Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Christie’s New York Auctions Top $1.12 Billion as Newhouse Trove Leads

The result signals strong demand for trophy works from a small circle of top-end buyers.

Overview

  • Christie’s sold more than $1.12 billion of 20th- and 21st-century art in one evening in New York, with 97% of lots placed and 99% of estimated value achieved.
  • Sixteen works from the S.I. Newhouse collection supplied over half the total, led by Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 at about $181.2 million, a new auction record for the artist.
  • Constantin Brancusi’s bronze Danaïde realized roughly $107.6 million, setting a new auction high for the sculptor.
  • Mark Rothko’s No. 15 (Two greens and a red stripe) sold for about $98.4 million, which Christie’s reported as a new auction peak for the painter.
  • A pre-sale exhibition drew nearly 20,000 visitors and Christie’s promoted Brancusi’s lot with a Nicole Kidman video, yet observers note a handful of ultra-wealthy buyers still drive such outcomes, leaving the breadth of any market rebound uncertain.