List of most expensive sculptures

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This is a list of the highest known prices paid for sculptures .

Contents

Most valuable sculpture

Alberto Giacometti's L'Homme au doigt was auctioned for $141.3m at Christie's in May 2015, the highest price for any sculpture at auction.

Giacometti's L'Homme qui marche I had previously achieved the highest price of any sculpture when it was auctioned by Sotheby's in February 2010. Selling for US$104.3 million, it ranks amongst the most valuable works of art. [1]

In 2005, Constantin Brâncuși's Bird in Space broke records when it sold for $27.5 million. The previous world record was another work by Brâncuși called Danaide, which was sold for $18.1 million in May 2002. [2] The 2005 record stood for two years until a highly regarded work of antiquity surpassed the price. Artemis and the Stag , found in the 1920s at a Roman construction site, fetched $28.6 million in June 2007. [3] The record would only stand for a few months, with a work by Pablo Picasso, Tete de femme (Dora Maar) , surpassing it by half a million US dollars in November 2007. [4]

In December 2007, the sale of the Guennol Lioness, a statue from around 3000 BC, nearly doubled the previous record price when it sold for $57.2 million. It is the fifth-most valuable sculpture to date (2018) and the most valuable piece from antiquity. [5]

Damien Hirst has claimed that his sculpture For the Love of God , which consists of a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, was sold for £50 million (around US$75 million) in August 2007. The truth of this private sale, which was to an unknown consortium, has been called into question. If the sale did take place, For the Love of God would become the second-most expensive sculpture ever sold and would have fetched the highest price for a sculpture by a living artist. [6]

2010 was a good year for record-breaking sculpture prices but it did not continue into 2011. Jeff Koons' porcelain Pink Panther was estimated to fetch a value of up to $30 million, but only achieved just over half that. [7]

Louise Bourgeois holds the record ($32.1 million in 2019) for Spider , the highest price paid for an attributable sculpture by a woman (since the sculptor of Guennol Lioness is unknown). [8]

Auction details

All the most expensive sculptures have been sold by one of two auction houses: Sotheby's and Christie's. Sotheby's has hosted the auctions of the two works that reached the highest price, one in London and the other in New York. Only three of the top ten have auctioned outside of New York; one in London and two in Paris.

The top ten highest value sculptures were made by seven different people, two of whom are unknown and will never be identified. An Alberto Giacometti sculpture is the most valuable modern work, and he has three more entries in the top ten. Four Constantin Brâncuși sculptures are featured on the list, [9] and Jeff Koons' work appears three times. Although Pablo Picasso only appears once he appears numerous times in the list of most expensive paintings.

Several buyers have chosen to remain anonymous, while others publicly celebrate their purchases.

Most expensive sculpture by a female artist

Louise Bourgeois' 1996 Spider is the most expensive sculpture by a woman artist, and last sold for $32.1 million in 2019.

List of highest prices paid

The highest prices paid for sculptures as of August 2020: [9] [10]

Adjusted price (in millions US)Original price (in millions US)SculptureImageArtistYearDate of saleSellerBuyerAuction houseRefs
$181.6$141.3 L'Homme au doigt Alberto Giacometti 194711 May 2015 Sheldon Solow Private collection Christie's, New York [11]
$145.7$104.3 L'Homme qui marche I Alberto Giacometti 19613 February 2010 Commerzbank Lily Safra Sotheby's, London [1]
$130$101.0Chariot Alberto Giacometti 19504 November 2014 Steven A. Cohen Sotheby's, New York [12]
$108.6$91.1 Rabbit [note 1] Jeff Koons 198615 May 2019Estate of S. I. Newhouse Steven A. Cohen (via Robert Mnuchin) Christie's, New York [13]
$86.1$71La jeune fille sophistiquée (Portrait de Nancy Cunard) Constantin Brâncuși 1928-193215 May 2018Elizabeth StaffordPrivate

collection

 Christie's, New York [14]
$91$70.7Tête Amedeo Modigliani 1911-19124 November 2014 Sotheby's, New York [15]
$83.1$59.5 Tête Amedeo Modigliani 1910–191214 June 2010Gaston LevyPrivate collection Christie's, Paris [16] [17]
$76.4$58.4Balloon Dog (Orange) Jeff Koons 1994–200012 November 2013Private collectionPrivate collection Christie's, New York [18]
$71.2$57.3La muse endormie Constantin Brâncuși 191315 May 2017Jacques UlmannPrivate

collection

 Christie's, New York [19]
$84.1$57.2 Guennol Lioness Guennol Lioness.jpg Unknown5 December 2007Alastair Bradley MartinPrivate collection Sotheby's, New York [5]
$74.5$53.3 Grande tête mince Alberto Giacometti 19554 May 2010Sidney F. BrodyPrivate collection Christie's, New York [20]
$65.4$50.0 Grand tête mince (Grand tête de Diego) Alberto Giacometti 19556 November 2013Private collection Bill Acquavella Sotheby's, New York [21] [22]
$68.2$48.8Nu de dos, 4 état (Back IV) Henri Matisse 19583 November 2010Private collectionPrivate collection Christie's, New York [23]
$53.4$37.6Madame LR (Portrait de Mme LR) Constantin Brâncuși 1914–1724 February 2009 Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé Private collection Christie's, Paris [24]
$43.5$33.8Jim Beam J.b. Turner Train Jeff Koons 198631 May 2014 Christie's, New York [25]
$44.7$33.7Tulips Jeff Koons 1995-200414 November 2012 Christie's, New York
$38.3$32.1 Spider MAM - Aranha - Louise Bourgeois - Parque do Ibirapuera - panoramio.jpg Louise Bourgeois 199615 May 2019

Christie's, New York

 [26]
$39.8$31Winged GeniusUnknownc. 883 - 859 B.C.31 October 2018 Virginia Theological Seminary Private collection Christie's, New York [27]
$39.9$30.1 Reclining Figure: Festival Henry Moore, Reclining Figure (6874668218).jpg Henry Moore 195130 June 2016Private collectionPrivate collection Christie's, London [4]
$48.3$29.1 Tete de femme (Dora Maar) Pablo Picasso 19417 November 2007Private collectionFranck Giraud Sotheby's, New York [4]
$42$28.6 Artemis and the Stag Artemis Met Museum.jpg Unknown7 June 2007 Albright-Knox Art Gallery Private collection Sotheby's, New York [3]
$36.3$28.2Popeye Jeff Koons 2009 - 201114 May 2014 Sotheby's, New York [28]
$42.9$27.5 Bird in Space Constantin Brâncuși 1922–19235 May 2005Private collectionPrivate collection Christie's, New York [2]
$38.9$27.5Grande Femme Debout II Alberto Giacometti 19616 May 2008 Christie's, New York [29]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Most expensive sculpture by a living artist

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Giacometti</span> Swiss sculptor and painter (1901–1966)

Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and work on his art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie's</span> British auction house

Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Amsterdam, Geneva, Shanghai, and Dubai. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, the holding company of François Pinault. In 2022 Christie's sold US$8.4 billion in art and luxury goods, an all-time high for any auction house. On 15 November 2017, the Salvator Mundi was sold at Christie's in New York for $450 million to Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, the highest price ever paid for a painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sotheby's</span> International auction house

Sotheby's is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and maintains a significant presence in the UK.

<i>Guennol Lioness</i> 5000-year-old Proto-Elamite statue

The Guennol Lioness is a 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian statue allegedly found near Baghdad, Iraq. Depicting a muscular anthropomorphic leonine-human, it sold for $57.2 million at Sotheby's auction house on December 5, 2007. The sculpture had been acquired by a private collector, Alastair Bradley Martin, in 1948 from the collection of Joseph Brummer, and had been on display at Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York City from that time to its sale in 2007. It is called "Guennol" after the Welsh name for "Martin", the name of the collector. In 1950 Edith Porada described it as a lioness "because of the feminine curves of her lower body and the absence of male organs" while conceding the possibility "that the figure represented a sexless creature".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Koons</span> American sculptor and painter (born 1955)

Jeffrey Lynn Koons is an American artist recognized for his work dealing with popular culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, including balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror-finish surfaces. He lives and works in both New York City and his hometown of York, Pennsylvania. His works have sold for substantial sums, including at least two record auction prices for a work by a living artist: US$58.4 million for Balloon Dog (Orange) in 2013 and US$91.1 million for Rabbit in 2019.

Jose Mugrabi is an Israeli businessman and art collector of Syrian descent. with a family net worth estimated at $5 billion. He is the leading collector of Andy Warhol, with 800 artworks.

L’Homme qui marche I is the name of any one of the cast bronze sculptures that comprise six numbered editions plus four artist proofs created by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti in 1961. On 3 February 2010, the second edition of the cast of the sculpture became one of the most expensive works of art ever sold at auction, for $104.3 million. Its price meant it was considered the most expensive sculpture, until May 2015, when another Giacometti work, L'Homme au doigt, surpassed it.

<i>Nude Sitting on a Divan</i> Painting by Amedeo Modigliani

Nude Sitting on a Divan (The Beautiful Roman Woman) is an oil on canvas painting by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani depicting a partially draped woman seated with crossed legs against a warm red background. The work was one of a series of nudes painted by Modigliani in 1917 that created a sensation when exhibited in Paris that year. On November 2, 2010, the painting sold at a New York auction for $68.9 million, a record price for an artwork by Modigliani.

Tête is a limestone sculpture by Amedeo Modigliani and is amongst the most expensive works of art ever sold. In 2010 an anonymous telephone bidder purchased Tête for €43.2 million at Christie's in Paris. The sale was a record at a French auction and placed the sculpture amongst the most expensive ever sold. An anonymous telephone bidder won the auction. Since 1927 the piece had been in the collection of Gaston Lévy, an artist and acquaintance of Modigliani.

<i>Artemis and the Stag</i> Bronze sculpture

Artemis and the Stag is an early Roman Imperial or Hellenistic bronze sculpture of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis. In June 2007 the Albright-Knox Art Gallery placed the statue into auction; it fetched $28.6 million, the highest sale price of any sculpture at the time.

<i>Grande tête mince</i>

Grande tête mince is a bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti. The work was conceived in 1954 and cast the following year. Auctioned in 2010, Grande tête mince became one of the most valuable sculptures ever sold when it fetched $53.3 million.

<i>Tête de femme (Dora Maar)</i> Sculpture by Pablo Picasso

Tête de femme is a plaster-modelled, bronze-cast sculpture by Pablo Picasso. Dora Maar, Picasso's lover at the time, was the subject of the work which was originally conceived in 1941. Four copies of the bust were cast in the 1950s, several years after the relationship ended.

<i>Banality</i> (sculpture series) Sculpture series by Jeff Koons

Banality is a series of sculptures by American artist Jeff Koons. The works were unveiled in 1988 and have become controversial for their use of copyrighted images. Several editions of the sculptures have sold at auction for millions of dollars.

<i>LHomme au doigt</i> Sculpture by Alberto Giacometti

L'Homme au doigt is a 1947 bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, that became the most expensive sculpture ever when it sold for US$141.3 million on May 11, 2015.

Rabbit is a 1986 series of three identical stainless steel sculptures by Jeff Koons. One of the editions of Rabbit is the most expensive work sold by a living artist at auction, being sold for $91.1 million in May 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 Giacometti Sculpture 'L'Homme qui marche I' Fetches $104.3 Million, World Record: Sotheby's (PHOTO). The Huffington Post . 5 April 2010. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  2. 1 2 Sculpture breaks auction record. BBC News. 5 May 2005. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 West, Nina P. Artemis At The Top. Artfact.com, Forbes. 19 June 2007. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Crow, Kelly. Sotheby's "Aggressive" Sale Falls Flat. The Wall Street Journal . 8 November 2007. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  5. 1 2 Lion sculpture gets record price. BBC News. 6 December 2007. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Connet, David. The mystery of the £50m skull: Is Hirst's record sale all it seems?. The Independent . 2 September 2007. Accessed 21 October 2011.
  7. ↑ 2011 Auction Round-Up: Who's on Top and Who Flopped (PHOTOS, VIDEO). The Huffington Post . 13 August 2011. Accessed 5 November 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Most Expensive Female Artists 2016 - artnet News". artnet News. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  9. 1 2 Fernández, G. Most Expensive Sculptures Ever Sold. theartwolf.com. November 2010. Accessed 19 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Most Expensive Sculpture In The World Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine . Art-Katalog.com. Accessed 4 November 2011.
  11. ↑ Miller, M. H. (2015-04-15). "Giacometti's 'L'homme Au Doigt,' Coming to Auction for the First Time, Could Become Most Expensive Sculpture Ever". ARTnews.com. Archived from the original on Jul 29, 2018.
  12. ↑ Salmon, Felix (5 November 2014). "The Not So Special Hundred-Million-Dollar Giacometti" . The New Yorker . Archived from the original on Feb 12, 2023.
  13. ↑ Reyburn, Scott (May 15, 2019). "Jeff Koons 'Rabbit' Sets Auction Record for Most Expensive Work by Living Artist" . The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Constantin Brancusi's La jeune fille sophistiquée ( Portrait de Nancy Cunard)". Christie's. Archived from the original on Mar 17, 2019. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  15. ↑ "Amedeo Modigliani - TÊTE". Sotheby's. Archived from the original on Nov 30, 2023.
  16. ↑ Reyburn, Scott. "Modigliani Sculpture Fetches 43.2 Million Euros, French Record". Bloomberg . 14 June 2010. Accessed 19 October 2011.
  17. ↑ "Gallery Talk: Amedeo Modigliani's Tête". Christie's. 7 June 2010. Accessed 19 October 2011.
  18. ↑ Abramovitch, Seth. "Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog Sculpture Sells for Record-Breaking $58.4 Million". The Hollywood Reporter . 12 November 2013. Accessed 12 November 2013.
  19. ↑ "Brancusi sells for a record $57.3 million as New York sales get off to 'fantastic start'". Christie's. 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on Mar 10, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  20. ↑ Grande tête mince. Christie's. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  21. ↑ Crow, Kelly. Sotheby's Strong Sale Anchored by $50 Million Giacometti Bronze. The Wall Street Journal . 7 November 2013. Accessed 7 November 2013.
  22. ↑ Impressionist and Modern Art Sale's Triumphant Results. Sotheby's. 6 November 2012. Accessed 7 November 2013.
  23. ↑ In the Saleroom: Henri Matisse's Nu de dos, 4 état (Back IV). Christie's. 4 November 2010. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  24. ↑ Madame L.R. (Portrait de Mme L.R.). Christie's. Accessed 20 October 2011.
  25. ↑ "Jeff Koons (B. 1955), Jim Beam - J.B. Turner Train". www.christies.com. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  26. ↑ "Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010)".
  27. ↑ "A 3,000-Year-Old Stone Relief Sold for $31 Million at Christie's, Setting a New Record for Assyrian Art". 31 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Jeff Koons - POPEYE". Sotheby's.
  29. ↑ "Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), Grande femme debout II". www.christies.com. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
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