Artcurial achieves €217M,
the best year since its creation
With numerous auction records and lots sold above €1M, as well as the sale of prestigious private collections and the acquisition of the auction house Beurret Bailly Widmer in Switzerland, 2023 was Artcurial’s best year, with a record-breaking result of €217M.
2023: Best year since Artcurial’s creation
2023 drew to a close after 121 sales marked by some great results and totalling €217M, including €13 M by the Swiss auction house Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer.
Some key figures:
29 auction records.
17 lots sold above €1M, including La Tempête by René Magritte sold for €1,786,400.
60 lots preempted or acquired by museum institutions, including Ruth and Booz by Charles Gleyre sold for €98,400 to the Musée Fabre in Montpellier.
102 private collections dispersed, including Design Sul Mare, a private collection from Monaco sold for €965,220.
12 great auctions marked this year 2023
In February, the Comic Strips department proposed an original drawing by Hergé for the 1942 cover of the album Tintin in America, which was then used again in 1946 for the first colour edition of the album. After a bidding battle, it fetched €2,158,400, setting a new world record for an original black and white drawing by Hergé.
In March, the Italian Design sale featured Carlo Mollino’s desk, a masterpiece created for the Casa editrice Lattes in Turin. Presented for the first time at auction, the desk fetched €590,400, twice its estimate, making it the world record for a desk by the artist. The Furniture & Works of Art department was also highlighted with the sale of a rare mechanical games’ table by David Roentgen, which fetched €236,160.
The luxury & lyfestyle departments also obtained excellent results, with the sale of an exceptional 7.105 ct Burma natural ruby and diamond ring for €2,902,400, a Rolex Daytona "Paul Newman" watch for €452,640, a Kelly Retourné Himalaya 28 bag for €127,264 and an set of 12 bottles from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2002 for €65,730.
Another highlight of the year was the sale of a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta by Pininfarina, which fetched €15,771,200.
Berlinetta by Pininfarina
Sold €15,771,200
In addition, the Old Master & 19th Century Art department confirmed its recent successes at its prestige auction last November with the sale of a masterpiece by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, preciously kept in the same family for over a century, which fetched €5,7M. The Antiquities & Islamic Art department also achieved some fine results, including the sale of a very rare Abbasid Qur'an dating from the late 12th or early 13th century, sold for €406,720.
The sacrifice to the Minotaur
Sold €5,714,800
Later in the year, Modern & Contemporary Art distinguished itself at its prestigious December auctions with the sale of a masterpiece by Lucio Fontana entitled Concetto spaziale, Piazza San Marco al sole, which fetched €6,771,400, and a sublime oil on canvas by Claude Monet entitled La Seine dans la brume, sold for €2,220,400 benefiting the Médecins du Monde France charity association.
Concetto spaziale, Piazza San Marco al sole, 1961
Sold €6,771,400
The upcoming auctions
The Artcurial team thank you for your support and your confidence and will be happy to see you again in for its upcoming auctions.
A Moroccan Winter – 30th December 2023, 5pm in Marrakech
Following the success of the Moroccan & African Spirit sale on 4th November, Artcurial will be back at La Mamounia on 30th December for the 5th edition of A Moroccan Winter: Majorelle & his Contemporaries and Moroccan & African Spirit sale.
Monaco Auction Week – From 14th to 17th January 2024 in Monaco
Artcurial returns to Monaco in January 2024 for its traditional luxury prestige sales.
Retromobile 2023 – 2nd and 3rd February 2024
Artcurial Motorcars returns to the Retromobile Show on 2nd and 3rd February 2024 for the most eagerly-awaited sale of the year for collectors.
Old Master and 19th Century Art – 20th March 2024 in Paris
This prestigious sale will feature a set of paintings, drawings and sculptures, including an exceptional white marble by Antonio Canova entitled Head of Calliope or Presumed portrait of Marie-Louise of Habsburg, Empress of the French as Calliope, dated from 1812.
The W Collection, From Stockholm to Monaco – 9th May 2024 in Monaco
Ahead of the Grand Prix Historique, Artcurial Motorcars will be auctioning a private collection of 55 rare classic cars in Monaco on 9th May 2024. The collection is considered to be one of the most important in Europe.