• Record price for a Tsarouchis work on paper
• Record price for a Moralis painting in Europe
Paris – La Romance, a masterpiece by the leading Greek painter Yiannis Moralis (1916-2009) sold for €660,800, a record price in Europe for a work by the artist, at Bonhams Greek Art sale in Paris on Wednesday 22 November. It had been estimated at €180,000-250,000. The sale made a total of more than €4.6 million with 82% sold by lot.
Head of the Greek Sale Anastasia Orfanidou, said: "The sale achieved strong prices for works by some of the most important Greek artists from the 19th century right up to the present day. I am not surprised that the bidding was so intense especially for Moralis and Tsarouchis' masterpieces and that they sold for such an impressive sum."
The Greek Sale is a collaborative sale put together by Bonhams in London and Paris and its associates in Athens, Art Expertise, whose Director, Terpsichore Angelopoulou, said: "Amassing such a great collection and discovering hidden gems and missing links in the history of Greek Art was a challenging and fascinating experience. It shows that demand for Greek art remains high, and that the market is continuing to perform well.".
Jeune fille au bain (Girl washing her hair) by Nikiforos Lytras (1832-1904), recently rediscovered, sold for €279,800, more than three times its low estimate. Initially attributed to Gerome, then to the circle of Gerome, it has now been reattributed to Lytras thanks to Bonhams' specialists and comes from the W. Robert Morgan's collection. It was originally estimated at €80,000-120,000.
Other highlights included:
• Dominique jouant le bouzouki by Yiannis Tsarouchis (1910-1989). Painted in 1973, the work sold for €229,000, more than seven times its low estimate of €30,000 to 50,000. This is the highest price for a work on paper by Yiannis Tsarouchis sold at auction.
• Constantinos Parthenis (1878-1967), Alentours de l'Acropole (Around the Acropolis), 1909 sold for €190,900 above its estimate of €100,000-150,000.
• Yannis Gaïtis (1923-1984), Air France Tout Bleu. Painted in 1971, this work sold for €57,550, more than twice its low estimate of €20,000-30,000
• Chryssa (Vardea) (1933-2013), New York City Scape (41). This 1972 sculpture with neon lights in plexiglass sold for €44,800. (Estimate: €40,000-60,000).
The Greek Sale is a collaborative sale put together by Bonhams in London and its associates in Athens, Art Expertise.
