Christie's Opened the Auction Season Spectacularly With Double-Digit Growth in Sales

The most closely watched auction was the sale of René Magritte's painting "The Intimate Friend" from the Gilbert and Lena Kaplan Collection. The painting came to auction after more than 40 years and was the main draw of Christie’s sale that coincided with the centenary of Breton's Surrealist Manifesto. "The Intimate Friend" eventually sold for "only" 33.6 million pounds, a sum at the lower end of pre-auction estimates (the most optimistic estimate was as high as 50 million pounds). Nevertheless, it's the second highest sum ever achieved by a Magritte work.

The 20th/21st Century auction presented an inspiring dialog between European classics and contemporary artists. Francis Bacon's "Landscape Near Malabara, Tangier" topped the pre-auction estimates when it sold for 19.63 million pounds. With its interesting provenance (it was once owned by the writer Roald Dahl), the painting is one of Bacon's most sought-after works. It has been featured in 32 exhibits in 27 cities to date.

David Hockney's "California" appeared at auction for the very first time. The sun-drenched painting is part of the artist's seminal "Swimming Pool" series created in the 1960s. It sold for 18.710 million pounds, an eight-figure sum surpassed by Monet's "Morning on the Seine, Good Weather," which went for 14,397,500 pounds. The painting belongs to the artist's "Morning on the Seine" series, which captured the same view of the river at Giverny in 21 paintings.

According to the auction house's assessment, total sales from the two auctions in March increased by 17 compared to the previous year.