The big art market news last month was the sale of Gustav Klimt’s final portrait, at Sotheby’s London on June 27. The work, which was found still on the easel in the artist’s studio when he died, at the age of just 55, is now the most expensive artwork ever sold in Europe, where it went for a whopping (premium-inclusive) €85.3 million ($108.4 million).
The colorful canvas depicts an unknown woman standing in front of a flora-and-fauna-filled backdrop with a decorative robe falling from one shoulder. “Full of freedom and spontaneity, it reflects Klimt’s joy in painting it and in celebrating beauty in its purest form,” read a statement from the auction house, which assigned the painting a presale estimate of around $80 million, a bar that was not just cleared but trounced by bidders.
As Artnet News’s Katya Kazakina wrote, the winning bid came from Patti Wong, formerly of Sotheby’s, who bought the work on behalf of an anonymous client based in Hong Kong.
Other auction highlights from June include Chen Jiru’s at Shanghai Jiahe Auction Co., which far exceeded the presale estimate of CNY 25 million to CNY 35 million ($3.5 million to $4.9 million) and sold for CNY 59.2 million ($8.2 million); and Qi Baishi’s Book of Flower and Vegetables and Pests, also at Shanghai’s Jiahe Auction Co., which was estimated to sell for CNY 15 million to CNY 25 million ($2.1 million to $3.5 million) and fetched a staggering CNY 55.2 million ($7.7 million).
Below, see the full list of the most expensive works sold at auction around the world last month.
1. Gustav Klimt, (1917–18)
Gustav Klimt, Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) (1917-18). Courtesy of Sotheby’s London.
Estimate: $80 million
Final Price: €85.3 million ($108.4 million)
Where & When: Sotheby’s London, June 27, 2023
2. Dong Qichang et al,
Dong Qichang and others, Resounding through the Mountains: Landscapes and Calligraphy by ‘Hua Zhong Jiu You’ (The Nine Friends in Painting) Album of 108 Leaves. Courtesy of China Guardian Auctions, Ltd.
Estimate: Undisclosed
Final Price: HK$ 191 million ($24.4 million)
Where & When: China Guardian (Hong Kong) Auctions Co., Ltd., June 12, 2023
3. Fu Baoshi,
Fu Baoshi, 云台山记图卷. Courtesy of China Guardian Auctions, Ltd.
Estimate: CNY 88 million to CNY 98 million ($12.3 million to $13.7 million)
Final Price: CNY 92 million ($12.9 million)
Where & When: China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd., June 12, 2023
4. Lucian Freud, (1968–70)
Lucian Freud, Night Interior (1968–70). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Estimate: €8 million to €12 million ($10.2 million to $15.3 million)
Final Price: €9.58 million ($12.2 million)
Where & When: Sotheby’s London, June 27, 2023
5. Cy Twombly, (1970)
Cy Twombly, Untitled (1970). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Estimate: €8 million to €12 million ($10.2 million to $15.3 million)
Final Price: €8.9 million ($11.4 million)
Where & When: Sotheby’s London, June 27, 2023
6. Wu Guanzhong,
Wu Guanzhong, Harvest. Courtesy of China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd.
Estimate: CNY 68 million to CNY 88 million ($9.5 million to $12.1 million)
Final Price: CNY 78.2 million ($10.9 million)
Where & When: China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd., June 12, 2023
7. Paul Signac, (1896)
Paul Signac, Calanque des Canoubiers (Pointe de Bamer), Saint-Tropez (1896). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Estimate: €5.5 million to €8 million ($6.9 million to $10.1 million)
Final Price: €8 million ($10.1 million)
Where & When: Christie’s London, June 28, 2023
8. Zhang Jizhi,
Zhang Jizhi, Regular Script Volume. Courtesy of China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd.
Estimate: CNY 60 million to CNY 80 million ($8.4 million to $11.2 million)
Final Price: CNY 69 million ($9.7 million)
Where & When: China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd., June 12, 2023
9. Zhang Daqian, (1970)
Zhang Daqian, Evening Color (1970). Courtesy of Holly’s International Auctions Co., Ltd.
Estimate: Undisclosed
Final Price: CNY 62.1 million ($8.8 million)
Where & When: Holly’s International Auctions Co., Ltd., June 4, 2023
10. Chen Jiru,
Chen Jiru, Yunyan Xiao Temple Map. Courtesy of Shanghai Jiahe Auction Co., Ltd.
Estimate: CNY 25 million to CNY 35 million ($3.5 million to $4.9 million)
Final Price: CNY 59.2 million ($8.24 million)
Where & When: Shanghai Jiahe Auction Co., Ltd., June 24, 2023
11. Jean-Michel Basquiat, (1984)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Pablo Picasso) (1984). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Estimate: €4.5 million to €6.5 million ($5.7 million to $8.2 million)
Final Price: €6.5 million ($8.16 million)
Where & When: Christie’s London, June 28, 2023
12. Qi Baishi,
Qi Baishi, Lao She’s Old Collection of Flowers and Insects. Courtesy of China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd.
Estimate: CNY 48 million to CNY 68 million ($6.7 million to $9.5 million)
Final Price: CNY 55.2 million ($7.7 million)
Where & When: China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd., June 12, 2023
13. Qi Baishi,
Qi Baishi, Book of Flower and Vegetables and Pests. Courtesy of Shanghai Jiahe Auction Co., Ltd.
Estimate: CNY 15 million to CNY 25 million ($2.1 million to $3.5 million)
Final Price: CNY 55.2 million ($7.7 million)
Where & When: Shanghai Jiahe Auction Co., Ltd., June 24, 2023
14. Frank Auerbach, (1969)
Frank Auerbach, Mornington Crescent (1969). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Estimate: €3.5 million to €4.5 million ($4.5 million to $5.7 million)
Final Price: €5.6 million ($7.1 million)
Where & When: Sotheby’s London, June 27, 2023
15. Alberto Giacometti, (ca. 1951)
Alberto Giacometti, Buste de Diego au col roulé (ca. 1951). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Estimate: €4 million to €6 million ($5.1 million to $7.6 million)
Final Price: €5.6 million ($7.09 million)
Where & When: Sotheby’s London, June 27, 2023
