Fauvist landscape brightens London auction

22 June 2010

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Andre Derain’s 1905 landscape “Arbres à Collioure’’ brought $21.3 million at Sotheby's.

The first of two major Impressionist and Modern art sales this week in London brought a total of $165.2 million at Sotheby's, within the $148.4 million to $217.5 million estimated range. Sixteen of the 51 works did not sell.

The highly-publicized Manet self-portrait went up to 20 million pounds, or $29.48 million, with a bid from Franck Giraud, a private dealer based in New York, according to the New York Times. The price was a record for the artist, but hopes that the rare work would exceed $40 million were dashed.

Another of the sale's stars, a vibrant 1928 Matisse oil, “Odalisques Jouant Aux Dames,” sold for $17.4 million including commission against a low estimate of $14.8 million.

Andre Derain's “Arbres à Collioure,” a Fauvist landscape from 1905, which came fresh from the secret vault of legendary early-20th-century art dealer Ambroise Vollard, fetched a strong $24 million with commission, above its $13 million to $20.2 million estimate.

The week continues with Christie's evening sale on Wednesday featuring Picasso’s “Portrait of Angel Fernández de Soto (The Absinthe Drinker).”

Read more at New York Times

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