London, Hong Kong & New York
March 2021

As part of a new generation of international auction events, our 20th Century series celebrates the biggest names in Impressionist, modern, post-war and contemporary art. Fielding bids simultaneously from London, Hong Kong and New York, the three livestreamed evening sales on 23 March totalled £198,716,619 / US$274,825,084 / HK$1,655,333,300.

Beginning in Hong Kong, Basquiat’s landmark WARRIOR sold for £30,265,619, becoming the most valuable western artwork ever sold in Asia. In London, Banksy’s Game Changer soared nearly five times above its high estimate to sell at £16,758,000, with proceeds from the sale benefitting the NHS. Top prices were also achieved for works by Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Jean Fautrier, whose Pièges tripled its high estimate at £4,522,500, setting a new world record for the artist at auction.

Christie’s set new world auction records for the sale of works by rising stars in contemporary art, including Claire Tabouret’s The Last Day at £622,500, Issy Wood’s Over Armour (non-linear, non-violent) at £250,000 and Joy Labinjo’s No Wahala at £150,000 — each realising well above their high estimates.

20th Century season kicked off in New York and London on 1 March with A Family Collection: Works on Paper, Van Gogh to Freud and the Modern British Art Evening Sale achieving a total of £43,702,515 and selling 98% by lot and 100% by value. Sir Winston Churchill’s Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque was the top lot at £8,285,000 — a new world auction record. More than 400,000 people tuned into the livestreamed event through Christie’s website and social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook and WeChat.

The season continues through March with our ongoing online-only sales, First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art Online, Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t and Prints & Multiples — all still open for bidding.




Highlights

  • George Condo (b. 1957)

    Aphrodite, 1984
    Estimate
    £30,000–50,000
    Related sale
    First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art, Online, 18–29 March

  • Edvard Munch (1863–1944)

    Melancholy III
    Estimate
    £150,000–250,000
    Related sale
    Prints & Multiples, Online, 16–31 March

    PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN FAMILY COLLECTION

  • Banksy (b. 1974)

    Girl with Balloon
    Estimate
    £300,000–500,000
    Related sale
    Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t, Online, 16-30 March

  • Bob Thompson (1937–1966)

    Upside-Down Man on Donkey (Dream), 1963
    Estimate
    £20,000–30,000
    Related sale
    First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art, Online, 18-29 March

    PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE MICHAEL ABRAMS

  • David Hockney (b. 1937)

    Contrejour in the French Style, 1974
    Estimate
    £26,000–35,000
    Related sale
    Prints & Multiples, Online, 16–31 March

  • Banksy (b. 1974)

    NOLA (Yellow Rain) - Outside of the edition, 2008
    Estimate
    £200,000–300,000
    Related sale
    Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t, Online, 16-30 March

  • Aboudia (b. 1983)

    Untitled, 2018
    Estimate
    £10,000–15,000
    Related sale
    First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art, Online, 18-29 March

  • Andy Warhol (1928–1987)

    Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, from: Reigning Queens (Royal Edition), 1985
    Estimate
    £60,000–80,000
    Related sale
    Prints & Multiples, Online, 16–31 March

  • Banksy (b. 1974)

    Laugh Now, 2003
    Estimate
    £120,000–180,000
    Related sale
    Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t, Online, 16-30 March

  • Maria Farrar (b. 1988)

    Saving my parents from drowning in the Shimonoseki Straits, 2017
    Estimate
    £8,000–12,000
    Related sale
    First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art, Online, 18–29 March

  • Lucian Freud (1922–2011)

    Pluto aged twelve, 2000
    Estimate
    £40,000–60,000
    Related sale
    Prints & Multiples, Online, 16–31 March

  • Banksy (b. 1974)

    Heavy Weaponry, 2004
    Estimate
    £150,000–250,000
    Related sale
    Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t, Online, 16-30 March


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Introducing 20/21:

A new era for the art world


NEW YORK & ONLINE | APRIL – MAY 2021

Beginning in New York this May, Christie’s will shift its approach to presenting the art of the 20th and 21st centuries in anticipation of a new era for the art world. Christie’s will now offer major auctions of ‘20th Century Art’ and ‘21st Century Art’, replacing the ‘Impressionist and Modern Art’ and ‘Post-War and Contemporary Art’ nomenclatures. The new format will underscore the radical nature of the modern masters and their lasting impact on the art being created today; emphasize the electricity and relevance of the art created over the past 40 years; and make room for the new — both physical and digital.


Sustainability at Christie’s

Christie’s commitment to sustainability

For 250 years, Christie’s has helped steward some of humanity’s greatest artistic treasures across generations and cultures. As a leader in our market, we want to build a sustainable art business so that we can play another stewarding role: helping to protect the environment so that great natural beauty can be enjoyed by and inspire future generations.

In March 2021, we announced a global sustainability initiative, guided by three key pillars: commit, communicate and collaborate.