The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Auction house reports latest event revenues
Zao Wou-Ki painting soars to $487,500
Litchfield County Auctions’ auction room was buzzing with activity May 20 in anticipation of an important painting.
LITCHFIELD » Litchfield County Auctions’ auction room was buzzing with activity on May 20, in anticipation for lot 285, a rare painting by the ChineseFrench Artist, Zao Wou-Ki (1921-2013) “Oiseaux dans les nids” (Birds in the Nests), 1951.
Not only were bidders waiting online, but there were also nine bidders waiting on the bank of telephones, ready to pounce on this one-of-a-kind work. The gallery audience watched as the painting came up to the auction block, while the world also watched as the sale was broadcast online and on facebook live.
As bidding started, the opening price of $95,000 was swiftly met and jumped past it’s $150/$250,000 estimate with a $280,000 phone bid. Other bidders then jumped in by phone at $10,000 increments, raising the price until the hammer fell at $390,000. Within a matter of 3 minutes, this painting was sold, including buyer’s premium, for a total of $487,500. Applause erupted on the sale room floor.
This painting came from a local Connecticut collector who acquired it from an estate in which the seller had purchased the painting in the mid 1970’s. Without being aware of the artist’s reputation, the painting was brought into Litchfield County Auctions where it was quickly realized who this important artist was. This is the second discovery of a major artwork at Litchfield County Auctions in the past 12 months – the last being an early painting by Paul Gauguin that eventually sold for $420,000.
Conservation was performed to remove adhesives to the back of the canvas of the Zao Wou-Ki, where a second signature, title and date were discovered, and the painting also needed to be re-mounted onto a stretcher. A certificate of authenticity was obtained from the Fondation Zao Wou-Ki in Geneva, Switzerland, and the artist’s catalog raisonne is also being updated to reflect this recently discovered work.
Other fine art highlights in the sale included a group of two Asian Watercolors that sold for $9,375; a lithograph by Marc Chagall titled “Ecuyere au Bouquet” that sold for $6,875; another work in this sale by Zao Wou-Ki, a lithograph “Hortensias” sold for $5,750; and a charcoal of an elderly couple, c.1880, by Adolph von Menzel sold at $4,250.
Additional top lots included some great furniture: a Louis XVI Style Caned Bed sold for $11,250 on an initial $4-600 estimate; a 16th C. Italian Walnut Carved Cassone that sold for $6,562; a group of 4 Victorian Style Wood Carved Dog Head Benches at $5,125; a 16th C. Spanish Walnut Vargueno sold for $3,875; and a 19th C. Regency Bench/Fainting Couch at $3,125 – all selling above their high estimates, and some far surpassing them.
Jewelry category highlights featured a Tiffany & Co. 18K Gold Elsa Peretti Mesh Scarf Necklace that sold for $4,000, and a Ladies 14K Gold Ring with Two Large Diamonds (2 carats) sold for $3,750; plus, a U.S. Treasury 1-Troy Ounce Gold .900 Grant Wood Medallion sold for $2,250.
The next auction will take place on June 17, and will feature Jewelry & Couture, together with Antiques & Fine Art. Visit LitchfieldCountyAuctions.com, call 860-567-4661, or email sales@litchfieldcountyauctions.com. The gallery is located at 425 Bantam Road, Litchfield.