Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule May 5, 2025 visibility 4 link 14 artists, 2 galleries

may 2025 art auctions consignors 1234740631

The article previews the upcoming May 2025 marquee art auctions in New York, led by Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips. Key consignors include the collection of late Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise, along with works from Anne and Sid Bass, Tiqui Atencio, Daniella Luxembourg, the estate of Barbara Gladstone, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Notable lots include Dorothea Tanning's 'Endgame' (est. $1M–$1.5M), Robert Motherwell's 'Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 160' (est. $3.5M–$5.5M), and Andy Warhol's 'Big Electric Chair' (est. $30M). The article also reveals undisclosed consignors through research, such as the family of Harold and Gertrud Parker for the Tanning work and the Hess Art Collection for the Motherwell.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 2 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

global auction sales h1 2025 arttactic analysis 1234747389

Global auction sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips fell 6.2% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, while the number of lots sold rose 1.3%. ArtTactic’s analysis reveals significant category shifts: post-war and contemporary art dropped 19.3% to $1.22 billion, impressionist and modern art fell 7.7% to $989.5 million, and luxury sales were nearly flat. In contrast, Old Masters surged 35.6% to $171.2 million, and design, decorative arts, and furniture rose 20.4% to $172 million. The decline in high-value trophy lots, including the withdrawal of Andy Warhol’s *Big Electric Chair* and Alberto Giacometti’s *Grande tête mince*, contributed to the slump in contemporary sales.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 12, 2025 visibility 2 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

A young Richter’s painting of an even younger Polke and a once-grimy Brazilian landscape by Frans Post: our pick of the May auctions

The article previews five major lots coming to auction in New York in May 2025, spanning Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams. Highlights include Gerhard Richter's 'Mann mit zwei Kindern' (1966), a portrait of Sigmar Polke estimated at $4–6 million; Frans Post's 'View of Olinda with Ruins of the Jesuit Church' (1666), estimated at $6–8 million and expected to break the artist's record; Andy Warhol's 'Big Electric Chair' (1967–68), estimated around $30 million; and Fernando Botero's 'The Bed' (1982), estimated at $700,000–$1 million. Each work is making its auction debut or is a rare market appearance.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 1 link 11 artists

top auction results may 2025 2654816

Spring 2025 auction results at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York showed a mixed market. Major lots like Alberto Giacometti’s *Grande tête mince* failed to sell, and Andy Warhol’s *Electric Chair* was withdrawn. However, top sales included Piet Mondrian’s *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* for $47.56 million, Claude Monet’s *Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule* for $42.96 million, and Mark Rothko’s *No. 4 (Two Dominants)* for $37.78 million. Works by Basquiat, Magritte, Picasso, and Richter also sold well.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 17, 2025 visibility 4 link 21 artists, 9 galleries

11 New Artist Auction Records Set in May 2025

During New York's spring auction week starting May 12, 2025, major houses Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips, and Bonhams collectively brought in $1.27 billion, slightly above the estimated $1.25 billion but down 17% from the previous year. The top lot was Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* (1922) at $47.56 million, but the mood was tense as trophy works like Andy Warhol's *Big Electric Chair* (1967–68) were withdrawn and several top lots, including Alberto Giacometti's *Grande tête mince* (1955), failed to sell. Amid this volatility, 11 new artist auction records were set, five of which were for women artists, notably Marlene Dumas's *Miss January* (1999) selling for $13.65 million—the most expensive work by a living woman artist at auction.

newspaper Artsy open_in_new Read original

person people schedule May 1, 2025 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

Christie’s names new global president

Christie’s has appointed Alex Rotter as its new global president, marking another leadership change at the auction house. Rotter, who previously led the 20th- and 21st-century art department, will retain those responsibilities while developing strategies for auction and private sales. He joined Christie’s in 2017 and oversaw record-breaking sales including Jeff Koons’s *Rabbit* ($91.1m), Andy Warhol’s *Shot Sage Blue Marilyn* ($195m), and the *Salvator Mundi* attributed to Leonardo da Vinci ($450.3m). The appointment was made by CEO Bonnie Brennan, who succeeded Guillaume Cerutti earlier this year.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 13, 2025 visibility 1 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

Record-breaking female Surrealists spice up underwhelming Christie’s New York sales

Christie’s New York spring sales brought in a combined $489 million across two evening auctions, including the Leonard and Louise Riggio collection ($272 million) and a 20th-century evening sale ($216 million). While sell-through rates were high at 94%, bidding was shallow and several high-profile lots underperformed: a Mondrian estimated at $50 million sold for $47.6 million, a Magritte from the Empire of Light series matched its 2023 price at $34.9 million, and a Lucio Fontana canvas that sold for $14 million in 2017 fetched just $7.5 million. Andy Warhol’s Big Electric Chair was withdrawn last minute amid a reported $10 million gap between seller and buyer expectations. The sales were bolstered by third-party guarantees and came hours after news of a temporary US-China tariff détente.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jul 7, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 3 galleries

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 4 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

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