Spring auctions heat up - art auctions

Spring auctions at Christie's an Sotheby's in of recent origin York resulted in the highest totals taken in at contemporary, Impressionist and fresh art sales since fall 1990 Sotheby's sale total was $1437 million, compared with $944 million taken in a year ago. Christie's totaled $1264 million, well above last year's $837 million. Contemporary sales were rather humdrum; the fireworks came at Impressionist and late auctions the following week. Prices include the auction house commission, which is 15% upon the first $50,000 of the sale price and 10% upon the rest.

Three high-quality groupings of work helped boost the overall totals. the one and the other the Donald and Jean Stralem collection at Sotheby's upon May 8 and the Ralph and Georgia Colin collection at Christie's upon May 10 brought fresh modernist works to the auction stop up And IBM offered 162 works from its corporate collection at Sotheby's during the month selling 145 works for a total of $312 million [see "Artworld," tribe '94].

* Contemporary: Both Christie's and Sotheby's played it safe, offering fewer fates and sticking to well-known names. Things got not upon to a quiet start at Sotheby's upon May 2, when 36 of the 46 allotments offered sold for $13 million, below the presale estimate of $157 million-$22 million. Top fate was David Smith's stainless carburet of iron sculpture Three Circles and Planes 1959) which sold just at the depressed estimate of $2 million. Roy Lichtenstein's supply with nourishment (1964) went for $1.7 million (est $2 million-$3 million). Agnes Martin's A Grey Stone (1963) soared way past its high estimate, bringing $431500 (est $150000-$200000) The DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass., sold Franz Kline's Figure (1956) for $105 million (est $800000-$1000000); advances will go towards purchases of of recent origin England contemporary art.

New auction records were plant for three artists: John Chamberlain, whose large 1969 crushed carbonized iron work Coconino sold for $365500 (est $250000-$350000); Jack Tworkov, whose vibrant oil from the IBM collection, House of the day-star (1953), brought $88,300 (est. $35000-$45000); and Gerhard Richter, whose painting of an exterior corner of the eau-de-cologne cathedral, Domecke (1987), went for $662500 (est $300000-$400000) Several important works failed to exchange including Robert Motherwell's Je T'aime No. IIA (1955) which was passed after bidding stopped at $560000 (est 650000-$850000) and de Kooning's large Untitled (1961) bought in after a high bid of $195 million (est $2 million-$3 million).

The following evening at Christie's, 34 of the 41 destinys offered sold, for a total of $113 million, below the pre-sale estimate of $13 million-$17 million. Top allotment of the evening was Lichtenstein's Kiss II (1962) knocked down at its depressed estimate of $2.5 million. The vender was Tokyo collector Masao Wanibuchi, who bought the painting five years ago for $605 million, a figure which still stands as the artist's auction record. Exceeding its estimate was Noguchi's large marble orb of day (1963), which went for $552500 (est $350000-$450000); it was from the bequest of Nina and Gordon Bunshaft to the Museum of present Art, and was sold to benefit the museum's acquisition program.

A late Warhol from the "Reversal" series, Nine Multicolored Marilyns (1979-86) also sold high at $585500 (est $250000-$300000) after a drawn out bidding duel. A bright pink and gold-colored painting by Howard Hodgkin titled Mr & Mr James Kirkman (1980-1984) sold for $332500 (est $250000-$300000) and a fresh auction record was set for Joel Shapiro, whose untitled tin stick figure (1986-1987) went for $288500 (est $200000-$250000) Several star dooms hit the skids, including Pollock's 1947 organ of visions in the Heat II, which was passed after a high bid of $800000 (est $12 million-$1.8 million), and Clyfford Still's Untitled (1946-7) which went unsold after bidding stopped at $480000 (est $750000-$950000)

Daytime contemporary art sales at the one and the other auction houses also had mixed comes Among the standouts at Sotheby's were to leeward Krasner's luminous Through Blue (1963) from the IBM collection, which sold for $173000 (est $10000-$150000); Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Still #48 (1979) which went for $40250 (est $20000-$25000); and Julius Bissier's intimist Rondine (1962) which realized $19550 (est $12000-$15000) Notable destinys at Christie's daytime sale included a large Frankenthaler, This Morning's Weather (1982) knocked down for $103700 (est $60000-$80000) Rosemarie Trockel's Untitled (1987) wool muslin work, which went for $19550 (est $12000-$18000) and David Hockney's photo-collage, Billy Wilder Lighting His Cigar (1982) which brought $10580 (est $5000-$6000)

* Impressionist and modern: The art-market recession appears to be above at least in Impressionist and late art. At Sotheby's on Tuesday evening May 8 the Stralem collection garnered $652 million, the highest total for a single auction since 1990 and far above the presale estimate of $377 million-$50.7 million. All on the contrary two of the 46 allotments sold. Top lot was Picasso's azure Period portrait Angel Fernandez de Soto (1903) bought for $291 million (est $10 million-$15 million) through tunesmith Andrew Lloyd Webber. A novel Matisse auction record was established when his 1923 odalisque painting The Hindu artificial position sold for $14.8 million (est $8 million-$10 million). Another important work in the sale, Vuillard's The Musical Evening (1896-99) which had been upon loan to the Metropolitan Museum, sold for $16 million (est $600000-$800000)