Last night's total might have been higher had it included an Henri Matisse bronze, estimated at $20 million to $30 million, that was consigned by the Burnett Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas. The statue was withdrawn from the auction after being sold on Nov. 1 as part of a quartet of Matisse bronzes in a private transaction brokered by Sotheby's. The auction house declined to disclose the identity of the buyer or the purchase price.
Picasso Nude
A 1967 painting by Pablo Picasso sold to a telephone bidder last night for $23 million, against an estimated range of $18 million to $25 million.
Painted when Picasso was 85, "L'Aubade," depicts a gaunt naked man playing a flute for a nude woman reclining nearby and looking directly at the viewer. The figures are set against a powder-blue background, with the man's toes, ribs and hair graphically outlined. The almond-eyed female was inspired by Picasso's second wife, Jacqueline Roque.
Bidders for the canvas included art dealers David Nahmad and Larry Gagosian, who held a retrospective of Picasso's late works in 2009. The painting last appeared at auction in 1979, fetching 49,000 pounds ($75,401) at Sotheby's in London. Yesterday's result represents a new high for Picasso's prolific last decade.
Street Protest
Collectors and dealers attending the auction at the company's York Avenue headquarters were greeted by dozens of art handlers and protesters from Occupy Wall Street who blew whistles, banged drums and shouted "shame!" The noise of the crowd was audible in the seventh-floor sales room.
On July 29, Sotheby's locked out 42 unionized handlers after "the union made statements to the media threatening a strike," Sotheby's said in an August filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"I don't think anyone thinks this is any fun," Sotheby's Chief Executive William Ruprecht said in an interview after last night's sale. "We'd love to conclude this in a way that's equitable for everyone."
On Nov. 1, Christie's had its lowest sales total in two years for Impressionist and modern art in New York as buyers shunned top lots including an Edgar Degas bronze of a teenage ballerina that was estimated to fetch as much as $35 million.
Sotheby's charges buyers 25 percent of the hammer price up to $50,000, plus 20 percent from $50,000 to $1 million, and 12 percent above $1 million. Pre-sale estimates don't include the buyer's premium.