Vilhelm Hammershøi’, Ida Reading a Letter. Oil on canvas, 66 by 59cm., 26 by 23¼in. Estimate: 500,000-700,000 GBP. Sold for: £ 1,721,250. Photo: Sotheby's.
A few hours ago, at Sotheby’s in London, Vilhelm Hammershøi’s Ida Reading a Letter sold for £ 1,721,250 / Danish Krone 15,747,499 / US$ 2,677,232, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £500,000-700,000 / Danish Krone 4.57 – 6.4 million / US$800,000-1,120,000, and establishing a record for the artist at auction and a record for any Danish work of art at auction. The painting was hotly pursued by three bidders on the telephones, before finally selling to an International Private Collector. The price achieved was almost three times above the previous record.
Commenting on the results, Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, Head of Sotheby’s Denmark, said: “We are thrilled that Hammershøi’s ‘Ida Reading a Letter’ established a new record for the artist at auction, and also a record for any Danish work of art at auction. All five paintings by Hammershøi sold at Sotheby’s today were completely fresh to the market and in excellent condition. They worked well as a group, with each distinctive motif – the artist’s beloved wife, a candlelit interior and a cityscape – so representative of Hammershøi.”
Continuing, Claude Piening, Senior Director in Sotheby’s European Paintings Department, said: “Bidding was international, with interest from Asia, America, Scandinavia and Central Europe. Hammershøi appeals to the tastes of the 21st-century collector. Exhibitions in London, Tokyo, Denmark and currently Munich continue to attract new admirers of his work, which draws parallels with Vermeer and Whistler, artists with similar sensibilities to those of Hammershøi.”
You can read the full article via ArtDaily here.
You Might Also Like...
A selection of works by leading Norwegian artists, and five paintings by Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916), will headline Sotheby’s Scandinavian Sale on Monday, 11 June 2012. This masterful group of works ...
READ MORE
Sotheby’s London will offer an unrivalled private collection of precious Central European silver and goldsmith’s art in the single-owner sale “Dr. Heller’s Lexicon” on 4th December 2012. Over 200 works, ...
READ MORE
On 19 March 2013, Sotheby’s will present the Amaya Collection, the first international Evening Sale of Indian Art and the first single-owner sale in this category to be held at ...
READ MORE
Sotheby’s London announced that it will offer for sale the collection of renowned arbiter of taste and fêted London club owner Mark Birley (1930-2007), on 21st March 2013. The auction ...
READ MORE
Sotheby’s annual Americana Week auctions will take place in New York on 25 & 26 January 2013. The Important Americana sale will begin at 10:00am on the 25th with a ...
READ MORE
Sotheby’s London announced that it will offer for sale the distinguished collection of George, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910-1998). The auctions on 5th and 6th February 2013 will present the ...
READ MORE
Sotheby’s announced that it will offer for sale an extraordinary group of Modern and Contemporary artworks from a Private Swedish Collection. Built by a private Swedish individual from the 1960s ...
READ MORE
Sotheby's London forthcoming Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale on Tuesday 5th February 2013 will be led by a monumental 1932 portrait of Picasso’s ‘golden muse’ Marie-Therese Walter (est. £25-35 ...
READ MORE
Masterpieces by Norwegian Artists and More to Headline
Sotheby’s to Offer an Opulent Private Collection of
Sotheby’s to Offer Amaya Collection of Modern &
Sotheby’s to Offer the Collection of Mark Birley
Important Americana for Sale at Sotheby’s New York
A Rare Collection of French Impressionist & Modern
Sotheby’s London to Offer Private Swedish Art Collection
Picasso and Monet to Lead Sotheby’s Impressionist &
