Post-War and Contemporary Art, Amsterdam

Elvira Jansen, Head of Sale, Christie’s Amsterdam: “The autumn season of Post-War and Contemporary Art continued in Amsterdam on 25 and 26 November with a total of €8,355,625, selling 85% by lot and 86% by value. The auctions were highlighted by works with exceptional provenance from the Matthys-Colle Collection, which achieved a running total of €892,000 as well as ‘Art for Future: Selected Works from the UniCredit Group’, which was 100% sold and to date has totalled €1,841,400. Raoul De Keyser’s Kalklijn (Chalk Line), from the Matthys-Colle Collection, set a world auction record for the artist (€237,500) while Kiki Kogelnik’s Superserpent, from the ‘Art for Future: Selected Works from the UniCredit Group’ sold for €162,500, more than eight times its high estimate of €20,000, also achieving a world auction record for the artist. Coinciding with Amsterdam Art Weekend, the global collecting community was evident in the participation with registered bidders from 43 countries across 6 continents. The sale was led by Günther Uecker’s Untitled and Karel Appel’s Sortilège which both achieved €346,000 with further notable results for Marlene Dumas’s The Edge (€237,500) and five additional artist records.”The Matthys-Colle Collection Total to Date: €892,000 / £766,982 / $984,805.Art for Future: Selected Works from the UniCredit Group Total to Date: €1,841,400 / £1,583,319 / $2,032,98 ahead of further works being offered in 2019 and 2020.
The proceeds will be primarily used to support the further roll-out of the group’s Social Impact Banking, which has since its launch successfully disbursed more than €100 million in support of social and micro companies and entrepreneurs in Italy. The proceeds will also be used to support other relevant initiatives including those focused on young and emerging artists. In addition, UniCredit will look to replace the masterpieces sold with works of young and emerging artists.