Sotheby’s kicked off its highly anticipated fall auctions in New York with two evening sales dedicated to modern art. The first sale, featuring works from the Sydell Miller collection, was a resounding success, while the second didn’t fare as well. Miller, a beauty industry pioneer, had 25 lots in the auction, and they generated a great deal of excitement. Nine of the works sparked intense bidding wars, delaying the start of the next modern evening sale by a full hour.
The most intense bidding war lasted nearly 17 minutes for Claude Monet's Nymphéas (1914–17). The second-most expensive piece from the Miller collection was Pablo Picasso's La Statuaire (1925), followed by Wassily Kandinsky’s Weisses Oval (White Oval) (1921).
In a surprising twist, it was a piece of furniture, not a painting, that generated one of the evening's fiercest bidding wars. François-Xavier Lalanne’s Troupeau d’Èlèphants dans les Arbres (2001), a table in gold-patinated bronze and glass, sold well above its estimate. Other notable successes included Henri Matisse’s Jeune fille à la robe rose, which fetched nearly double its estimate, and works by Mark Rothko and Edgar Degas, both attracting significant interest.
However, the second modern evening sale, despite its delayed start, lacked the same level of excitement. Seven works remained unsold, and two were withdrawn. The sale, which included 31 lots, saw Alberto Giacometti’s Buste (Tête tranchante) (Diego) become the top lot, while Tiffany Studios’ Danner Memorial Window set a new auction record.
Female Surrealists saw a surge in bidding, with Leonora Carrington’s 1951 sculpture Le Grande Dame (Catwoman) surpassing its low estimate and achieving great success. Other works by female Surrealists, such as Los caminos tortuosos by Varo and Les Stylites by Leonor Fini, also performed well. These artists were a bright spot in an auction that largely saw works failing to meet their estimates or remaining unsold.
The biggest disappointment was Henri Matisse’s Torse de Jeune fille (1921–1923), which failed to sell despite its high pre-sale estimate. Other significant lots by Pablo Picasso and Sam Francis were withdrawn before the auction, likely due to a lack of buyers. Additionally, three works by Picasso, as well as pieces by Max Ernst, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and René Magritte, went unsold.