Will Modigliani’s Nude Painting be One of the Most Expensive Paintings at Auction?

Modigliani’s Nu couché (sur le côté gauche) has already set an auction record before it is sold at auction. Carrying the highest estimate ever placed on a work of art, the painting is expected to fetch in excess of US$150m. If it meets the price mark, the painting is going to be one of the four most expensive paintings sold at auction.  

Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)


Here are several possible scenarios if Nu couché is successfully sold at Sotheby’s New York. If the painting is hammered down for a price slightly lower than its estimate, let say US$130m. The price realized will reach US$146m with premium included, taking over Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud in the fourth place.

Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud


Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud last sold for US$142m with premium included at Christie’s New York in 2013. The buyer is believed to be Elaine Wynn, who co-founded Mirage Resorts and Wynn Resorts with her former husband, Steve Wynn.

Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu couché


If the hammer price is slightly higher than US$150m, let say US$ 155m. The final price sold will be US$175m, outstripping another Modigliani’s Nu couché, which is currently the third most expensive painting. At Christie’s New York in 2015, the painting sold for US$170m with buyer’s premium to Shanghainese collector Li Yiqian.  

Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O)


In an ideal case, the painting is hammered down for US$160m or higher, and the price realized will be higher than US$180m. It will surpass Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O) to be the second most expensive painting. Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O) last sold at Christie’s New York in 2015 for US$179m with buyer’s premium. The buyer is believed to be Hamad bin Jassim, the former Prime Minister of Qatar.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi


Ranking on the top is Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, the only Da Vinci’s painting in private hands. It sold for record-smashing US$450m last year at Christie’s, making headlines around the world. This record is likely to stay here for quite a while.

 

Five Most Expensive Works of Art at Auction

1st |Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Salvator Mundi.

Auction house: Christie’s New York
Auction date: 2017/11/15
Buyer: Abu Dhabi
Price realized: US$450,312,500

2nd |Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O).

Auction house: Christie’s New York
Auction date: 2015/5/11
Buyer (believed to be): Hamad bin Jassim
Selling price: US$179,365,000

3rd |Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920). Nu couché.

Auction house: Christie’s New York
Auction date: 2015/11/9
Buyer: Liu Yiqian
Selling price: US$170,405,000

4th |Francis Bacon (1909-1992). Three Studies of Lucian Freud.

Auction house: Christie’s New York
Auction date: 2013/11/12
Buyer (believed to be): Elaine Wynn
Selling price: US$142,405,000

5th|Edvard Munch (1863-1944). The Scream.

Auction house: Sotheby’s New York
Auction date: 2012/5/2
Buyer (believed to be): Leon Black
Selling price: US$119,922,600

 

Work of Art with the Highest Estimate

Amedeo Modigliani. Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)

Lot no.: 18
Created in: 1917
Size: 89.5 x 146.7cm
Provenance:

  • Léopold Zborowski, Paris (acquired from the artist)
  • Jonas Netter, Paris (acquired by 1926)
  • Private Collection, Paris (by descent from the above)
  • Private Collection, United States (acquired from the above and sold: Christie’s, New York, November 4, 2003, lot 29)
  • Acquired at the above sale

Estimate: US$150,000,000

 

Auction details

Auction house: Sotheby's New York
Sale: Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale
Lots offered: 46
Viewing:
2018/5/4 - 5|10am - 5pm
2018/5/6|1pm - 5pm
2018/5/7 - 12|10am - 5pm
2018/5/13|1pm - 5pm
2018/5/14|10am - 1pm
Auction: 2018/5/14|7pm