With an Atlantic tailwind from May auctions in New York in which the two biggest auction houses sold more than $2 billion of art, eyes are focused on major sales beginning next week in London that may see prices soar again to dizzying heights.
The big winner in New York was Picasso’s “Les femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’)” which set the record at $179.4 million at Christie’s for the most expensive artwork ever sold.
In three days of sales Christie’s also became the first auction house to sell more than $1 billion worth of art. Adding in Sotheby’s sales, the total topped $2 billion.
Featuring paintings by Francis Bacon, Yves Klein and Gerhard Richter, the 76 lots are estimated to fetch $132-187 million.
