STRONG SELL-THROUGH RATES OF 82% BY LOT AND 89% BY VALUE ACROSS THE SEASON

THE TOP TWO PRICES OF THE SEASON WERE BOTH REALISED AT CHRISTIE’S

CHRISTIE’S CELEBRATED ‘LONDON CREATES’ WITH THE FIRST ARTIST TAKEOVER OF THE HISTORIC KING STREET FAÇADE BY LAKWENA MACIVER

THIS IS LONDON. EVERCHANGING. FOREVER CAPTIVATING.

London – Christie’s 20/21 Frieze Week Sales achieved a combined total of £109,244,706 / €126,173,909 / $133,274,815 with strong sell-through rates of 82% by lot and 89% by value across four auctions. Registered bidders from 48 countries participated in the 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale; Masterpieces from the Collection of Sam Josefowitz: A Lifetime of Discovery and Scholarship; Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale and First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art Online as Christie’s celebrated London’s pivotal position in the global art market. Of all the new bidders and buyers across the season, 37% were millennials.

The two top prices of Frieze Week were both achieved at Christie’s - Kees van Dongen’s La Quiétude (1918, price realised: £10,775,000), which led Masterpieces from the Collection of Sam Josefowitz: A Lifetime of Discovery and Scholarship, and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Future Sciences Versus the Man (1982, price realised: £10,430,000), which was the top lot of the 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale.

Christie’s continues to lead the market for prestigious private collections. Masterpieces from the Collection of Sam Josefowitz: A Lifetime of Discovery and Scholarship realised a total of £51,844,800 / $63,250,656 / €59,880,744, 135% hammer above low estimate. The collection witnessed competitive bidding across the evening with 65% of lots selling above estimate. Highlights reflected the breadth and diversity of Sam Josefowitz’s unerring eye with strong prices achieved for Diego Giacometti, A Wood Sculpture of a Standing Jizo Bosatsu (Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha), Albrecht Dürer, An Assyrian Gypsum Relief of a Winged Genius and Rembrandt.

Nine artist records were set at Christie’s on 13 October. The 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale established a new market benchmark for Paula Rego. Further records were achieved for British artists Pam Evelyn, Winston Branch and Sahara Longe while additional records were realised for Salvo and Alvaro Barrington. The Sam Josefowitz Collection saw world auction records for Félix Vallotton, Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Aristide Maillol (record for a painting by the artist)

London Creates

London’s position as ‘a dynamic, creative capital’ was celebrated in a campaign to boost the UK’s arts industries. Launched to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Frieze London, ‘London Creates’ brought together leading figures from the city’s creative industries with the backing of the Evening Standard and the Mayor of London. The creative impact and legacy of pioneering British artists was represented throughout the 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale, which realised a total of £44,691,420 / €51,618,590 / $54,523,532. Peter Doig was one of the top prices of the 20th / 21st Century: London Evening Sale on 13 October.

To coincide with the 20/21 auction season in London this October, Christie’s collaborated with Lakwena Maciver to present the first artist takeover of our historic headquarters in St James’s. Lakwena Maciver responded to ‘This Is London. Everchanging. Forever Captivating.’ to create an immersive viewer experience both internally and externally. The artist described London as “a city that is constantly evolving and inspiring new ideas in its unique cultural landscape”, describing the installation as embodying “the rhythmic pace and ever-changing texture of this city.”

This is London. Everchanging. Forever Captivating. This October, Christie’s celebrates ‘This is London’, reflecting the unique energy of the British capital, aligning with the 20th anniversary of Frieze London. London is, and always has been, a city of change, evolution, inclusion, dynamism, tradition and modernity. Christie’s explores the infinite ways artists draw inspiration from the everchanging, yet forever captivating London, and at the heart of this is our 20/21 sale series. Auctions continue in London with the Modern British and Irish Art Sales on 18 and 19 October.