A surreal self-portrait painted by the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has sold for $54.7m (£41.8m) at Sotheby’s, breaking the auction record for an artwork by a woman. The painting, El sueño (la cama), which translates as The dream (The bed), made in the 1940s, went for more than 1,000 times its original auction price in 1980, after a tense bidding battle between two collectors, according to Sotheby’s. The auction broke the previous record figure...
A portrait by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, has been sold for $236.4m (£179m) by Sotheby’s in New York, making it the second most expensive piece ever sold at auction. The buyer’s identity has not been disclosed. There was a 20-minute bidding battle for the painting which was produced 1914 and 1916. After being looted by the Nazis and almost destroyed by fire during the Second World War, it was rescued in...
Amedeo Modigliani’s Elvire en buste electrified the Sotheby’s Paris saleroom on October 24th at the historic address 83, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, igniting fierce competition among seven bidders before achieving €27 million ($31.3 million) when the gavel finally landed. The portrait, unseen at auction since it entered a private collection in 1974, set a new record for a painting by Modigliani sold in France and became the most valuable work of art ever sold by Sotheby’s...
The Distillers One of One® hosted its third biennial Charity Auction in partnership with Sotheby’s, at the historic Hopetoun House near Edinburgh, on Friday 10th October. Comprising a selection of 39 ultra-rare Scotch whiskies, from 35 companies and distilleries across Scotland, the auction, which attracted lively bidding in the room and on the telephones, was attended by some 200 guests from across the globe, and brought an outstanding total of £2.9 million / $3.9 million...
Sotheby’s is pleased to partner with the family of the late Roy Lichtenstein to offer an expanded trove of more than 40 works by the American Pop icon at auction this May. Coming to auction for the first time after remaining in their personal collection for decades, the group of works charts four decades of Lichtenstein’s practice, following his shift from abstract expressionism to Pop art in the 60s, to his exploration of modern art...
Today, January 24th 2025, international auction house Sotheby’s released its financial results for 2024. In a market where lot volume was reduced, Sotheby’s increased its sell-through rate and had standout years in Private Sales, Luxury and Financial divisions. In the statement, Charles F. Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Sotheby’s (@charlesfstewart), said: “Dear clients and friends, Today we released our 2024 financial results. We’d like to share those with you now and give you some insight into our...
No other artwork from the twenty-first century has provoked scandal, sparked imagination, and upended the very definition of contemporary art like Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, whose debut at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019 captivated the world. Comprised of a banana fastened to a wall with duct tape, hung exactly 160 centimetres from the floor, Comedian belongs to the rare league of artworks that need no introduction, having quickly erupted into a viral global sensation that drew record...
Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, has captured global attention for her groundbreaking piece, AI God: Portrait of Alan Turing, which was auctioned at Sotheby’s in an unprecedented event including a humanoid robot’s work in a prestigious art sale. AI God serves as a tribute to Alan Turing, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern computing and artificial intelligence. Ai-Da’s portrayal of Turing not only honours his legacy but also explores...
International auction house Sotheby’s today (October 30th 2024) confirmed its investment of $1b from Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund ADQ. A statement from Charles F. Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Sotheby’s, read: “We are delighted to announce that we’ve just closed our $1 billion investment from the Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund ADQ, who joins us as a minority shareholder alongside majority owner Patrick Drahi. “This represents the largest investment in the global art industry in...
The highly anticipated 2024 Golden Vines Online Auction in partnership with Sotheby’s, renowned for its exceptional offerings in the world of fine wines, is set to commence on Sunday, October 6ht, 2024, at 9am BST running through to Sunday, October 27th, 2024, concluding at 23.59pm CET, inviting fine wine enthusiasts worldwide to participate. A distinguishing feature of this year’s auction is the exclusive collection of large formats (magnums, jeroboams and upwards) from the cellars of...
