Klein and Modigliani Lead Record Paris Sales at Sotheby’s, Christie’s

The momentum in Paris generated last week by Art Basel—and the strong sales and dynamic activity across all the fairs—culminated in the Paris evening auctions, where results exceeded estimates and expectations at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Buyers who seemed hesitant in the days leading up to the art weeks regained confidence after seeing the positive results in London. “They called back, asking for guarantees or auction bids,” Alessandro Diotallevi told Observer ahead of the sales. One of Christie’s youngest yet most dynamic specialists, Diotallevi has quickly risen to evening-auction prominence, often securing the sale of the house’s most valuable lots, particularly in the Italian postwar category, with artists such as Boetti and Fontana.

Opening the now-marquee Paris sales on October 23 was Christie’s Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian, one of the auction house’s four sales that week. The sale generated €92,443,769 ($107,419,660) in total—up 16 percent from the previous year—with 15 of the 19 lots selling for more than €1 million. Driven by quality, strong provenance and revived market activity in Europe, Avant-Garde(s) alone achieved €59,017,050 ($68,577,812), with a solid 89 percent sell-through across its 60 lots. Following the European directive, the VAT set at 5 percent for imports and exports in France is clearly helping the market return to full circulation.

Yves Klein’s largest 14-foot monochrome led the sale: California (IKB 71), rendered in his signature blue pigment. Having remained in the same collection for decades, the work takes its title from the state where Klein exhibited it shortly after completing it in 1961, during one of his few visits to the U.S. in his brief but intense career before dying at 34, when he showed with Virginia Dwan’s legendary Los Angeles gallery. Working with the Yves Klein Foundation, Christie’s recently uncovered that, on its journey from Paris to California, the piece stopped in New York, where it appeared in a show with dealer Leo Castelli—adding another layer of significance to its provenance and to the artist’s transatlantic trajectory. The extremely rare lot drew remarkable interest, selling after several minutes of bidding for €18,375,000 against a €16-25 million estimate, setting a new auction record for the artist in his home country.

Among the other top lots of the evening were Marc Chagall’s lyrical blue-toned Bouquet à l’âne jaune, which sold above estimate for €1,707,000, and two paintings by Renoir, which sold for €633,500 and €1,355,000 respectively. Odilon Redon’s work, however, surprisingly failed to find a buyer—likely due to its overly ambitious €700,000-1,000,000 estimate.

Selling within estimate were Jean Dubuffet’s large 1966 painting, which achieved €1,460,500 (against an estimate of €1,200,000-1,800,000), and Alberto Giacometti’s Femme debout, which sold for €5,428,000 under a third-party guarantee. Exceeding expectations was Simone Hantaï’s 1969 red study, which fetched €1,143,000 and is set to be included in the artist’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné, along with Lee Ufan’s Blue Traces (1980), which achieved €2,012,000—well above its €1,000,000-1,500,000 estimate. The three duck sculptures by François-Xavier Lalanne at the sale’s end also surpassed expectations, selling for between €300,000 and €400,000.

Leading a particularly strong selection dedicated to postwar Italian art—strategically moved from London to Paris post-Brexit—was Jannis Kounellis’s iconic Untitled, which set a new world record for the artist, fetching €1,792,400 against a pre-sale estimate of €1,000,000-1,500,000. Coming from a prestigious Italian collection that had held the work since acquiring it directly from the artist in 1970, the piece was also featured in Germano Celant’s catalogue for the major 2019 retrospective at Fondazione Prada in Venice held shortly after Kounellis’s passing.

Signaling renewed momentum for postwar Italian art after years of market sluggishness, Thinking Italian brought in €9,528,070 for 33 works by Italian artists, with only two failing to sell. Among the standout results, a Lucio Fontana Concetto spaziale with four slashes in yellow reached €1,168,000 against its €600,000-800,000 estimate, while another work with two slashes in orange sold within estimate for €787,800. Alighiero Boetti’s blue biro work Tutto e niente (1999) exceeded its pre-sale estimate of €250,000-350,000, selling for €406,400 and reaffirming rising international demand for the artist. A complete set of thirty variations from his colorful tapestry series Ammazzare il tempo (1979) realized €1,333,500 (estimate €1,000,000-1,500,000). Just a few years ago, one could have acquired one of these 17 x 18 cm tapestries for €20,000 or less.

A rare, easy-to-hang work by Italian provocateur Maurizio Cattelan also sold just above its estimate for €304,000, following several reported sales of his works by Perrotin during the Art Basel VIP preview. Meanwhile, renewed enthusiasm surrounded Rome’s Pop Art scene, the Scuola di Piazza del Popolo. Mario Schifano’s Grande quadro equestre italiano more than doubled its €150,000-200,000 estimate, selling for €508,000.

The sale also set a new auction record in France for Arnaldo Pomodoro, whose iconic bronze sphere doubled its estimate, selling for €533,400. Strong results for both artists continued in the following days during Art Moderne (October 24) and Moderne(s): Une Collection Particulière Européenne (October 25). “I would say there was great enthusiasm for the week from both international and Italian collectors, all of whom were physically in the city,” Christie’s senior specialist Elena Zaccarelli told Observer. “The auctions achieved solid results for 20th- and 21st-century art, as well as for Italian art, which sparked strong competition among collectors. Paris has definitely become the new European hub for art.”

Modigliani and other records

Starting on the afternoon of October 24 at its newly opened Saint-Honoré venue—with the sales Surrealism and Its Legacy and Modernités—Sotheby’s achieved its highest total ever in France, closing at €89.7 million against a pre-sale estimate of €53.1-75.2 million, up 52 percent from last October, with 90 percent sold by lot.

Five artists set new records in France over the afternoon and evening at Sotheby’s, including the top lot of the week: Amedeo Modigliani’s Elvire en buste, which sold for €27 million, becoming the most valuable work by the maudit artist ever sold in France. Held in the same private collection since 1974 and marking the first appearance at auction of a portrait of Elvira—a working-class woman and one of Modigliani’s early muses during his formative Paris years around 1908-1911—the psychologically charged portrait drew seven bidders, driving the final price well above its €5.5-7.5 million estimate. Earlier in the sale, another Modigliani portrait, Raymond—believed to depict the young novelist Raymond Radiguet and held in the same private collection for more than 65 years—soared to €10.6 million after a spirited ten-minute bidding battle over an estimate of €5.5-7.5 million.

Sotheby’s opened strongly with its Surrealism and Its Legacy sale, which saw spirited bidding throughout and closed with a 97 percent sell-through rate—affirming the enduring appeal of a movement that harnessed imagination and the subconscious to confront chaos and destruction. By the end of the afternoon, the Surrealist section alone had generated €26.9 million against an estimate of €16.3-23.4 million, marking the second-highest total ever for a Surrealist art sale at Sotheby’s in France.

As has become customary, a robust selection of works by Magritte led the sale. His La Malédiction—a serene sky paired with a mysteriously alluring title and one of at least eight known versions—fetched €952,500, more than tripling its €200,000-300,000 estimate. Fierce competition also erupted for La magie noire, pursued by three determined bidders, which doubled its estimate and sold for €10.7 million, setting a new auction record for a magie noire by the artist.

Paul Delvaux’s Woman with a Rose achieved €2.4 million, the highest price ever paid in France for a work by the artist, while Salvador Dalí’s Swirling Sea Necklace from the Schlumberger Collection doubled its €300,000-500,000 estimate to sell for €736,600. Francis Picabia’s Lu-Li more than doubled its high estimate to reach €508,000, and Max Ernst’s Bosse de nage brought €292,100. Among the rediscovered regional masters, a fantastical landscape by Óscar Domínguez—whose work bridged Surrealist precision with the volcanic imagination of his native Canary Islands—exceeded expectations at €990,600. Likewise, Konrad Klapheck’s painting, exploring the absurdity of modern mechanization, far surpassed its high estimate to sell for €825,500. Both achieved new auction records for the artists in France, where their works had rarely appeared in evening sales. Sotheby’s continued success with its “gems” strategy, focusing on distinctive highlights from specific art scenes, helped draw new international buyers.

Meanwhile, Giorgio De Chirico’s Piazza d’Italia—by the Metafisica master whose market extends far beyond Italy—fetched €406,400. The painting had previously been included in the traveling exhibition Giorgio de Chirico and the Myth of Ariadne at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in London in 2002-2003.

As the sale explored the movement’s legacy, it also featured a conceptual work by John Baldessari, originally acquired from Sonnabend Gallery, which sold above estimate for €292,100 after fees, and a sensual lamp sculpture by Polish artist Alina Szapocznikow—brought to global attention by Hauser & Wirth—which achieved €279,400.

Opening the Modernité section (with Sotheby’s notably excluding contemporary works from its Paris offerings), a bronze by Alberto Giacometti tripled its €200,000-300,000 estimate to reach €571,500. A blue monochrome by Yves Klein met expectations at €1,506,500, while Roy Lichtenstein’s Water Lily Pond with Reflections—from the artist’s estate and tailored to the Paris audience—fetched €1,116,100 against a €300,000-500,000 estimate.

A few lots later, Wols’s intricate L’Oeil de Dieu achieved €1.9 million, setting a record for the artist in France. Strong results followed for Jean Dubuffet and Jean Fautrier, while a 1948 Composition by Nicolas de Staël surpassed its €200,000-300,000 estimate to sell for €596,900 despite having appeared twice before at auction. Another Nature morte rouge by de Staël reached €1.69 million. Unsold lots included Joan Mitchell’s blue marine abstraction (likely due to its ambitious €4-6 million estimate), a Boetti tapestry from the Sperone collection (€500,000-700,000) and a Warhol Mao (€700,000-1,000,000)—though a yellow version just prior fetched €787,400. Closing the Modernité sale, Picasso’s complete Séries 347 (1968) achieved €1.9 million, surpassing its €1.2-1.6 million estimate and setting a French auction record for any print series by the artist.

A strong appetite for Modern and postwar masters

Christie’s followed in the evening with its Art Moderne sale on October 24, which totaled €9,841,865 across 183 lots. The auction opened with eleven bronze animal sculptures by Italian modernist Rembrandt Bugatti, all of which sold above estimate—several nearly doubling expectations—each in the six-figure range. The sale proceeded at a brisk pace, fueled by energetic phone bidding and enthusiasm for both established masters and lesser-known regional names.

A luminous nude portrait by Dutch artist Jan Sluijters climbed to €247,650 from a modest €70,000-90,000 estimate, signaling an active base of connoisseurs for specific European scenes and setting a new record in France for the artist. Likewise, a sunlit water-lilies scene by late French Impressionist Pierre Eugène Montézin fetched €317,500 from its €70,000-100,000 estimate. A bronze by Ukrainian-born French sculptor Chana Orloff, associated with the School of Paris, sold well beyond expectations at €104,140 against a €40,000-60,000 estimate. Meanwhile, Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita’s modern interpretation of the timeless mother-and-child iconography—executed in oil, gold leaf, pen and India ink on canvas mounted on panel—achieved €165,100 from its €100,000-150,000 estimate after fees. Known for his distinctive fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics, another drawing by the Japanese-French painter sold in the preceding lot for €6,350.

More household names performed within expectations: Renoir’s Portrait de femme (1915) sold at the estimate midpoint for €469,900, while the cover lot—Marc Chagall’s bright, sentimental view of the Eiffel Tower, Violoniste-coq au-dessus des ponts de Paris (1972)—also met its midpoint estimate, selling under guarantee for €635,000.

Édouard Manet’s first plein-air painting, Ambroise Adam dans le jardin à Pressagny, soared well beyond expectations to nearly €1 million, achieving €895,350 from its €100,000-150,000 estimate. The small yet remarkable canvas (40.6 x 32.4 cm) portrays an older man in the countryside and distills many of the defining elements of Manet’s style as he paved the way for Impressionism’s capture of the moment. Fresh to market, the painting was originally purchased directly from the artist by Ambroise Adam and had remained in his family ever since.

Another surprise followed when Louis Hayet’s pointillist painting soared to €215,900 against a €50,000-60,000 estimate, followed by a floral composition drawing by Odilon Redon, which reached €165,100 from its €100,000-150,000 estimate. Equally unexpected was Albert Marquet’s Marine, which achieved €203,200, followed by another view of Stockholm’s port that sold for €58,420, while other seaside scenes by Eugène Boudin sold within estimate. Overall, connoisseurs appeared eager to hunt for Modern gems throughout these Paris auctions.

That enthusiasm carried over as Christie’s shifted to the 21st Century with its Art Contemporain sale, which totaled €10,669,270 across 97 lots. The auction opened with a bang—every lot either met or exceeded its high estimate. First up was a cosmic abstract composition by Etel Adnan, which doubled its €40,000-60,000 estimate to sell for €107,950. It was followed by a Serge Poliakoff painting at €60,960 and a gouache by Alexander Calder at €50,800. Slightly over estimate came Miriam Cahn’s existential portrait set against an acid-green background, while Victor Vasarely’s psychedelic Optic sold for €215,900 from its €120,000-180,000 estimate. After years of a quieter market, Vasarely’s work now seems to resonate again with contemporary tastes shaped by the fluid dialogue between physical and virtual worlds; just a few lots later, his Vonal-Feny reached the same €215,900 from an estimate of €60,000-80,000.

Later in the sale, a geometric abstraction by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez fetched €120,650 from its €40,000-50,000 estimate, while a prismatic, high-voltage composition by Heinz Mack achieved €53,340 against an estimate of €20,000-30,000. Continuing the strong results, a work by A.R. Penck performed above expectations, selling over estimate for €92,250 following renewed attention from recent exhibitions at Michael Werner galleries in New York and London that reignited interest in the German painter.

Jean Dubuffet, now a fixture in contemporary auctions and exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic, delivered strong results across several lots. His scribbled Mire G 175 (Boléro) sold above estimate for €533,400 (est. €250,000-350,000), while his black-and-white sculpture Paysage à l’oiseau fetched €330,200—more than triple its €80,000-120,000 estimate. Even his more “art brut” Homme et arbre (1949) surpassed expectations, selling for €38,100 after fees. Momentum also remained high for Hans Hartung, whose T1963-R30 (1963) achieved €444,500 against an estimate of €250,000-300,000. Georg Baselitz, a perennial presence in art fair reports, realized €685,800 (est. €300,000-500,000) for a double portrait of his signature upside-down figure suspended in the cosmos. Meanwhile, recent exhibitions in Seoul appear to have boosted interest in Antony Gormley, whose Ease 21 (MEME) II sold above estimate for €120,650.

The Italian postwar segment also performed solidly. All works by Enrico Castellani sold within estimate, while a highly informel ceramic by Leoncillo brought in €40,640 (est. €25,000-35,000). A minimal gouache by Lucio Fontana from 1965 more than doubled its estimate, selling for €57,150. Gold-toned geometric bronzes by Arnaldo Pomodoro continued to attract buyers—his small but iconic sphere (20 cm in diameter) reached €107,950 (est. €30,000-50,000), his Tavola dei segni (1958) sold for €41,910, and a spiral tower from 1999, standing 41 inches high, doubled its estimate to achieve €114,300.

Prices also rose for Rome’s Pop Art pioneers: Mario Schifano’s Palm sold for €304,800 (est. €80,000-120,000), while his Esso Fuel Sign went for €53,340 at the close of the sale. During the concluding auction, “Moderne(s): Une Collection Particulière Européenne,” held on Saturday, October 25, a work by the enigmatic Italian artist Domenico Gnoli, Le Matelas (1965), sold well above its estimate for €2,012,000—further confirming the revived international appetite for Italian Modern and Contemporary art.