A successful evening at Christie's modern British and Irish art auction
Bridget Riley - Gala - 1974William Nicholson - Miss Simpsons Boots - 1919
A painting by Op artist Bridget Riley led Christie's March 2022 auction of modern British and Irish art, with most works achieving prices well above their pre-sale estimates.
Images: Bridget Riley, "Gala" (1974). Acrylic on canvas, 159.7 x 159.7 cm. ·· William Nicholson, "Miss Simpson's Boots" (1919). Oil on canvas, 55 x 59.7cm.
Continuing the strength shown by the art market during the modern and contemporary art auctions earlier this month, Christie's March 2022 auction of modern British and Irish art, while moving in more modest numbers, achieved results well above expectations, including record prices for several artists.
One of these records, and the highest price of the auction, was achieved by "Gala", one of British painter Bridget Riley's (b.1931) characteristic Op Art paintings, which sold for £4.35 million, significantly above its pre-sale estimate of £2.5 million to 3.5 million. "The Croquet Party” by Irish painter John Lavery (1856-1941) also broke the record price for the artist, selling for £2.9m (pre-sale estimate of £1.2 million to £1.8 million).
One of the major protagonists of the auction was the English painter Laurence Stephen "L.S." Lowry (1887-1976), whose "The sea" fetched £2.74 million, well above its pre-sale estimate, as did "The village Street", which sold for almost £2 million. At first glance, it would be hard to believe that both paintings are by the same artist. While "The village Street" is one of Lowry's typical urban scenes (reminiscent in part of his excellent "The Football Match", sold in 2011 for £5.6 million), "The sea" is a serene, monochromatic work with an almost abstract quality.
One of the big surprises of the auction, and another new record price for the artist, was “Miss Simpson's Boots” by Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949), the painter whom Winston Churchill considered his greatest artistic mentor. The simple but intense painting, which had a pre-sale estimate of between £300,000 and £500,000, fetched £1.78 million.

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