Warhol, Richter pop to the top in London sales
- February 17, 2011 16:09
A recently rediscovered 6-by-6 foot Andy Warhol self-portrait doubled its pre-sale estimate to fetch £10.8 million pounds ($17.4 million) at a London auction on Wednesday.
Christie's evening sale of Post-War and Contemporary art brought in a total £61.4 million ($99 million), well above the presale estimate and the highest amount for the series since 2008.
Earlier in the week Warhol also performed well with his Nine Multicoloured Marilyns selling for £3.17 million ($5.1 million) against an estimate of £2-3 million at Sotheby's where four other Warhols fetched on the high end of estimates to bring a total £5.3 million ($8.5 million).
Gerhard Richter’s work also went for strong prices during the week of sales. His monumental Abstraktes Bild of 1990 edged above estimate to bring £7.2 million ($11.5 million) at Sotheby's while another one of his abstract works doubled the estimate to fetch £3.2 million ($5 million) at Christie's.
![Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.](/images/c/e2/2e/Jan20_Rape_of_Europa100x100_c.jpg "Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.")
100x100_c.jpg "Diquis/Chiriqui pendant depicting two figures within a framework of linked gold rectangles, 22K gold, Costa Rica, weight 129.6g. Estimate $7,000-$8,000")
