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High Appreciation at the Contemporary Art Auction
Lucio Fontana, Concetto spaziale, € 202.800
Giacomo Manzù, Kardinal, € 133.800
The Dorotheum auction of „Contemporary Art“ on 26th November 2008 once again produced "sound and substantial" results, as the auction house's managing director, Martin Böhm, was pleased to note. Both, the selection on offer and the gathering of buyers, were distinguished by their international quality. In conjunction with the auction of Modern Art on 25th November, this was the third highest sale of 20th century art held at the Dorotheum to date.
"Young Masters" from Italy turned out to be the auction's frontrunners, headed by Lucio Fontana with a 'dotted' "Concetto spaziale" dating to 1960 (Cat. No. 208, € 202.800), and Giacomo Manzù's „Cardinale seduto“ which sold for 133.800 Euro (Seated Cardinal, Cat. No. 209). Piero Dorazio's „Momento continuo“ rose to 110.100 Euro before going to a bidder taking part via telephone (Cat. No. 241), while the secret of eternal youth in the form of Mario Schifano's painting „Segreto di eterna giovinezza“ was worth 91.800 Euro to another buyer (Cat. No. 376).
An excellent work by the Spaniard Antoni Tapiès came in at the top of the expected price range (€ 97.900, Cat. No. 288), with „Marilyn“ by Andy Warhol going to an Austrian buyer (€ 82.600, Cat. No. 231), and an abstract work in three parts by Juilje Knifer, born in Osijek in 1924, sold to a telephone bidder for 73.500 Euro – having started out at a lower estimate of 25.000 Euro (Cat. No. 283).
Nor did Austrian art lag behind in the buyer's appreciation that night: works by Arnulf Rainer, Hermann Nitsch, Otto Muehl, Wolfgang Hollegha or Kiki Kogelnik all reached prices that considerably exceeded expectations.
Lucio Fontana, Concetto spaziale, sold for € 202.800
Giacomo Manzù, Cardinale seduto, sold for € 133.800
Piero Dorazio, Momento continuo, sold for € 110.100
Antoni Tapies, Oreille, sold for € 97.900
Mario Schifano, Segreto di eterna giovinezza, 1988, sold for € 91.800
Arnulf Rainer, Kopf, sold for € 91.800
Press:
Doris Krumpl
Tel. + 43 1/515 60-406
doris.krumpl@dorotheum.at
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