Faith Ringgold, Dinner at Gertrude Stein’s: The French Collection Part II, #10, 1991. Acrylic on canvas and ink on stitched. Photo: Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on May 15, 2024, showcased robust sales with a total turnover of $235.1 million, falling comfortably within the presale estimate range of $180.2 million to $250.7 million. The auction boasted a 96% sell-through rate, with only two out of fifty lots remaining unsold. Financial guarantees backed thirty-two of the forty-eight sold lots.
Leading the sale was Claude Monet’s Meules à Giverny, 1893, which fetched $34.8 million after fervent bidding. Monet’s Antibes vue de la Salis, 1888, also fared well, achieving its $12 million low estimate ($14.1 million with fees). A standout moment was Leonora Carrington’s Les Distractions de Dagobert, 1945, which established a new record for the artist at $28.5 million, significantly surpassing its $12 million low estimate and eclipsing her previous auction high of $3.26 million.
