LONDON.- The Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale realised a total of £14,168,940, selling 98% by value and 89% by lot. Banksys iconic Love is in the Air realised the top price, selling for £978,000. Yayoi Kusamas Pumpkin [TOWSSO] achieved £831,600 against a pre-sale estimate of £200,000 while Waves at Daybreak sold for £201,600 (estimated at £50,000-70,000). This level of bidding reflected the depth of interest witnessed in the Shanghai to London Evening Sale series on 1 March and was followed by MR.s May Blue Hawaii, which soared above estimate to realise a world auction record for the artist (£504,000). Günther Förgs Untitled sold for £604,800, Etel Adnans Untitled realised £201,000 and Stanley Whitneys Untitled achieved £163,800.
Further records were set for Atanda Quadri Adebayos Let Love Lead (£20,160)*, Winston Branchs When I need my Fathers Eyes (£126,000), Anne Colliers Woman Crying (Comic) #16 (£100,800), Peter Ukas Invisible Guardian (£56,700)*, and Adjei Tawiahs Pink Suit (£50,400)*, with a record in the medium for a painting by Eileen Agars Harlequin (£63,000).
Outstanding results were achieved for Flora Yukhnovichs Study of Putti (£302,400), Hilary Pecis Kitchen Counter (£252,000), Isshaq Ismails Unknown Faces No 3 (£138,600), Tomokazu Matsuyamas Losing You More (£214,200), and Paula Regos School for Little Witches (£415,800).
Italian Masters attracted strong bidding with Arnaldo Pomodoros Sfera con perforazione (£567,000), Lucio Fontanas Concetto spaziale, Attese (£592,200), and Alighiero Boettis Far quadrare tutto (To Square Everything Up) (£189,000).
Christies 20th/21st Century Art Sales continue on 4 March with The Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper Sale while First Open: Post-War and Contemporary Art Online remains open for bidding until 9 March 2022.
* This marked the artists first time at auction