NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips November Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art realized $113.9 million, selling 91% by lot and 96% by value. Auction records were set for Carmen Herrera and Hélio Oiticica. Combined with the Day Sale, the total for the week is $134.6 million.
Jean-Paul Engelen and Robert Manley, Worldwide Co-Heads of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said, Our strong results tonight reflect the extraordinary momentum at Phillips amid the worldwide demand for 20th century and contemporary art. Tonights sale also solidifies Phillips expansion into the Modern category as we had the honor to sell the Sheinbaum and Aberbach collections, which showed great results led by the extraordinary performance of Picassos Portrait de femme endormie. III, which sold for more than nine times its low estimate. Were also thrilled to set new world records for Latin American artists Carmen Herrera and Helio Oiticica. Our Evening Sale comes on the heels of yesterdays remarkable Day Sale, which achieved the highest total in our history. We look forward to carrying our momentum into the Hong Kong sales later this month.
Leading the Evening Sale was Peter Doigs Red House, which sold for $21.1 million. The market for Doigs work has skyrocketed in recent seasons, most notably in May 2017 when Phillips sale of Rosedale set a new world record for a living British artist.
Fresh-to-the-market works from prominent consignors also commanded solid prices. The collection of Anne Marie and Julian J. Aberbach performed well, with all four works on paper by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse drawing spirited bidding. Pablo Picassos Portrait de femme endormie. III sold for $9.3 million, setting a new auction record for a post-WWII work on paper by the artist. There was strong demand for works from the collection of Betty and Stanley Sheinbaum, as works by Robert Motherwell, Richard Diebenkorn, Henry Moore, and Henri Matisse were met with an enthusiastic response from collectors.