Auctions may look quite a bit different in 2021 than they did in 2019—think telethon-style phone banks and livestreaming video cameras—but on the spending side, the market has thoroughly bounced back from the pandemic lull. A whopping $2.9 billion worth of fine art sold around the world in May, only 1.8 percent less than the total in May 2019.
Christie’s edged out Sotheby’s to rake in $691.6 million for its sales of 21st- and 20th-century art in New York, about 15 percent more than the latter’s $597 million take. And despite a news cycle dominated by NFTs and young artist records (guilty as charged!), the top lots of the past month prove that the old guard still reigns supreme when it comes to cold, hard cash. Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh all made the list of our 15 top lots at auction in May; another familiar name, Jean-Michel Basquiat, appears on this list three times, more than any other artist, after a slew of his paintings hit the block.
So, without further ado, here are the top lots that sold last month, courtesy of Artnet’s Price Database. Remember that as always, final prices include fees, estimates do not.
1. Pablo Picasso, Femme assise près d’une fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse) (1932)
Pablo Picasso, Femme assise près d’une fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse) (1932). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: $103.41 million
Estimate: Undisclosed (in the region of $55 million)
Where & When: Christie’s New York, May 13, 2021
2. Jean-Michel Basquiat, In This Case (1983)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, In This Case (1983). Image courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd.
Final Price: $93.1 million
Estimate: Undisclosed (in the range of $50 million)
Where & When: Christie’s New York, May 11, 2021
3. Claude Monet, Le Bassin aux nymphéas (1917–19)
Claude Monet, Le Bassin aux nymphéas (1917–19). Image courtesy Sotheby’s.
Final Price: $70.35 million
Estimate: Undisclosed (in the region of $40 million)
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, May 12, 2021
4. Cui Ruzhuo, drizzle, and orchid, don’t be spring, boundless, tower, misty rain, misty autumn, forest, distant mountains, dawn and snow (2020)
Cui Ruzhuo, drizzle, and orchid, don’t be spring, boundless, tower, misty rain, misty autumn, forest, distant mountains, dawn and snow (2020). Courtesy of Yongle Auction Co., Ltd.
Final Price: 345,000,000 CNY ($53.6 million)
Estimate: Undisclosed
Where & When: May 20, 2021 at Yongle Auction Co., Ltd. in Beijing
5. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Versus Medici (1982)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Versus Medici (1982). Image courtesy Sotheby’s.
Final Price: $50.82 million
Estimate: $35 million to $50 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, May 12, 2021
6. Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, effet de brouillard (1899–1903)
Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge effet de brouillard (1899–1903). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: $48.5 million
Estimate: Undisclosed (above $40 million)
Where & When: Christie’s New York, May 13, 2021
7. Cy Twombly, Untitled (Rome) (1972)
Cy Twombly, Rome (1972). Image courtesy Sotheby’s.
Final Price: $41.63 million
Estimate: $35 million to $45 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, May 12, 2021
8. Mark Rothko, Untitled (1970)
Mark Rothko, Untitled (1970). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: $31.15 million
Estimate: Undisclosed (in the region of $40 million)
Where & When: Christie’s New York, May 13, 2021
9. Vincent van Gogh, Le pont de Trinquetaille (ca. 1888)
Vincent Van Gogh, Le pont de Trinquetaille (ca. 1888). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: $37.4 million
Estimate: $25 million to $35 million
Where & When: Christie’s New York, May 13, 2021
10. Andy Warhol, Elvis 2 Times (1963)
Andy Warhol, Elvis 2 Times (1963). Image courtesy Sotheby’s
Final Price: $37 million
Estimate: $20 million to $30 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, May 12, 2021
11. Clyfford Still, PH-125 (1948-No. 1) (1948)
Clyfford Still, PH-125 (1948-No. 1) (1948). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Final Price: $30.7 million
Estimate: $25 million to $35 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, May 12, 2021
12. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (One Eyed Man or Xerox Face) (1982)
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (One Eyed Man or Xerox Face) (1982). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: HKD234.29 million ($30.2 million)
Estimate: HKD140 million to HKD170 million ($18 million to $22 million)
Where & When: Christie’s Hong Kong, May 24, 2021
13. Richard Diebenkorn, Ocean Park #40 (1971)
Richard Diebenkorn, Ocean Park No. 40, (1971). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Final Price: $27.27 million
Estimate: $20 million to $30 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, May 12, 2021
14. Zhang Daqian, Temple at the Mountain Peak (1967)
Zhang Daqian, Temple at the Mountain Peak (1967). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: HKD209.1 million ($26.93 million)
Estimate: Undisclosed
Where & When: Christie’s Hong Kong, May 24, 2021
15. Piet Mondrian, Composition: No. II, With Yellow, Red and Blue (1927)
Piet Mondrian, Composition: No. II, With Yellow, Red and Blue (1927). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.
Final Price: $26.12 million
Estimate: Undisclosed (in the region of $25 million)
Where & When: Christie’s New York, May 13, 2021