The Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale  at Christie’s New York totalled $448,062,000, with sell-through rates of 96 per cent by lot and 99 per cent by value. This brought the running total for the 20th Century Week  season to $766,562,000, with more auctions still to come.

Bidding was "cautious" following Wall Street's dive on Wednesday, notes the New York Times.

Leading the sale was Cy Twombly’s Leda and the Swan  from 1962, the sister painting of one of the most popular works in the permanent collection at MoMA. Unseen in public for more than 25 years, this heady mix of mythology, sex and violence sold for $52,887,500 (including buyer’s premium) after a contest between five bidders.

The second highest price of the night came with Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for a Portrait of George Dyer (1963), the artist’s first portrait of his long-time muse and lover, which realised $51,767,500. Offered at auction for the very first time, the triptych was once in the collection of the author Roald Dahl, who became a great admirer of Bacon’s work after first encountering his paintings at a touring exhibition in 1958.

Rounding out the top five lots in the sale were La Hara, an extraordinary painting to emerge from 1981, the legendary first year of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s mature oeuvre. The work sold for $34,967,500. 

Roy Lichtenstein’s Red and White Brushstrokes (1965), a quintessential Pop painting that questions fundamental beliefs about the artistic process, sold for $28,247,500, while Andy Warhol’s Big Campbell’s Soup Can with Can Opener (Vegetable), 1962, an early hand-painted work from a series that changed the face of 20th-century art, realised $27,500,000.

A host of world auction records were set on a night of competitive bidding from clients across the world. Mark Grotjahn’s Untitled (S III Released to France Face 43.14), 2011, shattered the previous record for the artist ($6,522,000, set in 2015) when it sold for $16,767,500. Untitled (after Sam) by Rudolf Stingel easily passed the existing auction record for the artist, going for $10,551,500, as did Robert Gober’s Untitled, which sold for $5,287,500. Footmen  by David Salle passed the previous auction high for the artist, selling for $583,500. 

The success of collections in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale  on Monday night continued, with all 25 works offered from the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Collection selling for a total of $116,067,500, with more being offered in Thursday’s Post-War and Contemporary Art sales. Highlights from the collection included Sigmar Polke’s Frau mit Butterbrot  (1964), and Christopher Wool’s Untitled  (1988), which realised $17,047,500 and $17,159,500 respectively.

The 11 works from the Zadig & Voltaire Collection, an extraordinary selection of works existing at a crossroads of art, music and fashion, totalled $16,540,000, led by Untitled  (2012) by Rudolf Stingel, a monumental gold panel made up of four parts, which realised $6,743,500.

The final works donated by Sydell Miller to benefit Cleveland Clinic — Expressionist Head, a 1980 sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein, Jean Dubuffet’s Le Truand and Breasted Woman  by Louise Bourgeois — brought the total of her remarkable gift to $67,490,000.

‘If we needed proof of the strength of the art market, we have it. If we needed proof of the strength of Christie’s, we have it,’ said a delighted Christie’s CEO Guillaume Cerutti, who pointed out that when sales in Geneva, London and Paris are added, the total for the week will be pushing the $1 billion mark.

Christie’s announced Thursday that François Curiel has been appointed Chairman Europe and Asia, reporting to Guillaume Cerutti, Chief Executive Officer. He will be relocating from Asia to Geneva and Paris at the beginning of the summer. In this new role François Curiel will help define and implement the firm’s strategy in Europe and Asia, working closely with Christie’s Global, European and Asian Presidents, focusing on serving Christie’s most important collectors. He will continue as a member of the Executive Management Group and chair the Luxury Business Group.

The strength was in the collections,’ commented Sara Friedlander, Head of the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie’s in New York. ‘Eighty-five per cent of the works in the sale were fresh to market, or had been off the market for 20-plus years.’

‘The sold percentage numbers we have seen tonight are the best I can remember in this category,’ said Christie’s Global President Jussi Pylkkanen, who admitted to feeling ‘exhausted’ after presiding over an auction which witnessed high demand for works of the very highest calibre. 

Christie’s announced Thursday that François Curiel has been appointed Chairman Europe and Asia, reporting to Guillaume Cerutti, Chief Executive Officer. He will be relocating from Asia to Geneva and Paris at the beginning of the summer. In this new role François Curiel will help define and implement the firm’s strategy in Europe and Asia, working closely with Christie’s Global, European and Asian Presidents, focusing on serving Christie’s most important collectors. He will continue as a member of the Executive Management Group and chair the Luxury Business Group.