Georgina Adam reports on the strong showing of the Cyril Reddihough collection at Bonhams. Reddihough was a lawyer, collector and friend to artist Ben Nicholson. He often bought Nicholson’s work to support the artist and ended up with a desirable
Bonhams sold 42 works from the estate, with expectations of up to £2.7m but was rewarded with a strong £4.1m hammer (£4.9m with fees). All the Reddihough lots found buyers. The sale included other modern and Irish works of art, with the overall tally being £8.3m (with fees).
The top lot of the sale was Henry Moore’s “Reclining Figure” (1945), which sold for £1.55m (£1.86m with fees), setting a world record for a plaster model by the sculptor. Nicholson’s “192 (Pill Creek)” sold for a double-estimate £600,000 (£722,500 with fees). And Barbara Hepworth’s dreamy “Seated Girl” (1949, pictured) fetched £170,000 (£206,500 with fees), against an estimate of just £30,000-£40,000.
The Art Market: Buoyant Basel (FT.com)
