Entertainment · Books & Arts · 5 hrs ago
Phillips to auction Modigliani sculpture with estimate of up to $35 million
Phillips will auction Modigliani’s sculpture Tête in New York in November with an estimate of $28 million to $35 million.
The limestone head, made in 1911–12, has a slender face, a long nose and a small smile.
The sculpture is returning to the market after nearly 50 years in one private collection, though Phillips has not named its previous owner.
Modigliani is thought to have made about 28 sculptures, and 26 are known to survive.
A sale could make Tête one of his most expensive sculptures sold at auction, but it is unlikely to surpass the $52.8 million record set by another stone head in 2010.
Recent strong sales of Modigliani’s work in Paris and London may help attract buyers.
The auction will show whether that market interest continues when the sculpture goes on sale in November.
Phillips will offer Amedeo Modigliani’s limestone sculpture Tête at its New York sales in November.
The sculpture has an estimate of $28 million to $35 million.
If sold, it would rank among the most expensive three-dimensional works by Modigliani ever sold at auction.
The work is being offered after almost half a century in the same private collection, whose owner was not identified.
Phillips is bringing the sculpture to market amid recent strong auction results for Modigliani’s works.
- Who
- Phillips is offering a sculpture by Amedeo Modigliani.
- What
- Tête will be auctioned with an estimate of $28 million to $35 million.
- When
- November; the article does not state the specific sale date.
- Where
- Phillips’s New York sales.
- Why
- Phillips is seeking to tap recent market interest in Modigliani’s work.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Christie’s sold another Modigliani stone head for $52.8 million.
Modigliani’s painting Nu couché sold for $170.4 million, setting his current auction record.
Christie’s sold another Tête for $34.3 million.
A Modigliani portrait sold for $31.3 million at Christie’s in Paris, setting a new record for the artist in France.
A painting of a nude woman from Joe Lewis’s collection sold for $63.5 million at Sotheby’s in London, setting a new record for Modigliani in Europe.
Phillips plans to offer Tête at its New York sales.
- Artist
- Amedeo Modigliani
- Work
- Tête (1911–12)
- Estimate
- $28 million–$35 million
- Material
- Limestone
- Auction venue
- Phillips’s New York sales
- Surviving sculptures
- 26 of around 28 Modigliani sculptures are said to survive.
What people are saying
Fresh to the market after almost half a century in the same important private collection, Tête embodies everything that makes Modigliani’s sculpture so revered, including its profound art historical importance.
Sources
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