Chariot (1950) by Alberto Giacometti
Painted bronze on wood from an edition of 6
Measuring 57″ height X 26″ X 26″
one of only two painted examples
Sold for $90 million at Sotheby’s NY in November 2014
Remaining list is as follows:
Barnett Newman (painting, 1961) $75 million
Andy Warhol (Ferus Type, 1963) $73 million
Francis Bacon (painting, 1984) $72 million
Amedeo Modigliani (sculpture, 1912) $63 million
Francis Bacon (painting, 1966) $62 million
Cy Twombly (painting, 1970) $62 million
Andy Warhol (painting, 1966) $62 million
Mark Rothko (painting, 1952) $59 million
Edouard Manet (painting, 1881) $58 million
All but one of the auctions took place in New York (Francis Bacon sold in London). All but Manet’s artwork was produced in the 20th century. Five (5) of the artworks were created by American artists.
The top tier of the art market has become $10 million and up. How many artworks were sold in excess of $10 million at auction ? We will never know what price thresholds have been with respect to private sales through dealers and brokers world wide.
In 2013 the highest auction price for an artwork ever sold at auction took place at Christie’s New York, at which time Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud sold for $127 million.
Corinne Cain of SavvyCollector.com