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21 July 2022

Hannah Schweiger

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Christie's Results London Classic Week - 24 June to 19 July 2022

London EMEA 21 July 2022

Classic Week London and Online from 24 June to 19 July 

Realised a Combined Total of

£68,743,258 / $82,299,019 / €80,377,567

 With highlights including

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s The Nymph of the Spring

The one-of-one ‘Ionic Original’ disc of Bob Dylan’s

First New Studio Recording of “Blowin’ In The Wind” Since 1962

and

An Egyptian Limestone Group Statue for Mehernefer and his Son

24% of New Registrants were Millennials

13 New Auction Records were Established

London – The final lot has closed on Christie’s summer edit of Classic Week in London, bringing the combined total for the series of ten live and online sales to £68,743,258 / $82,299,019 / €80,377,567. This marquee sale series attracted bidders from 49 countries, with 67% of all buyers coming from EMEA; 24% of all new registrants were millennials. 13 new auction records were established (9 for the artist; 4 for the medium).

The top lots of the London sales series were Lucas Cranach the Elder’s The Nymph of the Spring, from the collection of Cecil & Hilda Lewis, which achieved a new record for the artist, selling for £9,449,500 / $11,282,703 / €11,055,915 in the Old Masters Evening Sale (estimate: £6,000,000-8,000,000) and an Egyptian Limestone Group Statue for Mehernefer and his Son, dated to the Old Kingdom, mid-late 5th Dynasty, circa 2400-2300 B.C which achieved £6,014,500 / $7,181,313 / €7,036,965 in The Exceptional Sale (estimate on request). Further highlights included Bob Dylan’s first new studio recording of “Blowin’ in the Wind” since 1962, from a special session with multi-Grammy winning producer T Bone Burnett, on the recently announced groundbreaking ‘Ionic Original’ disc which sold for £1,482,000 / $1,769,508 / €1,733,940, resetting the value of music (estimate: £600,000-1,000,000).

These results build on the exceptional prices already achieved at Christie’s throughout 2022 to date across the equivalent sale categories, highlighted by the record price for the Michelangelo drawing in Paris, the Collection of Hubert de Givenchy, Le Grand Style: An apartment on the Quai d'Orsay designed by Alberto Pinto, among many others. 

Please see PDF for sale totals and full list of records. 

About Christie’s

Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business with a physical presence in 46 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, and flagship   international sales hubs  in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. Renowned and trusted for our expert live and online-only auctions, as well as bespoke Private Sales, Christie’s unparalleled network of specialists offers our clients a full portfolio of  global services, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s  auctions span more than  80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $500 to over $100 million. Christie’s has sold 7 of the 10 most important single-owner collections in history, achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction, launched the first  fully on-chain auction platform dedicated to exceptional NFT art and manages an investment fund to support innovative startups in the art market. Christie’s is also committed to advancing  responsible culture  throughout its business and communities worldwide. To learn more, browse, bid, discover, and join us for the best of art and luxury at christies.com or by downloading Christie’s apps.


* Please note when quoting estimates above that other fees will apply in addition to the hammer price - see Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of the sale catalogue. *Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium.