Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art autumn auction series in London and Paris concluded with strong results. Coinciding with major international art fairs including Frieze London and Paris + Art Basel, the top prices of the season in both cities were achieved at Christie’s. We continue to lead the market for prestigious private collections with a total of €27.8 million for the collection of Anne and Wolfgang Titze and over £63 million for the first four sales of the Sam Josefowitz Collection.

In London, Kees van Dongen’s La Quiétude, selling for £10,775,000, and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Future Sciences Versus the Man, achieving £10,430,000, took top billing during Frieze Week. Ten artist records were set during our Evening Sales, including for Félix Vallotton, Paula Rego and Robyn Denny. Strong showing for our Modern British and Irish Art auctions, with Barbara Hepworth’s monumental sculpture realising £5,830,000. Alongside this, Christie’s celebrated London’s position as ‘a dynamic, creative capital’ by participating in the ‘London Creates’ campaign, with the backing of the Evening Standard and the Mayor of London. The first artist takeover of our historic headquarters in St James’s, in collaboration with Lakwena Maciver, engaged collectors and enthusiasts under our own banner of ‘This is London. Everchanging. Forever captivating.’, and generated an electrifying buzz around our galleries throughout the season.

Across the Channel in Paris, Joan Miró’s Peinture (Femmes, Lune, Étoiles) was the star of the Paris + auction week, selling for €20,750,000. Christie’s established a new world auction record for François-Xavier Lalanne with the unique 1964 Rhinocrétaire I achieving €18,335,000. Collector, polymath and entrepreneur Sam Josefowitz’s tireless pursuit of beauty, knowledge and scholarship attracted the attention of major international institutions, resulting in acquisitions including Georges-Daniel de Monfreid’s Portrait de Gustave le Rouge by the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, Émile Bernard’s Baigneuses aux nénuphars by the Musée d’Orsay and Edgar Degas’ Loges d’actrices by The Cleveland Museum of Art.

Following these successes, we are inviting submissions to our next auctions in 2024. With our excellent track record and the unparalleled expertise of our specialists, Christie’s is the destination to sell your individual works of art or collection to the global audience. Contact us for a free and confidential valuation, and get started on your selling journey.