Clyfford Still (1904-1980)
1949-A-No. 1
oil on canvas (93×79 inches)
Sold for $61,682,500
Masterpiece by Clyfford Still sells for $61,6 million Four masterworks by American Abstract Expressionist painter Clyfford Still (1904-1980) sold for a combined total of $114.1 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction on November 9, 2011. ‘1949-A-No. 1’ – one of the greatest works by the artist – fetched $61,682,500.]]>
November 11, source: Sotheby’s / theartwolf.com
The four works came from the Estate of Patricia Still and were sold by the City and County of Denver to further support the endowment of the new Clyfford Still Museum. “Tonight’s success ensures the future of this collection for the city of Denver,” said Jan Brennan, Director of Cultural Programs for the City of Denver
The highlight of the group was “1949-A-No. 1“, described by Tobias Meyer as “one of the greatest examples of 20th century American painting”. The 93 x 79 inches canvas sold for $61,682,500, (est. $25/35 million) more than double the previous record for the artist at auction. “1947-Y-No. 2” fetched $31,442,500, well above the pre-sale estimate of $15/20 million, and “PH-1033” was sold for $19,682,500 (est. $10/15 million). “PH-351“, an early painting from 1940, fetched $1,258,500 (est. $1/1.5 million).
An auction record for Gerhard Richter was set when “Abstraktes Bild” (1997) sold for $20,802,500. Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies for a Self Portrait” fetched $19,682,500 (est.$15/20 million).
The “$60 million Club”
Clyfford Still joins Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Gustav Klimt, Francis Bacon, Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Peter Paul Rubens, Mark Rothko, Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Cezanne and Kazimir Malevich; as the only 12 artists whose works have been sold for more than $60 million at auction.
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