Henry Moore sculpture fetches record-breaking £3.9m at New York sale
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A giant work made by the artist Henry Moore when he was in his seventies broke a world record for British sculptures when it sold for almost £3.9m.
The work, Three Piece Reclining Figure: Draped, beat its pre-sale estimate of £3.1m at Christie's Rockefeller Centre headquarters in New York on Tuesday. The sale broke a record previously set by Moore, when two of his pieces sold for £2.6m.
Three Piece Reclining Figure, which is 15 feet long, was conceived in 1975. It was first owned by the Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire and displayed at the courts of justice in Luxembourg. A private buyer acquired it in 1997.
Christopher Eykyn, co-head of Christie's Impressionists and modern art department, said interest in sculpture had risen significantly in recent years, partly because of the number of collectors developing sculpture gardens. He said of Moore: "He's very accessible to many of today's collectors, because he manages a very successful blend of the figurative and the abstract. He appeals not only to buyers of classic modern art, but also to collectors of postwar and contemporary art. He's a modernist with very much a traditional grounding."
Two other Henry Moores in the New York auction were sold for considerably above their estimates.
Anita Feldman Bennet, curator of the Henry Moore Foundation in Britain, added that there was a particular demand for his large outdoor pieces.
"As soon as you reach a certain size where they are large and secure enough to safely go outdoors, they tend to really escalate in price," she said.
Moore, who died in 1986, became fascinated in the early 1960s with the possibilities of separating the elements of a person reclining and Three Piece Reclining Figure showed he was still experimenting with the idea well into his later years.
The sale in New York of Impressionist and Modern art works made £73m. A world-record price was reached for Leger, whose Cubist masterpiece, La Femme en Rouge et Vert, made more than £14m.
A reclining nude by Modigliani was sold for nearly £17m to an anonymous bidder.
Three works by Van Gogh made more than £15m and a Monet was sold for £2.6m to a private American buyer.
Christopher Burge, the honorary chairman of Christie's Americas, said: "The sale was among the best I've seen in several years. Overall the market is strong both in terms of vendors and the buying audience."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments