Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Christie’s Rebecca Wei Telegraphs Chinese Rockefeller Interest

May 7, 2018 by Marion Maneker

Bloomberg previews the Rockefeller sales this week with a teaser article about the online sales action but the most interesting part of the piece is the way it ends with Christie’s Rebecca Wei outlining the tastes of her Chinese clients. It’s rare to see a Senior figure at an auction house say something anything but upbeat about one the top lots coming up for auction. But in the case of Gertrude Stein’s Picasso, there may be no need for caution. There’s been a lot of talk in the trade, some of it coming from the owner of a number of Picassos that the Rose period Picasso could sell for a great deal more than the $100m low estimate.

That interest is likely to come from buyers in the Gulf States or the owner a private museum than from Chinese clients. Christie’s Rebecca Wei explains why:

“The big whale clients want the top-top pieces only by Tier 1 artists,” said Wei, listing Picasso, Matisse, Claude Monet, van Gogh, Gauguin and Paul Cezanne. “They like bright colors. Women need to be beautiful in the paintings.”

Top on their list, she said, is a sensual 1923 Matisse canvas, “Odalisque couchee aux magnolias.” Estimated at $70 million, it will probably set an auction record for the French artist, whose current high is $48.8 million.

Picasso’s 1905 “Young Girl with a Flower Basket,” which depicts a pale, nude teenage girl with a basket of red blossoms, may be a tougher sell, Wei said.

“I had so many top collectors looking at the piece, saying ‘Mmm… I don’t know, she has a haunted look — I like the Matisse much better.’”

Rockefeller Trove Ignites a Frenzy With $26,000 Money Clip  (Bloomberg)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • The Estimates on David Rockefeller’s Art Go UpThe Estimates on David Rockefeller’s Art Go Up
  • The Changing Market Mix for Impressionist and Modern Art, 2007-2017The Changing Market Mix for Impressionist and Modern Art, 2007-2017
  • Christie’s Has a $25m Picasso Marie-Thérèse for NovemberChristie’s Has a $25m Picasso Marie-Thérèse for November
  • Christie’s £18m Brings Dora Maar to LondonChristie’s £18m Brings Dora Maar to London
  • Wynn’s Picasso Withdrawn from Christie’s SaleWynn’s Picasso Withdrawn from Christie’s Sale
  • Did David Rockefeller Really Have Such Dowdy Taste, Make Bad Art Investments?Did David Rockefeller Really Have Such Dowdy Taste, Make Bad Art Investments?

Filed Under: Collectors, General Tagged With: Matisse, Picasso, Rockefeller

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...