The first auction dedicated to surrealism by Sotheby’s in Paris achieved records, notably thanks to a work by Francis Picabia that sold for 10 million euros.
In Paris, Sotheby‘s first auction dedicated to Surrealist artists was valued at a total of almost 33 million euros, including a painting by the French painter and writer Francis Picabia.
Picabia was the star of the auction, with two paintings, including “Pavonia“, painted in 1929 and estimated at €6-8 million. This painting, part of the Transparencies series, was created for the major decoration project for the Paris flat of art dealer Léonce Rosenberg and was finally sold for 10 million euros, making it the artist’s most expensive work to date. “Nu de dos“, 1940-1942, was sold for €3.3 million.
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“Surrealism is 100 years old and has never looked so young. Magritte is now as sought after as Warhol and the market demand for Picabia equals that of Jeff Koons”, said Thomas Bompard, the director of this sale by Sotheby’s. “We are particularly proud to have set a new world record for Picabia, certainly the most regularly honoured 20th century painter since Sotheby’s began organising modern art sales in France,” he continued.
The sale also included works by René Magritte, including “The Phantom Landscape“, which fetched 2.1 million euros, “The Courtesan’s Palace”, by Marcel Duchamp, for almost 2 million euros, and “Night Mists” by Dorothea Tanning, for 567,000 euros.
Read also > SOTHEBY’S : THE BLUE DIAMOND, VERY SOON STAR OF THE AUCTION
Featured photo : © Sotheby’s
