Gagosian

The Phillips de Pury auction on Thursday night raked in what once would have come from a single painting. Despite parading out pieces by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Richard Prince, the sale was good for a mere $7 million, with individual lots moving for prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thirty-nine went under the gavel, and eight didn't sell.

The Chelsea auction house lacks the savvy, knowledge and reach of Sotheby's and Christie's, so it had to lean on British art collector Charles Saatchi, who has agreed to complete most of his transactions through Phillips de Pury. In trade, subsidies from the auction house help keep access to Saatchi's gallery free.

Roughly a dozen of the lots came from Saatchi, while the others are said to have been rejected by Sotheby's and Christie's. In general, the pieces were "pretty skimpy," according to Manhattan art dealer Edward Tyler Nahem, who observes that the auction house "did pretty well with what they had."

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was the top seller, with her painting "Infinity Nets (T.W.A.)" busting past its high-end presale estimate of $400,000 and settling at $842,500 (including fees). Kusama's performance follows a well-hyped exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery this year.

November 2008 was pure living hell for the art auction houses. The bottom had just fallen out of the market ... and they were still saddled with pieces for which they'd offer guaranteed minimums. This is exactly what happened with Roy Lichtenstein's "Half Face with Collar."

The 48 square inch painting went under the gavel at Sotheby's almost a year ago, with the seller, Italian art dealer and collector Gian Enzo Sperone, protected by a $15 million minimum by the house. Now, it's on display at FIAC, right next to Andy Warhol's "Green Disaster," in the Projet Moderne section.

For many, the question of who owns the Lichtenstein painting has been raised. Is the fact that it's hanging as an entry from the Gagosian Gallery meaningful? A source at FIAC tells Bloomberg News that it is: "Larry owns it and it's definitely for sale."

It would be poetic, of course, for the piece to fetch the $15 million it failed to reach last November, but for now, all we can do is wait for the result (if any).

The time to grow is when the market is suffering. This must be in the back of the mind of art market guru Larry Gagosian, who has been involved with such heavy-hitter artists as Damien Hirst and Richard Prince. While there are small signs of a recovery, much is still uncertain. However, this hasn't stopped Gagosian from making a bold move: opening a branch of the Gagosian Gallery in Paris.

Bloomberg News reports that Gagosian is in talks to pick up space in the 8th arrondissement, near la rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Nobody from the Gagosian camp has commented so far.

There are plenty of deep-pocketed art collectors in Paris, including Francois and Bernard Arnault, and the French market hasn't suffered as severely as those in London and New York. That said, Paris is the smallest of the western troika, but with a presence in the two largest markets already, the French capital was the next logical step.

Waring Hopkins, director of modern art specialist Hopkins-Custot – which is located in what is likely to become Gagosian's back yard – observed to Bloomberg, "Gagosian would instantly become one of the most important dealers in Paris," and that setting up shop in Paris "would be good for Gagosian and it would be good for the city."

The market itself is only part of what makes the expansion shrewd. Gagosian can use the space in Paris to show works from contemporary artists represented by competing galleries in New York and London.

New York artist and gallery darling Dash Snow died Tuesday at the age of 27: heroin was the culprit. The hot artist's work lives on at the Saatchi Gallery in London, where his project "Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture" is on display. His work has also been shown in Gagosian Gallery, Deitch Projects and is held in permanent collections at the Whitney and Brooklyn Museum.

Snow has worked in graffiti, photography and even his own semen. Though he has famous roots (Uma Thurman's his aunt), Snow preferred a gritty life on the Lower East Side involving theft, jail time and the narcotic that caused his demise. The world has lost a creative force – but one that was destructive at the same time.

At last night's contemporary art auction, Sotheby's brought in a meager $47 million – down 87 percent from last year's record of $315 million. The auction house wasn't even able to reach its low estimate for this year of $51.8million. Need some perspective? Last year's Francis Bacon triptych sold for 84 percent more (at $86.3 million) than all the lots purchased at last night's event.

The top sale last night was a blue and pink egg by Jeff Koons, measuring seven feet in width. At $5.5 million, it didn't even reach its estimate, which ranged from $6 million to $8 million. Last June, his pink "Balloon Flower (Magenta)" went for $25.7 million at a Christie's auction in London. Interestingly, art dealer Larry Gagosian was the buyer, though it's unclear if he bought it for himself or a client. Gagosian sold the egg back in 2004.

In general, buyers were in short supply, with most bidders choosing to remain on the sidelines. But, there is a sense that good works sold at fair prices ... unless you were one of the sellers, I imagine. Art market analysts, dealers and critics sought to find a silver lining, calling successes what would have been failures in previous years (such as the Koons egg price).

The shrinking pool of buyers reflected the artwork available. The number of lots offered at Sotheby's last night was down 42 percent, from 48 to 83. Only 81 percent – 39 – were sold.

Tonight, it's Christie's turn. Fifty-four contemporary pieces are set to come under the gavel, with total estimates ranging from $71.5 million to $104.5 million (not including commissions).

The only fingers not crossed, most likely, belong to bargain-hunters.

Imagining inheriting more than a billion dollars worth in fine art. Sounds pretty nice right? Until you have to pay the taxes on that. The NY Times reports that the heirs of the legendary dealer Ileana Sonnabend have sold around $600 million worth of paintings and sculptures in a pair of private deals to cover their estate taxes. Works sold include pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, whose Rabbit sculpture, shown at right was part of the deal. Ms. Sonnabend died last October at the age of 92 and all the big auction houses and dealers have been clamoring for the honor of selling off her impressive collection.

The names the people who bought the art have not been revealed but insiders say that GPS Partners, dealers Franck Giraud, Lionel Pissarro and Philippe Ségalot bought $400 million worth of art on behalf of several clients and that a second group of just Andy Warhols was sold to the Gagosian Gallery for $200 million. It is assumed that GPS Partners and Larry Gagosian will then sell some of the works to many of the world's top collectors.

Sonnabend's heirs, her son and daughter, will try to hold on to as much of the collection as they can including Robert Rauschenberg's 1959 "Canyon" which cannot be sold because it features a stuffed bald eagle and that would violate the federal prohibition on trafficking in endangered species.

[Thanks, Lana]