BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - February 5, 2010) - www.skinnerinc.com -- Skinner, Inc., one of the world's leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, today announced strong results in its American & European Paintings & Prints auction, held on January 29th in its Boston gallery. The sale grossed over $2.5 million with a strong bidding audience in the room and high bid activity from the phones and internet.
The top-lot of the sale was an Arnaldo Pomodoro artist proof of Rotante primo sezionale n. 1 [Rotating First Section No. 1], 1966, estimated at the high end at $150,000, but bringing $468,000, a very strong price for the only artist proof of this title offered thus far. Rounding out the top three were a newly rediscovered Georgia O'Keeffe, Alligator Pear in White Dish, which sold for $225,150, well above its estimate high of $150,000; and Jesus Rafael Soto's Struttura, estimated between $30,000 and $40,000, selling for $100,725.
Record-setting bids included Saul Steinberg's Art Lovers, which sold for $22,515, several times the estimate high of $5,000 and the highest price reported for a work on paper from 1963; Daniel Chester French's Portrait Bust of a Woman, estimated between $500 and $700, sold for $16,590, the highest price paid for this work; and Cecilia Beaux's Portrait of Joseph B. Thomas III, estimated at $2,000 to $2,500, brought $8,295, the highest price reported for a work on paper by Beaux.
According to Robin Starr, Director of American & European Paintings & Prints at Skinner, "We've spent the past year redefining the mission of Skinner's paintings department. This sale, in particular, featured works of greater quality, and we presented them more effectively in our redesigned catalogue format. Clearly these changes are beginning to bear fruit." Continued Starr, "We're very pleased with the strength of Skinner's first sale of 2010. We're finding renewed interest in contemporary works and that's good news for the art market overall."
Skinner's next auction of American & European Paintings & Prints will be held Friday, May 21st in Boston.
About Skinner
Skinner, Inc. is one of the world's leading auction houses for antiques and fine art and the only major auction house headquartered in New England. With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest of buyers globally and its auctions regularly achieve world record prices. Skinner provides a broad range of auction and appraisal services, and it is widely regarded as one of the most trusted names in the auction business. Skinner's appraisal experts regularly appear on the PBS-TV series, Antiques Roadshow, and its specialty departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, American & European Paintings & Prints, European Furniture & Decorative Arts, 20th Century Design, Fine Ceramics, Fine Jewelry, Textiles & Couture, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Works of Art, Fine Wines, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Science & Technology & Clocks, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, Fine Judaica, Antique Motor Vehicles, Toys & Dolls, and Discovery. Skinner galleries are located in Boston and Marlborough, Mass.
Source: marketwire
