Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 7, 2025 visibility 18 link 21 artists, 3 galleries

consignors revealed new york auctions may 2025

The article reports on the upcoming May 2025 marquee auctions in New York at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips, which carry a combined low estimate of about $1.2 billion—similar to last year. However, the market faces headwinds from U.S. trade wars, stock market volatility, high interest rates, and ongoing global conflicts. Major consignors include estates (Len Riggio, Anne Bass), living patrons (Tiqui Atencio, Norman Braman), dealers (Daniella Luxembourg, Barbara Gladstone, Enrico Navara), and institutions (SFMOMA, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Phillips Collection). Notable lots include Sheldon Solow’s $70 million Alberto Giacometti at Sotheby’s and Riggio’s $50 million Mondrian at Christie’s. Collector Peter M. Brant is revealed as the seller of Basquiat’s Baby Boom (1982) and a John Currin painting at Christie’s.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 28 link 29 artists, 4 galleries

The 16 Most Expensive Artworks Ever Sold at Auction

ARTnews published an updated list of the 16 most expensive artworks ever sold at auction, highlighting recent record-breaking sales such as Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16), which fetched over $236.4 million at Sotheby's, and Jackson Pollock's *Number 7A, 1948*, which sold for well above its $100 million estimate at Christie's in May 2026 from the S. I. Newhouse collection. The article traces the history of top auction prices, including Vincent van Gogh's *Orchard with Cypresses* (1888), which sold for $117 million during the Paul Allen sale at Christie's in November 2022, part of a record $1.5 billion single-evening auction.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 22, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

sothebys 70 million giacometti bust may auction

Sotheby’s will offer Alberto Giacometti’s 1955 bronze bust *Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego)*, hand-painted by the artist as a tribute to his brother Diego, at its May 13 modern art evening sale in New York with an estimate exceeding $70 million. The 25-inch-tall work, one of six casts, is being sold anonymously through the Soloviev Foundation and comes from the estate of real estate magnate Sheldon Solow. It was exhibited at the 1956 Venice Biennale and spent nearly two decades at the Fondation Maeght before Solow acquired it in 1980. The sale also includes a Piet Mondrian painting estimated at $50 million at Christie’s as part of the Leonard Riggio collection.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 22, 2025 visibility 12 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

sothebys 70 million alberto giacometti

Sotheby's has secured a $70 million Alberto Giacometti sculpture, *Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego)* (1955), for its evening sale of Modern art on May 13 in New York. The bronze bust of the artist's brother Diego is the highest-priced lot known to be offered in the upcoming high-stakes auctions. Consigned anonymously from the collection of late real estate tycoon Sheldon Solow, the work is being sold by the Soloviev Foundation to raise funds for philanthropic activities, including support for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sculpture, one of six casts, is described as the only 'richly painted' version and was included in Giacometti's 1956 Venice Biennale presentation.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 4, 2025 visibility 20 link 21 artists

old masters sales takeaways art detective

Sotheby's underperformed with the highly anticipated Saunders Collection of Old Masters, which was estimated at $80–120 million but sold for only $65.4 million, falling $14.6 million short of its low estimate. The sell-through rate was a dismal 58%, with 16 of 43 lots failing to sell in the standalone auction. Christie's also saw disappointing results, with a smaller sale totaling $6.89 million, 17% below its low target. The collection, amassed by the late banker Thomas A. Saunders III and his wife Jordan, was billed as the most valuable Old Masters collection ever to come to auction.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 26 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

70 million giacometti flops at sothebys as demand for trophy art softens

The top lot of Sotheby's May auction season in New York, Alberto Giacometti's bronze sculpture *Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego)* (1955), estimated at $70 million, failed to sell on Tuesday night. The work was consigned by the Soloviev Foundation, set up by Stefan Soloviev, son of late mega-collector Sheldon Solow, and was offered without a financial guarantee, a risky strategy that backfired when no bidders emerged. Auctioneer Oliver Barker made several chandelier bids before declaring the lot unsold at $64.2 million, shocking the packed salesroom.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 3, 2025 visibility 31 link 15 artists, 1 gallery

Ten Highlights From New York’s Spring Marquee Auctions

New York's spring marquee auctions are set for May 2025, with Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips presenting strong lineups after a 25% drop in total public sales in 2024. Highlights include the $250 million Leonard and Louise Riggio collection at Christie's, featuring Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* (est. $50 million), and Alberto Giacometti's *Grande tête mince* (est. over $70 million) at Sotheby's. Other top lots include Lucio Fontana's *The End of God*, Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Baby Boom*, a Rothko from the Bass mansion, Claude Monet's *Crepuscular Peupliers*, Olga de Amaral's evening sale debut, a trove of 40 Roy Lichtenstein works, and an Ed Ruscha piece. The sales test market resilience amid supply constraints and a cautious art market.

newspaper observer.com open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 14, 2025 visibility 19 link 4 artists

giacometti bust fails to sell at sothebys may 2025 sale

A 1955 bronze bust by Alberto Giacometti, estimated at $70 million, failed to sell at Sotheby's modern evening auction in New York on May 13, 2025. The sculpture, from the estate of real estate magnate Sheldon Solow, was offered without a guarantee and bidding reached $64 million before the lot was pulled after four minutes, likely because the reserve price was set above that amount. Auctioneer Oliver Barker presided over the sale, which Sotheby's CEO Charles Stewart described as an organic auction moment despite the lack of a sale.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 14, 2025 visibility 23 link 29 artists

$70m Giacometti bombs at patchy Sotheby’s Modern art auction

Sotheby's Modern evening sale in New York on May 13 brought in $152 million ($186.4 million with fees), falling short of its presale estimate of $170 million to $248 million. Four lots were withdrawn before bidding began, including works by Winslow Homer, Wassily Kandinsky, Candido Portinari, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The sale's star lot, Alberto Giacometti's bronze bust 'Grande tête mince' (1954/55), estimated at over $70 million, failed to sell when bidding stalled around $64 million. Other notable results included strong sales for Jean Arp, František Kupka, and Robert Delaunay, but several high-profile works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Pierre Soulages, and David Smith also failed to find buyers.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jul 7, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists

The art market bites back as estimates fail to score

Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips raised a combined $1.27bn from their May 2025 marquee auctions of Modern and contemporary art in New York, an 8% decline from the same period last year, according to data from London-based auction analysts Pi-eX. The highest-priced lot, Alberto Giacometti’s 1955 bronze bust *Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego)*, estimated at $70m, failed to sell, while Andy Warhol’s *Big Electric Chair* (1967), valued at $30m, was withdrawn before Christie’s auction to avoid a similar fate. The downturn is attributed to geopolitical uncertainty under Donald Trump’s presidency, including tariffs announced on April 2, which have unsettled buyer confidence.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 15, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

Failed auction of $70M bronze bust stuns Sotheby’s bidders into silence

Sotheby's high-stakes Modern evening sale on Tuesday night ended in shock when Alberto Giacometti's bronze bust "Grand tête mince (Grand tête de Diego)," estimated at $70 million, failed to sell. Bidding stalled at $64.25 million, well below the reserve, and auctioneer Oliver Barker withdrew the lot. The consignment came from the Soloviev Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the late real estate mogul Sheldon Solow, who had declined an auction guarantee. The sale ultimately brought in only $152 million, far short of the $240 million low estimate, with the Giacometti representing nearly 30% of that target.

newspaper New York Post open_in_new Read original