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February 2025 Market Intelligence

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Fine art

A Van Gogh drawing with what is almost certainly the artist's fingerprint goes to auction at Sotheby's

theartnewspaper.com

The Art Newspaper reports that Van Gogh’s drawing of the Public Garden in Arles will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in London on 4 March with an estimate of £2m-£3m. The work includes what is believed to be the artist's fingerprint in the lower-right corner and a pencil inscription on the reverse referencing a 1894 lending. The article attributes the fingerprint to Van Gogh and discusses provenance details from Sotheby’s catalogue and subsequent examination.

Fine art

Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated yields $19.9 million despite far fewer lots

artnews.com

Joan Mitchell's untitled oil painting sold for nearly $4 million at Sotheby’s mid-season Contemporary Curated sale in New York on February 26, with the overall result of $19.88 million including fees. The sale had 101 lots, 21 unsold, and six withdrawals, for a sell-through rate of 73.3 percent, down from the previous year’s 276 lots and $25.7 million with fees; bids came from more than 40 countries.

Fine art

Why this $30 million Magritte will test the market

news.artnet.com

Rene Magritte, L’empire des lumières (1949) is discussed in relation to a new work from the same series consigned by Louise Riggio. The piece previously sold for $34.9 million in 2023 and is expected to fetch over $30 million at Christie’s in the upcoming May sale. The article notes Magritte’s market position, including a 2024-2025 peak with a $121.2 million Magritte record and related sales.

Fine art

Christie’s unveils new charitable arts initiative to raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity

press.christies.com

Christie’s with Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity presents BUILD IT, BEAT IT, a charitable arts initiative featuring 29 artworks by 28 artists, to be auctioned at the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on 6 March 2025 to raise funds for a new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH.

Fine art

Apartheid Museum Johannesburg acquires painting for permanent display

victorgordon.com

Victor Gordon’s painting Fantasize, Go All The Way (1986–1989) was acquired by the Apartheid Museum, donated jointly by the artist and his niece Dr Julie Kimber, for permanent display. The work joins other anti-Apartheid works by William Kentridge, Diane Victor, Paul Stopforth and Gavin Younge; the museum notes it as a significant piece in its collection.

Fine art

Met Museum returns Griffin Head to Greece under loan agreement

artnews.com

The Metropolitan Museum of Art repatriated a 7th-century bronze head donated by a former trustee to Greece after reviewing provenance records. The piece, likely illegally removed from Olympia, was officially handed to Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni in New York, with a loan agreement allowing the head to be exhibited at the Met next year.

Fine art

Looted Egon Schiele poised to make $1.9 million at auction

artnews.com

Egon Schiele watercolor Boy in a Sailor Suit (1914) is set to be sold at Christie’s in London with a low estimate of $1.3 million as part of the 20th and 21st centuries auctions, following a settlement related to Fritz Grünbaum’s heirs. The Schiele work is among roughly 80 pieces from Grünbaum’s collection that were seized by the Nazis; Grünbaum was killed in Dachau in 1941 and his wife in 1942. Timothy Reif and David Fraenkel have pursued restitution for Sturm’s looted collection, leading to settlements with several institutions, while the Art Institute of Chicago disputes ownership claims to another Schiele work in its collection.

Fine art

Glow up: inspired lighting to live by

Christie’s

From a René Lalique chandelier to iconic lamps by Tiffany Studios, these works by celebrated designers will illuminate, and elevate, any room. Offered in Christie’s Modern Collector sale this month

Fine art

An Anthology of Changing Ideas

Christie’s

Works by leading figures of Modernism and Post-War art exist in a rich dialogue that spans movements and media in this panoramic and personal collection. Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works comes to Christie’s New York as a single owner evening sale as part of the 20th and 21st Century Art auction series in May

Fine art

The painting that set Egon Schiele's auction record

heni.com

Egon Schiele's Häuser Mit Bunter Wäsche (Vorstadt II) Houses With Laundry (Suburb II) (1914) sold for $39.62m (£24.68m) at Sotheby's in London on June 22, 2011, setting a new auction record for Schiele. The painting had previously traded multiple times, and a prior Schiele record was $20m achieved at Christie's in New York in 2006 for Einzelne Häuser (Häuser Mit Bergen) (recto); Mönch I (fragment; Verso).

Fine art

The Collection of the Season review: Christie’s wins $200 million Len Riggio art trove

news.artnet.com

Len Riggio’s collection heads to auction in New York with an estimated value over $200 million. Christie’s has won the sale featuring top works by Piet Mondrian, René Magritte, and Pablo Picasso, driven by the collector’s widow Louise Riggio. The collection is tied to the Dia Art Foundation founder and Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio, who died last year.

Fine art

Phillips to Offer Color Vision: Master Prints from Guy Stricherz and Irene Malli, Including the Most Definitive Group of William Eggleston’s Work to Appear at Auction

Phillips

Christie’s examines PHILLIPS TO OFFER COLOR VISION: MASTER PRINTS FROM GUY STRICHERZ AND IRENE MALLI, INCLUDING THE MOST DEFINITIVE GROUP OF WILLIAM EGGLESTON’S WORK TO APPEAR AT AUCTION and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.

Fine art

Seminal Egon Schiele offered in the 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale

press.christies.com

Egon Schiele’s Knabe in Matrosenanzug (Boy in a Sailor Suit), 1914, is offered at Christie’s London Evening Sale as a highlight of the 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale on 5 March 2025, with an estimate of £1,000,000 – 1,500,000. The work is part of the Fritz Grünbaum collection and is being offered following a restitution agreement.

Fine art

La reconnaissance infinie: mysterious fruit of the friendship between René Magritte and the poet Paul Colinet

Christie’s

One of the most creatively fulfilling relationships of Magritte’s life was with his fellow Belgian Surrealist, dubbed ‘the Don Juan of words’. This 1933 painting of a small man floating on an orb is part metaphysical enquiry and part testimony to a bond that was destined to fracture all too soon

Fine art

Christie’s experts on their favourite objects from the Contemporary New York auction series

Christie’s

Across prints, painting, digital art, design and more, Christie’s specialists offer an inside look at a panorama of today’s most influential creators

Fine art

A Banksy owned by a Blink-182 member is up for auction

apnews.com

Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 owns Banksy’s Crude Oil (Vettriano), which is being sold by Sotheby’s in London with an estimate up to £5 million ($6.3 million); some proceeds will aid victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. The work is based on The Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano and is part of a 2005 series that satirizes famous paintings.

Fine art

Hervé Van der Straeten’s sculptural furnishings ‘transcend all trends’

Christie’s

The French designer is a master of creating striking pieces that complement collectors’ art and objects without overpowering them. A selection of magnificent pieces come to Christie’s New York this February

Fine art

Sotheby’s Inaugural Auction in Diriyah Achieves $17M | Contemporary Art

Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s reports on Sotheby’s Inaugural Auction in Diriyah Achieves $17M | Contemporary Art. Its source account states that sotheby’s Inaugural Auction in Diriyah Achieves $17M | Contemporary Art | Sotheby’s.

Fine art

Art Institute of Chicago lands a staggering haul of neoclassical masterpieces

news.artnet.com

The Art Institute of Chicago receives a large gift of French art from Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz, including works by François Boucher, Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Théodore Géricault, and Charles Le Brun, along with pieces by women artists such as Marie-Gabrielle Capet, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Anne Vallayer Coster, and Élisabeth Vigée Lebrun. The collection spans from the 1500s to the 1800s and includes nearly 2,000 drawings, 200 paintings, and 50 sculptures, with financial support to aid care, accessibility, and programming across the museum’s French holdings.

Joachim-Ma Stradivarius sells for 11.3 million at Sotheby’s

necmusic.edu

The NECMusic article reports that the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, crafted by Antonio Stradivari in 1714 during his Golden Period, sold for $11.3 million at Sotheby’s New York to benefit New England Conservatory. The fundraiser aims to establish the largest named endowed scholarship for future musicians, with Geneva Lewis performing Bach prior to the sale.

Joachim-Ma Strad sells for US$11.25 million at Sotheby’s

limelight-arts.com.au

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, dating to 1714, sold at Sotheby’s for US$11.25 million (AU$17.94m) to an anonymous buyer. The price was below Sotheby’s estimated range of US$12–18 million. The instrument was auctioned by the New England Conservatory and was endowed to support scholarship programs; it had previously been owned by Joseph Joachim. The sale is noted alongside other famous Stradivari violins and in the context of the instrument’s Golden Period.

A Stradivarius violin sells for $11.3 million at auction

npr.org

The article discusses the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin, made by Antonio Stradivari in 1714, which sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $11.3 million. Proceeds are designated for a scholarship at the New England Conservatory; the sale fell short of the anticipated $12–$18 million and the buyer’s identity was not disclosed.

A Stradivarius violin sells for $11.3 million at auction, falling short of record

mainepublic.org

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin, built by Antonio Stradivari in 1714 and historically played by Joseph Joachim, sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $11.3 million, below the expected $12–$18 million. The sale proceeds will fund a scholarship program at the New England Conservatory, and the record remains the 2011 sale of the Lady Blunt Stradivarius for $15.9 million.

Historic Stradivarius sells for more than $11 million at Sotheby’s auction

theculturenewspaper.com

The article discusses the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, a Stradivarius violin made in 1714, which sold for $11.3 million at Sotheby’s auction on February 7. The sale proceeds will benefit Boston’s New England Conservatory, which plans to establish a named endowed scholarship, and the instrument’s provenance traces to Joseph Joachim and Brahms’ Violin Concerto premiere.

Fine art

New York Old Masters sales fall just short of expectations at Christie’s and Sotheby’s amid tough market

theartnewspaper.com

The Art Newspaper reports that New York Old Masters auctions at Christie’s and Sotheby’s posted results that were better year over year but below pre-sale expectations. Christie’s New York achieved $19.5 million (or $24.4 million with fees) against a revised pre-sale estimate of $22.2–33.2 million; highlights included Cranach the Elder works and by Pieter Claesz, with notable price outcomes such as Portrait of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony at $260,000 and Adam and Eve at $1.65 million. A Cranach the Elder piece, Hercules and Omphale, sold for $1.5 million against a $1–2 million estimate.

Stradivarius played by Joseph Joachim sells for £9 million at auction

the-independent.com

The article reports that the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, crafted in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari and once played by Joseph Joachim, sold for 11.25 million USD (£9 million) at Sotheby’s New York, short of its estimated range. The sale supports a named endowed scholarship at the New England Conservatory (NEC) and was highlighted by NEC president Andrea Kalyn and Sotheby’s commentary.

Historic Stradivarius hits a high note, fetching more than $11 million at auction

news.artnet.com

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, owned by Si-Hon Ma, a Kent State University music professor, sold for $11.3 million at Sotheby’s, below its $12–18 million estimate. Proceeds benefit Boston’s New England Conservatory. The instrument, made in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari, was associated with Joseph Joachim and Brahms’s Violin Concerto.

A Stradivarius violin could fetch a record sum at auction, but is it worth the hype

kuow.org

The article discusses a 1714 Stradivarius violin that Sotheby’s estimates could sell for $12 million to $18 million, potentially breaking the previous record of $15.9 million set in 2011. It features quotes from violinist Joshua Bell and violin expert Christopher Reuning, and notes Stradivari’s Golden Period and the range of instruments he made.

A Stradivarius violin could sell for a record sum at auction. Is it worth the hype

publicradiotulsa.org

NPR reports that a Stradivarius violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1714 at Sotheby’s could fetch $12 to $18 million, potentially breaking the prior record of $15.9 million. Violinist Joshua Bell comments on the instrument’s unique tonal qualities and the experience it affords players, while Christopher Reuning emphasizes Stradivari’s historical prominence.

Fine art

Justin Sun sues David Geffen over Giacometti sculpture in New York suit

theartnewspaper.com

Justin Sun sues megacollector David Geffen over the ownership of Alberto Giacometti’s Le Nez (1947), a $78.4 million sculpture, with Sun claiming rightful ownership. The suit, filed in New York, centers on whether Sun or Geffen owns the work that Sun previously donated or exhibited virtually through ApeNFT and involves Sun’s allegation that the sculpture was misrepresented and transferred without his consent.

Amit Peled loans storioni cello from c1780 for short-term use

thestrad.com

The article reports that cellist Amit Peled has acquired a c.1780 Storioni cello on loan from a Boston-area couple and will perform with it for a brief period to showcase its sound and history. Peled gave his public debut with the instrument at the end of January in a San Diego recital, describing the moment as a first date.

This violin could become the most expensive instrument ever auctioned

observer.com

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, crafted in 1714 during Stradivari’s Golden Period, is estimated to fetch between $12 million and $18 million in Sotheby’s 2025 Old Masters sale. If hammer price exceeds $16 million, it could become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold, surpassing the Lady Blunt Stradivarius sale of $15.9 million in 2011.

Stradivarius violin could fetch record auction price, NPR reports

npr.org

The NPR article discusses a 1714 Stradivarius violin expected to reach a record auction price, with Sotheby’s estimating $12 million to $18 million; the previous record was $15.9 million set in 2011. Violinist Joshua Bell is quoted about the instrument’s extraordinary qualities, and expert Christopher Reuning provides historical context about Stradivari’s craft.

Fine art

Collector Justin Sun sues David Geffen over disputed Giacometti sculpture

news.artnet.com

Justin Sun, the Hong Kong-based crypto entrepreneur, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against David Geffen over the Giacometti sculpture Le Nez, claiming it was stolen by a former employee and sold to Geffen. Sun says he bought the piece at Sotheby’s New York in November 2021 for $78.4 million and alleges a scheme to steal and profit from it; Giacometti Committee has confirmed authenticity. Sun also claimed he did not donate or transfer Le Nez to APENFT, though APENFT previously displayed it in blockchain-related exhibitions.

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