This December the traditional European sculpture sale in the Old Masters Week will include important 19th and 20th century sculpture for the first time.

The merger of these two fields adds to a sale which was already unique to the auction world for its focus on European sculpture and an exciting array of marbles, bronzes, and terracottas including work by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Antoine-Louis Barye and Alfred Boucher. They join a fine selection of older objects from one of the most diverse collecting fields handled by Sotheby’s. Besides sculpture, it encompasses works of art ranging from Romanesque metalwork, to exotic Kunstkammer objects and fine caskets and small cabinets.

Featured in the sale will be a large, exceedingly important, limewood figure of St John by the Master of the Harburger Altar offered on behalf of the Oppenheimer Estate, a Baroque set of four lively terracotta putti representing the Senses dated 1733, and an elaborate rock crystal tazza once owned by the Archbishop of Mainz.

19th-century highlights include an exquisitely carved marble seated nude by Alfred Boucher and Giovanni Battista Lombardi’s fine marble figure of Ruth.

Sotheby’s Paris is pleased to announce this next Regards sur l’Orient sale on November 16th.
This sale will offer a group of ten distinguished paintings by Jacques Majorelle: several market scenes, a testimony of the artist journeys in Africa, revealing a taste for acid shades contrasting with dark skin tones. Nudes show the artist’s fascination for African beauties and spectacular crowd scenes in Marrakech complete this nice group.

A brilliant example of Belgian Africanist painting, Fernand Allard-Olivier’s Le fou du chef shows a traditional scene observed in Belgian Congo. A rare and charming Oriental woman, by Frederic Arthur Bridgman with her captivating look and her elegant oufit makes her one of the highlights of this sale. The painting cession also includes major works by Jose Cruz Herrera and Roubtzoff and lovely landscapes by Henri Pontoy, Eugène Deshayes and Delahogue.

The sale will also include a group of modern turkish paintings from French Private collections acquired directly from the artists in the 60’s and 70’s.  Amongst this group, we are offering Important works by Orhan Peker, Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu and Fikret Moualla. the last section will be dedicated to ottoman works of art.

A stellar cast of Post-war artists headlines this evening sale in Paris which includes works by Jean Dubuffet, Antonio Saura and Vieira da Silva. Having smashed the record for a Soulages painting in May 2011, the sale will offer three strong artworks of different periods, from the historic 1950s to the Outrenoir series. In addition, Sotheby’s Paris is honored to present three works coming from the Art Institute of Chicago: a rare Atlan painting, the iconic Ogre by Germaine Richier and an Hourloupe Mask by Jean Dubuffet.

Beside a group of beautiful works by Chu The Chun and a Zao Wou Ki painting, Walking Up Language by Huang Young Ping will bring a sculpture of the artist for the first time at auction in France.  Having broken the record in France for a work by Martial Raysse last May, the sale will also features L’Astronaute, 1963 which shows the artist’s passion for Modernity and new technologies transferred into new techniques of creation.  Paris is also the place for international artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose MP large painting can be seen as a self-portrait.

This panoramic journey through the Postwar and Contemporary schools is followed by a day sale, containing significant artworks by Nicolas de Staël, Geer Van Velde, Hartung, Arman, César, but also Mitchell, Murakami, Valdes, Yan Pei Ming and Barcelo.