Top 5 Modern and Contemporary Art Auction Sales: March Results

Auction houses are undoubtedly the source of many luxury goods. They sell New and Old Master paintings, small and large sculptures, one-of-a-kind antique pieces, rare coins, vintage cars, exclusive jewelry, and a variety of other valuable items. Moreover, since they bring new masterpieces to light, auction houses are also leaders in the fine art world, which makes all art collectors, gallery and museum professionals, historians, artists, and art lovers keep track of all their events. Some of these auction houses always get the most attention for their art collections and incredible sales results. See for yourself!

1. Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, Sotheby’s London

Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, held on 1 March in London, featured a wonderful art collection of small and large sculptures, paintings, and works on paper – all created by the leading artists of the 19th – 20th centuries. The highlight of this auction sale was a very exquisite and rare painting by Gustav Klimt titled “Bauerngarten.” It was sold for almost £48 million ($59 million).

2. Modern Art & Design Auction, LAMA

LAMA Modern Art & Design Auction, held on 5 March in Los Angeles, represented a whole range of the most coveted pieces of contemporary art in today’s market, including paintings by Ed Ruscha and Sam Francis, works on paper by Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, and sculptures by Harry Bertoia and Jenny Holzer. The most notable lot was the oil on canvas painting “Spring Flowers in Washington D.C.” by Alma Thomas. It was sold for $387,500.

3. Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Auction, Christie’s London

Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction, held on 7 March in London, was led by some of the best international artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Lucio Fontana, Mark Rothko, and Robert Rauschenberg. However, the top lot in this contemporary art sale was “Etre et paraitre (To Be and to Seem)” by the French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet. It was sold for £10 million ($12.2 million).

4. 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Phillips London

With paintings by Rudolf Stingel, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, and Frank Auerbach, Phillips 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, held on 8 March in London, was truly intriguing and engaging. Among all of its highlights, the most remarkable one was Miquel Barcelo’s painting titled “Muletero.” It was sold for almost £3 million ($3.6 million).

5. The Middle East Modern and Contemporary Auction, Artscoops

On 11 March, the first online marketplace for the Middle East & North Africa modern and contemporary art provided many talented artists with a unique opportunity to showcase themselves to the global audience. This live auction, held in Beirut, presented many amazing works by Tagreed Darghouth, Helen Khal, Jamil Molaeb, Souad Al Attar, and other painters and sculptors. The highlights of the sale were the Paul Guiragossian’s “Untitled” painting estimated at $40,000-60,000 and “The Face” by Ismail Fattah estimated at $15,000-24,000.

These were the most remarkable modern and contemporary art auction sales held in March. Stay with us to learn more!