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On eve of New York auctions, newer works seen driving the boom

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 11:40

By Chris Michaud NEW YORK (Reuters) - With a billion dollars worth of art on offer at their spring auctions in New York, Christie's and Sotheby's are looking to the post-war and contemporary works to drive the market this month. The sales of the newer works are expected to exceed those of the once-dominant Impressionist and modern field by anywhere from 50 to 100 percent, according to estimates.

Soutine, Cezanne to star at New York auctions

Agence France-PresseMay 5, 2013 10:45

Works by Soutine, Cezanne, Picasso and Modigliani were expected to shine this week at red-hot spring auctions of Impressionist and Modern art in New York. Rivals Christie's and Sotheby's say the market, long recovered from the post-2008 financial crisis slump, is in better than buoyant mood. Last year, Sotheby's Modern and Impressionist auction notched up a record-setting $119.9 million sale of a version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream."

Franco-Chinese painter Zao Wou-Ki dies aged 93

Agence France-PresseApril 9, 2013 14:46

Chinese-French abstract painter Zao Wou-Ki, a significant figure in 20th-century Chinese art, died Tuesday at his home in Switzerland aged 93, Marc Bonnant, a lawyer for his wife, told AFP. A lawyer for Zao's son, who was in a legal battle with his step-mother to obtain power-of-attorney over the artist, confirmed the death and said Zao, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had been hospitalised twice since the end of March.

Modigliani lover portrait sells for £26.9 mn in London

Agence France-PresseFebruary 6, 2013 18:31

A portrait by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani of his lover Jeanne Hebuterne went under the hammer in London on Wednesday for £26.9 million ($42.3 million, 31.2 million euros), Christie's auction house said. The final price for the 1919 portrait, "Jeanne Hebuterne (Au chapeau)" (Jeanne Hebuterne wearing a hat) was well over the pre-sale estimate of between £16 million and £22 million. A Christie's spokeswoman declined to say who had bought the painting, which shows Modigliani's French muse wearing a black hat and with the swan-like neck typical of his style.