PARIS.- Christie’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art achieved €8,583,875 with 87% sold by lot and 95% sold by value. The top lot of the sale was Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) Projet pour un monument à la mémoire de Gabriel Péri which sold for €1,450,000. A new world auction record was established today for Jeanne Hébuterne (1898-1920) which Femme au chapeau cloche sold for €478,000 almost five times its high estimate. Additional highlights included Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) La Seine à Bougival which reached €730,000 and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Verre et pipe, illustrating perfectly the artists’ Synthetic Cubism and which sold for €658,000. We can also note the strong result achieved for Maurice Denis’ (1870-1943) decorative tondo commissioned by Avril which decorated Ernest Chausson for his home’s ceiling and which sold for €322,000 against a presale estimate of €120,000-180,000.

Antoine Lebouteiller and Valérie Hess, specialists in Impressionist and Modern Art: “These two sales were punctuated with strong results achieved in parallel of the Salon du dessin fair. International collectors who were present in Paris showed their strong interest for fresh to the market works of art with prestigious provenance such as the drawing by Pablo Picasso coming from MoMA. Furthermore, we are pleased with the world auction record realised for Jeanne Hébuterne whose talent is finally recognized by the art market”.

Works on paper including works from the Jean Bonna collection
28 March 2019 | 4pm| Paris
Sale Total: €4,455,125
(£3,885,227/ $5,121,259)
75% sold by lot | 85% sold by value
Christie’s sale of Works on Paper including works from the Jean Bonna Collection totaled €4,544,125 with 75% sold by lot and 85% sold by value. The top lot of the sale was Marc Chagall (1887-1985) La Danse which sold for €634,000. The Jean Bonna collection which presented 21 lots totaled €313,750. The top lot of the collection was Armand Seguin (1869-1904), Femme assise avec un chapeau à plumes which sold for €106,250, more than seven time its pre-sale estimate. Additional highlights included Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) Femme debout ou de profil which sold for €514,000, more than four times its low estimate and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Joueuse de flûte et nu couché coming from MoMA which realised €286,000. Strong prices were also achieved for Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) Double portrait de Victor Hugo which realised €137,500 against a low estimate of €50,000 and which was preempted by the Musée Rodin; and Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) Profil de Lydia which sold for €250,000 against a presale estimate of €80,000-120,000.

Old Master and 19th c. drawings including works from the Jean Bonna collection
27 March 2019 | 3pm | Paris
Sale Total: €2,125,000
(£1,819,349 / $2,396,083)
75% sold by lot | 86% sold by value
Christie’s sale of Old Master and 19th century drawings including works from the Jean Bonna Collection totaled €2,125,000 with 75% sold by lot and 86% sold by value. The top lot of the sale was Ludolf Bakhuizen (1630-1708), Chasse à la baleine, des voiliers à l’arrière-plan, which sold for €106,250, realising more than 5 times its low estimate. The Jean Bonna collection which presented 32 lots totaled €600,875. The top lot of the collection was La Petite boudeuse by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) sold €102,500. Moreover, a preemption was made by the Louvre museum for lot 93, La Famille du satyre ou l’Enfance de Bacchus by Augustin Pajou (1730-1809) which sold for €67,500. Additional highlights included Charles Le Brun et atelier (1610-1690) Tête de soldat persan which sold for €75,000; and Voyageurs dans une forêt avec vue sur un château et une large vallée by Jan Brueghel the elder, which realised €62,500. Strong prices were also achieved for 19th century artists as seen with Portrait de Suzanne de Laborde, Comtesse Doria by Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer (1865-1953), which realised €81,250, against a low estimate of €20,000.

Stijn Alsteens and Hélène Rihal, specialists in charge of the sale: “We are pleased with the very good results achieved Wednesday, especially for the preemption by the Louvre museum which proves once again that high quality works of art with great provenance, as the drawing by Augustin Pajou from the Bonna collection, are always sought after by international collectors and major institutions”.