Kurt Schwitters' artwork sells for record price at Christie’s London

KOLKATA: The Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale took place on the evening of 24 June at Christie’s London, realising £85,784,000/$146,004,368/ €107,230,000 and selling 67 per cent by lot and 71 per cent by value.

The top price was paid for Ja – Was? – Bild (‘Yes-What?-Picture’), 1920, by Kurt Schwitters which sold for £13,970,500/$23,777,791/€17,463,125 setting a new world record price for the artist at auction (estimate: £4-6 million). In total, 22 works of art sold for over £1 million/32 for over $1 million.

Jay Vincze, international director and head of The Impressionist and Modern Art Department, Christie’s London, said in an email statement: "This sale was led by the exceptional 1920 Kurt Schwitters, ‘Ja – Was? – Bild (‘Yes-What?-Picture’)’, which soared to extraordinary new heights achieving £13.9 million/$23.7 million/€17.4 million and smashing the previous auction record price for the artist (£1.3 million/$2 million).

This work was part of the remarkable Langen Collection and follows on from the great success of the New York sales in May. The collection tonight achieved £20,335,000/$34,610,170/€25,418,750 against a pre-sale estimate of £9.6-14.1 million.

"The auction as a whole presented an eclectic mix of exciting and rare impressionist, avant-garde and modernist works, many of which had not been seen on the market in a generation or more. Discerning collectors competed in a selective market for rare works by Matisse, Marc and Giacometti. Surrealism continues to excite new and established collectors across geographies and strong prices were achieved for Magritte, Ernst and Miró."