On March 1, 2022, Christie's "20th/21st Century: Shanghai  Evening Sale" was the first to raise the hammer, followed by "20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale" and "The Art Of The Surreal Evening Sale" in London. More than 100 wonderful artworks have opened Christie's this feast of Eastern and Western modern and contemporary art.

• “20th/21st Century: Shanghai  Evening Sale" achieved a turnover rate of 95% and a total turnover of CNY 222,030,200.
• "20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale" achieved a turnover rate of 86% with a total turnover of GBP 182,696,006.
• "The Art Of The Surreal Evening Sale" sold 100% with a total turnover of GBP 39,888,380.
   

20th/21st Century: Shanghai  Evening Sale

The Christie's "20th/21st Century: Shanghai  Evening Sale" took the lead in raising the hammer, with 20 lots in this auction, with a turnover rate of 95% and a total turnover of CNY 222,030,200. Among them, Basquiat's "Il Duce" was the top deal. Emmanuel ⸱Taku, Joel ⸱Mesler and other artists set new personal auction records.
 

Highlight lots:

"Il Duce" is an important work created by Basquiat in 1982. The lot was hammered at 80 million CNY and the total transaction price was 94,160,000 CNY. It was commissioned by No. 8288. It was inspired by Basquiat's legendary trip to Modena, Italy. Basquiat has been fascinated by gold since he began depicting the iconic crown in his work, and The "Il Duce" is a wonderful successor.

Zao Wou-Ki's "Le Soir À L ’hô Tel Du Palais (Palace Hotel By Night)" was hammered down at 20 million CNY, plus a commission price of 24,360,000 CNY. The sea under the night, without the hustle and bustle of the daytime crowd and noise, has a deep and nostalgic feeling.

Fan ⸱Dongen's lot is the first time in China mainland. "La Femme Au Collier" was created in 1908 and was hammered at 19 million CNY, plus a commission of 23,160,000 CNY. Filled with the artist's signature red tones, the work condenses a new direction for the artist's creation through expressive color, visceral brushwork, and a thoroughly modern approach to the subject.

20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale

"20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale", with 64 lots,  got total turnover of GBP180,032,006 with sell-through rate of 82.8%. Among them, Franz Marc's "The Foxes (Die Fü Chse)" sold for 42,654,500 GBP, the highest of the auction, and also set a new auction record for the artist.  
 

Highlight lots:

Franz Marc's "The Foxes (Die Fü Chse)", a masterpiece of German expressionism, started at £26 million, and after a fierce competition, it was finally hammered down to £37 million, plus a commission of £42,654,500.

It is reported that in Bacon's limited creative career, he created 28 huge triptychs between 1962 and 1991. This triptych is one of them, which is of great significance. The work has been in the collection of the Marlborough Gallery in New York since its publication in 1987.

Lucian Freud's "The Girl With Eyes Closed" sold shortly after its completion and has been held by the same private collector ever since, and is only now being offered at auction for the first time. Hammered down for £13m plus £15,174,500 commission, commissioned by No. 926.

In the 35 years after the completion of the work, it has only been exhibited occasionally, the most notable of which is the large-scale retrospective exhibition "Lucian Freud Paintings", which traveled to Washington Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden from 1987 to 1988. The National Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Hayward Museum in London and the New National Gallery in Berlin.

The Art Of The Surreal Evening Sale

A total of 21 lots  of the “The Art Of The Surreal Evening Sale” were sold at the finale, with a turnover of GBP39,888,380. Among them, Picasso's splendid work "La Fenê Tre Ouverte" in 1929 was the top deal.

Highlight lots:

Picasso's major retrospective exhibition at Galeries Georges Petit in Paris in 1932 and later touring at the Kunsthalle Zurich witnessed the height of new inspiration and dynamism in his life and work. The painting was featured in two exhibitions, as well as in "Dada, Surrealism and Their Heritage" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1968.

Eugene Boudin, Gabrielle Minter, Angel Dero, Victor Man, Billy Childish, Joel Mesler, Edgar Prince, Genevieve Figgis, Emanuel Taku  set new personal auction records.

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