Rothko, Bacon sets records at Contemporary Art at Sothebys, May 2007

Mark Rothko: “White center (Yellow, pink and lavender on rose)”

1950

Image courtesy of Sotheby’s

Rothko, Bacon sets records at Contemporary Art at Sothebys, May 2007 Sotheby’s spring evening sale of Contemporary Art in New York made auction history, bringing $254,874,000, the highest total ever for a sale of Contemporary Art. Record for Rothko and Bacon]]>

May 2007, source: Sotheby’s
The sale of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s New York totalled more that $254 million, the highest ever for a sale of contemporary Art. The two stars of the auction were two masterpieces by Mark Rothko and Francis Bacon.

As Sotheby’s quotes in a press note, “Tonight Sotheby’s spring evening sale of Contemporary Art in New York made auction history, bringing $254,874,000, the highest total ever for a sale of Contemporary Art (est. $196.8/ 265.1 million*). Two masterpieces shattered the previous record for a contemporary work of art at auction. At least five bidders competed for Mark Rothko’s White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) from the collection of David Rockefeller, which sold for $72,800,000 to an anonymous buyer over the telephone to a wave of applause, setting a new record for a contemporary work of art at auction, as well as for the artist (est. in excess of $40 million). At least four bidders battled for Francis Bacon’s Study from Innocent X, 1962, which brought $52,680,000, a record for the artist at auction, selling to an anonymous buyer over the telephone (est. in excess of $30 million). Records were also set for works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg, Tom Wesselmann, Richard Prince, Hans Hofmann, Dan Flavin and John Baldessari, among many others. Four lots in tonight’s auction brought over $10 million; six achieved over $5 million; and 41 sold for over $1 million. Nearly 70% of the lots sold this evening exceeded their high estimates”

Other important works sold at the auction includes an Untitled masterpiece by Jean-Michel Basquiat – sold for $14,600,000-, one of Robert Rauschenberg’s Combine Paintings, the masterpiece Photograph from 1959 -sold for $10,680,000- and Tom Wesselmann’s sensuous Smoker #17, 1975, sold for $5,864,00

Nevertheless, the Rothko and the Bacon are not in the top 10 most expensive paintings ever sold. Check it at theartwolf’s most expensive paintings ever sold.