PARIS.- Christie’s announced a strong combined total for the Contemporary Art evening and day sales: selling 85% of the lots offered the auction realised €24,910,050 / £19,761,143 / $30,998,066. Amongst the 178 sold lots, 11 new world records have been set for pieces by artists sold at auction, including Henry Darger, Christo, Jim Nutt, Walter Leblanc or Alfonso Ossorio.

Edmond Francey, head of the department : « The Contemporary Art team is happy about these very good results. With 11 world records, pieces by Basquiat, Richier or Zao Wou-Ki which sold above a million euros and the active participation of 119 bidders on the Internet through Christie’s LiveTM, Paris proves once again its important place in the contemporary art market. Collectors have also demonstrated their interest in pieces coming from important private collections. As so, 100% of the lots from the Dagny and Jan Runnqvist collection have been acquired, achieving an impressive €1,823,275, more than twice its presale estimate. Moreover, 92% of the pieces coming from an important Belgian collection of Nouveau Réalisme have sold, led by Wrapped object by Christo which reached €481,500 against an initial estimate of 100,000 to 150,000 euros, and setting a world record for a piece by the artist at auction”.

Ic o n 6 , realised in 1982 by renowned Jean-Michel Basquiat have dominated the evening sale, achieving €1,777,500 / £1,410,091 / $2,211,921. The evening sale realised a total of €17,328,400 / £13,746,620 / $21,563,461.

Paul Nyzam, specialist and head of the day sale, adds: “The day sale exceeded all expectations as it realised an impressive total of €7,581,650 / £6,014,523 / $9,434,605, making it the best result for a Contemporary Art day sale in Paris since their launch in 2010. This session was led by the exceptional polychrome relief Swiss Model by Jean Tinguely from the collection of Dagny and Jan Runnqvist, selling for €457,500”.