London & Paris, October 2021



This October, Christie’s 20th/21st Century auction series achieved stunning results once again, with a combined total of £139,341,024 across auctions in London and Paris. Christie’s continues to lead the market in these categories.

Kicking off in London, 20th/21st Century: Evening Sale, Including Thinking Italian realised £64,561,000 and was led by Hurvin Anderson’s Audition, selling at £7,369,000 – a world auction record for the artist at more than double the previous record. With an exceptional sell-through rate of 92% by lot and 403 artworks sold across Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale, First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art, and No Regrets: The Collectors’ Edition, the day and online sales were led by Yayoi Kusama’s My Life, which more than doubled pre-sale expectations.

The Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale and Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale achieved a combined total of £21,713,000, led by works by Sir Winston Churchill and a group of three paintings by L. S. Lowry. Impressive results were achieved for the sculptures, including works by Barry Flanagan and Dame Barbara Hepworth. The Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale reported its highest ever total, led by Elisabeth Frink’s Barking Dog, previously in the Collection of Anne and Kirk Douglas.

In Paris, the season’s successes continued with Collection Gerard Valkier: A Lifetime Journey with Art, Paris Avant-garde, BALTHUS: 46 oeuvres provenant de la collection de Stanislas Klossowski de Rola and Art Moderne, which achieved a combined total of £39,109,649 – with highlights Fernand Léger’s Paysage Animé and Hommage à Picasso, a rare evening dress by Yves Saint Laurent, which sold for ten times more than its presale estimate and will soon enter the collection of a renowned national museum.



Auction highlights

  • George Condo (b. 1957)

    Heads and Toes

    signed and dated 'Condo 2011' (upper left)
    acrylic, pastel and charcoal on linen
    42 x 40in. (106.7 x 101.6cm.)
    Executed in 2011
    Price realised
    £2,422,500
    Related sale
    20th/21st Century: Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian, London, 15 October

  • David Hockney (b. 1937)

    Guest House Garden

    signed, titled and dated 'David Hockney 2000 Guest House Garden' (on the reverse)
    oil on canvas
    60 x 76⅛ in. (152.4 x 193.2cm.)
    Painted in 2000
    Price realised
    £5,800,000
    Related sale
    20th/21st Century: Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian, London, 15 October

  • Lucio Fontana (1899-1968)

    Concetto spaziale, Attese
    signed, titled and inscribed 'ATTESE l. Fontana "Concetto Spaziale" Questo
    quadro è stato esposto in Svizzera' (on the reverse)
    waterpaint on canvas
    28¾ x 36¼in. (73 x 92cm.)
    Executed in 1964-1965
    Price realised
    £3,712,500
    Related sale
    20th/21st Century: Evening Sale Including Thinking Italian, London, 15 October

  • Pearl C. Hsiung (b. 1973)

    Helens

    oil-based enamel on canvas
    90 x 72in. (228.6 x 182.9cm.)
    Executed in 2004
    Price realised
    £1,625
    Related sale
    No Regrets, London, 1–18 October

  • Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, known as, 1908-2001)

    Portrait du baron Moritz de Watteville

    signed and dated '1937 Balthus' (on the reverse)
    oil on canvas
    36 ⅜ x 28 ⅞ in.
    Painted circa 1937 and reworked in May 1995
    Price realised
    €80,000
    Related sale
    BALTHUS: 46 oeuvres provenant de la collection de Stanislas Klossowski de Rola, London, 15-26, October

  • Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929)

    My Life

    signed, titled, titled in Japanese and dated ‘2014 YAYOI KUSAMA MY LIFE’ (on the reverse)
    acrylic on canvas
    76⅜ x 76⅜ in. (194 x 194cm.)
    Painted in 2014
    Price realised
    £1,222,500
    Related sale
    Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale, London, 16 October

  • Osinachi (b. 1991)

    Pool Day II

    non-fungible token
    4677 x 3307 pixels
    Executed in 2021
    Price realised
    £27,500
    Related sale
    First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art Online, London, 5 – 19 October 2021

  • Patrick Caulfield, R.A. (1936-2005)

    Corner of the Studio

    signed 'PATRICK CAULFIELD' (on the reverse)
    oil on board
    36 x 84 in. (91.4 x 213.4 cm.)
    Painted in 1964
    Price realised
    £375,000
    Related sale
    Modern British Art Evening Sale, London, 20 October

  • Barry Flanagan, R.A. (1941-2009)

    Nijinski Five

    signed with monogram, numbered, and stamped with foundry mark '1/8' (on the side of the base) bronze with a black patina
    30⅜ in. (77.2 cm.) high
    Conceived in 2005 and cast by Dublin Art Foundry
    Price realised
    £106,250
    Related sale
    Modern British Art Day Sale, London, 21 October

  • Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

    Tabula

    signed with the initials and dated 'S.H. 80' (lower right)
    acrylic on canvas
    60⅜ x 47⅞ in.
    Painted in 1980
    Price realised
    €275,000
    Related sale
    Collection Gérard Valkier A lifetime Journey with art, Paris, 20 October

  • Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955)

    Paysage

    oil on board
    11 x 13 in.
    Painted in 1952
    Price realised
    €536,000
    Related sale
    Collection Alain Bouret, Paris, 21 October

  • Fernand Léger (1881–1955)

    Paysage animé

    signed and dated ‘F. LEGER 37’ (lower right); signed, dated and inscribed ‘PAYSAGE ANIME 1937 F LEGER-’ (on the reverse)
    oil on canvas
    25½ x 19⅝ in.
    Painted in 1937
    Price realised
    €884,000
    Related sale
    Art Moderne, Paris, 22 October

Charitable works

Brightening Lives: Works sold to benefit Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity

Christie’s is proud to partner with Rays of Sunshine for Brightening Lives: Works sold to benefit Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity, offering works in our upcoming sales, Post-War and Contemporary Day Sale and First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art Online. Both sales are held as part of Christie’s global cross-category sale series, 20th/21st Century Art. Highlights include works by Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst, Yoshitomo Nara and Tony Cragg, amongst other notable post-war and contemporary artists.

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