This winter, the Design & Contemporary Art sales in Paris have been remarkably successful, realising a total of €20,057,292. The week started with the Design sale on 29 November, achieving a total €5,637,732, followed the next day by the Contemporary Art Sales. From 25 November to 8 December, La couleur à l’œuvre — Une collection contemporaine, the Art Contemporain Live and Online sales realised a combined total of €16,124,08.

The Design sale achieved an exceptional total of €5,637,732. A ‘Pentagon’ mirror by Line Vautrin, fetched €453,600 — more than double its high estimate — establishing the second highest price for a mirror by the artist and showcasing the growing interest in Vautrin’s work. Top lots of the sale were a mirror by Claude Lalanne, which sold for €978,000, and a ‘Grenouille Fontaine’ by François-Xavier Lalanne, which sold for €504,000. Other highlights of the sale included a table by Jean Royère, which sold for €239,400 and a pair of consoles by Jean-Michel Frank, which sold for €119,700.

On 30 November, La couleur à l’œuvre — Une collection contemporaine achieved €3,709,440. The Contemporary Art sale was led by Lee Ufan’s Dialogue, which sold for €693,000. Other highlights included Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild, which fetched €567,000 and Lucas Arruda’s Untitled (from the Deserto-Modelo series), which doubled its estimate, achieving €252,000.

The Art Contemporain sale on 1st December achieved a total of €10,710,120. Peinture 130 x 92cm, 9 janvier 1989, by Pierre Soulages was the star of the sale, fetching €1,182,000. Peter on the balcony by David Hockney and T1965-H33 by Hans Hartung were also highlights of the sale, selling for €541,800 (10 times its estimate) and €415,800 (four times its estimate) respectively. Finally, Jean Paul Riopelle’s Agreste — 1956 fetched €239,400 (twice its high estimate).

From 25 November to 8 December, the Art Contemporain Online sale had strong results with notably two artworks by Aboudia, selling for €151,200 (three times its estimate) and €138,600 (four times its estimate) respectively. The well-known figures of the contemporary art scene once again seduced collectors and saw their estimates soar; particularly artworks by Niki de Saint Phalle (Les Baigneurs, fetched €94,500), Gerhard Richter (Cage 6 (P19-6), realised €69,300) and Victor Vasarely (Hommage à Malevitch, achieved €69,300).