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‘Rotante primo sezionale n. 1’ (Rotating First Section No. 1), one of two artist proofs of this sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, attained $468,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Paintings, prints make impressive showing at Skinner

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
‘Rotante primo sezionale n. 1’ (Rotating First Section No. 1), one of two artist proofs of this sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, attained $468,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
‘Rotante primo sezionale n. 1’ (Rotating First Section No. 1), one of two artist proofs of this sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, attained $468,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. recorded strong results for its Americna & European Paintings & Prints auction, conducted Jan 29. The sale grossed more than $2.5 million with a strong bidding audience in the room and high bid activity from the phones and Internet.

The top-lot of the sale was an Arnaldo Pomodoro artist proof of Rotante primo sezionale n. 1 (Rotating First Section No. 1), 1966, estimated at the high end at $150,000, but bringing $468,000, a very strong price for the only artist proof of this title offered thus far.

Rounding out the top three were a newly rediscovered Georgia O’Keeffe, Alligator Pear in White Dish, which sold for $225,150, well above its estimate high of $150,000; and Jesus Rafael Soto’s Struttura, estimated between $30,000 and $40,000, selling for $100,725.

Record-setting bids were placed for Saul Steinberg’s Art Lovers, which sold for $22,515, several times the estimate high of $5,000 and the highest price reported for a work of his on paper; Daniel Chester French’s Portrait Bust of a Woman, which brought $16,590, the highest price paid for this work; and Cecilia Beaux’s Portrait of Joseph B. Thomas III, which brought $8,295, the highest price reported for a work on paper by Beaux.

“We’ve spent the past year redefining the mission of Skinner’s paintings department. This sale, in particular, featured works of greater quality, and we presented them more effectively in our redesigned catalog format. Clearly these changes are beginning to bear fruit,” said Robin Starr, director of American & European Paintings & Prints. “We’re very pleased with the strength of Skinner’s first sale of 2010. We’re finding renewed interest in contemporary works and that’s good news for the art market overall.”

Skinner’s next auction of American & European Paintings & Prints will be held Friday, May 21, in Boston.

Click here to view Skinner Inc.’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Considered lost since the mid-1950s, Georgia O’Keefe’s ‘Alligator Pear in White Dish’ sold for $225,150. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Considered lost since the mid-1950s, Georgia O’Keefe’s ‘Alligator Pear in White Dish’ sold for $225,150. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Jesus Rafael Soto’s ‘Struttura’ sold for $100,725. Made of painted wood, steel and nylon, the work stands 30 1/2 inches high. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Jesus Rafael Soto’s ‘Struttura’ sold for $100,725. Made of painted wood, steel and nylon, the work stands 30 1/2 inches high. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

(pictured in auction preview)

‘Art Lovers,’ ink and colored pencil on paper, by Saul Steinberg (American, 1914-1999) sold for $22,515. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
‘Art Lovers,’ ink and colored pencil on paper, by Saul Steinberg (American, 1914-1999) sold for $22,515. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.