At the beginning of this year, the auction season has started with the sold of two very important and peculiar works of art. Clearly, the sold have been done by the two most influential auction houses in the art market: Sotheby’s and Christie’s. The art works in question are a painting attributed to Sandro Botticelli Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel sold by Sotheby’s in January and the second one is the first digital work of art sold by Christie’s the 25th of February The Last 500 Days of the artist Beeple.
March has always been the auction month that indicates the opening of the auction in Europe. In fact, during the last week of the month has taken place in London the Contemporary Art auctions of three very important auction houses: Christie’s, Bonhams and Sotheby’s.
The first auction was the 20th Century Evening Sale of Christie’s the 23rd of March, the total result of the sale was 120,025,000 GBP. Due to the current restriction and rules of the global pandemic the auction has been broadcasted live in streaming and without public. The most relevant work of art that gain the higher bid was certainly the one of the street artist Banksy Game Changer, sold for almost 17 million of pounds started from an esteem of 2,5-3,5 million. The artwork is an undoubtful representation of the gratitude and admiration for the service and work done by nurses and doctors at the hospitals during the emergency caused by Covid-19, in fact the mural appeared on the wall of the hospital of Southampton the past 6th of May. The sum acquired by the vendor has been used for charitable purposes in order to help and open new programs for the English National Health Service.
The auction at Sotheby’s on the other hand was done only online: there was no auctioneer od phone bidders. The auction, upload by the British auction house has begun the 19th of March and finished the 26th. Once finished the work of art must be sold to the bidder that made the higher offer. The works of art that have achieved important results have been sold almost for 500 thousand pounds, but with esteem that were pertinent to the final offer. However, it is interest to recall the attention to the lot number 401 Ewa Juszkiewicz In the Park that with an esteem of 20,000-30,000 GBP has been sold for 107,100 GBP.
In the end, the last auction about contemporary art was organised by Bonhams with the Post-War & Contemporary Art the past 24th of March. The lots results were much more modest but on the other hand the works of art were more peculiar and specific even if the main lot that gain all the attention was an old Banksy dated 2004 Girl with Ice Cream on Palette sold for 1,102,750 GBP with the higher esteem of 500,000 GBP.