Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale

Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper sales achieved $33,655,375 (£20,866,333/€25,578,085) on May 2, with strong sell-through rates of 83% by lot and 88% by value. The top lot of the combined sales was Ernst Barlach’s, Weinende Frau, a unique carved and stained wood figure executed in 1923, which sold for $938,500/ £581,870/€713,260 – a new world auction record for the artist.

Stefany Sekara Morris and David Kleiweg de Zwaan, Heads of the Day and Works on Paper Sales commented: “We are delighted with the results from today’s sales, which demonstrated the global appetite for carefully selected works offered fresh to the market.  There was spirited bidding for works from private collections and institutions from a diverse group of clients seated in the busy saleroom, as well as strong participation from bidders using Christie’s LIVE™, our online bidding platform. In addition to the strong sell-through rates, we are particularly pleased with the exceptional results of Kandinsky’s Vibrierend, which sold for $782,500, and Barlach’s Weinende Frau, which soared to $938,500, against a presale estimate of $200,000-300,000, setting a new world auction record for the artist.”