Christie's International plc
Sotheby's Catches Up With Christie's in Private Sales
Sotheby's has been selling like a champ in 2007, with a grand total of about $6 billion worth of art at auctions and in private transactions. After falling behind Christie's International in 2006, Sotheby's is now drawing even with its rival, according to Bloomberg.com. read more »
Hollywood Break-up Leads to Major Christie's Auction
Nancy Goliger, an executive of creative advertising at Paramount, and Bruce Berman, CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures, have been building a photography collection since 1991 — commissioning emerging artists to travel and take pictures.
Now that they're divorcing, about 500 works by artists including Diane Arbus, William Eggleston and Walker Evans are heading to auction at Christie’s in New York, starting in April. read more »
Warhol's Elizabeth Taylor Painting Sells for $23.5 Million
Sarah Jessica Parker, Marc Jacobs and Elizabeth Hurley all showed up to the Christie's auction last night, witnessing Andy Warhol's "Liz" painting sell for $23.5 million, according to The New York Times. The 40-inch-square painting, one from a series of 13, originally belonged to Hugh Grant, and will now be passed on to an anonymous bidder. read more »
Christie's Strong Bids: What Do They Mean?
With all the hubbub about the Christie's and Sotheby's sales this week, financial folks are keeping an eye on auctions to see if the art market is slowing.
Art Houses Brawl This Week
It's been three years since Sotheby's has been able to match or beat Christie's sales totals. But this season, with all eyes fixed on Sotheby's as never before, the house comes out swinging with two major Francis Bacon canvases, a self-portrait and Second Version of Study for Bullfight No. 1. In the other corner, there's Christie's Andy Warhol's Liz, estimated at between $25 million and $35 million; Gerhard Richter's Dusenjager, estimated at between $10 million and $15 million; and Lucian Freud's Ib and Her Husband.
Each house has a monumental Jeff Koons sculpture from his celebration series. Sotheby's has "Hanging Heart," estimated at between $15 million and $20 million; Christie's has "Diamond (blue)," (estimate upon request). Both works are mammoth — too big to be displayed in anything less than a lobby.
Both houses have black-and-gray Rothkos. Sotheby's untitled picture is estimated at between $12 million and $18 million, while Christie's is selling one estimated at between $10 million and $15 million. Each house has additional Rothkos. Sotheby's has a smaller, untitled canvas that is blue-onblue and estimated at between $3.5 million and $4.5 million. Christie's has two more major works in "Untitled (Red, Blue, Orange)," estimated at between $25 million and $30 million, and "No. 7 (Dark Over Light)," estimated at between $20 million and $30 million, and a minor work, "Green, Blue, Green on Blue," estimated at between $3 million and $5 million.
You can watch this week's auctions live on the web here and here.
Christie's Auctions Matisse for $33.6 Million
“L’Odalisque, Harmonie Bleue,” a 1937 Matisse canvas depicting one of the artist’s favorite models lounging in a heavily patterned interior, went for $33.6 million at the Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art auction last night at Rockefeller Center.
Christie's Launches Live Webcasts of Auctions
Just dying to know how much those Monets and Picassos are gonna go for tonight at the Christie's Impressionist & Modern Art Auction at Rockefeller Center?! Well, we aren't either but you can watch it, nonetheless, live on the Christie's site starting at 6:30, according to CultureGrrl. We see drinking game potential.
Upcoming Art Auctions Test the Market
Flush from record-setting May and June sales in New York and London, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and the boutique house Phillips de Pury assumed that the good times would roll on. But will the art market bubble finally burst this year?
Faces in Art Opens Today at Christie's
Christie’s New York will show Faces in Art—Iconic Portraiture, a select exhibition of paintings from Rubens’ two intimate studies of a young man and Andy Warhol’s sexy Liz, for just three days, starting today.
Marion Maneker of The New York Sun writes:
A week before the November auctions — which may prove to be among the biggest ever — this Christie's show is a reminder of the art history that is meant to drive this form of conspicuous consumption. "Faces in Art" brings together works from five upcoming sales (Old Masters, Impressionist and Modern, Postwar and Contemporary, Latin American, and Chinese Contemporary) around the theme of portraiture. It has the added benefit of giving those of us who aren't top-tier art collectors the chance to see how the most accomplished collectors approach their art. Mr. Bennett has put aside both his salesman's role and scholar's eye to assemble a fantasy collection — a sort of Rotisserie-league art collection — that a wealthy patron might have put together if they could wander around in Christie's vaults for a few weeks.
The Afternoon Wrap: Wednesday
- Sotheby's contemporary art whiz Tobias Meyer has bought 54 acres in New Milford, which cost him $1.2 million. The neighborhood gossips will be happy to know that Mr. Meyer's rival at Christie's moved to the area last year. Who owns more land? And will they have an artsy neighborhood turf war? [WSJ]
- Elsewhere in America, November new home sales picked back up after a steep October fall. (And yet the glut of unsold new homes is still much higher than it was last year.) [NY Times]
- What does Joe Blog Reader think will happen in New York's near future? Curbed's comment board has some wonderful prophesies for next year's successes: Long Island City, Williamsburg, Philadelphia, Upper West Side, SoHa and CeHa, Flushing, Flatiron, Financial District, Chinatown, Astoria. And yet two out of four Observer writers agree: Williamsburg is still super uncool. [Curbed]
- CNN is reporting that Trump Mortgage CEO E.J. Ridings badly inflated his resume. Apparently, he wasn't "a top executive at one of Wall Street's most prestigious investment banks," or an "established leader" in mortgages, or a 15-year veteran of the financial industry. Oops. [CNN/Money] - Max Abelson
Luxury Lap: Divorceé Ellen Barkin Cleans House For Dollars
Among the more than 100 objects from her collection, a 22.76 carat diamond ring is expected to fetch $800,000 to $1,200,000. A ruby and emerald Art Deco evening bag formerly belonging to the Duchess of Windsor is estimated at $60,000 to $80,000.
The New York viewing will begin on October 6.
Going Once, Going Twice
A Red Bellman's uniform. Estimate: $200-300.
So, how about a nice bellman's uniform instead? read more »
On March, 15, Christie's will be holding an auction for various items that are far less expensive than the penthouse with park views.
The auction of the contents from New York's legendary Plaza Hotel feature a wide variety of unique artifacts, including furniture, china, decorative pieces and works of art from the Edwardian lobby, the Oak Room, the Oyster Bar, the Palm Court, the Persian Room, and the Grand Ballroom.Auction details and times to just take a peek are after the jump.
In Today's Observer
A really unbelievably huge house in a New Jersey estate area popular with hip-hop moguls makes $40 million look like a bargain.
Christie's owner Francis Pinault has finally found a buyer for his 5,000-square-foot apartment: Financier Menachem Sternberg and his wife, Liora, are dropped $22 million on the place.
Not everyone believes the assurances the Hudson River Park has enough money to keep going.Robert DeNiro's old Tribeca Grill chef, Don Pintabona, needs to keep his hand on the saltcellar and his eye on the clock at his latest venture, Dani.
Short on Sale
The famed singer and pianist, who performed at the Cafe Carlyle for more than 35 years, died last March. Lot highlights from the auction include the talent's black lacquer Bechstein grand piano, his Cartier wristwatch and a wooden bird house that models The Carlyle Hotel. read more »
The Sale at Christie's - Riva FroymovichToday's Observer is Geezertastic
Today's paper features over 25 of New York's most powerful seniors, including members of the New York Five (Meier, Graves, Eisenman, Gwathmey), Ada Louise Huxtable, and Larry Silverstein.
Christie's owner Francois Pinault sells on Park Avenue, in Manhttan Transfers. Also, artist James Turrell buys in Gramercy. read more » 
