Auctions | September 27, 2018

Works by Warhol, Picasso, and Miró Lead Skinner’s $2-Million Fine Art Auction

Boston—Skinner’s autumn auction of American & European Works of Art was a curated two-session offering of just over 350 lots of Prints, Multiples, and Photographs followed by Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings. Both sessions saw active participation across all sales channels with over 1,000 registered bidders from the U.S., United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East participating online, by telephone, in the room and on partner platforms.

Robin S.R. Starr, Vice President, and department director remarks  “We saw heightened interest in artwork across medium and period, and continue to see strong results for fresh-to-the-market material from estates and private collections.  It is a global marketplace and nearly 40% by value sold to international buyers.”

The top lots of the sale were Jean-Léon Gérôme’s (French, 1824-1904) Evening Prayer, or Prayer in the East, which sold for $423,000, showcasing a work in a private family collection since it was last on the market in 1888.  A canvas by a student of Gerome, Julius LeBlanc Stewart’s (American, 1855-1919) Twilight on the Terrace, Paris sold for $135,000; and a sculpture by Louise Nevelson (American, 1899-1988) Maquette for Sky Landscape I (A) sold for $73,800. 

Prints and multiples were strong, especially for Modern and Contemporary blue-chip names like Warhol, Picasso, Turrell, and Miro.  Starr notes “Prints and are a terrific point of entry for new collectors and collector’s on limited budgets.  Buyers can acquire top artists at more reasonable prices.”

Overall, for both bidders and consignors, the auction was a success. Consignments are welcome for the January 2019 auction.