Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Le Panier de fraises des bois. Courtesy of ArtCurial. The Louvre Museum raised funds to acquire Le Panier de fraises (Basket of Wild Strawberries) (1761) by Jean Siméon Chardin, after it was auctioned by Artcurial in 2022 to the Kimbell Art Museum for €24.4 million. A public campaign, including support from LVMH, donors, and the Society of Friends of the Louvre, enabled the Louvre to reach the sale price and keep the work in France; the painting will be shown at the Louvre Lens and then tour to other French museums.
Egon Schiele, Russian War Prisoner, 1916 is involved in a restitution dispute at the Art Institute of Chicago, which is accused by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of willful blindness regarding Nazi-looted provenance. The investigation and filing relate to the drawing purchased in 1966 for $5,500 and valued by investigators at upwards of $1.2 million, with heirs of Fritz Grünbaum asserting a claim.
The article discusses the March auction previews in London for Impressionist, modern, and contemporary art with presale estimates around £321 million ($407 million). It compares current estimates to previous years and notes changes at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips, while revealing consignors for top lots including Francis Bacon, Landscape near Malabata, Tangier, 1963 from Christie's, with an estimate of £15 million–£20 million ($18.8 million–$25 million).
The Louvre has raised the final €1.3m needed to acquire Jean Siméon Chardin's Basket of Wild Strawberries (1761), funded by almost 10,000 donors contributing over €1.6m. The painting, sold for €24.3m at Artcurial in 2022, will tour France before being exhibited at the Louvre-Lens, the Museum of Fine Arts Brest, and the Roger-Quilliot museum in Clermont-Ferrand.
The Sotheby’s London sale of modern and contemporary art, including The Now auction, brought in $126.6 million (including fees) with a presale low estimate of $95.3 million. The evening featured record-setting results for women artists such as Takako Yamaguchi, Jadé Fadojutimi, and Etel Adnan, and included notable performances by George Condo, Victor Man, and Mohammed Sami; five works sold for over $6 million.
William Kentridge leaves Marian Goodman Gallery to join Hauser & Wirth, while continuing to show with Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg and London and with Galleria Lia Rumma in Naples. Hauser & Wirth will host a solo show in New York next year after earlier exhibitions in Gstaad and Hong Kong.
Francis Bacon’s Landscape near Malabata, Tangier (1963) led Christie’s 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale in London, selling for $25m as part of a $177.3m total. The star lot was backed by a guarantee and the sale included 70 works sold across 87 announced lots, with a buy-in of 10 works and 7 withdrawn prior to the sale.
René Magritte’s L’ami intime (The Intimate Friend) sold for £33,660,000 to lead the London Evening Sale. Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Claude Monet each surpassed £10 million, with notable performances for women artists such as Cecily Brown and Agnes Martin. The 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale totalled £137,699,300 / $175,291,209 / €160,557,384, with strong demand and high sell-through.
The Christie’s London 20th/21st Century Evening Auction in March 2024 brought in £196.7 million ($251.8 million) including fees, with 87 works offered in the 20th/21st Century sale and a 79-percent sell-through rate. The leading lot was Francis Bacon’s Landscape near Malabata, Tangier (1963) at £16.8 million ($21.5 million), while David Hockney’s California (1965) hammered at £16 million ($20.3 million).
Peter Paul Rubens paintings titled St Gregory the Great with Ss Maurus and Papianus and St. Domitilla with Ss Nereus and Achilleus (1606–07); The Conversion of St. Paul (1610–12); and The Bounty of James 1 Triumphing Over Avarice (ca. 1632) will stay with the Courtauld Gallery in London according to the UK Parliament’s spoliation advisory panel. The report discusses provenance, including ownership transfers involving Franz Wilhelm Koenigs and subsequent loans and sales, and notes the panel rejected three separate restitution claims.
Artsy reports that a complete set of Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji sold for $3,559,000, setting a new auction record for the artist. The sale occurred during Christie’s Asian Art Week in New York and was amassed over 11 years by collector Jitendra V. Singh. The article notes related strong results for other works, including The Great Wave print and pieces by Lee Ufan and Hiroshige.
Mark Rothko’s No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) sold for $100 million in a private sale, following a previous $186 million sale to Dmitry Rybolovlev. The piece is highlighted as Rothko’s best work and appears on the cover of the artist’s catalogue raisonné by David Anfam.
The Art Newspaper reports on the Sotheby’s fraud trial verdict against Dmitry Rybolovlev, noting that experts expect little operational change in the art market despite the lengthy dispute. The article mentions four works at the heart of the case, including Salvator Mundi, Klimt’s Wasserschlangen II, Magritte’s Le Domaine d’Arnheim, and Modigliani’s Tête, all purchased for about $2 billion through Yves Bouvier between 2003 and 2014, and discusses the settlements reached with Bouvier in 2023 and Sotheby’s role in the case.
The article reports a New York judge ordering Sotheby’s to disclose the identities of consignors and buyers involved in a Tiepolo sale from 2019, linked to a Holocaust-era claim brought by heirs of Otto Fröhlich. The piece notes concerns about transparency in the art market and ongoing discussions toward resolution.
The article reports that three paintings by Peter Paul Rubens should remain in the Courtauld Institute in London, following a decision by the U.K.’s Spoliation Advisory Panel. The works are St Gregory the Great with Ss Maurus and Papianus and St. Domitilla with Ss Nereus and Achilleus (1606-07), The Conversion of St. Paul (c.1610-12), and The Bounty of James I Triumphing Over Avarice (c.1632). The paintings’ ownership traces back to Franz Wilhelm Koenigs, who transferred them to a bank in 1940; they were later given to the Courtauld by Count Antoine Seilern. Koenigs’s heirs have pursued claims against ownership through multiple advisory panels over the years.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, St. Francis of Paola Holding a Rosary, Book, and Staff, ca. 1730s, a painting sold at Sotheby’s in 2019 for $100,000, is the subject of a New York court ruling that requires Sotheby’s to publicly name the consignor and buyer; the heirs of Otto Fröhlich seek restitution for looted art lost during the Holocaust.
Christie’s reports on CHRISTIE’S CONTEMPORARY EDITION: LONDON AND PRINTS AND MULTIPLES SALES ACHIEVE £5 MILLION. Its source account states that london – Christie’s Contemporary Edition: London and Prints and Multiples sales realised a combined total of £5,099,850.
Christie’s reports on NEW YORK MARCH CONTEMPORARY ART SALES TOTAL $39,131,579. Its source account states that new York - Friday, March 15, 2024, Chirstie’s New York concluded a successful series of contemporary art live and online sales: Latin American Art live and online, Post-War to Present, and Contemporary Edition: New York.
Christie’s reports on CHRISTIE’S IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART DAY AND WORKS ON PAPER SALE ACHIEVED £16.8 MILLION. Its source account states that london – Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper Sale achieved a total of £16,878,456 / $21,587,545 / €19,714,037, with strong sell-through rates of 92% by value and 88% by lot.
Sotheby’s assembled an editorial package on Impressionism’s impact, featuring a discussion with curator Christopher Riopelle, Signac scholar Charlotte Hellman Cachin, artist Erik Madigan Heck and Sotheby’s Helena Newman. The package accompanied London Modern and Contemporary auctions held on 6–7 March 2024.