By Carter B. Horsley

After Christie's very poor evening auction of Impressionist & Modern Art the previous night, Sotheby's evening auction was fraught for some observers with gloom.

But at the end of the sale, auctioneer Tobias Meyer declared loudly that "The art market is alive, right!" and Simon Shaw, co-chairman of Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Department, could not restrain himself and quickly hugged the many members of his "team."

It was a triumphant moment for Sotheby's as the sale total of $290 million was exceeded only by its May 12, 2012 auction that included the record-shattering "The Scream" by Edvard Munch (see The City Review article). The pre-sale high estimate was $307,900,000.

The "sell-through" rate was more than 80 percent and 94.2 percent of sold works brought prices at or above their estimates.

At the news conference after the auction, Simon Shaw said the sale's success was due to "really desirable properties that were very fresh to the market," adding that there is "tremendous global demand and many of the buyers were new to the Impressionist" field. He noted the "continued power of Asian bidding, an explosive group."

Lot 15, "Grand Tête de Diego," by Alberto Giacometti, bronze, 25 1/2 inches high, cast in 1955

The auction's top work was Lot 14, a bronze head of Diego Giacometti by his brother, Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). The 25 1/2-inch-high bronze was cast in 1955 and had an estimate of $35,000,000 to $50,000,000. It sold for $50,005,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article. The work had never before been offered at auction and has been in the same collection since 1980.

Lot 22, "Tête de femme," by Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 25 5/8 by 21 3/8 inches, 1935

Lot 22, a very colorful and pleasant head of a Marie-Thérèse Walter. She was the mistress in the 1930s of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) who painted the picture in 1935. It once belonged to Walter P. Chrysler Jr., and the Jan Krugier Gallery in New York. An oil on canvas, it measures 25 5/8 by 21 3/8 inches and has an estimate of $20,000,000 to $30,000,000. It sold for $39,925,000.

Lot 29, "Mousquetaire à la pipe," by Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 76 7/8 by 51 1/4 inches, 1969

While Picasso's numerous portraits of Marie-Thérèse Walter are relatively tame albeit colorful and nice, his "mousquetaire" paintings are very engaging and bold. One of the finest is Lot 29, "Mousquetaire à la pipe," an oil on canvas from 1969 that measures 76 7/87 by 51 1/4 inches. It is very vibrant and the evening's best Picasso. It has an estimate of $12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It sold for $30,965,000.

Lot 2, "Flacon et livres," by Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 15 by 18 1/8, 1910-1

Lot 2 is "Flacon et livres," a small Cubist still life composition by Pablo Picasso from 1910-1. An oil on canvas, it measures 15 by 18 1/8 inches and has an estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000. It sold for $8,005,000.

Lot 51, "Femme à la robe rose," by Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 by 32 1/4 inches, 1917

Lot 51 is a lyrical and very lovely 1917 work by Picasso entitled "Femme à la robe rose." An oil on canvas, it measures 39 38 by 32 1/4 inches. It has a modest estimate of $4,000,000 to $6,000,000. It sold for a hammer price of $3,600,000.

Simon Shaw discussing Lot 9, "Automobile in corsa," by Giacomo Balla, oil and ink on paper laid down on board, 29 by 41 inches, 1913

The evening's most spectacular, dramatic and important work was Lot 9, "Automobile in corsa," by Giacomo Balla (1871-1958). An oil and ink on paper laid down on board, it measures 29 by 41 inches and was created in 1913.

A Futurist, some of Balla's motion studies are among the most sensational of all modern art and this "grisaille" work is even more powerful because of absense of distracting bold colors.

The catalogue entry notes that Balla was impressed and influenced by E. J. Marey's chronophotography, "which captured the trajectory of a movement on a single photographic plate in a sequence of overlapping images." "Balla drew ujpon the repetitive rhythms and the visible or implied lines of force revealed by Marey's chronophotography, as well as on the blurrred fusion of object and surrounding space ...But he also supplemented these photographic models with all the signs of pictorial bravura: brilliant, overlapping patches and strokes and color, textured and striated surfaces, the intereaving of figure and ground...."

The lot has an estimate of $12,000,000 to $18,000,000. It sold for $11,477,000.

Interestingly, a very similar but considerably weaker work by Balla, who is very rarely seen at auction, came up at Christie's New York the previous evening.

Lot 12, "Rumoristica plastica Baltrr," by Giacomo Balla, ink, collage and mixed-media on paper laid down on linen, 45 3/4 by 38 1/2 inches, 1914

Another Balla is Lot 12, "Rumoristica plastica Baltrr, an ink, collage and mixed-media on paper laid down on linen. It measures 45 3/4 by 38 1/2 inches and was created in 1914. It has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $1,205,000.

Lot 36, "Petit Breton à l'oie," by Paul Gauguin, oil on canvas, 36 1/4 by 28 3/4 inches, 1889

Lot 36 is a lovely oil on canvas by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) entitled "Petit Breton à l'oie." It measures 36 1/4 by 28 3/4 inches and was painted in 1889. It was once in the collections of Mrs. Sarah Campbell Blaffer and the J. Paul Getty Museum. It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $9,685,000.

Lot 40, "Etretat: Les falaises," by Gustave Courbet, oil on canvas, 25 3/4 by 32 inches, 1870

Lot 40 is an excellent landscape of "Etretat: Les falaises," by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877). An oil on canvas, it measures 25 3/4 by 32 inches and was painted in 1870. It was in the collection of Christian Otto Zieseniss. It has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It sold for $3,749,000.

Lot 38, "La Passerelle - Chermin de halage du canal du Loing," by Alfred Sisley, oil on canvs, 19 3/8 by 25 5/8inches, 1886

Lot 38 is a good riverscape by Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) entitled "La Passerelle - Chermin de halage du canal du Loing." An oil on canvas, it measures 19 3/8 by 25 5/8 inches and was painted in 1886. It has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It is also from the Zieseniss collection. It sold for $3,525,000.

Lot 39, "Bords du Loing à Moret," by Camille Pissarro, oil on canvas, 18 1/8 by 21 3/4 inches, 1901

Lot 39 is a very lovely riverscape by Camille Pissarro (1831-1903) entitled 'Bords du Loing à Moret." An oil on canvas, it measures 18 1/8 by 21 3/4 inches and was painted in 1901. It has a modest estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. It sold for $1,745,000.

Lot 31, "Paysage avec le Cap Nègre," by Henri-Edmond Cross, oil on canvas, 36 1/2 by 46 inches, 1906

Lot 31 is a pleasant landscape of Cap Nègre by Henri-Edmond Cross (1856-1910). An oil on canvas, it measures 36 1/2 by 46 inches and was painted in 1906. It has an estimate of $1,200,000 to $1,800,000. It sold for $1,445,000.

Lot 32, "Glacons, effet blanc,"by Claude Monet oil on canvas, 25 3/4 by 29 3/8 inches, 1893

Lot 32 is a quite beautiful winter scene by Claude Monet (1840-1926) entitled "Glacons, effet blanc." An oil on canvas, it measures 25 3/4 by 39 3/8 inches and was painted in 1893. It has an estimate of $9,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $16,125,000.

Lot 33, "Paule Gobillard en robe de bal," by Berthe Morisot, oil on canvas, 28 3/4 by 23 5/8 inches, 1887

Lot 33 is a very pretty oil on canvas by Berthe Morisot entitled "Paule Gobillard en robe de bal." It measures 28 3/4 by 23 5/8 inches and was painted in 1887. It has an estimate of $1,800,000 to $2,500,000. It was passed at $1,300,000.

Lot 4, "Element mécanique," by Fernand Léger, oil on canvas, 25 1/2 by 21 inches, 1920

Lot 4, "Element mécanique," is a fine oil on canvas by Fernand Léger (1881-1955). It measures 25 1/2 by 21 inches and was painted in 1920. It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $8,677,000.

Lot 16, "Nature morte aux gants," by Robert Delaunay, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 by 32 inches, 1906-7

Lot 16 is an extremely colorful and complete composition by RobertDelaunary (1885-1941) entitled "Nature morte aux gants." An oil on canvas, it measures 39 3/8 by 32 inches and was painted in 1906-7. It has an estimate of $1,200,00 to $1,800,000. It failed to sell and was passed at $800,000.

Lot 11,"Volucelle II," by Francis Picabia, ripolin on canvas, 78 by 98 inches, circa 1922

Lot 11 is a large ripolin on canvas by Francis Picabia (1879-1953) entitled "Volucelle II." It measures 78 by 98 inches and was painted in circa 1922. It has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000. It sold for $8,789,000.

Lot 5, "L'Oeil," by Francis Picabia, oil and gouache on card laid down on board, 26 3/4 by 19 7/8 inches circa 1919

Lot 5, "L'Oeil," is an oil and gouache on card laid down on board by Picabia. It measures 26 3/4 by 19 7/8 inches and was painted circa 1919. It has an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. It sold for $4,309,000.

See The City Review article on the Spring 2013 Impressionist & Modern Art evening auction at Sotheby's New York

See The City Review article on the Sotheby's evening auction May 10, 2000 of Impressionist & Modern Art

See The City Review article on the May 11, 2000 auction at Sotheby's of Impressionist & Modern Art, Part 2

See The City Review article on the Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Auction, Part I, Nov. 11, 1999

See The City Review article on Part Two of the Sotheby's auction November 11, 1999 of Impressionist & Modern Art

See The City Review article on the Christie's Nov. 8, 1999 evening sale of Impressionist & Post Impressionist Art

See The City Review article on the morning auction Nov. 9, 1999 of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art at Christie's

See The City Review article on the afternoon auction Nov. 9, 1999 of Impressionist and Twentieth Century Works on Paper at Christie's

See The City Review article on the Christie's Nov. 9, 1999 evening auction of Twentieth Century Art

See The City Review article on the Christie's Nov. 10, 1999 day auction of Twentieth Century Art

See The City Review analysis of Part 1 of the Sotheby's auction May 11, 1999 of Impressionist and Modern Art

See The City Review analysis of Part 2 of the Sotheby's May 12, 1999 auction of Impressionist and Modern Art

See The City Review article on the Christie's May 12, 1999 auction of Impressionist Art and 19th Century Art

See The City Review of the Christie's May 13, 1999 auction of 20th Century and Modern Art

Recap of the Spring 1998 Impressionist and Modern Auctions

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