Post by Ocula

London’s summer auction season opened with a landmark result on 24 June as Sotheby’s Masterpieces from The Lewis Collection sale realised a total of £296.3 million, making it the most valuable single-owner collection ever sold in Europe. This historic total surpassed the record set by the Yves Saint Laurent–Pierre Bergé Collection, which realised €373.9 million in Paris in 2009. Nine works sold for more than £10 million, led by Amedeo Modigliani’s 'Nu assis au collier' (1917) at £48.2 million, against an estimate in excess of £45 million. One of the artist’s celebrated late nudes, the painting belongs to the series that sparked controversy in Paris in 1917 when police shut down Modigliani’s only solo exhibition. It had not appeared at auction for more than three decades and had remained unexhibited in Europe since 1981, making it one of the most closely watched lots of the season. Read this news story in full on Ocula: https://lnkd.in/eH8C3ZkM