The October auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillip’s, in London this week, will prove an interesting barometer for the art market going into the blue riband event of the the New York sales next month. These Autumn fixtures have seemed ‘add ons’ in recent years to the vast Regent’s Park Frieze Fairs that have so dominated the October calendar in London’s art market. Yet these sales offer a diverse range of artworks spanning plenty of different periods and styles – from the intricate work of Yayoi Kusama to the large and visceral paintings of Georg Baselitz. Indeed, the momentum given to such a sale series is in viewing the travelling exhibitions on view from NYC and, in particular, the Miller and Ertegun Collections. If you have not had the chance to view the large Magritte, 100m USD in value, at Christie’s I would urge you to head to King Street to view: it is a masterpiece from the same ‘Empire of lights’ series as the Peggy Guggenheim Magritte in Venice.
The high estimates for works by artists like Lucian Freud and David Hockney indicate continued confidence in British blue-chip artists. That is a significant relief for British dealers, who are thankful that such titans of the market happen to be from London. Meanwhile, the presence of works by female artists such as Morisot (whose gorgeous pastel ‘Fillette au volant’ is offered at Christie’s) and Dame Barbara Hepworth (whose unique wooden sculpture, ‘Reclining Figure II’, of 1955 is up at Sotheby’s) reflects the ongoing trend of increased recognition and value for women artists in the art market. The strong interest expected for Hepworth’s sculpture, particularly from the US, underscores the growing international appeal of certain British artists despite the headwinds of Brexit.
These auctions will likely serve as important indicators of the current state of the art market, especially given the absence of Christie’s Summer sale in London this year.
The sales and their links are as follows:
Wednesday 9th October
Christie’s Impressionist & Modern Works on Paper Sale at 1000 BST
Christie’s 20/21 Evening Sale at 1700 BST
Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sale at 1900 BST
Thursday 10th October
Christie’s Impressionist & Modern Day Sale at 1000 BST
Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Day Sale at 1200 BST
Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale at 1500 BST
Phillips Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale at 1700 BST
Friday 11th October