There was another record-setting modern art auction in New York last night, this time at Christie’s. Pieces went for a combined total of $495 million, setting a new record for a modern art sale. There were also stunning individual numbers for works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.
According to Bloomberg, Christie’s America chairman Marc Porter said that it was the biggest art auction in history. Only four of the 70 lots didn’t sell and 12 artists’ records were broken. The pieces were part of the collections of the late singer Andy Williams and philanthropists Celeste and Armand Bartos.
The Associated Press reports that one of the most impressive pieces was Dustheads by Basquiat. It went for $48.8 million, smashing the previous Basquiat record of $26.4 million Untitled went for in November.
Roy Lichtenstein’s Woman with Flowered Hat, a perfect example of the artist’s pop art style, went for $56 million, while Pollack’s Number 19 hit $58.3 million. Both were record prices for the artists.
Pollack’s work, a 1948 drip painting, was the costliest piece of the night. It was estimated to go for at least $35 million.
Bloomberg notes that the auction just beat the $491.5 million sale Christie’s had in 2006 for modern and Impressionist works.
“It was amazing,” dealer Asher Edelman told Bloomberg about last night’s sale. “Nobody knows what to do with their money, I guess.”
The sale was held the night after a Sotheby's auction that totaled $293 million.
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