Dorotheum opened its Contemporary Week in Vienna on May 19, 2026, with modern and contemporary art sales that achieved strong results, particularly for Italian artists. Carla Accardi set a new auction record when her 1986 triptych *Fonda Notte Pieno Giorno* sold for €520,000, while works by Piero Dorazio, Emilio Vedova, Marino Marini, and Gino Severini also far exceeded their estimates. Top lots included Claude Monet’s *Waterloo Bridge* (€611,000) and Mikuláš Medek’s *Too Deep a Sleep V* (€546,000).
These results matter because they demonstrate the continued vitality of the European auction market outside the dominant New York salesrooms, and confirm a robust demand for post-war Italian art. Accardi’s record underscores growing collector interest in female artists of the *Forma 1* group, while the strong prices for Marini, Dorazio, and Vedova signal sustained confidence in Italian modernism. The sale also highlights Vienna’s role as a significant hub for cross-border art transactions, attracting both European and international buyers.