Judd Tully captures the Vernissage sales at TEFAF:
Noortman Master Paintings: “Portrait de Dora Maar, Pensive,” a stunning Picasso […] went for something in the region of its $2.5 million asking price. Noortman bought it at Sotheby’s London last June for £993,250 ($1.5 million) against a presale estimate of £350-450,000.
- “View of Haarlem,” an oil-on-panel from 1671 by Gerrit Berckheyde, for a sum near its €4.5 million asking price. Noortman bought it against stiff competition at Christie’s London last December for £2.6 million (€3.1 million) against a presale estimate of £500-700,000.
- The dealer also sold another Old Master picture, William Claez Heda‘s signed and dated oil-on-panel “Still Life of a Silver Tazza and a Roemer” from 1631, for an amount in the neighborhood of its listed €3 million price.
Blain Southern: Tim Noble and Sue Webster‘s graphic 2009 sculpture “Phantasmagoria,” for £165,000 ($270,000), acquired by an unidentified museum. “It’s a great fair,” enthused partner Graham Southern, whose stand is situated in a prime spot, formerly flagged by Hauser & Wirth.
Haunch of Venison:Adrian Ghenie, “Doctor Josef 2” sold for €45,000 ($66,000)
At TEFAF’s Deluxe Vernissage, Oyster-Slurping Gentry Scoured Old Master and Modern Displays for Art Historical Pearls (Artinfo.com)