1931
See also : Tabletop Picasso 1907-1931 Central and South Americas Sanyu Cats Cars II Cars 1930s Cars 1930-33 US cars Duesenberg Bugatti
1931 The Forbidden Portrait
2018 SOLD for $ 30M including premium
In 1930 Picasso buys Boisgeloup to install a sculpture workshop where he will not disturb the neighbors and which he will use as a nest of love for his young muse Marie-Thérèse, away from peeping eyes. Their affair is secret and Pablo does not take the risk that Olga identifies the girl by his painted portraits of her. With cubist sculpture based on the proportions of volumes, realism is not obvious.
While he waited to stabilize his situation, we can imagine the feverishness of the artist. La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm, is dated January 21, 1931 and June 8, 1931. It is estimated $ 25M for sale by Christie's in New York on November 11, lot 22 A.
The theme of the artwork is not the young woman but her bust in white plaster, seen in profile. The stems and leaves of the philodendron create a pattern like a church window which makes even less easy the identification of the model. The oil lamp hanging from an invisible ceiling provides a moon shaped golden light that can be interpreted as the model's ponytail.
In the months that follow, Picasso is emboldened. On March 8, 1932 Marie-Thérèse introduces herself as a nude sleeper amidst the same statue and plant. The profile of the head becomes recognizable. This painting was sold for $ 106M including premium by Christie's on May 4, 2010.
The next day, March 9, 1932, Picasso painted the same sleeper in the Nu au Fauteuil Noir. The philodendron, symbol of vitality, is still there. The bust has been removed : it is no longer useful beside the real model. This painting was sold for $ 45M including premium by Christie's on November 9, 1999.
While he waited to stabilize his situation, we can imagine the feverishness of the artist. La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm, is dated January 21, 1931 and June 8, 1931. It is estimated $ 25M for sale by Christie's in New York on November 11, lot 22 A.
The theme of the artwork is not the young woman but her bust in white plaster, seen in profile. The stems and leaves of the philodendron create a pattern like a church window which makes even less easy the identification of the model. The oil lamp hanging from an invisible ceiling provides a moon shaped golden light that can be interpreted as the model's ponytail.
In the months that follow, Picasso is emboldened. On March 8, 1932 Marie-Thérèse introduces herself as a nude sleeper amidst the same statue and plant. The profile of the head becomes recognizable. This painting was sold for $ 106M including premium by Christie's on May 4, 2010.
The next day, March 9, 1932, Picasso painted the same sleeper in the Nu au Fauteuil Noir. The philodendron, symbol of vitality, is still there. The bust has been removed : it is no longer useful beside the real model. This painting was sold for $ 45M including premium by Christie's on November 9, 1999.
1931 The Trusting Leopard
2017 SOLD for HK$ 80M including premium
Born in a family of wealthy silk industrialists, Sanyu had early skills for black ink and calligraphy. He developed his personal art in Paris by drawing the nude bodies of the women with a minimalist undulating line that accentuated the erotic invitation.
Supported by Henri-Pierre Roché from 1929 to 1932, Sanyu perfected his oil painting, experienced the drypoint engraving and found other themes.
On September 30 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1018Léopard, an oil on canvas 93 x 116 cm painted in 1931 which had originally belonged to Roché. The near life size leopard is sketched by the white lines delineating the body and by the circles of the spots in a figure that hardly stands out from a black background interspersed with irregular white stripes.
The four legs and the tail upwards, the wild animal offers its belly in the attitude of a trusting cat requesting a caress. At that time of crisis when financial difficulties arise for Sanyu, this artwork transposes his desire for a cosy well-being.
Accumulating the originality of the camouflaged line, the large size, the attitude of joy, the joint inspiration from classical China and modern Art Déco and the minimalism of black and white, this nice feline has few equivalents in the art of Sanyu. The auction house does not reveal the estimate.
Please watch the short video shared by Sotheby's.
Supported by Henri-Pierre Roché from 1929 to 1932, Sanyu perfected his oil painting, experienced the drypoint engraving and found other themes.
On September 30 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1018Léopard, an oil on canvas 93 x 116 cm painted in 1931 which had originally belonged to Roché. The near life size leopard is sketched by the white lines delineating the body and by the circles of the spots in a figure that hardly stands out from a black background interspersed with irregular white stripes.
The four legs and the tail upwards, the wild animal offers its belly in the attitude of a trusting cat requesting a caress. At that time of crisis when financial difficulties arise for Sanyu, this artwork transposes his desire for a cosy well-being.
Accumulating the originality of the camouflaged line, the large size, the attitude of joy, the joint inspiration from classical China and modern Art Déco and the minimalism of black and white, this nice feline has few equivalents in the art of Sanyu. The auction house does not reveal the estimate.
Please watch the short video shared by Sotheby's.
1931 The Long Wheelbase Duesenberg
2011 SOLD 10.3 M$ including premium
Captain Whittell was an exuberant American who had preserved his immense fortune by selling his shares just a few days before the financial crash of 1929. Such a character would have some Duesenbergs: he owned no less than six model J's.
At that time, customers bought the chassis and selected the body shop. The choice was great, which gives an infinite variety to Duesenberg vehicles.
The high end was the lengthened Model J chassis (long wheelbase). This huge machine 3.90 m long exceeded by 30 cm the standard (short wheelbase) Model J.
Whittell bought a long wheelbase in 1931 and made it equipped as a coupe by the stylist Franklin Hershey. The result is a surprising example of American Art Deco, including a folding roof that makes this car look like a convertible. The general shape is aerodynamic, anticipating the trend of the automotive design of the later 1930s.
It comes in the sale held in Pebble Beach on 20 and 21 August by Gooding. Totaling less than 20,000 km, it is in perfect working order.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold $ 10.3 million including premium, this car has certainly exceeded the most optimistic hopes. The press release issued before sale had been particularly enthusiastic.
At that time, customers bought the chassis and selected the body shop. The choice was great, which gives an infinite variety to Duesenberg vehicles.
The high end was the lengthened Model J chassis (long wheelbase). This huge machine 3.90 m long exceeded by 30 cm the standard (short wheelbase) Model J.
Whittell bought a long wheelbase in 1931 and made it equipped as a coupe by the stylist Franklin Hershey. The result is a surprising example of American Art Deco, including a folding roof that makes this car look like a convertible. The general shape is aerodynamic, anticipating the trend of the automotive design of the later 1930s.
It comes in the sale held in Pebble Beach on 20 and 21 August by Gooding. Totaling less than 20,000 km, it is in perfect working order.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold $ 10.3 million including premium, this car has certainly exceeded the most optimistic hopes. The press release issued before sale had been particularly enthusiastic.
1931 Mexican Revolution in New York City
2018 SOLD for $ 9.8M including premium
The Mexican muralism was born in 1921 from an observation by Vasconcelos : the people are mostly illiterate but the public image can be as suitable as a writing for propagating the fervor of the Revolution. Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros and Tamayo create a new art adapted to the socialist ideas.
Out of standards in every meaning of that wording, Diego Rivera is uncompromising. His artistic message is communist and anticlerical and he will not change it even under the pressure generated by his provocations.
In New York City, Abby Rockefeller begins in 1925 a collection of modern European art which is not so much supported by her husband but she moves forward. The creation of the Museum of Modern Art in 1929 comes mainly from her personal initiative. She multiplies the actions, including a first solo exhibition which is dedicated to Matisse.
Mexican art shows mostly the people, even if they are confronted with the abuses from the bourgeoisie. Abby, who was also collecting folk art, devotes the second solo exhibition of the MoMA to Rivera in 1931. The thunderous artist had been accused of anti-Soviet activities while working in Moscow and the Mexican Communist Party had fired him. Some recent activities in California showed his interest to the United States.
John D. Rockefeller Jr, Abby's husband, does not see the political trap. In 1933 he commissions some murals for the Rockefeller Center to Rivera. Without warning, Rivera introduces into the picture a portrait of Lenin and categorically refuses to withdraw it despite an attempted negotiation by the young Nelson Rockefeller. The fresco is scrapped but Rivera has achieved his goal of ridiculing the capitalists.
With the invitation of 1931 Abby Rockefeller had commissioned an artwork to Rivera. He completed it during the boat journey to New York. The Rivals, oil on canvas 152 x 127 cm, is about a celebration in Oaxaca. The composition is animated at various distances by groups of characters in traditional clothing, with the shimmering exotic colors that pleased Abby.
The Rivals was given as a wedding present to David and Peggy Rockefeller in 1941. It is estimated $ 5M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 9, lot 424.
Out of standards in every meaning of that wording, Diego Rivera is uncompromising. His artistic message is communist and anticlerical and he will not change it even under the pressure generated by his provocations.
In New York City, Abby Rockefeller begins in 1925 a collection of modern European art which is not so much supported by her husband but she moves forward. The creation of the Museum of Modern Art in 1929 comes mainly from her personal initiative. She multiplies the actions, including a first solo exhibition which is dedicated to Matisse.
Mexican art shows mostly the people, even if they are confronted with the abuses from the bourgeoisie. Abby, who was also collecting folk art, devotes the second solo exhibition of the MoMA to Rivera in 1931. The thunderous artist had been accused of anti-Soviet activities while working in Moscow and the Mexican Communist Party had fired him. Some recent activities in California showed his interest to the United States.
John D. Rockefeller Jr, Abby's husband, does not see the political trap. In 1933 he commissions some murals for the Rockefeller Center to Rivera. Without warning, Rivera introduces into the picture a portrait of Lenin and categorically refuses to withdraw it despite an attempted negotiation by the young Nelson Rockefeller. The fresco is scrapped but Rivera has achieved his goal of ridiculing the capitalists.
With the invitation of 1931 Abby Rockefeller had commissioned an artwork to Rivera. He completed it during the boat journey to New York. The Rivals, oil on canvas 152 x 127 cm, is about a celebration in Oaxaca. The composition is animated at various distances by groups of characters in traditional clothing, with the shimmering exotic colors that pleased Abby.
The Rivals was given as a wedding present to David and Peggy Rockefeller in 1941. It is estimated $ 5M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 9, lot 424.
1931 Early Sleeping
2020 SOLD for £ 7.3M including premium
Matisse had his muses whom he liked to dress as odalisques, with the approval of his family. Picasso cannot do less, but he must take Olga's jealousy into account. It is certainly no coincidence that he finds a blonde girl whose purity of facial lines matches his own canon of beauty.
The new goddess is too young, and the year they first met remains controversial. It is however attested that some portraits painted in 1926, with the face mainly in the shade to avoid identification, already represent Marie-Thérèse Walter.
Picasso waits for this beauty to finish blossoming. He cultivates Marie-Thérèse like a potted plant and barely manages to restrain his amorous impulses. She is innocent and believes that her kindness will be enough to keep their relationship going.
The installation by Picasso in 1930 of a secondary workshop in Boisgeloup is a turning point in his career. He gives priority to the sculpture of busts of Marie-Thérèse, available full time during their secret stays. It is no coincidence that La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm begun at Boisgeloup on January 21, 1931, does not display a woman's head but a sculptural bust.
For Picasso, the 1920s had begun with a return to classicism. He has not forgotten that he is a very good draftsman. On July 28 in London, Sotheby's sells Femme Endormie, charcoal on primed canvas 46 x 61 cm executed on February 4, 1931, lot 14 estimated £ 6M. This rare technique makes it possible to associate with the delicacy of the line the shadows in grisaille enhanced by the texture of the canvas. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This realistic and sensitive work is undoubtedly a study from which Picasso can design the future paintings of his favorite sleeper. It was not exhibited during his lifetime and was included in his estate.
The new goddess is too young, and the year they first met remains controversial. It is however attested that some portraits painted in 1926, with the face mainly in the shade to avoid identification, already represent Marie-Thérèse Walter.
Picasso waits for this beauty to finish blossoming. He cultivates Marie-Thérèse like a potted plant and barely manages to restrain his amorous impulses. She is innocent and believes that her kindness will be enough to keep their relationship going.
The installation by Picasso in 1930 of a secondary workshop in Boisgeloup is a turning point in his career. He gives priority to the sculpture of busts of Marie-Thérèse, available full time during their secret stays. It is no coincidence that La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm begun at Boisgeloup on January 21, 1931, does not display a woman's head but a sculptural bust.
For Picasso, the 1920s had begun with a return to classicism. He has not forgotten that he is a very good draftsman. On July 28 in London, Sotheby's sells Femme Endormie, charcoal on primed canvas 46 x 61 cm executed on February 4, 1931, lot 14 estimated £ 6M. This rare technique makes it possible to associate with the delicacy of the line the shadows in grisaille enhanced by the texture of the canvas. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This realistic and sensitive work is undoubtedly a study from which Picasso can design the future paintings of his favorite sleeper. It was not exhibited during his lifetime and was included in his estate.
1931 The Sacred Mountain of Georgia O'Keeffe
2018 SOLD for $ 8.4M including premium
The art by Georgia O'Keeffe explores new paths. She begins by being a pioneer of abstract art but that does not satisfy her. This daughter of a dairy farmer from Wisconsin wants to be close to nature. She develops two opposing themes during her stays in Lake George, both in architectural compositions : the grand landscape and the intimate detail of the flower.
During a tour of the west Rebecca Strand has an intuition : her friend Georgia will be able to express the wild power of the rolling hills of New Mexico. In 1929 the two women leave New York City and their husbands for a first long stay in Taos where they will return for several consecutive summers.
Georgia is immediately seduced by these pure landscapes that are not soiled by vegetation. In a spontaneously Humboldtian vision, she finds the biomorphic dimension of these dry lands flooded by sunlight.
Her first paintings in Taos highlight this formal discovery without altering the colors. On the Old Santa Fe Road, oil on canvas 41 x 76 cm painted in 1930-1931, was sold for $ 5.1M including premium by Sotheby's on November 20, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 2M.
In a style of similar purity a view of sandy hills near Taos, oil on canvas laid down on board 45 x 61 cm painted in 1929, is estimated $ 2M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 9, lot 406 .
In the same sale the lot 404 estimated $ 3M is a panoramic view of the mountain range near Abiquiu, oil on canvas 41 x 91 cm painted in 1931. Returning later Georgia is so delighted that she will install permanently in this site. She will say with a great deal of humor : "It's my private mountain, it belongs to me, God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it".
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
Near Abiquiu : $ 8.4M
Near Taos : $ 2.65M
During a tour of the west Rebecca Strand has an intuition : her friend Georgia will be able to express the wild power of the rolling hills of New Mexico. In 1929 the two women leave New York City and their husbands for a first long stay in Taos where they will return for several consecutive summers.
Georgia is immediately seduced by these pure landscapes that are not soiled by vegetation. In a spontaneously Humboldtian vision, she finds the biomorphic dimension of these dry lands flooded by sunlight.
Her first paintings in Taos highlight this formal discovery without altering the colors. On the Old Santa Fe Road, oil on canvas 41 x 76 cm painted in 1930-1931, was sold for $ 5.1M including premium by Sotheby's on November 20, 2014 over a lower estimate of $ 2M.
In a style of similar purity a view of sandy hills near Taos, oil on canvas laid down on board 45 x 61 cm painted in 1929, is estimated $ 2M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 9, lot 406 .
In the same sale the lot 404 estimated $ 3M is a panoramic view of the mountain range near Abiquiu, oil on canvas 41 x 91 cm painted in 1931. Returning later Georgia is so delighted that she will install permanently in this site. She will say with a great deal of humor : "It's my private mountain, it belongs to me, God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it".
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
Near Abiquiu : $ 8.4M
Near Taos : $ 2.65M
1931 Bugatti 41 La Royale coachworked by Kellner
1987 SOLD 5.5 M£ including premium by Christie's
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Arnaud 25 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
1931 Pink Chrysanthemums in a White Vase
2017 SOLD for HK$ 55M including premium by Poly
1931 Bouquets in Montparnasse
2017 SOLD for HK$ 51M including premium
During his studies at La Grande Chaumière, Sanyu tirelessly took sketches from the naked bodies of women. Despite his very good understanding of both Asian and Western arts, his approach was highly original : the emotion can come from the balance between the surfaces delimited by the lines. Figurative details, proportions and perspectives are subsidiary. Cézanne was right : art cannot copy nature.
The meeting with the flamboyant collector Henri-Pierre Roché in 1929 is decisive for Sanyu. A friend of Leo and Gertrude Stein, Roché plays a role of discoverer of talents in the avant-garde communities of Montparnasse. He promises Sanyu to buy him all his future works.
Liberated from material constraints, the young Chinese gives free impulse to his creativity. He adds colors according to Roché's recommendation to practice the oil painting. With this technique then new for him, Sanyu explores other artistic possibilities in a three centuries old theme : the bouquet of flowers in a vase.
Once again Sanyu goes against all the artistic conventions. His colors are very little contrasting either in pastel or dark hues. His favorite color is pink in a similarity between still life and nude that could have led him to the abstract expressionism. The vase is reduced to its outline without color and texture.
On November 22, 2014 in Hong Kong, Christie's sold for HK $ 47M including premium a Bouquet de roses dans un vase blanc, oil on canvas 81 x 50 cm dated April 10, 1931. The vase draws attention only by a slight angular tilting. A better visibility on the leaves than on the flowers is in opposition with all the academics.
On November 25 in the same auction house, a Bouquet de marguerites dated January 1931 is estimated HK $ 50M, lot 21.
This oil on canvas 81 x 45 cm appears as a bold study of asymmetry. The white edges at bottom and right simulate a window that decenters the vase in an optical trick. The flowers are in two groups separated by bare stems. The upper group leaning to the left is counterbalanced by the distribution of the flowers below it. In this composition without perspective the stylized vase is either posed or floating.
The meeting with the flamboyant collector Henri-Pierre Roché in 1929 is decisive for Sanyu. A friend of Leo and Gertrude Stein, Roché plays a role of discoverer of talents in the avant-garde communities of Montparnasse. He promises Sanyu to buy him all his future works.
Liberated from material constraints, the young Chinese gives free impulse to his creativity. He adds colors according to Roché's recommendation to practice the oil painting. With this technique then new for him, Sanyu explores other artistic possibilities in a three centuries old theme : the bouquet of flowers in a vase.
Once again Sanyu goes against all the artistic conventions. His colors are very little contrasting either in pastel or dark hues. His favorite color is pink in a similarity between still life and nude that could have led him to the abstract expressionism. The vase is reduced to its outline without color and texture.
On November 22, 2014 in Hong Kong, Christie's sold for HK $ 47M including premium a Bouquet de roses dans un vase blanc, oil on canvas 81 x 50 cm dated April 10, 1931. The vase draws attention only by a slight angular tilting. A better visibility on the leaves than on the flowers is in opposition with all the academics.
On November 25 in the same auction house, a Bouquet de marguerites dated January 1931 is estimated HK $ 50M, lot 21.
This oil on canvas 81 x 45 cm appears as a bold study of asymmetry. The white edges at bottom and right simulate a window that decenters the vase in an optical trick. The flowers are in two groups separated by bare stems. The upper group leaning to the left is counterbalanced by the distribution of the flowers below it. In this composition without perspective the stylized vase is either posed or floating.
1931 From Pink Shell by O'Keeffe
2020 SOLD for $ 5.1M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1931 Bentley was too fast
2013 SOLD 4.6 M$ including premium
A new era began in 1926 for Bentley Motors when Barnato acquired the financial control of that British brand of luxury cars created in 1919.
For sport and specially to win at Le Mans, two concepts were clashing. The founder W.O. Bentley is in favor of huge engines like his 6 1/2 liter model to get more power by an extension of the mechanical movements.
Pushed by the flamboyant team of the Bentley Boys, Barnato prefers overloading the engine of the 4 1/2 liter model. So starts the Blower Bentley in 1929. Unfortunately the new car, capable of outstanding speed performance, is not yet reliable enough to win endurance races.
A Blower Bentley manufactured in 1931 is estimated $ 4M, for sale by Bonhams at Quail Lodge (Carmel) on August 16. Here is the link to the catalog.
Its outstanding feature is its original Le Mans-type chassis, consistent with the rules of the time for this endurance race. Its original bodywork had been made by Vanden Plas also in a Le Mans configuration. It was replaced in 1938, probably due to wear, with a nice Brooklands-type racing body with which it is still equipped today.
Bentley was too fast. The Blower had not won at Le Mans against the other models of the brand. The Blower Bentley for sale was one of the last to carry the hopes of this model that the crisis was to wipe out: in 1931, Bentley was bought by Rolls-Royce.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result is consistent with the expectation for this interesting Bentley: $ 4.6M including premium.
For sport and specially to win at Le Mans, two concepts were clashing. The founder W.O. Bentley is in favor of huge engines like his 6 1/2 liter model to get more power by an extension of the mechanical movements.
Pushed by the flamboyant team of the Bentley Boys, Barnato prefers overloading the engine of the 4 1/2 liter model. So starts the Blower Bentley in 1929. Unfortunately the new car, capable of outstanding speed performance, is not yet reliable enough to win endurance races.
A Blower Bentley manufactured in 1931 is estimated $ 4M, for sale by Bonhams at Quail Lodge (Carmel) on August 16. Here is the link to the catalog.
Its outstanding feature is its original Le Mans-type chassis, consistent with the rules of the time for this endurance race. Its original bodywork had been made by Vanden Plas also in a Le Mans configuration. It was replaced in 1938, probably due to wear, with a nice Brooklands-type racing body with which it is still equipped today.
Bentley was too fast. The Blower had not won at Le Mans against the other models of the brand. The Blower Bentley for sale was one of the last to carry the hopes of this model that the crisis was to wipe out: in 1931, Bentley was bought by Rolls-Royce.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result is consistent with the expectation for this interesting Bentley: $ 4.6M including premium.
1931 The Ideal Bentley according to Barnato
2007 SOLD 4.5 M$ including premium by Gooding
2012 UNSOLD
PRE 2012 SALE DISCUSSION
Barnato was the chairman of Bentley and the sponsor of the Bentley Boys. His high-end model was the Bentley 4.5 liter Blower.
Within eight decades, most cars have been repaired and transformed. One of them however, bodied in boat-tail shape in 1931 by Gurney Nutting, has been preserved in its original state and is considered as the closest copy of what Barnato was wishing. It has even kept its original fabric covering, probably somehow worn.
This car is known by the friendly nickname Green Hornet which was given to it by one of its former owners. It was sold $ 4.5 million including premium by Gooding on August 19, 2007.
It comes back at auction on August 19 in Monterey, also by Gooding. Here is the link to the catalog.
Its estimate, $ 8M, may seem ambitious. However, it is in the same range as the excellent result obtained by Bonhams on June 29 on a single-seater racing car built on the same chassis model: £ 5M including premium.
Some observers used to say that racing cars are more appreciated than other units. In today's market of vintage cars, I am tempted to doubt this assertion. The sale of the Green Hornet is a good opportunity to check the trend.
POST 2012 SALE COMMENT
Unsold. I am not surprised: the expected gain above the 2007 result was exaggerated.
The day before by the same auction house, a very rare 1928 Bentley in Bobtail shape was sold $ 6M including premium.
Barnato was the chairman of Bentley and the sponsor of the Bentley Boys. His high-end model was the Bentley 4.5 liter Blower.
Within eight decades, most cars have been repaired and transformed. One of them however, bodied in boat-tail shape in 1931 by Gurney Nutting, has been preserved in its original state and is considered as the closest copy of what Barnato was wishing. It has even kept its original fabric covering, probably somehow worn.
This car is known by the friendly nickname Green Hornet which was given to it by one of its former owners. It was sold $ 4.5 million including premium by Gooding on August 19, 2007.
It comes back at auction on August 19 in Monterey, also by Gooding. Here is the link to the catalog.
Its estimate, $ 8M, may seem ambitious. However, it is in the same range as the excellent result obtained by Bonhams on June 29 on a single-seater racing car built on the same chassis model: £ 5M including premium.
Some observers used to say that racing cars are more appreciated than other units. In today's market of vintage cars, I am tempted to doubt this assertion. The sale of the Green Hornet is a good opportunity to check the trend.
POST 2012 SALE COMMENT
Unsold. I am not surprised: the expected gain above the 2007 result was exaggerated.
The day before by the same auction house, a very rare 1928 Bentley in Bobtail shape was sold $ 6M including premium.
1931 Melibée by Picabia
2019 SOLD for € 3.9M including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
1931 Early Expectations for the Bugatti Type 51
2016 SOLD for $ 4M including premium
Introduced in 1924, the Bugatti Type 35 had been the king of the circuits. By cumulating works cars and private teams, it recorded no less than 2,000 wins within a few years.
At all times, an automobile supremacy is necessarily short lived. The technical progress of Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz is forcing Bugatti to look for new solutions. It is too late. Despite some early successes, the new models Types 51, 53 and 54 introduced in 1931 and 1932 will not match the ambitions of the French brand.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Miller 91 achieves great results in competition with its small supercharged engine reduced in volume to adapt to new rules, even at that time ! Bugatti indirectly obtains the Miller 91 patterns and creates its own Type 51 by plagiarizing the camshaft from its American competitor. The external features of the new car are almost unchanged from Type 35.
One of the first Bugatti Type 51 was sold in 1931 to Lord Howe, an outstanding personality of British motor racing who won in the same year the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a driving partnership with Henry Birkin on an Alfa Romeo 8C-2300.
Lord Howe intensely used his Bugatti Type 51, entering it four times at the Monaco Grand Prix. Tazio Nuvolari was once seen driving this car in the same time range, but only for practices. Lord Howe sold it in 1935. The later story is less glorious : the Bugatti overturned to kill its second owner in 1937.
Despite its rebuilding performed around its original chassis after the accident, Lord Howe's Bugatti remains one of the most desirable Type 51 in existence. It is for sale on August 19 by Bonhams at Quail Lodge, Carmel CA, lot 36.
Please watch the video shared by Bonhams.
At all times, an automobile supremacy is necessarily short lived. The technical progress of Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz is forcing Bugatti to look for new solutions. It is too late. Despite some early successes, the new models Types 51, 53 and 54 introduced in 1931 and 1932 will not match the ambitions of the French brand.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Miller 91 achieves great results in competition with its small supercharged engine reduced in volume to adapt to new rules, even at that time ! Bugatti indirectly obtains the Miller 91 patterns and creates its own Type 51 by plagiarizing the camshaft from its American competitor. The external features of the new car are almost unchanged from Type 35.
One of the first Bugatti Type 51 was sold in 1931 to Lord Howe, an outstanding personality of British motor racing who won in the same year the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a driving partnership with Henry Birkin on an Alfa Romeo 8C-2300.
Lord Howe intensely used his Bugatti Type 51, entering it four times at the Monaco Grand Prix. Tazio Nuvolari was once seen driving this car in the same time range, but only for practices. Lord Howe sold it in 1935. The later story is less glorious : the Bugatti overturned to kill its second owner in 1937.
Despite its rebuilding performed around its original chassis after the accident, Lord Howe's Bugatti remains one of the most desirable Type 51 in existence. It is for sale on August 19 by Bonhams at Quail Lodge, Carmel CA, lot 36.
Please watch the video shared by Bonhams.
