Flemish and English old masters, French abstract art: prices soar!

New records for Bruegel the Younger and de Stael, new million-euro result for Pierre Soulages… sales in London and Paris confirm inflation on the market’s safe-bet classics.

10th anniversary of Art Basel Miami Beach

Created in 2002, Art Basel Miami Beach (Florida, USA) has just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The New York School

The European artists who sought refuge in New York during the Second World War helped stoke up a simmering US art scene. A resurgence in US painting was in the making. A resurgence that would be abstract and manifest in two key movements: Action painting, consisting of gestural painting that emphasised the physical act of painting, and Color Field painting, characterised by large, flat areas of vibrant colour conducive to meditation.

The New York School

After World War II, American painting was revived by a number of young artists. Influenced by surrealism, they eschewed reality and began a free style of painting that developed into two basic trends: "Action painting" and "Colorfield painting".

Top prices for 4,614 artists since the start of 2005

Prices of fine artworks continued on an exceptionally strong growth trend in the first half of 2005, and logically enough, the general increase in art prices of 4.1% also generated a sharp rise in the number of auction records.

Contemporary art market: Christie's beats the record for an art auction with USD 133.7 million

On 12 May 2005, Christie's set a new record for a contemporary art auction, generating USD 31.7 million more than the existing record of USD 102.7 million also set by Christie's last year.
It only took 65 lots to reach USD 133.7 million. As spectacular, 17 records were beaten during this evening session alone. The record-breakers include notably Franz Kline, Edward Hopper, James Rosenquist, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Prince and Peter Doig.

Abstract expressionism: the spearhead of Christie's auction of contemporary art

Willem DE KOONING , Mark ROTHKO , Arshile GORKY , Franz KLINE , Robert MOTHERWELL , the core artists in the abstract expressionism movement, also known as the "New York School", will feature at the "Post-War and Contemporary Art" auction at Christie's on 11 May 2005.

Abstract expressionism, fetching the highest prices at contemporary art auctions

Abstract expressionism, the most influential American art movement of the 1960s, is topping the bill at the most prestigious contemporary art auctions. After occupying pride of place at the MoMA (New York) for over fifty years, Number 12 (1949), a “drip painting” on paper by Jackson POLLOCK found a buyer at Christie’s on 11 May 2004 at USD 10 million. The next day, the euphoria continued with more extremely high bids including an artist’s record for Clyfford E. STILL ’s 1960-F which went under the hammer at USD 2.8 million.