SOTHEBY'S PRESS RELEASE November 2015
Sarah Rustin | Sarah.Rustin@Sothebys.com | Melica Khansari | Melica.Khansari@Sothebys.com |+44 (0) 207 293 6000
London, 20 November 2015 - Sotheby's Modern & Post-War British Art Evening and Day Sales on 17 - 18 November brought a combined total of £9,786,250 (est.
£7,068,500-10,755,500), with a strong sell-through rate of 85%. Bidding throughout the sale was dominated by private collectors and more than half of the lots exceeding their pre-sale high estimates.
The auction was led by L. S. Lowry's Father and Two Sons. Painted in 1950 and considered to be the greatest of Lowry's 'portraits,' this penetrating study of life in the industrial city fetched £1,625,000. Father and Two Sons came to the market from the collection of renowned Manchester-born collector Frank Cohen, having been previously owned by Monty Bloom, Lowry's key patron of the later part of his career.
Records were also achieved for works by British greats, including Peter Lanyon, whose Dry Wind, painted in 1958, sold for £389,000 (est. 120,000-180,000) and for a painting by William Turnbull, whose 20-1963 achieved £106,250 (illustrated right, £30,000- 50,000).
Works by Dame Barbara Hepworth performed well, with Forms in Movement (Circle) dated 1942 selling for £257,000 (illustrated right, est. £70,000-100,000) - a record for a painting by
the artist.
Among the top ten prices achieved, a rediscovered Lynn Chadwick sculpture - previously unseen by art experts and the general public alike since 1954 - sold for £749,000 (illustrated on first page, est. 400,000-600,000). A painting of Venice by Sir Winston Churchill, Britain's greatest war- time leader, fetched £509,000 (illustrated right).
Highlights from the Day sale included a number of works on paper that soared above their estimates. A chalk and crayon drawing from 1964 by John Craxton achieved
£57,500, over seven times its pre-sale high estimate. A group of six works on paper by Frank Auerbach all sold, led by Two Studies for Mornington Crescent looking South which was bought for £18,750 (est. £5,000-7,000).
Continuing from the previous night's record for a Lowry portrait, a number of paintings by the artist surpassed expectations, including the charming Man Walking with Dogs which sold for £197,000 (est. £50,000-70,000).
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