1972
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Landscape Groups UK II Hockney Celebrities by Warhol Later Warhols De Kooning Italian sculpture Sculpture by painters Cars 1970s 1980s
See also : Landscape Groups UK II Hockney Celebrities by Warhol Later Warhols De Kooning Italian sculpture Sculpture by painters Cars 1970s 1980s
masterpiece
1972 En Mémoire de May by Zao Wou-Ki
Centre Pompidou
Zao Wou-Ki is devastated by the death of his wife May on March 10, 1972 at the age of 41. En Mémoire de May, painted in 1972, is a monumental oil on canvas, 200 x 530 cm, which he presents to the French state in the next year. It is kept at the Centre Pompidou.
To rebuild his life and his philosophy, he travels frequently to China and uses very large formats to simulate an infinite space. In 1977 he marries his third wife, Françoise.
To rebuild his life and his philosophy, he travels frequently to China and uses very large formats to simulate an infinite space. In 1977 he marries his third wife, Françoise.
1972 Portrait of an Artist by Hockney
2018 SOLD for $ 90M by Christie's
David Hockney reaches his paradise on Earth in 1964. In Los Angeles the sky and the water of the pools are blue in different shades to which the midday sun brings a perfect purity. This atmosphere exacerbates his homosexual sensibility. Peter Schlesinger becomes his lover and muse in 1966.
David sees by chance on the floor of his studio the conjunction of two photographs that can constitute a scene : a swimmer under water and a standing boy watching something in the distance. The relationship between two men has always been one of his favorite themes. He has just found a way to express his affair with Peter.
It is not so easy for this hypersensitive artist. He destroys a first version. The sudden break between the lovers occurs around that time. In the spring of 1972 David leaves with two assistants to take photographs in a house of director Tony Richardson named Le Nid du Duc in the countryside above Saint-Tropez. During the summer of 1969 David and Peter had spent a few happy days at that place.
A photograph of the swimmer suits him. It will not be a self-portrait in the picture. For the properly dressed observer who will be standing up by the pool, he finds in his archives some photographs of the real Peter, as if David now agreed to entrust Peter to an unidentifiable swimmer.
The acrylic on canvas 213 x 305 cm painted in 1972 is titled Portrait of an Artist and subtitled Pool with Two Figures. The swimmer is under water and Peter is at the edge of the pool. Although Peter's gaze is directed towards the swimmer, communication between them is impossible.
In 1974 a biopic titled A Bigger Splash tells the story of the breaking up of David and Peter. David plays his own role. The film incorporates sequences that had been shot during the preparation of the Portrait of an Artist. The mix of emotion and real intimacy makes A Bigger Splash a cult film of the gay communities, to the point of shocking David himself. He will change his mind later.
This painting was sold for $ 90M by Christie's on November 15, 2018, lot 9 C. Please watch the video prepared by the auction house including sequences from the movie.
Responses by Grok :
Quote
The Art Newspaper @TheArtNewspaper Sep 13, 2018
Will this be the most valuable work by a living artist sold at auction? @ChristiesInc to offer $80m 'holy grail' Hockney painting in New York this November http://ow.ly/Vtbe30lNMIj
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 16, 2018
David Hockney's 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)' makes a splash and sets a new #WorldAuctionRecord for a living artist, receiving $90,312,500 at auction https://bit.ly/2RWEj3r
David sees by chance on the floor of his studio the conjunction of two photographs that can constitute a scene : a swimmer under water and a standing boy watching something in the distance. The relationship between two men has always been one of his favorite themes. He has just found a way to express his affair with Peter.
It is not so easy for this hypersensitive artist. He destroys a first version. The sudden break between the lovers occurs around that time. In the spring of 1972 David leaves with two assistants to take photographs in a house of director Tony Richardson named Le Nid du Duc in the countryside above Saint-Tropez. During the summer of 1969 David and Peter had spent a few happy days at that place.
A photograph of the swimmer suits him. It will not be a self-portrait in the picture. For the properly dressed observer who will be standing up by the pool, he finds in his archives some photographs of the real Peter, as if David now agreed to entrust Peter to an unidentifiable swimmer.
The acrylic on canvas 213 x 305 cm painted in 1972 is titled Portrait of an Artist and subtitled Pool with Two Figures. The swimmer is under water and Peter is at the edge of the pool. Although Peter's gaze is directed towards the swimmer, communication between them is impossible.
In 1974 a biopic titled A Bigger Splash tells the story of the breaking up of David and Peter. David plays his own role. The film incorporates sequences that had been shot during the preparation of the Portrait of an Artist. The mix of emotion and real intimacy makes A Bigger Splash a cult film of the gay communities, to the point of shocking David himself. He will change his mind later.
This painting was sold for $ 90M by Christie's on November 15, 2018, lot 9 C. Please watch the video prepared by the auction house including sequences from the movie.
Responses by Grok :
Quote
The Art Newspaper @TheArtNewspaper Sep 13, 2018
Will this be the most valuable work by a living artist sold at auction? @ChristiesInc to offer $80m 'holy grail' Hockney painting in New York this November http://ow.ly/Vtbe30lNMIj
- The painting in the post, "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" by David Hockney, fetched $90.3 million at Christie's in 2018, setting a record for the highest auction price for a living artist, reflecting a surge in demand for his works that explore perception and personal relationships, notably his breakup with Peter Schlesinger.
- Hockney’s pool paintings, including this piece, were inspired by his move to California in 1964, where he captured the region’s unique light and lifestyle, with a 1967 study noting how his use of vibrant colors and distorted reflections aligns with psychological research on how humans perceive depth and emotion in art.
- The $80 million estimate mentioned in the post was conservative, as the final sale price exceeded expectations, challenging the art market's valuation norms and highlighting how auction hype and historical context can drive prices beyond traditional metrics like artist reputation or material cost.
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 16, 2018
David Hockney's 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)' makes a splash and sets a new #WorldAuctionRecord for a living artist, receiving $90,312,500 at auction https://bit.ly/2RWEj3r
- The painting "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" by David Hockney, sold for $90.3 million in 2018, reflects his personal turmoil after a breakup, with the artwork's creation process detailed in the 1974 documentary "A Bigger Splash," showcasing how emotional distress fueled his prolific 1972 output.
- This sale broke the previous auction record for a living artist ($58 million for Jeff Koons' "Balloon Dog" in 2013), highlighting a surge in demand for contemporary art, supported by a 2019 Art Basel and UBS report showing a 6% annual growth in global art market value from 2014-2018.
- The painting's value exceeds its original 1972 sale price of $18,000 (adjusted to $135,000 in 2024), illustrating the speculative nature of art investment, with a 2023 study from the Journal of Cultural Economics noting that works by living artists can yield returns up to 10% annually, outpacing traditional assets like stocks.
1972 Mao by WARHOL
Intro
Andy Warhol was not active in politics but his Democratic and popular sympathies are known. The first idol of his artistic career, Marilyn, was close to Kennedy. He multiplies her image to offer it posthumously to a modern mystic idolatry.
After 1964 Warhol significantly reduces his activity as a painter to try to become an idol for others through show business and movies. It was not his best idea. His trend toward the underground went against such a purpose and his temperament certainly did not favor his acceptance in the jet set.
Pushed by Bischofberger, Warhol is back to painting in 1972. He needs a new star able to match Marilyn. He hesitates on Einstein and chooses Mao.
Mao by Warhol is an American political message. Nixon announced his candidacy for a presidential re-election just before his trip to China. When shaking hands with Mao, Nixon appears as a statesman of the same importance as the Great Helmsman. This does not please Warhol. He leaves the figure of the U.S. President totally away from his new project.
As for Marilyn, Warhol chooses an ancient image. Unlike Marilyn, Mao's image was universally known before Warhol reused it : held up since 1949 by millions of Chinese, it illustrates the Little Red Book. It is a thorn to Nixon : watch this undemocratic idol that Americans are now invited to admire. In five sizes and all colors, the Maos of Warhol, in their official dignity, do not express any feeling.
Warhol is still working in screen print and acrylic, but his technique has changed. The brushstroke is visible, contributing to the energy of the artwork. Again, Warhol was wrong. This new process is taking too long and his art is gradually less cared when he extends the series.
Although his Mao's are a pastiche of the official image and may therefore hit the Chinese sensibilities, Warhol is in this series a rather impartial observer of the Cultural Revolution, of Soviet style imaging, of the almost octogenarian face of the Great Helmsman and of the inevitable Mao collar designed as a challenge of the proletarians against the Western tie.
After 1964 Warhol significantly reduces his activity as a painter to try to become an idol for others through show business and movies. It was not his best idea. His trend toward the underground went against such a purpose and his temperament certainly did not favor his acceptance in the jet set.
Pushed by Bischofberger, Warhol is back to painting in 1972. He needs a new star able to match Marilyn. He hesitates on Einstein and chooses Mao.
Mao by Warhol is an American political message. Nixon announced his candidacy for a presidential re-election just before his trip to China. When shaking hands with Mao, Nixon appears as a statesman of the same importance as the Great Helmsman. This does not please Warhol. He leaves the figure of the U.S. President totally away from his new project.
As for Marilyn, Warhol chooses an ancient image. Unlike Marilyn, Mao's image was universally known before Warhol reused it : held up since 1949 by millions of Chinese, it illustrates the Little Red Book. It is a thorn to Nixon : watch this undemocratic idol that Americans are now invited to admire. In five sizes and all colors, the Maos of Warhol, in their official dignity, do not express any feeling.
Warhol is still working in screen print and acrylic, but his technique has changed. The brushstroke is visible, contributing to the energy of the artwork. Again, Warhol was wrong. This new process is taking too long and his art is gradually less cared when he extends the series.
Although his Mao's are a pastiche of the official image and may therefore hit the Chinese sensibilities, Warhol is in this series a rather impartial observer of the Cultural Revolution, of Soviet style imaging, of the almost octogenarian face of the Great Helmsman and of the inevitable Mao collar designed as a challenge of the proletarians against the Western tie.
1
2015 SOLD for $ 48M by Sotheby's
The first Mao by Warhol, achieved without the help of an assistant, is indeed the best painting in that theme. This picture 208 x 145 cm was sold for $ 48M by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015, lot 11 (11-11-11).
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 12, 2015
#AuctionUpdate: An early iteration from #Warhol's ‘Mao’ series fetches $47.5m #SothebysContemporary
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 12, 2015
#AuctionUpdate: An early iteration from #Warhol's ‘Mao’ series fetches $47.5m #SothebysContemporary
- Sotheby's 2015 post highlights the $47.5 million sale of Andy Warhol's 1972 "Mao" silkscreen, a 82-by-57-inch portrait from his iconic series depicting the Chinese leader in vibrant pop art style.
- Created amid U.S.-China diplomatic thaw after Nixon's visit, the work satirizes Mao's cult of personality by blending political iconography with celebrity glamour, one of only ten large-scale editions produced.
- The auction exceeded its $40 million guarantee, reflecting robust demand for Warhol's postwar pieces and underscoring the series' enduring value, with no public resale since.
2
2017 SOLD for $ 32.4M by Sotheby's
Anxious since the almost successful murder attempt against him in 1968, Andy Warhol changed his life : he is now a recluse and hardly works anymore. Art dealers are impatient. In 1972 Bischofberger suggests to him to find a new iconic theme.
Andy chooses the only picture in the world that has been distributed in hundreds of millions of copies : the official three-color portrait of Mao Zedong which among other uses illustrates the Little Red Book. Mao succeeded for the popular imagery the unlimited multiplication that Andy had dreamed with his Marilyn's. The historic handshake between Mao and Nixon early in the same year may be just a coincidence.
Andy painted eleven similar Mao's in 1972, 208 cm high with a slightly variable width. The lines and the proportions in relation to the frame are comparable to the official image with the exception of the shadow that invades the left cheek and the chin. The artist changed the color of the tunic and of the background.
On November 16, 2017, Sotheby's sold for $ 32.4M a Mao 208 x 152 cm, lot 45.
Andy chooses the only picture in the world that has been distributed in hundreds of millions of copies : the official three-color portrait of Mao Zedong which among other uses illustrates the Little Red Book. Mao succeeded for the popular imagery the unlimited multiplication that Andy had dreamed with his Marilyn's. The historic handshake between Mao and Nixon early in the same year may be just a coincidence.
Andy painted eleven similar Mao's in 1972, 208 cm high with a slightly variable width. The lines and the proportions in relation to the frame are comparable to the official image with the exception of the shadow that invades the left cheek and the chin. The artist changed the color of the tunic and of the background.
On November 16, 2017, Sotheby's sold for $ 32.4M a Mao 208 x 152 cm, lot 45.
3
2006 SOLD for $ 17.4M by Christie's
A Mao 208 x 155 cm painted in 1972 was sold for $ 17.4M by Christie's on November 15, 2006, lot 16.
1972 Clamdigger by de Kooning
2014 SOLD for $ 29.3M by Christie's
Willem de Kooning was first of all a painter, of course. Refusing allegiance to any school and any tendency, his works suppressed the border between abstract and biomorphic, generating in the viewer some disorder that was sometimes difficult to characterize.
Suddenly in 1969, de Kooning decided to become a sculptor. He kneaded the clay with energy and passion, creating a turbulent texture reminiscent of Giacometti.
Again like Giacometti, de Kooning's world is dominated by the figures of a man and a woman. Giacometti had the Homme qui marche and the Femme debout. De Kooning had the Clamdigger and the Seated Woman. De Kooning's expression of the relation between body and movement was lauded by Henry Moore.
The Clamdigger is searching in sand to extract the shells. His gesture gathers the symbols of creation: sea water, clay, primitive animal, man. It has even been suggested that the Clamdigger by de Kooning is a self-portrait. The texture mimics the lapping waves.
This sculpture 1.51 m high was edited in bronze in 1972 in seven copies plus three artist's proofs. On November 12, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 29.3M the artist's proof that de Kooning had installed at the entrance to his studio, lot 21. The statue had remained up to that sale with his descendants. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Made from a clay model and cast in 1974, two years after Clamdigger, the Large Torso taking the form of a sculpture from the Renaissance is an exception in the art of de Kooning. Nevertheless the details are abstract. For this artwork, the artist used gloves for a bolder 'action' gesture. Its size is 86 x 82 x 64 cm.The bronze 6/7 cast by the Modern Art Foundry New York was sold for $ 5.7M by Sotheby's on November 11, 2009, lot 14.
In 1980 de Kooning selected three of his 1969 sculptures for a bronze edition in monumental size. The Seated Woman 290 x 370 x 240 cm was made in seven units plus two artist's proofs. The 1/7 was sold for $ 8.2M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 27C.
Suddenly in 1969, de Kooning decided to become a sculptor. He kneaded the clay with energy and passion, creating a turbulent texture reminiscent of Giacometti.
Again like Giacometti, de Kooning's world is dominated by the figures of a man and a woman. Giacometti had the Homme qui marche and the Femme debout. De Kooning had the Clamdigger and the Seated Woman. De Kooning's expression of the relation between body and movement was lauded by Henry Moore.
The Clamdigger is searching in sand to extract the shells. His gesture gathers the symbols of creation: sea water, clay, primitive animal, man. It has even been suggested that the Clamdigger by de Kooning is a self-portrait. The texture mimics the lapping waves.
This sculpture 1.51 m high was edited in bronze in 1972 in seven copies plus three artist's proofs. On November 12, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 29.3M the artist's proof that de Kooning had installed at the entrance to his studio, lot 21. The statue had remained up to that sale with his descendants. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Made from a clay model and cast in 1974, two years after Clamdigger, the Large Torso taking the form of a sculpture from the Renaissance is an exception in the art of de Kooning. Nevertheless the details are abstract. For this artwork, the artist used gloves for a bolder 'action' gesture. Its size is 86 x 82 x 64 cm.The bronze 6/7 cast by the Modern Art Foundry New York was sold for $ 5.7M by Sotheby's on November 11, 2009, lot 14.
In 1980 de Kooning selected three of his 1969 sculptures for a bronze edition in monumental size. The Seated Woman 290 x 370 x 240 cm was made in seven units plus two artist's proofs. The 1/7 was sold for $ 8.2M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 27C.
1972 Figure in Movement by Bacon
2018 SOLD for £ 20M by Christie's
George Dyer committed his irreparable act in October 1971. Although Francis Bacon's grief is deep and sincere, it is not devoid of selfishness. Francis is remorseful for his own behavioral mistakes towards the young man. Above all, this tragic event raises back to the surface with an unprecedented power his queries about the meaning of life.
The body and soul of the deceased are lost forever but the memory remains, threatened by oblivion. A triptych preserved at the Tate Gallery shows the man amputated of various organs before his collapse on the central panel.
Figure in Movement, oil on canvas 198 x 148 cm painted in 1972, was sold for £ 20M from a lower estimate of £ 15M by Christie's on October 4, 2018, lot 7.
George is seen from behind, nude, without amputation, standing contorted on the tip of a foot. The title is ambiguous : by nature a dead does not move. A cheek is pressed against a newspaper illustrated by Letraset that he does not look at, as if he was desperately trying to stay in a present that no longer concerns him.
The overall composition seems simple but it is actually populated with symbols, easier to describe than to interpret.
The empty room can be the studio of a photographer : the character is enclosed in a filiform cage, as for the staging of an ephemeral moment or for the preview of a framing. This idea had already been used by the artist, for example in the three images of the triptych portrait of Lucian Freud in 1969.
The present is actually impossible to capture. On the floor next to the cage, a page of the same newspaper is shredded.
The body is illuminated from above, casting a black shadow on the ground. In other artworks like the Study for Portrait painted in 1977, the shadow takes on the recognizable silhouette of Francis Bacon himself. The artist is thus associated in a dematerialized form with the deceased.
The painting is executed in a very thick impasto, almost a sculpture. By kneading his pigments, Bacon offers his only method to create something that is akin to life : his art.
The body and soul of the deceased are lost forever but the memory remains, threatened by oblivion. A triptych preserved at the Tate Gallery shows the man amputated of various organs before his collapse on the central panel.
Figure in Movement, oil on canvas 198 x 148 cm painted in 1972, was sold for £ 20M from a lower estimate of £ 15M by Christie's on October 4, 2018, lot 7.
George is seen from behind, nude, without amputation, standing contorted on the tip of a foot. The title is ambiguous : by nature a dead does not move. A cheek is pressed against a newspaper illustrated by Letraset that he does not look at, as if he was desperately trying to stay in a present that no longer concerns him.
The overall composition seems simple but it is actually populated with symbols, easier to describe than to interpret.
The empty room can be the studio of a photographer : the character is enclosed in a filiform cage, as for the staging of an ephemeral moment or for the preview of a framing. This idea had already been used by the artist, for example in the three images of the triptych portrait of Lucian Freud in 1969.
The present is actually impossible to capture. On the floor next to the cage, a page of the same newspaper is shredded.
The body is illuminated from above, casting a black shadow on the ground. In other artworks like the Study for Portrait painted in 1977, the shadow takes on the recognizable silhouette of Francis Bacon himself. The artist is thus associated in a dematerialized form with the deceased.
The painting is executed in a very thick impasto, almost a sculpture. By kneading his pigments, Bacon offers his only method to create something that is akin to life : his art.
1972 Boccioni's Man (posthumous)
2019 SOLD for $ 16.2M by Christie's
Marinetti creates the Manifesto del Futurismo in 1909. His strategy is to shock, for stopping the weakening of Italian culture and for creating new literary forms adapted to the modern civilization of speed and violence. The past must be forgotten.
In the following year, a group of young artists publishes another manifesto to apply these new ideas to painting. Umberto Boccioni is the theoretician of the group. Perhaps he appreciates that the expression of movement through painting is too difficult for the public. The centipede dog created by Balla in 1912 is a bit ridiculous.
Without neglecting the Futurist painting, Boccioni is now interested in sculpture, which he had never practiced before. He publishes solo in April 1912 a Manifesto tecnico della scultura futurista. He is also inspired by the Cubist fragmentations by Picasso and Duchamp-Villon.
Boccioni makes in 1913 three studies in plaster in which the movement is illustrated by a muscular extension. He then creates a man on the move which is a synthesis of his theories. For marking how much his approach is an incentive for a new art, he titles this figure Forme uniche della continuita nello spazio.
The Forme uniche has remained the only important sculpture by Boccioni, the artist who went too fast, died trampled by a horse in 1916. It expresses an extreme human energy while abandoning realism, and opens the way to Giacometti, Moore and also to the successive transformations of Matisse's Nu de dos and the humanoid robots of the movies. It was chosen in 1998 to illustrate the Italian coin of 20 cents of euro.
The four seminal sculptures by Boccioni were not edited during his lifetime. The first three were destroyed in 1927. The Forme uniche survived. Two bronzes were created in 1931. One of them brings a refinement, a pedestal under each foot, which still increases the extreme dynamism of the figure. This configuration was cast in ten units in 1972.
A 117 cm high bronze with a gold patina from the 1972 edition was sold for $ 16.2M from a lower estimate of $ 3.8M by Christie's on November 11, 2019, lot 18 A. Despite its importance in the history of modern sculpture, this figure is extremely rare on the art market : no example had been offered at auction since 1975. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In the following year, a group of young artists publishes another manifesto to apply these new ideas to painting. Umberto Boccioni is the theoretician of the group. Perhaps he appreciates that the expression of movement through painting is too difficult for the public. The centipede dog created by Balla in 1912 is a bit ridiculous.
Without neglecting the Futurist painting, Boccioni is now interested in sculpture, which he had never practiced before. He publishes solo in April 1912 a Manifesto tecnico della scultura futurista. He is also inspired by the Cubist fragmentations by Picasso and Duchamp-Villon.
Boccioni makes in 1913 three studies in plaster in which the movement is illustrated by a muscular extension. He then creates a man on the move which is a synthesis of his theories. For marking how much his approach is an incentive for a new art, he titles this figure Forme uniche della continuita nello spazio.
The Forme uniche has remained the only important sculpture by Boccioni, the artist who went too fast, died trampled by a horse in 1916. It expresses an extreme human energy while abandoning realism, and opens the way to Giacometti, Moore and also to the successive transformations of Matisse's Nu de dos and the humanoid robots of the movies. It was chosen in 1998 to illustrate the Italian coin of 20 cents of euro.
The four seminal sculptures by Boccioni were not edited during his lifetime. The first three were destroyed in 1927. The Forme uniche survived. Two bronzes were created in 1931. One of them brings a refinement, a pedestal under each foot, which still increases the extreme dynamism of the figure. This configuration was cast in ten units in 1972.
A 117 cm high bronze with a gold patina from the 1972 edition was sold for $ 16.2M from a lower estimate of $ 3.8M by Christie's on November 11, 2019, lot 18 A. Despite its importance in the history of modern sculpture, this figure is extremely rare on the art market : no example had been offered at auction since 1975. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1972 The Bulgari Blue
2010 SOLD for $ 15.7M by Christie's
The story begins in 1972 with a gift worth $ 1M offered by a man to his wife to celebrate the birth of their first baby. On the principle of the Toi et moi, it is a ring with two diamonds.
One of them, weighing 10.95 carats, is blue, in the prestigious certified Fancy Vivid Blue color. The other is colorless, weighing 9.87 carats. These two triangular diamonds were arranged symmetrically on both sides of the ring by Bulgari in Rome.
Christie's sold this composite jewel for $ 15.7M on October 20, 2010.
In May 2010, a Toi et moi ring consisting of a blue diamond of 5.02 carats and a colorless diamond of 5.42 carats was sold for CHF 7M by Sotheby's.
One of them, weighing 10.95 carats, is blue, in the prestigious certified Fancy Vivid Blue color. The other is colorless, weighing 9.87 carats. These two triangular diamonds were arranged symmetrically on both sides of the ring by Bulgari in Rome.
Christie's sold this composite jewel for $ 15.7M on October 20, 2010.
In May 2010, a Toi et moi ring consisting of a blue diamond of 5.02 carats and a colorless diamond of 5.42 carats was sold for CHF 7M by Sotheby's.
#FunFact: Only one in 10,000 carats of diamonds displays a fancy color, making them among the most rare and costly of all gems. The “BVLGARI Blue” ring featuring a 10.95 ct Fancy Vivid blue #diamond and a 9.87 ct G-color diamond sold for $15.76 million in 2010. pic.twitter.com/SrYAaAFw7o
— GIA (@GIAnews) December 1, 2017
1972 Ferrari 312 PB
2023 SOLD for € 12M by RM Sotheby's
The reference 312, applied to a 3 liter 12 cylinder car, is created by Ferrari in 1966 after the FIA regulations authorized an engine of that volume in Formula one.
The acquisition of Ferrari by Fiat in 1969 re-triggered an interest of the brand in sports cars. The 312P is released in that year for competing in the Group 6 Prototype Sports classification. The change of the engine to a flat V 12 in 1971 does not change the reference at the brand but this car is commonly designated as 312 PB.
The 312 P(B) was redesigned for the 1972 season after the FIA united Groups 5 and 6 including raising the minimum weight from the previous classification. The 312 P(B)'s engine has many similarities in design to the F1 engine, but nearly every part is non-interchangeable with the F1 flat 12.
Used as a works car in 1972 by the Scuderia Ferrari, one of them achieved a podium overall in its four outings, each time with Ronnie Peterson and Tim Schenken : 1st at the 1000 km Buenos Aires, 2nd at the 12 hours Sebring, 3rd at the 1000 km Monza and 1st at the 1000 km Nürburgring. It was retired afterwards.
Accompanied with many spare parts including its original engine, it was sold for € 12M by RM Sotheby's on May 20, 2023, lot 140.
Its achievements contributed to Ferrari's win in the 1972 World Sports Car Championship of Makes. In 1973 its competitiveness was not sufficient against Matra. Ferrari abandoned the sports car racing after that season. The model 312 P(B) as redesigned for 1972 had no successor until 1993 with the 333 SP. Porsche had not followed the changes of the FIA rules.
The image shared by Wikimedia was taken in 2007 at the LM Story event at Le Mans. It is credited with attribution ZANTAFIO56 from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
The acquisition of Ferrari by Fiat in 1969 re-triggered an interest of the brand in sports cars. The 312P is released in that year for competing in the Group 6 Prototype Sports classification. The change of the engine to a flat V 12 in 1971 does not change the reference at the brand but this car is commonly designated as 312 PB.
The 312 P(B) was redesigned for the 1972 season after the FIA united Groups 5 and 6 including raising the minimum weight from the previous classification. The 312 P(B)'s engine has many similarities in design to the F1 engine, but nearly every part is non-interchangeable with the F1 flat 12.
Used as a works car in 1972 by the Scuderia Ferrari, one of them achieved a podium overall in its four outings, each time with Ronnie Peterson and Tim Schenken : 1st at the 1000 km Buenos Aires, 2nd at the 12 hours Sebring, 3rd at the 1000 km Monza and 1st at the 1000 km Nürburgring. It was retired afterwards.
Accompanied with many spare parts including its original engine, it was sold for € 12M by RM Sotheby's on May 20, 2023, lot 140.
Its achievements contributed to Ferrari's win in the 1972 World Sports Car Championship of Makes. In 1973 its competitiveness was not sufficient against Matra. Ferrari abandoned the sports car racing after that season. The model 312 P(B) as redesigned for 1972 had no successor until 1993 with the 333 SP. Porsche had not followed the changes of the FIA rules.
The image shared by Wikimedia was taken in 2007 at the LM Story event at Le Mans. It is credited with attribution ZANTAFIO56 from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
1972 Lijiang River by Li Keran
2019 SOLD for RMB 86M by Rongbao
The scene of Lijiang River (Lijiang Tianxia Jing), ink an color on paper 145 x 160 cm painted by Li Keran in 1972, was sold for RMB 86M by Rongbao on December 1, 2019, lot 309 illustrated in first position in the post sale report shared by the auction house.
Located in Yunnan in the conjunction of three rivers including the Yangzi Jiang, Lijiang shi meaning the city of the beautiful river is rich in touristic attractions including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Such a beauty is rendered by the artist as a wide riverscape animated by eight pretty sail boats and surrounded on both sides by ranges of steep peaks in the signature style of the artist.
Located in Yunnan in the conjunction of three rivers including the Yangzi Jiang, Lijiang shi meaning the city of the beautiful river is rich in touristic attractions including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Such a beauty is rendered by the artist as a wide riverscape animated by eight pretty sail boats and surrounded on both sides by ranges of steep peaks in the signature style of the artist.
