Giacometti and Modigliani to break records at Sotheby’s

Alberto Giacometti: Chariot
Estimate in excess of $100 million

Amedeo Modigliani: Tête
Estimate in excess of $45 million

Giacometti and Modigliani to break records at Sotheby’s On November 4th 2014, Sotheby’s will auction two masterpieces of modern sculpture: Alberto Giacometti’s legendary ‘Chariot’ -estimated in excess of $100 million- and Amedeo Modigliani’s ‘Tête’ -estimated in excess of $45 million.]]>

October 6, 2014, source: Sotheby’s

Alberto Giacometti: Chariot

Conceived in 1950 and cast in 1951-52, the present example is set apart by its gold patina and exquisitely-painted surface. It is one of only two casts remaining in private hands – the sole painted cast still owned privately – and has been in the same distinguished private collection for more than four decades. It will be the first ‘Chariot’ to appear at auction in over 30 years.

Simon Shaw, Co-Head Worldwide of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department, commented: “Few works of art capture a historical moment with the power and poignancy of Giacometti’s ‘Chariot’. With its connotations of healing, strength and magic, this heroic sculpture is a symbol of renewal following the Second World War. It is a privilege to present a masterpiece worthy of the world’s great museums. Given the $104.3 million achieved at Sotheby’s by Giacometti’s ‘Homme qui marche I’ in 2010, we believe that Chariot could sell for in excess of $100 million.”

‘Chariot’’s origins lie in Surrealism, a movement that had dominated Giacometti’s work in the 1930s. The sculpture had a profound personal significance, reflecting an epiphany in his creative development, and was inspired partly by the “tinkling pharmacy carts” he witnessed in hospital following his car accident beside the gilded statue of Joan of Arc in Paris. Years later, this memory sparked the composition of Chariot: “In 1947 I saw the sculpture before me as if already done,” Giacometti told his dealer Pierre Matisse, “and in 1950 it was impossible not to realize it, although it was already situated for me in the past.” The artist also drew inspiration from antiquity, including an Egyptian chariot he had seen at the Archeological Museum in Florence.

Amedeo Modigliani: Tête

Amedeo Modigliani’s ‘Tête’ from 1911-12 belongs to a rare series of sculptures carved in stone, depicting goddesses of captivating beauty. The artist liberated these extraordinary female heads from blocks of stone scavenged from construction sites across Paris. At night, Modigliani would illuminate them by candlelight, creating a sacred space for his powerful and enchanting figures.

The present ‘Tête’ is one of the very finest that Modigliani created. The work has never been offered at auction, and is one of few examples remaining in private hands. It is estimated to achieve in excess of $45 million in the November Evening Sale, and will be on view at Sotheby’s London galleries from 12–18 October before returning to New York for exhibition in Sotheby’s York Avenue headquarters beginning 31 October.

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