【New York, US】Christie’s 20/21 sales achieve $693 million

From May 12-15, 2025, Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales in New York achieved a grand total of $693 million across six sales, representing 123% of the low estimate.

A rare 1922 Mondrian, Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue, was the week’s top lot, selling for $47,560,000. Claude Monet’s Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule (1891) sold for $42,960,000, setting a record for the series.

New artist records were set for Dorothea Tanning, Remedios Varo, Louis Fratino, Simone Leigh, and Emma McIntyre, as well as a record for a work on paper by Franz von Stuck.

The collection of Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise achieved a total of $272 million on May 12, selling 97% by lot and 97% by value. Mondrian’s aforementioned 1922 composition sold for $47,560,000 to applause. Two masterworks by René Magritte, L’empire des lumières (1949) and Les droits de l’homme (1947-1948), fetched $34,910,000 and $15,935,000 respectively. Picasso’s Femme à la coiffe d’Arlésienne sur fond vert (Lee Miller) (1937) garnered $28,010,000.

Held on May 12, this sale realized $217 million, selling 100% by lot and value. The top lot was Monet’s Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule (1891), which sold for $42,960,000 after nearly five minutes of bidding, setting a new auction record for the Poplars series.

Art from the Anne and Sid Bass collection achieved $74.1 million across the sales. Gerhard Richter’s Korsika (Schiff) (1968) soared past its high estimate to achieve $15,245,000. The sale was also a great night for women Surrealists, with Dorothea Tanning’s Endgame (1944) selling for $2,349,000 and Remedios Varo’s Revelación (El relojero) (1955) achieving $6,221,000, both setting new world records for the artists.

This section of the week’s sales featured contemporary works, continuing the strong performance of the auction series.