Belgian Neo-Impressionist Georges Lemmen's painting *Jeune femme faisant du crochet (Julie Lemmen)* (1890) sold for $698,500 at Sotheby's New York on May 14, shattering its $50,000–$70,000 estimate and more than doubling the artist's previous auction record. The Pointillist portrait of the artist's sister, Julie Fréderique Lemmen, had been in a private Florida collection since 1960 and was consigned through Sotheby's online portal. The sale drew over a dozen bidders, including a museum, two dealers, and five private collectors, and was backed by an irrevocable bid.
The result matters because it highlights a growing market trend: collectors are increasingly pursuing exceptional works by lesser-known secondary artists from major movements, rather than weaker examples by marquee names. Lemmen's record also underscores the enduring appeal of Pointillist portraiture, a rare and technically demanding genre, and the power of fresh-to-market provenance. The sale coincides with the Art Institute of Chicago exhibiting a related 1891 portrait of Lemmen's sister alongside Seurat's *Un Dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte*, further elevating the artist's profile.