Christie’s Spring Marquee Week commenced on the evening of Monday, May 12, 2025 with two consecutive sales taking place in the Rockefeller Center saleroom.
The inaugural sale, Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works exceeded expectations, totaling $272 million, selling 97% by lot and 97% by value. The second sale of the night, the 20th Century Evening Sale, achieved $217 million, selling 100% by lot and 100% by value. The combined total for both sales was $489 million, 99% sold by lot, 98% sold by value.
The evening began with single-owner sale Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works. The top lot of the evening was among this selection – an exemplary Mondrian canvas, Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue – which sold for $47.6 million, among the top three prices for the artist at auction. The sale was further highlighted by Magritte’s L’empire des lumieres which realized $35 million, and a portrait of Lee Miller by Picasso, which achieved $28 million.
Vanessa Fusco, Head of Impressionist and Modern Art, Christie’s New York, remarks, "It was an honor for us to present the collection of Leonard & Louise Riggio, true collectors and connoisseurs who amassed a collection of the most seminal names of 20th century art. The sale total of $272 million surpassed expectations, realizing solid prices for some of the most iconic names from throughout art history."
The second sale of the night, the 20th Century Evening Sale, began with nine lots from the single-owner collection Art from the Bass House. The group was 100% sold, achieving $73.2 million, with Mark Rothko’s No. 4 (Two Dominants) [Orange, Plum, Black] leading the group with a price of $37.8 million. The top lot of the sale was an Impressionist masterpiece: Monet’s Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule. The painting achieved $43 million and set a new record for Monet’s celebrated Peupliers series. The sale also established new benchmarks for important works by female Surrealist artists, setting records for Endgame by Dorothea Tanning and Revelación by Remedios Varo.
Rachael White Young, Co-Head of the 20th Century Evening Sale, remarks, “We were proud to steward the exquisite selection of works from Anne and Sid Bass’s home in Fort Worth, Texas tonight in our 20th Century Evening Sale and were thrilled by such a positive reception from the market. Totaling $73.2 million against an estimate of $60 million, the results are a testament to the demand for singular works hailing from esteemed collections."
Imogen Kerr, Co-Head of the 20th Century Evening Sale, remarks, “The results of our sale tonight realized phenomenal prices for best-in-class Impressionist and Modern works of art. Tonight’s top lot, a Monet Poplars painting, sold for $43 million and established a record for the series - with additional records achieved for Remedios Varo and Dorothea Tanning, selling back-to-back. We are thrilled and look forward to building upon the success of tonight in tomorrow's Day sales!"
Records
Main Image: Adrien Meyer sells the top lot of the 20th Century Evening Sale, Monet’s Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule for $43 million
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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