عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Sotheby's: Record Sale for Picabia at Paris Auction

A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
TT
20
TT

Sotheby's: Record Sale for Picabia at Paris Auction

A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A painting by Francis Picabia sold on Wednesday for 10 million euros ($11 million), Sotheby's said, in a record for a work by the late French surrealist painter.

"Pavonia", painted in 1929, was among several works by surrealists that the auction house sold for a total of 33 million euros ($36 million) in the French capital, it said in a statement.

"We're particularly proud of having set a new world record for Picabia," said auction director Thomas Bompard.

Another work by the artist had previously sold for 8 million euros ($8.8 million), AFP said.

"Pavonia" depicts overlapping images inspired by motifs in the ancient city of Pompeii.

It was first commissioned by art dealer Leonce Rosenberg to decorate his wife's bedroom in their Parisian apartment.

Among the other paintings on sale, Belgian artist Rene Magritte's "Le paysage fantome" went for 2.1 million euros ($2.3 million) and his "Le Palais de la Courtisane" for 2 million euros ($2.2 million).

They fetched far less than his "L'Empire des lumieres", which was sold for £59.4 million ($79.4 million, 71.4 million euros) at the start of the month, shattering the record for one of his works.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

Letter Written Onboard the Titanic before It Sank Sells for Almost $400,000 at Auction

This undated handout picture provided by the auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, England, shows a lettercard, penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship days before it sank, which has sold for 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at auction. (Henry Aldridge & Son via AP)
This undated handout picture provided by the auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, England, shows a lettercard, penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship days before it sank, which has sold for 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at auction. (Henry Aldridge & Son via AP)
TT
20
TT

Letter Written Onboard the Titanic before It Sank Sells for Almost $400,000 at Auction

This undated handout picture provided by the auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, England, shows a lettercard, penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship days before it sank, which has sold for 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at auction. (Henry Aldridge & Son via AP)
This undated handout picture provided by the auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, England, shows a lettercard, penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship days before it sank, which has sold for 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at auction. (Henry Aldridge & Son via AP)

A lettercard penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship, days before it sank, has sold for 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at auction.

In the note, written to the seller's great-uncle on April 10, 1912, first-class passenger Archibald Gracie wrote of the ill-fated steamship: “It is a fine ship but I shall await my journeys end before I pass judgment on her.”

The letter was sold to a private collector from the United States on Saturday, according to auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England. The hammer price far exceeded the initial estimate price of 60,000 pounds.

The letter is believed to be the sole example in existence from Gracie from onboard the Titanic, which sank off Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg, killing about 1,500 people on its maiden voyage.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it as an “exceptional museum grade piece.”

Gracie, who jumped from the ship and managed to scramble onto an overturned collapsible boat, was rescued by other passengers onboard a lifeboat and was taken to the R.M.S. Carpathia. He went on to write “The Truth about the Titanic,” an account of his experiences, when he returned to New York City.

Gracie boarded the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912, and was assigned first-class cabin C51. His book is seen as one of the most detailed accounts of the events of the night the ship sank, Aldridge said.

Gracie did not fully recover from the hypothermia he suffered, and died of complications from diabetes in late 1912.