As pioneers of the ever expanding international art market, Sotheby's opened the doors of its New York offices in 1955, and in 1967 acquired Parke-Bernet, the United States' largest fine art auction house. More than 50 years after opening, Sotheby's New York continues to thrive as the company's worldwide headquarters. Its history of success includes numerous high-profile sales such as the collections of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Katharine Hepburn.
In recent years Sotheby's has made auction history with Picasso's Garçon è la pipe and Dora Maar au chat, the two most expensive works sold at auction. In 2007 the New York headquarters held an array of exciting sales with property that spanned the centuries. The Magna Carta sold for $21.3 million and the Guennol Lioness brought $57.2 million, a record for an antiquity at auction and sculpture at auction. 2007 also brought continued interest in Contemporary art and numerous important works were sold in New York, including Mark Rothko's White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), and Francis Bacon's Study from Innocent X. In May 2008, the Contemporary Art auction became the most successful in Sotheby's history, with Francis Bacon's Triptych, 1976 realizing $86.3 million, an auction record for the artist and a record for a Contemporary work sold at auction.
The Contemporary Art Department at Sotheby's focuses on a diverse range of artists and schools from early Abstract Expressionism through today. Our sales typically include fine paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and installations from nearly every notable Contemporary movement of the post-war 20th-and 21st-centuries.
Sotheby's Contemporary Art Department is currently the undisputed leader in the category, consistently achieving record results and setting the gold standard for market performance. Sotheby's has achieved the top price for a work of post-war art with the sale of Francis Bacon's Triptych, 1976 ($86.3 million), the top price for a work by a female living artist with the sale of Marlene Dumas' The Visitor ($6.3 million), the top price for a Contemporary photograph with the sale of Richard Prince's Untitled (Cowboy) ($3.4 million) and the top price for a post-war work on paper with the sale of Jasper Johns' 0 Through 9 ($10.9 million). Sotheby's also holds the artist record for Mark Rothko, whose White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) brought $72.8 million, and has achieved the highest price of the season in five of the past seven seasons.
Our New York and London teams have unparalleled experience and unequalled international exposure. The May 2008 Evening sale in New York achieved $362 million - the highest sale total in any category in Sotheby's history - with eight prices above $10 million. The February 2008 Evening sale in London achieved $189.4 million - the highest sale total for any Contemporary Art auction ever held in Europe.
The most important post-war collections to come to market in recent memory have been entrusted to Sotheby's. Our sales of the The Vanthournout Collection (November 2006) and most recently, Property from the Collection of Helga and Walther Lauffs (May 2008) each set numerous record prices and achieved totals well above pre-sale estimates. Other recent sales, including Damien Hirst's Beautiful Inside My Head Forever and Contemporary Art from the Estate of David Whitney and the Property from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, reflect Sotheby's incomparable personal relationships with the world's most respected collectors, dealers, curators, artists and businesses.
Major sales of Contemporary Art are held in New York in May and November, and in London in February and June. Additionally, auctions are held throughout the year at our Paris and Milan venues. Before these auctions, we travel our property across the globe, including London and Moscow. Please check back here for updated travelling exhibition dates.
|
