Sotheby’s Surrealist Selection for May 2012

Sotheby’s is making the most of Surrealism’s market momentum with a strong offering of works by Dalí, Ernst, Delvaux and Magritte:

A superb offering of Surrealist works in Sotheby’s Impressionist &Modern Art Evening Sale on 2 May 2012 will be led by Salvador Dalí’s Printemps nécrophilique from 1936. Painted at the height of the artist’s most creative years in Paris, the canvas exemplifies his unique aesthetic at its most refined and sensational. Printemps nécrophilique has not appeared on the market in nearly 15 years and is estimated to sell for $8/12 million. The May auction will also include important works by other Surrealist giants including Max Ernst, René Magritte and Paul Delvaux. A select group, including Printemps nécrophilique, will be shown in London from 13-18 April before exhibition and sale in New York.

“Surrealism is the last great movement of 20^th century modernism to be fully appreciated in the marketplace, and a number of new benchmarks have been set just over the course of the last year,” commented Simon Shaw, Head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department in New York. “In February 2011, Sotheby’s set a new record for a Surrealist work of art at auction when Salvador Dalí’sPortrait de Paul Eluard sold for $21.7 million. That same sale saw a new record for a work on paper by René Magritte set when his Le Maître d’École brought just over $4 million. Just three months later, Sotheby’s set a new record for Paul Delvaux when his LesCariatides achieved $9 million. Surrealism continues to present exciting opportunities for collectors given the wide range of material available at varying price points – literature, works on paper, paintings, sculpture and objects – and the fact that great masterworks remain in private hands. Additionally, given that the roots of much recent art lie in Surrealism, it crosses over well with collections of Contemporary art.”