translated by Giorgina Arcuri

If quotations for contemporary art still do not seem to present symptoms of a crisis, those relative to the modern sector actually seem to be going through a moment of settlement.
The first signs of a change of course were observed in November 2007, when “The Fields (Wheat Fields)” by Vincent Van Gogh, auctioned by Sotheby’s New York, was withdrawn because it did not even reach its lowest estimate, which was 28 million dollars. In the same evening also “Te poipoi (Le matin)” realized by Paul Gaughin in 1892, was a disappointment.

translated by Giorgina Arcuri

An interesting week is opening up for French auctions of modern and contemporary art. Paris and surroundings are going to offer various occasions to buy important pieces of high quality or even become owners of minor works, realized by very famous artists, for moderate amounts.
The events will be inaugurated on Monday 23rd by Cornette de Saint Cyr (Paris) with the Art Moderne - Art Contemporain auction, rich in paintings that are worth watching out for. Among the most important works:

translated by Giorgina Arcuri

On 25th June, Sotheby’s London auction house will open the “Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale”, an extraordinary event for collectors of masterpieces by the most famous names of the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The success of this auction seems to be anticipated by the artistic figures that will be presented. In a period when we keep on waiting for the signs of the art market crisis to surface, Sotheby’s makes the right choice, that is to auction 56 pieces of undoubted quality executed by the greatest names of the history of art. A very wise strategy that even collectors should pursue, as important works are not affected by devaluations and even if the market may slow down due to the latter, it will certainly never fail.

translated by Giorgina Arcuri

Haaken A. Christensen was one of the most influent figures within the international art system for his very sophisticated taste in collecting works of art. For more than forty years, Christensen kept alive one of the most important galleries in Scandinavia, always trying to propose the best of international contemporary art to Norway and show the works of Norwegian artists abroad.
Haaken A. Christensen was born in 1924 and thanks to his exceptional intuition for business he went to down in history as one of the most important and influent dealers and experts in Europe.

Article translated by Amritee Mahabir

On 7th May the “Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale” was held at Sotheby’s New York. It was an important occasion for art enthusiasts of celebrated masterpieces from the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth century. The sale demonstrated that the art market still holds a record of 75% of sales given that it totalled 235,333,000 dollars (compared to 278.5 million from last year).

The first New York session dedicated to impressionists left Christe’s with a turnover of 277,276,000 dollars. Two new important records were broken for Monet and Rodin, however many of their paintings remained unsold.

The 6th May auction brought about some confirmations, but also gave rise to creeping fears that have been circulating on the art market for a while. The top lot of the evening was the splendid painting by Claude Monet “Le Pont du chemin de fer à Argenteuil” which went under the hammer for 41,481,000 dollars. With this sale Monet exceeded the previous record at auction, realised last June during the Sotheby’s auction in London; on that occasion, “Ninphéas” from 1904 went under the hammer for 36.7 million dollars.