Walk the Auction: Your Guide to Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art Sales in New York
Spanning London, Paris, New York and Hong Kong, Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art auction series offers a global journey through era-defining masterpieces. Following sales in London, Paris and Hong Kong, the series continues in New York on 19-22 November.
Led by René Magritte’s seminal L’empire des lumières from MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN, highlights of the week include exceptional examples by Ed Ruscha, Jean Michel Basquiat and more. Throughout the sales collectors will find great examples of exceptional objects from thoughtful custodians, each with a unique story, all under one roof.
René Magritte (1898-1967), L’empire des lumières, 1954. Oil on canvas. 57½ x 44⅞ in (146 x 114 cm). Estimate upon request. Offered in MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN on 19 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
Here’s a snapshot of everything you need to know about Christie’s marquee week in New York:
How to Visit
Works from all eight of Christie’s auctions represented in the 20th and 21st Century Art marquee week in New York will be on view at Christie’s iconic Rockefeller Center galleries starting 9 November. The exhibition is free and open to the public from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM through 22 November. Drop by Christie’s Café to refuel while exploring more than 400 lots ranging from the revolutionary Impressionists to the cutting-edge artists of today. Browse all offerings.
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), Femme qui marche (II), 1961. Bronze with dark brown patina. Conceived in 1932-1936, cast in 1961. Height: 57½ in (146.2 cm). Estimate: $20,000,000-30,000,000. Offered in 20th Century Evening Sale on 19 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
What’s On
The seven live auctions — three evening sales and four day sales — will take place 19-22 November (Picasso Ceramics run exclusively online from 8-22 November), opening with MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN Part I on Tuesday 19 November. Dedicated to the collection of the designer, philanthropist, collector and creative force Mica Ertegun, the sale includes masterworks by René Magritte, David Hockney, Joan Miró, and others. During her lifetime, Mrs. Ertegun generously supported the Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities at Oxford University, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the World Monument Fund and more. A significant portion of the seller’s sale proceeds is intended to benefit philanthropic initiatives. Rounding out the opening night, the 20th Century Evening Sale celebrates the most significant movements of the modern and post-war eras, led by Ed Ruscha’s iconic Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, one of the most significant works by the artist to come to market.
Ed Ruscha, (b. 1937) Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, 1964. Oil on canvas. 65 x 121½ in (165.1 x 308.6 cm). Estimate upon request. Offered in 20th Century Evening Sale on 19 November 2024 at Christie's in New York
The excitement continues the morning of Wednesday 20 November with MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN Part II. The Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper sale will follow, with standout examples by Pablo Picasso, Egon Schiele, Tsuguharu Foujita and Edgar Degas. The Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale closes out Wednesday afternoon with painting and sculpture by August Rodin, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti and more.
Cecily Brown (b. 1969), The Butcher and the Policeman, 2013. Oil on linen. 67 x 65 in (170.1 x 165.1 cm). Estimate: $4,000,000-6,000,000. Offered in 21st Century Evening Sale on 21 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
Alexej von Jawlensky (1864-1941), Mystischer Kopf: Blauer Mund, 1917. Oil on board, 14¼ x 11⅝ in. (36.3 x 29.6 cm). Offered in Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale on 20 November at Christie’s in New York
At the 21st Century Evening Sale on 21 November, celebrated blue-chip artists mingle with emerging creators of today in one of the most enthralling events on Christie’s global auction calendar. Among the standout works this season are a masterpiece from Jeff Koons’s ‘Made in Heaven’ series, an extremely rare David Hammons Flight Fantasy and a tour de-force of painterly talent in Cecily Brown’s The Butcher and the Policeman. The week wraps up on Friday with the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale, which brings together masterpieces from 20th century luminaries alongside defining works by the most acclaimed and innovative artists of the 21st century.
Meanwhile, the Picasso Ceramics Online Sale begins on 8 November and runs through the end of the marquee week on 22 November with a wide-ranging selection of vivid and innovative ceramics by the modern icon.
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Vase aztèque aux quatre visages (A.R. 401), 1957. White earthenware ceramic vessel, partially engraved, with coloured engobe and glaze. Height: 20 ½ in (52.7 cm.) Estimate: $60,000-80,000. Offered in Picasso Ceramics from 8-22 November at Christie’s online
How to Watch
Tune in from anywhere in the world on YouTube and Instagram, where the sales will be livestreamed from our salerooms at Rockefeller Center. To bid in the auction or review auction results, visit christies.com. To attend live sales in person, tickets are required — seats in the sale room are reserved for select registered bidders.
How to Bid
Whether you want to attend a live auction or bid online from the comfort of your home, buying art at Christie’s has never been easier or more accessible.
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008), Important pair of ‘Chameaux’, 1974. Wool, leather, patinated aluminum, painted metal, foam rubber and wood, 45 ½ x 92 ⅞ x 40 ½ in (115.5 x 236 x 103 cm) (closed) (each). Estimate: $4,000,000-6,000,000. Offered in the 20th Century Evening Sale on 19 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
Catch These Masterworks
From important large-scale sculptures by likes of Alberto Giacometti, Alexander Calder, Auguste Rodin and Ana Mendieta, to Monet’s first recorded depiction of the blossoming apple tree, an exciting rediscovery by Henri “Le Douanier” Rousseau, and gems for under $50,000, there is something for everyone, from animal lovers to AbEx enthusiasts. You won’t want to miss the following headliners:
Henri ‘Le Douanier’ Rousseau (1844-1910), Femme en rouge dans la fôret, c. 1905. Oil on canvas. 28¾ x 23⅝ in (73 x 59.7 cm). Estimate: $10,000,000-20,000. Offered in 20th Century Evening Sale on 19 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
The jewel of Mica Ertegun’s unparalleled collection, René Magritte’s 1954 L’empire des lumières is ‘arguably the finest, most deftly rendered and hauntingly beautiful of the series,’ according to Max Carter, Vice Chairman of 20th and 21st Century art at Christie’s. ‘Like Mica’s eye, it is perfect.’ The painting leads a strong showing for Magritte amongst this season’s offerings.
Ed Ruscha’s large-scale masterpiece Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half (1964) comes to auction after starring in the artist’s recent touring retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art earlier this year. The monumental canvas is joined by additional enticing works by Ruscha in a banner year for artist dubbed the ‘deadpan laureate of American art’.
Additionally, there will be a rare version of Duchamp’s iconic snow shovel, In Advance of the Broken Arm, an example of which has not appeared at auction in more than 20 years — others are in major museum collections, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Offered in the same sale as the shovel is an important Series A version of Duchamp’s Boîte-en valise, his famous suitcase containing miniatures of his most important works, along with a particularly special unique work by the artist.
Joan Mitchell (1925-1992), City Landscape, 1955. Oil on canvas, 64½ x 73½ in (163.8 x 186.7 cm). Estimate: $15,000,000-20,000,000. Offered in the 20th Century Evening Sale on 19 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), In Advance of the Broken Arm, conceived in 1915 and executed in 1964. Wood and galvanized-iron snow shovel. Height: 51⅝ in (131.2 cm). Estimate: $2,000,000-3,000,000. Offered in 20th Century Evening Sale on 19 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
Mitchell’s Untitled and City Landscape, both painted in 1955, embody the excitement and freedom of the Abstract Expressionist’s life and work at this pivotal point in her early career. Proceeds from the sale of the paintings will support the scientific mission of The Rockefeller University. The eminent biomedical research institution’s faculty has included 26 Nobel laureates, including seven in the past 25 years.
Pay Attention to Works on Paper
This November’s 20th and 21st Century art sales in New York include many strong examples of works on paper, led by a large-scale head of a figure in oil stick by Basquiat — estimated at $20,000,000-30,000,000 — an exceptional Gorky, a rare Magritte gouache and another by Louise Bourgeois. This season’s examples continue the rich tradition of works on paper at Christie’s, which has historically offered many of the best examples of the category.
Celebrate 100 Years of Surrealism
This year marks 100 years since the publication of André Breton’s Manifeste du surréalisme, pronouncing the birth of a radical literary and artistic movement that sought to test the boundary between dream and reality. This November’s offerings include an excellent selection of Surrealist works.
Leonora Carrington (1917-2011), She Walks, 1975. Oil on canvas, 28⅛ x 36 in. (71.6 x 91.4 cm.) Offered in Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale on 20 November at Christie’s in New York
The highly anticipated Magritte, L’empire des lumières from the collection of Mica Ertegun — an early and enthusiastic collector of the Surrealist movement — is one of several works by artists whose sales coincide with major museum shows this year.
Check Out Lot 1
In the auction world, Lot 1 — a sale’s opening lot — holds significance. Lot 1 of Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale often spotlights the art world’s rising stars or previously underrecognised talents. It’s a chance to showcase the current moment and where contemporary art is headed. Past sales have seen Anna Weyant, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and others make their evening sale debut.
Firelei Báez (b. 1981), Josephine Judas GOAT (it does not disturb me to accept that there are places where my identity is obscure to me, and the fact that it amazes you does not mean I relinquish it), 2017. Oil on canvas, 84 x 60 in (213.4 x 152.4 cm). Estimate: $100,000-150,000. Offered in 21st Century Evening Sale on 21 November 2024 at Christie’s in New York
This November’s 21st Century Evening Sale in New York will open with a large-scale painting by Firelei Báez entitled Josephine Judas GOAT (it does not disturb me to accept that there are places where my identity is obscure to me, and the fact that it amazes you does not mean I relinquish it). Born in the Dominican Republic, the New York-based artist interweaves imagery from a wide range of African diasporic histories. She was recently the subject of a major solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.
In summary, from London to Paris, Hong Kong to New York, Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art auction series offers collectors around the world the very best in remarkable art, sculpture and objects.