Jasper Johns 'Flag', Christie's New York, lot 7, May 11, 2010

Recent art auctions at Christie’s New York brought some extraordinary results. Tuesday, May 11, 2010, was the day that Christie’s sold the art collection of Michael Crichton, of Jurassic Park fame. The highlight of the sale was the iconic image of the American flag, painted by Jasper Johns in the period from 1960-1966. As Mr. Crichton and Mr. Johns were personal friends, he was able to purchase the painting directly from the artist. It was sold as lot 7 and carried a pre-sale estimate of $10-15 million. The result was a new world record for the artist, $28,642,500, including buyer’s premium.

Robert Rauschenberg 'Studio Painting', Christie's New York, lot 24, May 11, 2010

The Michael Crichton collection was 100% sold — an unusual feat for a collection of this magnitude. The sale grossed $103.3 million, a record for a single owner sale of contemporary art. Works by other artists also performed well, with 17 of the 31 lots offered selling for over $1 million each. The second best lot of the sale went to a mixed media painting by Robert Rauschenberg entitled “Studio Painting”. It sold for $11,058,500.

Picasso 'Femme et fillettes', Christie's New York lot 13, May 11, 2010

Three Picasso paintings in the sale sold well, with lot 13, “Femme et fillettes”, selling for the most at $6,578,500.

For a complete listing of the sale results, click this link. Christie’s Michael Crichton sale results.

In the next few days and weeks, I’ll be adding my new acquisitions to my website as they come in. Please take a look. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog.