These Art Basel works sold for millions. Collectors hope for Trump bump
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The Hauser & Wirth gallery at Art Basel, including David Hammons' "Untitled" (right). Courtesy of Art Basel
Art collectors made it rain at Art Basel this year, spending tens of millions on prized pieces in a show of confidence amid slumping sales across the art world.
Why it matters: Basel was the first major art fair after the presidential election and some experts believe President-elect Donald Trump's economic policies could reenergize the market, the New York Times has reported.
What they're saying: Art Basel Miami Beach director Bridget Finn said a "post-election moment" had boosted collectors' confidence, per Zarastro.
- Fair organizers said yesterday that galleries reported "robust demand and outstanding sales."
- Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot said in a statement that Basel felt like the Miami sunshine appearing from behind the clouds of a "dark and nervous season."
Here are some of the top sales reported by reported to the fair by participating galleries:
"Untitled" (2014) by David Hammons sold for $4.75 million. The piece is part of a series of painted canvases hidden by tarps to make fun of expressionism, per Basel.
"Harbor Nurse" by Richard Prince, an inkjet and acrylic painting, sold for $4.5 million.
The oil painting "Regina Terra (#179)" by Mark Ryden sold for $1.5 million.
"Necronom / Alien III" (1990–2005) by the late H.R. Giger sold for $1 million. The menacing sculpture resembles the creature from the movie "Alien," which Giger also created.
"Whispering Wind" by Sam Gilliam also sold for $1 million.
"Untitled" (1984) by Keith Haring sold for $2 million. The large-scale painting features "iconic figures painted in white acrylic on glass," per Basel.
"Triptych for Steven" (1974) by Suzanne Jackson sold for $1.5 million. The painting features birds and flowers with human faces.
Other reported sales:
- $3.5 million for a painting from Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Nets"
- $2.63 million for "Dresdner Frauen - Die Elbe," a sculpture by Georg Baselitz
- $2.5 million for George Condo's "Female Portrait Abstraction"
- $2.3 million for "Everglade (Borealis)," an ink on brass piece by Robert Rauschenberg
- $2.35 million for "Rock Head," a stone and hair sculpture by David Hammons.