June 18, 2010
amedeo Modigliani's Tete Makes Headlines at Christie's Paris
(Graham4 can help facilitate the valuation and sale of your fine art through our Christie's affiliation)

Tete A Tete: A score of enthusiastic bidders go head to head for Modigliani's masterpiece.
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May 12, 2010
christie's art auction sets another record!
(Graham4 can help facilitate the valuation and sale of your fine art through our Christie's affiliation)

Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale Totals US $231.9 Million. The Collection of Michael Crichton Totals US $93,323,500

The stellar sale of The Michael Crichton Collection of contemporary art was 100% sold this evening as Jasper Johns’ Flag, 1960-1966, broke the world record for the artist selling at $28,642,500. Throughout the evening, buyers proved their continued commitment to this collecting field. They showed particular interest in iconic American works from both blue-chip artists as well as younger talent. The Post War & Contemporary Art sale realized $231,907,000 (£157,696,760 /€183,206,530) and sold 94% by lot and 98% by value.

The evening sale portions of the late author’s collection totaled $93,323,500 (£63,459,980/ €73,725,565). The session was a “white glove” sale with sell through rates of 100% by lot and by value. It became the most significant collection of contemporary art ever sold. Additional works of the collection will be offered in Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Day sale on May 12.

“Within five minutes of opening the rooms for the stunning pre-sale exhibition of the Crichton Collection, we were packed. There was a sense of anticipation,” said Brett Gorvy, International Co-Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s. “The sale tonight reaffirms the continued confidence in the art market,” he continued. “This is the most significant Post-War & Contemporary Art collection ever sold at auction. It was a quintessential American sale,” said Amy Cappellazzo, International Co-Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art. “We were delighted with the results across the board and also to see the works by Warhol sell well. Warhol is a bellwether for the market. It sends a strong signal across the board.”

The sale was led by Jasper Johns Flag, which set a new auction record of $28,642,500 (£19,476,900 /€22,627,575). The winning bidder was an American dealer. Completed by Johns in 1966, the work, executed in encaustic, was purchased by Crichton over thirty years ago from the artist’s own The previous record for a Johns’ work was for Figure 4, 1959, sold at Christie’s in May 2005 for $17.4 million.

Further highlights from Crichton included Ed Ruscha’s Voltage, 1964 that sold for $1,650,500 (£1,122,340/ €1,308,895) (estimate $700,000-$1 million), Robert Rauschenberg’s Studio Painting, 1960-1961, which went for $11,058,500 (£7,519,780/€8,736,215) (estimate $5 million-$7 million) and Mark Tansey’s Push/Pull, 2003, which set a new record for the artist selling at $3,218,500 (£2,188,580/ €2,542,615) (estimate $800,000-$1.2 million). The previous record for a Tansey was $3,040,000.

Highlights in the Post War & Contemporary various owner sale included Sam Francis’ Middle Blue, 1957, a world record for the artist selling for $6,354,500 (£4,321,060/€5,020,055) (estimate $3 million-$5 million). The past record for Francis was $5,193,000. Jean-Michel Basquiat Self Portrait as a Heel, sold at $5,986,500 (£4,016,420/€4,666,135) (estimate: $4-6 million), while Christopher Wool’s Blue Fool, 1990, sold for $5,010,500 (£3,407,140/€3,958,295) (estimate $1.5-$2 million) a world record for Wool, whose previous highest price was $1,874,500. It is a quintessential example of the American artist’s celebrated word paintings, and at 108” tall, is one of the artist’s largest.

Prices for female artists were strong. Lee Bontecou’s, Untitled, 1962, went for $1,874,500 million (£1,274,660/€1,480,855) (estimate $1.5-$2 million) a world record for the artist whose highest price was previously $847,500. It features gaping orifices of steel and canvas pulled and stitched like skin evoking both industrial technology as well as metaphors for the body. Yayoi Kusama’s No. G.A. White fetched $3,330,500 (£2,264,740/€2,631,095) (estimate $1 million-$1.5 million).

European art was led by Yves Klein’s ANT 93, Le Buffle, 1960-61 (“The Buffalo”), which sold for $12,402,500 (£8,433,700/€9,797,975) (estimate $8 million-$12 million) and is considered a monumental work from the artist’s celebrated Anthropométrie series. Painted in the signature ‘International Klein Blue’, Klein created the series by orchestrating the movement of curvaceous women as they writhed on the surface of the picture coated in his signature blue paint, using the female form as the paintbrush.

At the sale, 51 lots sold for over $1 million, 13 for over $5 million, 5 lots for more than $10 million. 73% percent of buyers came from the U.S., 16% came from Europe and 1% came from Asia and 10% elsewhere.

November 2009
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Jackson Hole News & Guide - October 26, 2005
GRAHAM: HARD WORK, WIFE KEYS TO SUCCESS
Realtor closes summer with sale of $55 million property, accolade from peers. Click to download pdf article.