Sotheby's - Auctioned Artwork

Auctioned Artwork

Sotheby's holds a number of world records for auctioned works of art. The following monetary values are given in United States dollars.

On 22 May 2002, Norman Rockwell's painting of Rosie the Riveter was sold for $ 4.96 million.
On 3 May 2006, Sotheby's auctioned Pablo Picasso's Dora Maar au Chat which was sold for $95 million to an undisclosed purchaser, becoming the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction at that time.
On 7 June 2007, a Roman-era bronze sculpture of Artemis and the Stag was sold at Sotheby's by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York for $ 28.6 million, by far exceeding its estimates and setting the new record as the most expensive sculpture as well as work from antiquity ever sold at auction.

Sotheby's holds the world record for most expensive piece of contemporary art ever sold at auction, with Mark Rothko's quintessential 1950 White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), which grossed $ 72.8 million in May 2007 and was famously offered by David Rockefeller as well as the most expensive work sold at auction by a living artist with Damien Hirst's "Lullaby Spring" pill cabinet, which grossed roughly $ 19 million in a June 2007 London sale.
On 6 December 2007, Sotheby's auctioned the Guennol Lioness, a 31⁄₄-inch limestone lion from ancient Mesopotamia. It is thought to be at least 5,000 years old. It was sold for US-$ 57 million, fetching the highest price ever paid for at an auction for a sculpture.
On 15 December 2007, Sotheby's auctioned a limited edition copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, written by J.K. Rowling. Although expected to make just $ 98,350, the book was purchased for a hammer price of $ 3,835,980 by London fine art dealers Hazlitt, Gooden and Fox on behalf of Amazon.com. The novel, which contained children's stories, was originally mentioned in the Harry Potter novel series. J.K. Rowling finished the actual story in late 2007. Only seven copies are in existence, each version unique by its cover. Six were given away as gifts to those close to her, while the remaining "moonstone edition" was sent up for auction with proceeds going to the The Children's Voice charity. Each leather bound copy was hand written and illustrated by J.K. Rowling.
On 19 December 2007, Sotheby’s auctioned a 710 year old copy of the Magna Carta, the last remaining copy in private hands out of the 17 that are known to exist. The copy sold for $ 21.3 million.
On 3 February 2010, the sculpture L'Homme qui marche I by Alberto Giacometti was sold in London for £65 million (US$103.7 million), setting a new world record for a work of art sold at auction.
On 2 May 2012, the painting "The Scream" was sold for $119,922,500 USD
On 12 October 2012, the painting "Abstraktes Bild" by Gerhard Richter was sold for $34,000,000 USD, which set the record for a work by a living artist.