![\"Wide](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/RBS05730.jpg\")
The October evening sales brought the London auction houses their highest totals in years. Courtesy of Sotheby’s<\/p>\n\t\tThe October evening sales brought the London auction houses their highest totals in years. Courtesy of Sotheby’s<\/p>\n
Sales aren\u2019t just buoyant at Frieze this week<\/a>\u2014London\u2019s auction houses also saw their strongest results in years, signaling renewed confidence at the top of the market. Kicking off the action, Christie\u2019s 20th\/21st Century London Evening Sale<\/a> on October 15 achieved a robust \u00a3106,925,400 ($142,852,000), marking the auction house\u2019s best Frieze Week evening sale in more than seven years. The total was up 30 percent from last year, with 92 percent sold by lot and 90 percent sold by value. Katharine Arnold<\/a> and Keith Gill<\/a>, vice-chairmen of 20th\/21st century art, Christie\u2019s Europe, reported entering the week with confidence and \u201ccarefully priced material,\u201d noting a \u201cspirited and well-attended\u201d public viewing at King Street. \u201cWe are proud to have realized such a solid outcome during Frieze Week, a moment that highlights the energy and cultural vitality of London\u2019s art scene,\u201d they told press.<\/p>\n Leading the sale was Peter Doig<\/a>\u2019s monumental Ski Jacket (1994), which sold for \u00a314,270,000 ($19,064,720) against a \u00a36,000,000-8,000,000 estimate after more than 13 minutes of fierce bidding between six contenders. Carrying a third-party guarantee, the painting had been acquired in 1994 by Danish collector Ole Faarup<\/a>, and 100 percent of the proceeds will now go to his foundation. This unusual arrangement also helped Christie\u2019s secure two additional Doigs, despite the artist having become a rare presence at auction.<\/p>\n With an extensive exhibition history, Doig\u2019s Country Rock (1998-1999) nearly hit seven figures in sterling\u2014though it comfortably did so in dollars\u2014achieving \u00a39,210,000 ($12,304,560). A third, more abstract and heavily textured work, also acquired by Faarup in 1994, sold a few lots later just shy of its high estimate at \u00a3635,000. The strong results coincided with the opening of Doig\u2019s new show at the Serpentine in London, further fueling demand.<\/p>\n Christie\u2019s evening opened with a standout result for Domenico Gnoli<\/a>, whose hyperrealistic painting fetched \u00a3977,000, doubling its low estimate. Immediately after, a more impressionistic landscape by Ren\u00e9 Magritte landed at \u00a3762,990\u2014well above expectations\u2014reinforcing both continued momentum for the artist and the broader strength of surrealism. Later in the sale, Magritte\u2019s drawing La veill\u00e9e (The Vigil) exceeded its \u00a3500,000 high estimate, selling for \u00a3812,800.<\/p>\n Picasso, as usual, delivered dependable results, with several works selling above or within estimate, including the \u00a32,002,000 oil and ink on panel Chevalier, pages et moine. The modern and impressionist offerings also performed within expectations, largely due to the quality of the material: a Marc Chagall<\/a> painting fetched \u00a32,246,000, while a lyrical bucolic scene by Nabis painter Maurice Denis<\/a> sold for \u00a31,697,000. Meanwhile, a horizontal abstract work by Hurvin Anderson<\/a> exceeded expectations, fetching \u00a33,222,000.<\/p>\n The sale also set several new world auction records, underscoring the ongoing momentum for women artists and long-overlooked names being rediscovered. Paula Rego<\/a>\u2019s Dancing Ostriches from Walt Disney\u2019s \u201cFantasia\u201d (1995) soared to \u00a33,466,000 ($4.63 million), setting a new landmark record for the artist. Suzanne Valadon<\/a>\u2019s Deux nus ou Le bain (1923) followed with a \u00a31,016,000 ($1.36 million) record. Contemporary sculptor Annie Morris<\/a>\u2019s Bronze Stack 9, Copper Blue (2015) achieved \u00a3482,600 ($644,754), while Danish artist Esben Weile Kj\u00e6r set his first auction record with Aske and Johan upside down kissing in Power Play at Kunstforeningen GL STRAND (2020), which sold for \u00a325,400 ($33,934).<\/p>\n Among the few unsold works of the night were Yoshitomo Nara\u2019s drawing Haze Days, which failed to find a buyer at its ambitious \u00a36.5-8.5 million estimate, and a gray monochrome by Gerhard Richter\u2014even with the artist opening a major survey at the Fondation Louis Vuitton during Paris Art Week. A black Blinky Palermo also went unsold, while a colorful but slightly less iconic Nicholas Party work, Tree Trunks, was withdrawn ahead of the sale.<\/p>\n Notably, Christie\u2019s reported that 56 percent of buyers in the evening sale came from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with only 28 percent from the Americas and 16 percent from the Asia-Pacific region. This confirms revived demand in the regional market, as also evidenced earlier in the day by the heavy attendance at Frieze.<\/p>\n A \u00a317.6M Bacon headlined at Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n Led by a \u00a317.6 million Francis Bacon<\/a>, Sotheby\u2019s Contemporary Evening Auction<\/a> closed at $63.5 million. While the total was less than half of Christie\u2019s the night before, the comparison needs context: this was Sotheby\u2019s third major London evening sale since March\u2014whereas it was Christie\u2019s first of the season. Sotheby\u2019s has already staged two major white-glove sales this year\u2014the \u00a3101 million Karpidas collection auction in September and the \u00a384 million Summer Evening Sale\u2014meaning that with last night\u2019s results, the house has now sold \u00a3233 million worth of modern and contemporary art in London since March. Moreover, the \u00a363.5 million total marked the highest October evening sale result since 2023, up 25 percent from the previous year.<\/p>\n \u201cFrieze is always a special time for London, with so many collectors in town whose presence we always feel in our sales,\u201d Ottilie Windsor<\/a>, co-head of contemporary art, Sotheby\u2019s London, told Observer. \u201cIt was great to have them with us tonight and to see so much live action in the room, helping sustain the strong momentum we\u2019ve built over the past few seasons here.\u201d<\/p>\n The Francis Bacon result came after 20 minutes of suspense and fierce bidding across multiple phone specialists and a bidder in the room, pushing the final price to nearly double its \u00a36-9 million estimate. In U.S. dollars, the hammer plus fees rose to $17.6 million. For comparison, the last notable Bacon\u2014Portrait of Man with Glasses II\u2014sold at Christie\u2019s in March for \u00a36,635,000 ($8.4 million), and that work was almost a third smaller. Another, smaller Bacon, closer in scale to Christie\u2019s example, sold here for \u00a35,774,000 ($7.3 million). Bacon\u2019s record still stands at $142.4 million, set at Christie\u2019s New York in 2013 with his triptych Three Studies of Lucian Freud.<\/p>\n The sale opened strong, with solid results for several younger contemporary artists who have recently drawn both market and institutional attention. At lot one, a painting by Ser Serpas<\/a> landed at \u00a327,940 ($35,700)\u2014just under estimate but still enough to set a new auction record for the artist. The California-born painter, who studied in Switzerland and gained early recognition there, was recently included in a MoMA PS1 exhibition and held a solo show at Kunsthalle Basel during the June fairs.<\/p>\n Two of the hottest rising names in recent auctions\u2014driven largely by Asian demand and limited primary-market availability\u2014followed. An abstract by Emma McIntyre<\/a>, now a Zwirner favorite, sold for \u00a350,800 ($65,000), and Yu Nishimura<\/a> achieved the same price. Both works carried estimates of \u00a340,000-60,000, reflecting the tight competition at this level.<\/p>\n In between, a 2009 painting by Hernan Bas<\/a> acquired from Perrotin sold just above its low estimate, likely to its guarantor, at \u00a3254,000 ($323,000). Momentum continued for Lucy Bull<\/a>, whose kaleidoscopic abstraction from 2021\u2014originally acquired from Paris gallery High Art\u2014more than doubled its top estimate of \u00a3500,000 ($635,000), landing at \u00a31,260,000 ($1.6 million) after being chased by five bidders, most from Asia.<\/p>\n Overall, the auction confirmed the ongoing strength of the market for women artists, all of whom sold above estimate. Sotheby\u2019s also posted strong results for Paula Rego: her pastel on paper Snow White Playing with her Father\u2019s Trophies sold within estimate for \u00a3900,000 (about $1.15 million), while Jenny Saville<\/a>\u2019s charcoal study exceeded its high estimate, selling for \u00a3533,000 (around $675,000).<\/p>\n Among other notable six-figure results, a monumental El Anatsui<\/a> sold just shy of its high estimate at \u00a31,999,000 (about $2.53 million). Jean-Michel Basquiat<\/a>\u2019s Untitled (The Arm) from 1982\u2014a pivotal year in the artist\u2019s rise\u2014landed squarely within estimate at \u00a35,530,000 (approximately $7 million). Andy Warhol<\/a>\u2019s Four Pink Marilyn (Reversal) followed, selling within estimate for \u00a34,326,000 (about $5.5 million).<\/p>\n The masters also held firm. Both of Auguste Rodin<\/a>\u2019s monumental sculptures from his seminal series The Burghers of Calais sold within estimate to a collector in the room: Jean de Fiennes, v\u00eatu, Grand Mod\u00e8le achieved \u00a3762,000 ($1 million), while Pierre de Wiessant, vita, Grand Mod\u00e8le, v\u00eatu sold for \u00a3889,000 ($1.2 million).<\/p>\n The market for Lucio Fontana<\/a> also showed signs of recovery\u2014at least for major works. His rare blue 14-slashed Concetto spaziale, Attese sold just above estimate at \u00a32.8 million (about $3.7 million) following a fierce bidding war among four potential buyers. The deep blue of the canvas was inspired by Yves Klein<\/a>\u2019s IKB pigment\u2014but Klein\u2019s own Untitled Fire Colour Painting (FC 28), which appeared one lot earlier, surprisingly went unsold after failing to meet its \u00a31.8-2 million estimate ($2.3-2.5 million), despite both an irrevocable bid and a guarantee.<\/p>\n Other unsold works of the night included paintings by Frank Auerbach and Daniel Richter. Still, Sotheby\u2019s achieved a healthy 89 percent sell-through rate by lot.<\/p>\n On October 17, Sotheby\u2019s also staged a single-owner sale of 17 iPad drawings by David Hockney<\/a> from his celebrated series The Arrival of Spring. The results were remarkable: the group doubled its high estimate to reach \u00a36.2 million ($8.3 million), achieving a white-glove sale and setting a new auction record for the artist. With this result, Sotheby\u2019s London has now brought in \u00a3240 million (approximately $304 million) since March. Notably, American buyers accounted for 40 percent of the purchasers in the Hockney sale, underscoring the continued global demand for blue-chip British artists.<\/p>\n A \u00a32,374,000 Basquiat tops Phillips<\/a>\u2019 London Evening Sale<\/b><\/p>\n On October 16 at 5 p.m., Phillips hosted its London Modern & Contemporary Evening Sale<\/a>, achieving a total of \u00a310,332,200 ($13,884,410) across 22 lots. The auction was more modest\u2014and less successful\u2014than the others, posting a 32 percent drop compared to last year after four lots failed to sell and four others were withdrawn before the start. The evening was led by a new auction record for Emma McIntyre: Seven types of ambiguity (2021) sold for \u00a3167,700 ($225,355) from a modest \u00a350,000-70,000 estimate, edging past her previous record of $201,600 set in May 2025 at Phillips Hong Kong. The second-highest lot of the night was Jean-Michel Basquiat\u2019s Untitled (Pestus) (1982), which comfortably met its pre-sale estimate at \u00a32,374,000 ($3,190,181).<\/p>\n Once again, contemporary women artists confirmed their momentum at Phillips, reaching a high point after Emma McIntyre\u2019s record-setting result when Flora Yukhnovich\u2019s My Body knows Un-Heard of Songs (2017) fetched \u00a31,276,000 ($1,714,689) against a \u00a3900,000-1,500,000 estimate.<\/p>\n Opening the sale was a purple-and-pink abstraction by Martha Jungwirth<\/a>\u2014now a familiar presence across Thaddaeus Ropac\u2019s fair booths\u2014which exceeded expectations at \u00a3180,600. A few lots later, an early work by Sasha Gordon<\/a> sold just shy of its high estimate at \u00a3116,100. Demand for Gordon has been reignited by her blockbuster solo debut at Zwirner in New York, which made her the youngest artist represented by the mega-gallery. Painted in 2019 during her studies, Drive Through marks a transitional moment in her shift toward the more discursive, cartoon-inflected style that catapulted her into the global spotlight.<\/p>\n Later in the sale, Noah Davis<\/a>\u2019s Mitrice Richardson (2012) found a buyer within estimate at \u00a3451,500 ($606,726), while Derek Fordjour<\/a>\u2019s Regatta Pattern Study (2020) fetched \u00a3528,900 ($710,736), surpassing its high estimate of \u00a3500,000. Other notable results included Sean Scully<\/a>\u2019s Wall of Light Summer Night 5.10 (2010), which achieved \u00a3967,500 ($1,300,127) against a \u00a3600,000-800,000 estimate, and Robert Rauschenberg<\/a>\u2019s Gospel Yodel (Salvage Series), which sold for \u00a3709,500 ($953,426), more than doubling its \u00a3350,000-550,000 estimate. A 2012 sculpture by Bernar Venet<\/a> fetched \u00a3516,000 ($693,401) from a \u00a3250,000-350,000 estimate, reflecting the artist\u2019s rising demand\u2014particularly in Asia.<\/p>\n Not everything landed. A Warhol-inspired Banksy<\/a> portrait of Kate Moss, estimated at \u00a3700,000-1,000,000, failed to find a buyer, while a cacophonic abstract work by Sigmar Polke<\/a> from 1983-84 also went unsold, likely due to its overly ambitious \u00a3600,000-800,000 estimate relative to current market demand for the artist.<\/p>\n![\"Auctioneer](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adrien_Meyer_Global_Head_Private_Sales_and_Co-Chairman_Impressionist_and_Modern_Art_selling_Peter_Do.jpeg\")
The 20th\/21st Century: London Evening Sale at Christie\u2019s resulted in several new artist records. Photo: Guy Bell | Courtesy of Christie’s<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/RBS05407.jpg\")
Since March, Sotheby\u2019s has sold \u00a3240 million worth of Modern and Contemporary art in London. Courtesy Sotheby’s<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Auctioneer-Henry-Highley.jpg\")
An energetic moment from Phillips\u2019s London Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale. Courtesy Phillips<\/p>\n