In London on June 25, Christie’s evening sale dedicated to Modern British and Irish art brought in a total of £18,973,000 ($29.9 million), led by Barbara Hepworth’s bronze Two Forms with White (Greek), conceived in 1963 and cast in 1969, which nearly doubled its £1.8 million ($2.8 million) high estimate to land at £3,106,500 ($4.9 million). Hepworth’s bronze Coré, conceived in marble in 1955 and cast in bronze in 1960, also doubled its £350,000 ($551,000) high estimate when it achieved £698,500 ($1.1 million). Other bronzes included Henry Moore’s Rocking Chair No. 2, conceived in 1950 and cast in an edition of 6, which sold within its £800,000-to-£1,200,000 ($1.3–1.9 million) estimate for £1,034,500 ($1.6 million). Sir Stanley Spencer’s oil painting Hilda and I at Burghclere from 1955 surpassed its £1.8 million ($2.8 million) high estimate when it realized £2,938,500 ($4.6 million). Four auction records were set for Sir Peter Blake, Mark Gertler, Eric Gill and Sir Claude Barry, and the house only failed to sell 8 lots, which resulted in a solid sell through rate by lot of 80 percent. An international pool of participants from 18 countries and five continents sought works at the sale, and “for the second year, this Evening Sale is part of a week of ‘Impressionist & Modern Art’ and ‘Modern British and Irish Art’ auctions at Christie’s London, collectively presenting new and established buyers with opportunities across price levels,” said André Zlattinger in the house’s press release, senior director and head of Modern British Art at Christie’s London. The house’s Modern British and Irish Art Day sale followed on June 26.
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