A summary of auctions from the first half of 2018
Now in the summer of 2018, Dorotheum looks back on an outstanding first half of the year, with great results in various auction categories.
Keeping Contemporary
Contemporary art performed exceptionally well, with many sales prices far exceeding expectations. The auction held on May 16th saw the wall object “Untitled (Escritura)” by Jesús Rafael Soto, from the collection of artist Gianni Colombo, sell for 491,000 euros.
The Agony of Choice!
A pink and a green version of Lucio Fontana’s famous “Concetto spaziale” from the 1960s, changed hands for 552,000 and 539,800 euros.
Expressionist
An untitled piece by American abstract expressionist Philip Guston reached the outstanding sum of 470,860 euros.
Following last year’s world record, 430,000 and 234,800 euros for two works by Emilio Vedova set further benchmarks for their market value.
Other Contemporary Art Highlights from the First Half of 2018
Yayoi Kusama, Hans Hartung, Victor Vasarely, Asger Jorn, Maria Lassnig, Carla Accardi and Katharina Grosse also offered noteworthy highlights.
The Art of Design
The table by Giacomo Manzù is a rare piece that lies somewhere between contemporary art and design. This unique item was produced by the artist in 1963 for his own apartment, and was purchased by a design fan for 271,400 euros at the “Design First” auction.
Austrian Art
In terms of modern Austrian artists, works by Kolo Moser, Oskar Laske, Alfons Walde and Gustav Klimt saw hefty bids and high sales prices.
Austrian art performed strongly, as is tradition, at the “19th Century Paintings” auction on April 25th, 2018. Fine examples include artworks by Johann Baptist Reiter and impressionists Marie Egner, Olga Wisinger-Florian, and Tina Blau.
From the Pacific
The historic wooden sculpture from Papua New Guinea, drawn from Carlo Monzino’s famous collection, caused a sensation when it reached 1.425 million euros. The work from the 17th–19th century, known as the “Monzino Uli”, was the star lot at the “African and Oceanic Art” auction on June 21st, 2018.
Race to the Top
Vintage cars are always ahead of the race at Dorotheum.
Old-timers were at the forefront of sales in the first six months of the year. A 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster sold for 899,000 euros on June 23rd, 2018, while a Maserati Mistral Spyder 3700 attracted 663,800 euros!
