Sotheby's Contemporary Sale Soars to $80 Million in London, Driven by Gerhard ...

 Lots sold for over a million pounds and 21 over one million dollars. Two artist records were set, both by German artists, Albert Oehlen and A.R. Penck .

The quick tempo sale, navigated by auctioneer Tobias Meyer ,   motored along at autobahn speeds as Andreas Gursky ’s “James Bond Island I” (2007), from an edition of five, sold to Bona Montagu of London’s Simon Dickinson Gallery for £713,250 ($1.1 million) (est. £300-400,000). “My clients are delighted,” said Bona, who beat out five other bidders. “It’s quite an iconic piece."

European works by classic Postwar artists were in keen demand as Yves Klein ’s “ANT 59” (1960), a pigment in synthetic resin on paper laid down on canvas and bearing the unmistakable imprint of a woman’s body sold to a telephone bidder for £937,250 ($1.5 million) (est. £450-650,000). It last sold at Sotheby’s London in June 2009 for £457,250 ($751,314). Doubling its value in 32 months is a sure sign of a market recovery.

Return to top