LONDON.- Tonight,
Sothebys Evening Sales of Contemporary Art and 20th Century Italian Art, including Italian Identity an important private collection brought the combined total of £39,456,950/$62,081,566/45,048,011 against the pre-sale estimate of £34,982,000-48,338,000 in excess of the total achieved for the equivalent sales last year (£34 million). A total of six artist records were established across both sales for Alberto Burri, Leon Kossoff, Wim Delvoye, Francesco Lo Savio, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Giuseppe Penone.
The Contemporary Art Evening Sale brought a total of £17,809,000/$28,020,681 /20,332,540 (pre-sale est. £19-26 million) - the third-highest total for an October sale of Contemporary Art at Sothebys London and established sell-through rates of 76.6% by lot (36 of the 47 lots offered sold) and 79.2% by value, and saw two new artist records set for Leon Kossoff and Wim Delvoye.
Sothebys sale of 20th Century Italian Art (including Italian Identity, an important private collection) achieved the highest-ever total for a sale in this category, with a total of £21,647,950/$34,060,885/24,715,471, exceeding pre-sale expectations (est. £15.8-21.7 million) and established healthy sell-through rates of 79.3% by lot and 84.9% by value. The important private collection Italian Identity (lots 1-36) realised £10,691,550/$16,822,085/12,206,546 (pre-sale est. £7,087,000-9,863,000).
· The top-selling lot of the 20th Century Italian Art Sale was Alberto Burris Combustione Legno, which sold for £3,177,250 ($4,999,085/3,627,467) - a record for the artist at auction.
· The top-selling lot of Contemporary Art Evening Sale was Lucian Freuds Portrait Boy's Head of 1952 depicting Charlie Lumley, which sold for £3,177,250/$4,999,085/3,627,467
· Leon Kossoffs A Street in Willesden of 1985 sold for £690,850/$1,086,983/788,744 almost double its low estimate of £350,000-450,000 a record for the artist at auction.