Auctioneer Henry Highley at the rostrum for the sale of Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (636) at the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York on 14 November.
Gerhard Richter: The Highest Value Lot of the Year
Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (636), 1987. 20th Centery & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, New York, 14 November.
Sold for US$34,800,000.
Gerhard Richter’s monumental Abstraktes Bild (636) led a thrilling New York Evening Sale that realized US$155 million, capping the second highest sale total in Phillips’ history. Painted in 1987, the work is a towering example from the most significant body of work in Richter’s career to date. It reveals the explosive power, depth of color, and emotional resonance that distinguish Richter as one of the most profound abstract painters of his generation. Won by a collector based in Asia, the final sale at nearly US$35 million firmly places it among the top five works by the artist ever offered at auction.
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A Pink Diamond Catches the Limelight
Fancy Intense Pink diamond ring. The Geneva Jewels Auction: ONE, 6 November.
Sold for CHF 11,900,000 / US$13,276,830.
This year, Phillips presented the inaugural Geneva Jewels Auction, expanding Phillips’ presence on the Geneva auction calendar. The sale was a remarkable debut featuring numerous elegant pieces, but all eyes were on the fourth largest Fancy Intense Pink Diamond to ever come to auction. Mounted on a stunning statement ring, the cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut stone weighs in at 20.19 carats and is accented by baguette diamonds. This remarkable stone attracted spirited bidding and brought the inaugural sale to a thunderous close. We can still hear the applause.
Fancy Intense Pink diamond ring. The Geneva Jewels Auction: ONE, 6 November.
Looking After The Imperial Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe, Ref. 96QL, 1937. The Imperial Patek Philippe Sale, Hong Kong, 23 May.
Sold for HK$48,850,000 / US$6,234,279.
“You never actually own a Patek Philippe,” so the iconic tagline goes, “You merely look after it for the next generation.”
The promise of Patek Philippe is that any watch bearing their name will be unquestionably extraordinary, surviving for generations to come and picking up unique stories along the way.
Yet this watch is not just any Patek, and it’s not just any story. Not only is the watch one of only eight such examples of the reference (five platinum and two gold), but it sold in Paris in 1937 at Guillermin, then on Place Vendôme, to an extraordinary client — Aisin-Gioro Puyi, The Last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. A three-year research journey led by Phillips brought together experts from around the globe to uncover the astonishing provenance of this watch, verifying that it was eventually gifted by Puyi to Georgy Permyakov — Puyi’s interpreter during his years in a Soviet prison camp. The Imperial Patek Philippe: A Short Documentary — recipient of the 2023 Monaco World Luxury Award — uncovers the remarkable story of this unlikely friendship and incomparable gift.
Patek Philippe, Ref. 96QL, 1937. The Imperial Patek Philippe Sale, Hong Kong, 23 May.
A Backward Glance Breaks One Million
François-Xavier Lalanne, ‘Grand Bouquetin’, 1999. Design London, 26 April.
Sold for £1,112,800 / US$1,389,442.
This remarkable ‘Grand Bouqetin’ by François-Xavier Lalanne tops a phenomenal year for Phillips’ global Design sales. An important work of the artist’s fantastical bestiary, it stands out in Lalanne’s oeuvre due to its distinctive silhouette — the curved horns extend forwards while the impressive head is turned backwards, culminating in an amusing goatee. In a London auction that set three world records, enthusiasm for this work led to soaring bids and it ultimately realized more than double its low estimate.
Lichtenstein’s Pop of Yellow
Roy Lichtenstein, Nude with Yellow Pillow, from Nudes Series, 1994. Editions & Works on Paper New York, 24–26 October.
Sold for US$546,100.
Coming from the final major series Roy Lichtenstein produced before his death in 1997, Nude with Yellow Pillow led a stellar year for Phillips’ global Editions department, selling for more than double the pre-sale low estimate. Set against a dynamic arrangement of dots and geometric abstractions, Lichtenstein’s subject gazes directly into the viewer’s eyes as the artist presents a sardonic acknowledgement of the pervasive male gaze. Produced by Tyler Graphics Ltd. in Mount Kisco, New York, the nine prints in the Nudes series show Lichtenstein at the height of his artistic prowess, as he considers the traditional art historical genre of the female nude through the lens of Pop Art. This work’s Ben-Day dot patterns, bright colors, and bold lines are quintessential Lichtenstein.
A Rising Moon Lifts All Paddles
Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941. Photographs New York, 4 April.
Sold for US$381,000.
Widely celebrated as a touchstone of 20th century photography and one of the most important images by Ansel Adams, this work led the New York Photographs auction in April. The fascinating provenance of this early large-format print drove energetic bidding from around the world. It was the first major acquisition by the legendary teacher, curator, and photographer Peter C. Bunnell, whose collection Phillips offered with proceeds benefitting the seven institutions that shaped Bunnell’s life and career. He acquired this print in 1959 while a student of Minor White at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Bunnell had struck up correspondence with Ansel Adams and invited him to lecture at RIT in 1958. The two became friends and Adams later gave this print to Bunnell as a gift. Forever holding a prized place in Bunnell’s collection, students would later remember that this was the first photograph one would see upon entering his home.
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