John Constable, RA (East Bergholt 1776-1837 London)
Sketch for ‘View on the Stour, Near Dedham’
Circa 1821-22. Oil on canvas. 51 x 73 in (129.4 x 185.3 cm).
£14,082,500 / $18,856,468 / €16,969,413
Moore, Bacon, Constable shine at Christie’s British Sale Christie’s ‘Defining British Art: Evening Sale’ realised £99,479,500 / $133,203,051 / €119,872,798. The auction was led by an iconic sculpture by Henry Moore, while paintings by Bacon and Constable fetched notable prices.]]>
July 1, 2016, source: Christie’s
The sale was led by Henry Moore’s ground-breaking 1951 modernist sculpture “Reclining Figure: Festival”, which sold after a bidding battle for £24,722,500 /$33,103,428 /€29,790,613, the highest price ever achieved for a work by the artist. It is one of the most important sculptures of Moore’s entire oeuvre.
The full-scale six-foot ‘sketch’ “View on the Stour near Dedham” by John Constable R.A., circa 1821-22, sold for £14,082,500 /$18,856,468 /€16,969,413. This work, the last great sketch in private hands and in astonishingly fresh condition and clearly illustrates why Constable was considered the father of British Modernism. It made the second highest price for a work by the artist at auction.
“Version No. 2 of Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe”, by Francis Bacon, 1968, realized £20,242,500 /$27,104,708 /€24,392,213, one of the great works from arguably the artist’s finest period.
“We saw global participation tonight with strong bidding from the Americas and are very pleased with establishing so many artist world records in this sale that celebrated British art and our long relationship with artists and collectors,” said Jussi Pylkkänen, Global President and lead auctioneer. “We thank all our clients, vendors and buyers, past, present or future, for entrusting us now and over the centuries with the safe passage of precious and historic objects – from one country to another, and from one generation to its successor.”
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John Constable’s ‘The Lock’ sold for £22,4 million at Christie’s (news, 2012)
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