Art News. Vasari Codex

art market minute jun 30

London's summer sales season opened with subdued results, totaling just $134.2 million across Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips—a 78% drop from the equivalent sales in 2015. A standout lot was Jenny Saville's painting *Mirror* (2011–12), which sold for £2.1 million at Sotheby's on June 24. Meanwhile, a group of art-world power players have launched a new advisory firm called New Perspectives Art Partners, and France has announced a $316 million international architectural competition to expand the Louvre and address chronic overcrowding.

trending_up market schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 21 link 15 artists

Nudes by Tamara de Lempicka and Jenny Saville lead quiet Sotheby’s Modern and contemporary sale

Sotheby’s June Modern and contemporary art evening sale in London netted £50.8m (£62.5m with fees) from 48 lots, with an 87% sell-through rate, falling below the pre-sale estimate of £55.2m to £81.1m and marking a 25% decrease from last year’s equivalent sale. The top lot was Tamara de Lempicka’s *La Belle Rafaëla* (1927), which sold for £6.1m (£7.4m with fees), while a Jenny Saville drawing *Mirror* (2011-12) achieved an auction record for the artist at £1.7m (£2.1m with fees). Several high-profile works were passed, including Egon Schiele’s *Portrait Study (Head of a Girl, Hilde Ziegler)* and Barbara Hepworth’s *Vertical Forms*, reflecting cautious bidding in a bearish market.

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