Saleroom highlights: Felix Gonzalez-Torres Auction Record 2024 | Christie's

That’s a wrap on the first night of sales during this season’s 20/21 New York Marquee Week!

Last night kicked off with the Rosa de la Cruz Collection Evening Sale, which was 100% sold. Felix Gonzalez-Torres ‘Untitled (America #3)’ was the highlight of the collection, shattering the previous auction record after minutes of enthusiastic bidding when it sold for $13,635,000.

The top lot of the night was Jean-Michael Basquiat’s exceptional stretcher bar painting, ‘The Italian Version of Popeye has no Pork in his Diet,’ which sold for $32,035,000 during the 21st Century Evening Sale. Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s ‘Black Allegiance to the Cunning’ was also a top highlight, selling for $2,954,000 after nearly eight minutes of lively bidding.

Other leading names in contemporary art, including Ana Mendieta, Martin Wong, and Reggie Burrows Hodges, as well as legendary photographer Diane Arbus, set record prices.

Continue to follow our 20th Century Evening sale, which will be livestreaming this Thursday, 16 May at 7pm EDT on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

[davidhunternyc]

The Felix Gonzalez-Torres was a superlative work BUT, unfortunately, it's overshadowed by the scandalous withdrawal of the Brice Marden, with an auction estimate of $30 million - $50 million, and had a guarantee to boot. The art world needs to know what really happened.