Standing 8ft 10in (2.69m) high, the bronze came fresh to the market having been acquired by the vendor from dealers Marlborough Fine Art in New York back in 1982. Estimated £2m-3m, it drew a number of bidders before it was knocked down at £3.2m to a telephone buyer.
Conceived in 1970, Parent 1 forms part of a group of nine sculptures with the collective title of The Family of Man (four editions of the group were cast). Billed as “crowning achievement of Hepworth’s final years”, a complete set has recently been restored at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and now graces the scenic hillside in West Bretton once again.
‘Anemones in a glass jar’ by Christopher Wood – £320,000 at Sotheby’s.
One of the most strongly contested lots in the sale was Christopher Wood’s Anemones in a glass jar, a pencil and oil on canvas from 1925. Bought by the vendor from Crane Kalman Gallery in London in 1984, it appeared here with a £70,000-100,000 estimate.
Subject to a prolonged competition, it was eventually knocked down at £320,000 to a telephone buyer, a price that was only behind the £340,000 fetched by Wood’s view of Treboul Harbour in Brittany that sold at Sotheby’s in June 2003. However, due to the rise in buyer’s premium over the intervening period, the auctioneers were able to claim an auction record for the artist.
‘Shelter Drawing’ by Henry Moore – £165,000 at Sotheby’s.
The Sotheby’s sale opened with five works from the collection of Lord and Lady Attenborough which included a Henry Moore Shelter Drawing from 1942. The pencil, watercolour, wax crayon, pen and ink on paper drew decent interest against a £150,000-250,000 estimate and was knocked down at £165,000.
This evening’s sale followed the ‘White Glove’ auction of Picasso ceramics from the Attenboroughs’ collection earlier in the day. With all 67 lots finding buyers, they raised a combined £3.08m (including premium). More works from the Attenboroughs’ art collection will be offered at Sotheby’s Modern British art sale day sale tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Christie’s Modern British art sales in London also kicked off today with the second part of the collection of the late dealer Leslie Waddington. Raising £1.22m (including premium), the sum generated here added to the £28.3m from the ‘Part I’ auction held last month during London’s Frieze week.
