Foto christies.com.
The painting, almost 3.3 meters long, became not just the main lot of the season, but a symbol of a new era of the art market, where iconic works of museum level appear at auction very rarely.
A canvas that changed art
The work belongs to the key period of Pollock’s work – the time when he finally formed his revolutionary technique of “drip painting”, writes ArtMajeur. The artist laid out canvases on the studio floor and literally poured paint on them, creating chaotic but carefully constructed compositions.
It was this method that later turned Pollock into a central figure of American abstract expressionism. Christie’s emphasized that such a significant painting of this period has not appeared at auction for more than six decades.
Global president of the auction house Alex Rotter compared the importance of Pollock’s technique to the revolution that for art made urinal Marcel Duchamp and cubism Pablo Picasso.
Ten minutes of suspense
The bidding started at $82 million and quickly turned into a fierce battle of collectors. More than 60 bids came from telephone customers and bidders in the room.
Auctioneer Adrien Meyer led the sale almost in a whisper, and the atmosphere in the hall resembled a theatrical production. The final blow of the hammer sounded at the mark of 157 million dollars, but with the inclusion of commissions, the final price reached a record 181.2 million.
One of the last rivals of the buyer, whose interests were represented by Alex Rotter, became a famous art dealer Ivan Wirth.
A billion dollar collection
The story of the canvas itself is no less dramatic. According to Newhouse’s widow Victoria, the collector first refused to buy, seeing the work covered with kitchen soot and years of dirt. Only later did he realize the scale of the work and its rarity.
The evening itself was a triumph for the Newhouse collection. A total of 16 works brought Christie’s 630.8 million dollars – significantly higher than preliminary estimates. And total sales of works from the Newhouse family’s collection since 2018 have already surpassed one billion dollars.
Another record holder was a bronze bust of Danaïde by Constantin Brynkush, sold for 107.6 million dollars – it is the second most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction (the first place is held by the work of Alberto Giacometti).
