Christie's Tops Sotheby's in Monster Week for Auction Sales

(Bloomberg) -- Christie’s beat out rival Sotheby’s in a billion-dollar week for both auction houses, thanks in part to eight-figure sales by bold-faced artists.

Christie’s sold $1.1 billion in art this past week, while Sotheby’s moved $835 million of art, plus more in jewelry and watches, according to press releases from both companies.

The Christie’s haul was padded by the $90.3 million sale of David Hockney’s “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” -- who eclipsed Jeff Koons as the most expensive living artist to sell at auction. A new record for American art was also set by the company with the $92 million sale of Edward Hopper’s “Chop Suey.”

Billionaire currency trader Joe Lewis was the seller of the Hockney. The Hopper came from the collection of deceased businessman Barney A. Ebsworth. The buyers weren’t disclosed.

The highlight at Sotheby’s was the sale of a pearl and diamond necklace once owned by Marie Antoinette. The jewels sold for $36.2 million. The auction house said it’s had a 15 percent increase over last year in sales of impressionist, modern and contemporary works.

Phillips, a smaller auction house, announced $88.5 million of sales, with works from Joan Miro, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat bringing in the largest sums.

--With assistance from Katya Kazakina.

To contact the reporter on this story: Caleb Melby in New York at cmelby@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, James Ludden

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