Artnet Auctions has launched its "20th Century Art" sale, featuring works by blue-chip masters including Joan Miró, Yves Klein, and Andy Warhol. The auction, curated by specialists Sylvie François Sturtevant and Jason Rulnick, highlights the distinction between "rarity"—objects that are unusual due to limited production or historical loss—and "scarcity"—where high market demand outstrips the available supply of editioned works.
This sale serves as a case study in market psychology and provenance, showcasing how historical factors like the destruction of "degenerate art" during WWII impact current availability. By focusing on high-demand categories like Pop Art prints and rare wartime works on paper, the auction underscores how institutional holdings and collector competition continue to drive price benchmarks for 20th-century masterpieces.