Kandinsky and Mondrian lead the way in modern art at Christie’s
The total exceeds 25 million. The General Catalogue totalled 111 million pounds, in line with estimates, with seven unsold lots and 14 guaranteed lots. The market favours high quality and historically significant works
Key points
The prolonged sale of the Peter Simon collection has led to the start of the auction of the General Catalogue of the 20th/21st Century to dinner time on 14 October at Christie’s London, significantly reducing the number of bidders in the room, who remained only until the 15th lot, the large composition by Kandinsky, which alone accounted for almost a third of the total realisation of 111 million pounds (within the pre-auction estimates of between 86,630,000 – 126,220,000 pounds), with seven unsold lots out of the 46 remaining after the withdrawal of no fewer than five lots. Fourteen lots were guaranteed by third parties, including the two that exceeded the £20 million threshold, and two other works likely went to the guarantors. After the initial bidding battles, the auction took on a very different pace, punctuated by withdrawn and unsold lots, confirming the impression of a market focused on a limited number of high-quality works and multi-million ‘trophy’ pieces, centred on established big names.
Kandinsky and Mondrian
In fact, the two masterpieces in the catalogue together accounted for over half of the total, rendering the guarantees protecting them unnecessary. The first to be sold was the rare neo-plastic painting from 1920 ‘Composition III’, which inaugurated the new geometric language conceived by Piet Mondrian, struggled to exceed the guaranteed estimate of 20–30 million, eventually selling for 21.5 million, which rose to 25.2 million pounds including commissions. A lengthy bidding war, however, saw the magnificent 1907 canvas by Kandinsky, ‘Das bunte Leben’, easily exceed the guaranteed estimate of 18–25 million pounds, reaching 31.5 million pounds including commissions. This is a remarkable result for a work predating the great artist’s abstract period, owing both to the vibrancy and complexity of the scene depicting traditional Russian life, expressed through unique colours and dynamics, and to the dramatic history of the painting, which was only recently returned (and immediately sold) to the heirs of the family from whom it was taken during the Nazi era. The painting has also enjoyed a long history of exhibition in prestigious museums and exhibitions.
Light and Shadow
The third and fourth lots both sold for the same price of 4,360,000 pounds after a couple of bids; these include a historic two-part composition by Andy Warhol ‘5 Death Twice II’, a dramatic example from the 1963 ‘Disasters’ series on a red background (estimate: 6–8 million), and a classic Pointillist view of Saint-Tropez by Paul Signac from 1905 (estimate 4.5–6.5 million). There were, however, lengthy bidding wars for three works that started with more modest estimates: a charming and intimate painting depicting David Hockney’s ‘Dog Painting 17’ from 1995 reached 3.5 million pounds from an estimate of 1.5–2.5 million, whilst a large multiple composition by Henri Matisse from the ‘Oceanie’ collage series, la mer’ from the second half of the 1940s, came close to £3.4 million (estimate: £1.8–2.5 million, edition of 30), and the small but distinctive gouache by Magritte ‘Le seize septembre’ sold for 3.3 million against an estimate of 1.2–1.8 million pounds. Also exceeding their estimates were a Cubist work by Picasso from 1918, which sold for 2 million, and a large contemporary canvas by Flora Yukhnovich from 2019, which fetched nearly 2.3 million pounds – more than double the estimate of 1–1.5 million. Only two other lots represented the new millennium: a large, distinctive portrait by George Condo from 2016, which went unsold against an estimate of 1.8–2.5 million, and a 2026 work by Igshaan Adams which, despite being offered for sale for a charitable cause linked to climate action, struggled to exceed the high estimate of 96,000 pounds only after the addition of commissions. The auctions continue on the afternoon and evening of 15 October at Phillips and Sotheby’s.
