Courtesy of Christie\u2019s. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Picking up from a \u201csubdued\u201d 2023, this year at auction continued a downward trend for top lots under the hammer. <\/p>\n
This year, the total price for the 100 most expensive lots sold at auction totaled just shy of $1.8 billion, compared to $2.4 billion in 2023 and $4.1 billion in 2022. Only one work\u2014Ren\u00e9 Magritte\u2019s L\u2019empire des lumi\u00e8res<\/em> (1954)\u2014sold for more than $100 million, compared to two last year and six works in 2022. <\/p>\nTentpole auction seasons this year offered an uneven picture. The New York May auctions, despite a nerve-racking cyberattack that brought down Christie\u2019s website for several days, managed to sell nearly $1.4 billion worth of art. This was followed by a tepid series of London sales in June and the tentpole November auctions in New York, which reflected a persistently cautious mood: Sotheby\u2019s, Christie\u2019s, and Phillips collectively sold $1.3 billion worth of art\u2014down 40% from last November, according to the New York Times. <\/em>Another theme of the year was the reemergence of the Hong Kong market, which claims three of the year\u2019s top 10 most expensive sales. Christie\u2019s and Bonhams both opened new headquarters, and Sotheby launched a new \u201cMaison.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Leonora Carrington, Les Distractions de Dagobert<\/i>, 1945. Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Still, some four of the 50 most expensive lots this year were by women artists\u2014Leonora Carrington, Georgia O\u2019Keeffe, and Joan Mitchell (with two works in the top 50)\u2014compared to three last year. The standout sale was Carrington\u2019s Les Distractions de Dagobert<\/em> (1945), which fetched $28.5 million at Sotheby\u2019s New York in May, a new auction record for the artist.<\/p>\nAs the Carrington and Magritte sales attest to, this was a year in which Surrealism made a splash across the tentpole auction and several individual sales dedicated to the movement, which marks its 100th anniversary this year. This was also a year that yielded several significant auction records for artists across different categories, with the likes of Jad\u00e9 Fadojutimi, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Lucy Bull, and Sarah Sze among those setting new benchmarks.<\/p>\n
Here, we run down the top 10 lots at auction in 2024. All prices include fees. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Ren\u00e9 Magritte, L\u2019empire des lumi\u00e8res<\/em>, 1954 <\/h2>\n$121,160,000<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Ren\u00e9 Magritte, L\u2019empire des lumi\u00e8res<\/i>, 1954. Courtesy of Christie\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
A century after Andr\u00e9 Breton published his Surrealist Manifesto<\/em>, Ren\u00e9 Magritte\u2019s L\u2019empire des lumi\u00e8res<\/em> (1954) became the most expensive Surrealist artwork ever to sell at auction, achieving $121.16 million at Christie\u2019s New York in November. The painting\u2014hailed as the \u201ccrown jewel\u201d of American interior designer Mica Ertegun\u2019s collection by the auction house\u2014shattered the artist\u2019s auction record, previously set at Sotheby\u2019s London in 2022 for L\u2019empire des lumi\u00e8res <\/em>(1961), which sold for \u00a359.42 million ($79.24 million).<\/p>\nMeasuring approximately 5 by 4 feet, this painting is one of the largest works in Magritte\u2019s famed \u201cEmpire of Light\u201d series, which comprises 27 variations on the surreal theme of juxtaposed day and night imagery. The serene scene features a house lit by a single streetlamp, its warm yellow glow reflected in a body of water below, while the sky above remains a daytime blue scattered with clouds. Slightly shrouded by silhouetted trees, the painting evokes a dreamlike contrast between light and shadow, day and night.<\/p>\n
Another version of the Belgian artist\u2019s \u201cEmpire of Light\u201d series gained attention when it was showcased in the Belgian pavilion at the 1954 Venice Biennale before joining Peggy Guggenheim\u2019s collection. Magritte subsequently expanded the theme into a series over the following 15 years to satisfy demand from eager collectors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Ed Ruscha, Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half<\/em>, 1964 <\/h2>\n$68,260,000<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Ed Ruscha, Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half,<\/i> 1964. Courtesy of Christie\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Ed Ruscha\u2019s Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half <\/em>(1964) broke the artist\u2019s auction record when it sold for $68.26 million at Christie\u2019s New York in November. The work, which smashed its $50 million estimate, was originally acquired by Texas-based oil heir Sid R. Bass in 1976 through a trade involving another piece from the same series. <\/p>\nStandard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half <\/em>is the last of the large-scale paintings by Ruscha from the 1960s to be held privately. This grouping of works are celebrated for their incorporation of textual elements within minimalist landscapes. <\/p>\nThe painting features a Standard Oil gas station along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas. In the right-hand corner, there is a torn dime-store novel emblematic of Ruscha\u2019s commentary on American consumerism and nostalgia. The artist discovered this particular station, which was featured in several other paintings, during his road trip from Los Angeles to visit his family in Oklahoma City. Its significance was amplified by its recent inclusion in Ruscha\u2019s retrospective \u201cEd Ruscha \/ Now Then,\u201d exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2023\u201324. <\/p>\n
The sale eclipsed Ruscha\u2019s previous record of $52.5 million, set in 2019 at Christie\u2019s with Hurting the Word Radio #2 <\/em>(1964).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Claude Monet, Nymph\u00e9as<\/i>, 1914\u201317. Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Claude Monet\u2019s Nymph\u00e9as<\/em> (1914\u201317) achieved $65.5 million at Sotheby\u2019s November evening auction in New York, following an intense 17-minute bidding war. This monumental painting, part of the French Impressionist\u2019s renowned \u201cWater Lilies\u201d series, is a rare en plein air <\/em>work from Monet\u2019s Giverny garden, where he found endless inspiration in his lily pond. <\/p>\nThe painting, measuring approximately 5 by 6.5 feet, showcases the lush, light-dappled aesthetics for which Monet is renowned and stands as one of the earliest iterations of his iconic \u201cWater Lilies\u201d series, comprising approximately 250 oil paintings. Departing from the more realistic depictions of the waterlily pond seen in his earlier works, Monet\u2019s focus in this piece shifts entirely to the water\u2019s surface, capturing its reflections and interplay of light and color.<\/p>\n
Another earlier work from this series, Nymph\u00e9as<\/em> (1897\u201399), made its auction debut at Christie\u2019s Hong Kong in August, selling for HK$233.3 million (US$29.9 million) and setting a new auction record for a work by the artist in Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (ELMAR)<\/i>, 1982. Courtesy of Phillips.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
This May, Jean-Michel Basquiat\u2019s 8-foot-wide painting Untitled (ELMAR) <\/em>(1982) soared to $46.48 million at Phillips\u2019s modern and contemporary art sale in New York. <\/p>\nAn exploration of mythology and human struggle, the painting depicts an Icarus figure tumbling from the heavens while an archer fires two arrows in his direction. Originally acquired in 1984 by Italian anthropologist Francesco Pellizzi from Basquiat\u2019s first dealer, Annina Nosei, the work remained in Pellizzi\u2019s private collection for four decades. <\/p>\n
Untitled (ELMAR)<\/em> boasts a notable exhibition history, having been featured in a 1998 show commemorating the 10th anniversary of the artist\u2019s death at Gagosian in Los Angeles, and in the artist\u2019s retrospective at Paris\u2019s Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2018. Basquiat\u2019s auction record is held by Untitled (1982<\/em>), which sold at Sotheby\u2019s for $110.5 million in 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Ren\u00e9 Magritte, L\u2019ami intime<\/em>, 1958 <\/h2>\n$42,123,969<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
Making its auction return after 44 years, Ren\u00e9 Magritte\u2019s L\u2019ami intime<\/em> (1958) sold for $42.12 million in March at a standalone Surrealism sale held by Christie\u2019s in London. The painting is one of the few examples of Magritte\u2019s portraits of his signature bowler-hatted man that remains in private hands. This work depicts the back of the bowler-hatted man with a baguette and a wine glass floating behind him. <\/p>\nAccording to Christie\u2019s, the last time the painting came to auction was in 1980, when it sold at Sotheby\u2019s London for \u00a390,000 ($207,000) to French dealer Georges Marci. Shortly after, the work was acquired by prominent collectors Gilbert and Lena Kaplan and was rarely seen in public. The last time the painting was exhibited was at Brussels\u2019s Mus\u00e9es Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in 1998.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Andy Warhol, Flowers<\/i>, 1964. Courtesy of Christie\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The enduring appeal of Andy Warhol\u2019s iconic \u201cFlowers\u201d series was reaffirmed when Flowers <\/em>(1964) sold for $35.48 million at Christie\u2019s 20th-century evening sale in May. Measuring nearly 7 feet on each side, the painting\u2014made with acrylic, fluorescent paint, and silkscreen ink on linen\u2014surpassed its high estimate of $30 million after approximately five minutes of bidding. <\/p>\nWarhol created his \u201cFlowers\u201d series in response to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1964, juxtaposing vibrant floral imagery with the somber realities of mortality. This particular work made its auction debut, having been originally sold through Leo Castelli Gallery in New York to the collector Frederick R. Weisman. The piece features hand-painted petals and boasts a notable provenance, including ownership by Search Investment Ltd. in London, which acquired it from Thomas Ammann Fine Art in Z\u00fcrich before the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Highlighting the increasing demand for Warhol\u2019s \u201cFlowers,\u201d this sale achieved more than double that of another work from the same series, which sold for $15.8 million at Christie\u2019s in 2022. At that same auction, mega-dealer Larry Gagosian purchased Shot Sage Blue Marilyn <\/em>(1964) for $195 million\u2014setting Warhol\u2019s auction record and making it the most expensive artwork by an American artist ever sold under the hammer. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Claude Monet, Meules \u00e0 Giverny<\/em>, 1893 <\/h2>\n$34,804,500<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Claude Monet, Meules \u00e0 Giverny,<\/i> 1893. Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
One of Claude Monet\u2019s final haystack paintings, Meules \u00e0 Giverny<\/em> (1893), debuted at auction in May, fetching $34.8 million at Sotheby\u2019s modern evening auction. The artwork was first brought to the United States by the American landscape painter Dwight Blaney in 1895, where it was lent to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.<\/p>\nMeules \u00e0 Giverny <\/em>is among the last works in Monet\u2019s \u201cHaystacks\u201d series of approximately 25 paintings, each capturing haystacks under different lighting and atmospheric conditions across the changing seasons.<\/p>\nThe work is a prime example of the artist\u2019s deep exploration of color, light, and texture. Sharon Kim, Sotheby\u2019s deputy chairman of Impressionist and modern art, highlighted the work\u2019s pivotal role in Monet\u2019s evolution: \u201cIn revisiting scenes at different times of day and seasons, he carefully detailed the subtle changes in the landscape caused by the varying light and atmosphere to create a subtle and harmonious vision across his works,\u201d she said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n
This sale follows the 2019 sale of Monet\u2019s Meules<\/em> (1890), another work from the series that sold at Sotheby\u2019s for $110 million. That work marked a record for Monet at auction and is the highest auction total for an Impressionist artwork. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Vincent van Gogh, Coin de jardin avec papillon<\/em>s, 1887 <\/h2>\n$33,185,000<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
<\/p>\n<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Vincent van Gogh, Coin de jardin avec papillons<\/i>, 1887. Courtesy of Christie\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Vincent van Gogh\u2019s Coin de jardin avec papillons <\/em>(1887) sold for $33.19 million at Christie\u2019s 20th-century evening sale in May. Van Gogh painted this work during his second year in Paris, capturing luminous flower beds in the public gardens of Asni\u00e8res, a suburban town along the Seine.<\/p>\nThe painting debuted at Christie\u2019s New York in 2018, where it failed to sell at its Impressionist and modern art evening sale and was bought in by the auction house for $30 million. <\/p>\n
This sale breaks the record price of a Van Gogh painting made during the artist\u2019s Paris period, which spanned from 1886 to 1888. The previous record was held by Garden in front of the Debray Farm <\/em>(1887), which sold at Sotheby\u2019s in May 2023 for $23 million. Van Gogh\u2019s overall auction record is for Orchard with Cypresses <\/em>(1888), which sold for $117.2 million at Christie\u2019s in November 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n