Preliminary assessment - 12-18 million pounds

became known that the auction of Impressionist and Modern works of Sotheby's, which will be held on February 8, will be painting by Picasso "Reading" (1932) with the image of a young artist's mistress Marie-Therese Walter (Marie-Thérèse Walter). Estimate - 12-18 million pounds.

• Reading. 1932
  Source: bloomberg.com

In May last year Christie's sold another canvas with Marie-Therese, "Nude on a bust background and green leaves, for 106.5 million dollars - an absolute record for the auction market. A written several days before the "Readings" canvas "Dream", depicting the Walther in the same position in 2006, nearly became one of the most expensive works of art in history - a gaming mogul Steve Wynn (Steve Wynn) was going to sell it for 139 million dollars, but the deal never took place because the billionaire accidentally punctured the canvas with his elbow. Now the cost of "Dream" is estimated at 85 million. From the "Readings", however, the record does not wait, because the size of it is half the above-mentioned works.

• Nude on the background of the bust and green leaves. 1932
  Source: artinvestment.ru
• Dream. 1932
  Source: artinvestment.ru

The work put up for auction is a collector from the United States. The last time she appeared at auction in 1996, with the lower estimate: $ 6 million, then nobody will buy it. Now "Reading" - one of the two lots, which are unable to find a guaranteed buyer.

According to Helena Newman (Helena Newman), the European head of department of Impressionist and Modern Sotheby's, there are buyers who purposefully hunt with pictures of Marie-Therese. Interest in this work has spurred a prestigious exhibition in the gallery Acquavella, where canvases were exhibited in the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum and the Tate Modern gallery.

Picasso first met Marie-Therese in 1927, when he was 45 years, and her - just 17. According to legend, he saw her coming out of the subway, went up, took her hand and said: "I'm Picasso! We are with you waiting for great things. " Then, by the way, the artist was already married - to a Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova (at auction also exhibited her portrait busts, valued at 1,3-1,8 million pounds). Relationship with Marie-Therese Picasso concealed prior to the thirties, portraying it in his work as "a sensual symbol».

Other top auction lots - sculptures by Alberto Giacometti ("Big Bust Diego hands, "3-5,5 million), and Marino Marini (" The idea rider, 3,7-4,5 million). Buyers also will be offered to creations of Manet, Renoir, Monet and Signac. It is expected that the sales help out at least 55.6 million pounds (the lower estimate is equivalent to an auction last year - 69 million).

Feb. 9 its sale of Impressionist and Modern works will Christie's . The top lots - still life with sunflowers work of Gauguin, Van Gogh original dedication. Preliminary assessment of the picture is about 7-10 million pounds. The minimum estimate of trades - 73.9 million (2010 - 56.5 million).

number of lots exceeds Christie's Sotheby's is almost twice (78 vs. 42). But on Feb. 10 the second auction house to be auctioned off another sixty works, originating from a private collection . The key works include portraits Lusiena Freud (authorship of Francis Bacon) and Paul Eluard (work by Salvador Dali). The total preliminary estimate - 39-55 million.

material was prepared by Julia Maksimova, AI

Source : guardian.co.uk , bloomberg. com , artinvestment.ru