Sotheby’s February 8th Impressionist and Modern Evening sale is full of an array of objects capitalizing on trends in the art market for name-brand, decorative work. Led by a colorful Picasso, La Lecture from 1932. Sotheby’s is signaling well above the £12-18m estimate range by linking the picture to Le Rêve (The Dream) and Sotheby’s success with Giacometti’s Walking Man which briefly held the world’s auction price record. (Unstated is the Brody Picasso record price set in May 2010.)
Picasso is hardly the only headline-worthy artist on offer. Giacometti is represented by a Diego sculpture and painting. There is Monet landscape and a Signac harbor scene of Venice. As well as this giant work:
Marino Marini’s L’Idea del cavaliere (pictured right, est: £3.7 – 4.5 million) is one of the most important works by the artist ever to come to the market. Remarkable both in terms of its monumental scale (it measures 220cm / 865/8 in. high) and because it is hand-painted by the artist, this extraordinary 1955 bronze of Marini’s most famous subject of the horse and rider is an exceptional example of his achievements in this area. L’Idea del cavliere is one of an edition of four bronzes of the subject. Others from the series are at the Museo Marino Marini in Milan and San Diego Museum of Art. In 1956, Marini carved a unique painted wood version, which was sold at Sotheby’s New York in May 2007 for $7 million – a record for the artist at the time.
