Sotheby’s and Christie’s: $375 and $412 million

In display Mark Rothko’s “No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue),” 1954 sold for $75.1 million

The 13 November Evening Auction of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s totaled $375,149,000, the best auction result in any category in the Company’s history (est. $277/374 million). The sale was 84% sold-by-lot and was led by Mark Rothko’s No.1 (Royal Red and Blue), which sold for $75,122,500 (est. $35/50 million). Artist records were set for Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann, Arshile Gorky, Robert Motherwell, and Wade Guyton, as well as for a work-on-paper by Andy Warhol and a painting by Takashi Murakami. See lots

And 14 November, Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art sale became the most valuable auction ever in the category, at $412,253,100 (£259,719,453/ €321,557,418). Bidders from around the world convened in the saleroom to compete for the sale’s exceptional roster of works by the top artists of the category, including Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, Jean Michel Basquiat, Mark Rothko, Jeff Koons, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. Eight new auction records were established, 11 works sold for over $10 million, 16 for over $5 million and 56 for over $1 million. The sale was 93% sold by value and 92% sold by lot. See lots

Blouin Artinfo – Sotheby’s Scores Its Biggest Night Ever With a Smashing $375-Million Auction

Mutual Art – Two Weeks, $1 Billion in Art