Jackson Pollock painting sells for record $181m at Christie's in New York
The Record-Breaking Sale
A Jackson Pollock painting has sold for a record $181.2m (£135.3m) at Christie's in New York. The sale on Monday made 'Number 7A, 1948' the fourth most expensive work ever sold at auction, according to ARTnews.
The Significance of the Painting
“It is with this work that Pollock finally frees himself from the shackles of conventional easel painting and produces one of the first truly abstract paintings in the history of art,” Christie's said in a statement.
The Auction Details
The previous auction record for Pollock was $61.2m, set in 2021. Other works by the abstract expressionist have sold privately for up to $200m.
- Previous auction record: $61.2m (2021)
- Private sale record: up to $200m
Other Notable Sales
On a busy day for the auction house, 'Danaïde', a bronze head sculpted by the Romanian-born artist Constantin Brâncuşi in around 1913, sold for $107.6m, topping its previous record of $71.2m set in 2018.
No 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) by the US painter Mark Rothko sold for $98.4m, and 'Portrait of Madame K' by the Catalan artist Joan Miró for $53.5m.
- 'Danaïde' by Constantin Brâncuşi: $107.6m
- No 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) by Mark Rothko: $98.4m
- 'Portrait of Madame K' by Joan Miró: $53.5m
The Context of the Sale
Monday’s auction followed a string of records set at Sotheby’s in November last year. 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer', painted by the Austrian master Gustav Klimt between 1914 and 1916, sold for $236.4m, becoming the second most expensive work ever sold at auction.
The most expensive painting ever sold at auction is 'Salvator Mundi', a Renaissance work attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which was bought for $450m in 2017.