Pierre Bonnard 1923 "Terrasse à Vernon" sold for $11.6 million at Christie's

By Mackie Healy, Art Market Views, Contributor

Pierre Bonnard’s 1923 sun-dappled Terrasse à Vernon sold for $11.6 million at Christie’s in London last night, an auction record for the artist. Bloomberg identified the buyer as Russian, in a report here.

The sunny, bucolic landscape is one of only three works that Bonnard choose to present at the 1923 Salon d’Automne. It portrays the waterfront vista from Bonnard’s South of France home.

The evening’s biggest failure was the projected top lot, Paul Gauguin’s sunflower still-life tribute to Vincent van Gogh. The 1901 painting, Nature morte a L’Esperance was estimated to sell for £ 7 – 10 million and drew no bids, according to salesroom reports.

The works were offered during Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art evening sale tallying $136.3 million, with a 79 percent sell-through rate on 76 lots. A portion of the evening was devoted to Surrealist art, totaling realized $36.9 million. The Art of the Surreal, has been featured since 2001.

Pretty reigned supreme. Andre Derain’s Bateaux à Collioure (1905) sold for $9.4 million. Edgar Degas’ Danseuses jupes jaunes (Deux danseuses en jaune) sold for $8.7 million, topping its high estimate of £3 -5 million.

The highlight of the Surrealist sale was a recording-setting $6.5 million for Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali’s Etude pour ‘Le miel est plus doux que le sang.’ One of the first Surreal paintings executed by the artist, the work was estimated at £2 – 3 million.

Top Ten:

Title / Artist / Year / Winning Bid / Estimate / Buyer (according to auction house)

1. Terrasse à Vernon by Pierre Bonnard, 1923 $11.6 million (est. £ 3 – 4 million) Anonymous
2. Bateaux à Collioure by Andre Derain, 1905 $9.4 million (est. £ 4 – 6 million) Anonymous
3. Danseuses jupes jaunes (Deux danseuses en jaune) by Edgar Degas, circa 1896 $8.7 million (est. £ 3 – 5 million) Anonymous
4. Sur l’imperiale traversant la Seine by Pablo Picasso, 1901 $7.8 million (est. £ 2- 3 million) Anonymous
5. L’aimant by Rene Magritte, 1941 $7.6 million (est. £ 3.5 – 5.5 million) Anonymous
6.  Etude pour ‘Le miel est plus doux que le sang’ by Salvador Dali, 1926-27 $6.5 million (est. £ 2- 3 million) Anonymous
7. Nature morte a la guitare (rideaux rouge) by Georges Braque, 1938 $6.4 million (est. £ 3.5 – 5.5 million) Anonymous
8. Les arbes en fleurs (Pommiers en fleurs) by Natalia Goncharova, 1912 $6.3 million (est. £ 2.5 – 3.5 million) Anonymous
9. La berge du Petit-Gennevilliers by Claude Monet, 1875 $6 million (est. £ 3 – 5 million) Anonymous
10. L’actrice Lili Damita by Kees van Dongen, 1926 $4.9 million (est. £ 1.5 – 2 million) Anonymous

Paul Gauguin's 1901 homage to Van Gogh, "Nature morte à "L'Espérance" failed to sell at Christie's