2014
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Jewels Blue diamond Koons Marshall Kusama Nara Ghenie Hypercars
See also : Jewels Blue diamond Koons Marshall Kusama Nara Ghenie Hypercars
2014 The Blue Moon of Josephine
2015 SOLD for CHF 49M by Sotheby's
The ground continues to unearth important diamonds. Yet, the discovery announced by Petra Diamonds in January 2014 of a 29.62 carat blue gem from the much famous Cullinan mine in South Africa aroused a particular interest in the diamond community.
The new diamond is fancy vivid blue without inclusion, which is already a great rarity. It was purchased by Cora International, headquartered in New York, which processed it. This fancy vivid blue cut to 12.03 carats is the largest internally flawless blue diamond in cushion shape.
Once completed, it revealed even more exceptional qualities. Its ocean blue color is perfect without a secondary hue. It has no fluorescence. An exposure to ultraviolet radiation generates an intense orange-red phosphorescence that persists for about twenty seconds, a sensational feature which is known only to a few blue diamonds of absolute purity.
It is a masterpiece in both its size and features. It was named The Blue Moon in reference both to its shape and to the saying 'Once in a blue moon' that means a total rarity. It seems inconceivable to find better in its class, especially since the production of the Cullinan mine tends to decrease.
The Blue Moon was sold for CHF 49M from a lower estimate of US $ 35M by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015, lot 513. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. Its record value at US $ 4M per carat rewards its absolute purity generating the phosphorescence effect.
It is now referred as the Blue Moon of Josephine.
The new diamond is fancy vivid blue without inclusion, which is already a great rarity. It was purchased by Cora International, headquartered in New York, which processed it. This fancy vivid blue cut to 12.03 carats is the largest internally flawless blue diamond in cushion shape.
Once completed, it revealed even more exceptional qualities. Its ocean blue color is perfect without a secondary hue. It has no fluorescence. An exposure to ultraviolet radiation generates an intense orange-red phosphorescence that persists for about twenty seconds, a sensational feature which is known only to a few blue diamonds of absolute purity.
It is a masterpiece in both its size and features. It was named The Blue Moon in reference both to its shape and to the saying 'Once in a blue moon' that means a total rarity. It seems inconceivable to find better in its class, especially since the production of the Cullinan mine tends to decrease.
The Blue Moon was sold for CHF 49M from a lower estimate of US $ 35M by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015, lot 513. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. Its record value at US $ 4M per carat rewards its absolute purity generating the phosphorescence effect.
It is now referred as the Blue Moon of Josephine.
2014 The Cullinan Dream
2016 SOLD for $ 25.4M by Christie's
The Cullinan mine now owned by Petra Diamonds still remains the most regular purveyor of type IIb color diamonds, 10 to 20 times rarer than the IIa.
An extraordinary fancy intense blue gem weighing 122.52 carats was discovered at Cullinan in June 2014. The jewelers mapped with accuracy its internal crystalline regularity by using the semiconductor characteristics that are specific to the type IIb diamonds.
This non-destructive analysis enabled to optimize the cut. Four diamonds were produced. The Cullinan Dream is the biggest of the four. It is rectangular with cut corners and weighs 24.18 carats. Its clarity is VS2. It was sold for $ 25.4M by Christie's on June 9, 2016, lot 261.
This diamond is exceptional. Its fancy intense hue is much rarer than the fancy vivid blue. The Oppenheimer Blue, identified as the largest fancy vivid blue ever offered at auction, only weighed 14.62 carats. It was sold for CHF 57M by Christie's in 2016.
Its price of $ 1M per carat is consistent with results obtained on other blue diamonds. A fancy intense blue with a VVS2 clarity weighing 7.64 carats was sold for CHF 9M by Sotheby's on 11 May 2010.
The other highly rare variety of blue, the fancy deep blue, can reach a price per carat of the same level or even higher. The estimate by Sotheby's in April 2016 at $ 2.6M per carat for the diamond of Shirley Temple was nevertheless much exaggerated.
An extraordinary fancy intense blue gem weighing 122.52 carats was discovered at Cullinan in June 2014. The jewelers mapped with accuracy its internal crystalline regularity by using the semiconductor characteristics that are specific to the type IIb diamonds.
This non-destructive analysis enabled to optimize the cut. Four diamonds were produced. The Cullinan Dream is the biggest of the four. It is rectangular with cut corners and weighs 24.18 carats. Its clarity is VS2. It was sold for $ 25.4M by Christie's on June 9, 2016, lot 261.
This diamond is exceptional. Its fancy intense hue is much rarer than the fancy vivid blue. The Oppenheimer Blue, identified as the largest fancy vivid blue ever offered at auction, only weighed 14.62 carats. It was sold for CHF 57M by Christie's in 2016.
Its price of $ 1M per carat is consistent with results obtained on other blue diamonds. A fancy intense blue with a VVS2 clarity weighing 7.64 carats was sold for CHF 9M by Sotheby's on 11 May 2010.
The other highly rare variety of blue, the fancy deep blue, can reach a price per carat of the same level or even higher. The estimate by Sotheby's in April 2016 at $ 2.6M per carat for the diamond of Shirley Temple was nevertheless much exaggerated.
2014 Play-Doh by Koons
2018 SOLD for $ 23M by Christie's
The original artist is a toddler named Ludwig Koons. He plays to triturate Play-Doh multicolored modeling clay, a trademark of Hasbro. Posterity has forever retained this dialogue with his father : Ludwig: "Daddy !" Jeff: "What ?" Ludwig: "Voilà !".
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs was sold for $ 23M by Christie's on May 17, 2018, lot 12 B. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs was sold for $ 23M by Christie's on May 17, 2018, lot 12 B. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
2014 Vignette by Marshall
2019 SOLD for $ 18.5M by Sotheby's
Kerry James Marshall correctly considered that the social life of African Americans is underrepresented in a graphic art monopolized for centuries by white people. Vignette is the title for his theme of the happy love between a boy and a girl going about the joys of life uninhibited by white racism.
The couple is still in childhood in an early example painted in 2003. They race innocently in full nudity against one another in a private lawn closed by a fence, as in a run for freedom in a Garden of Eden. This acrylic on fiberglass 210 x 300 cm was sold for $ 540K by Sotheby's on November 15, 2007, lot 454.
Things are going to idyl with the Vignette # 6, painted in 2005. They share a bliss beside an Arcadian garden's stone wall on which the girl is seated. This acrylic on plexiglas 190 x 167 cm was sold for $ 7.5M by Sotheby's on May 13, 2024, lot 7.
The series of Vignettes closed in 2007 but restarted later. Painted in 2014 in a chromatic brilliance, the Vignette # 19 stages three times the now established couple, including one embracing. They are surrounded with love symbols including singing birds and the whole is delineated by a heart. This acrylic on PVC 182 x 162 cm was sold for $ 18.5M from a lower estimate of $ 6.5M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2019, lot 19.
The couple is still in childhood in an early example painted in 2003. They race innocently in full nudity against one another in a private lawn closed by a fence, as in a run for freedom in a Garden of Eden. This acrylic on fiberglass 210 x 300 cm was sold for $ 540K by Sotheby's on November 15, 2007, lot 454.
Things are going to idyl with the Vignette # 6, painted in 2005. They share a bliss beside an Arcadian garden's stone wall on which the girl is seated. This acrylic on plexiglas 190 x 167 cm was sold for $ 7.5M by Sotheby's on May 13, 2024, lot 7.
The series of Vignettes closed in 2007 but restarted later. Painted in 2014 in a chromatic brilliance, the Vignette # 19 stages three times the now established couple, including one embracing. They are surrounded with love symbols including singing birds and the whole is delineated by a heart. This acrylic on PVC 182 x 162 cm was sold for $ 18.5M from a lower estimate of $ 6.5M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2019, lot 19.
2014 Wish World Peace by Nara
2022 SOLD for HK$ 97M by Christie's
In a new phase, Nara's girl is only expressing hope against the human horrors of her time. The simple title is her speech, kindly told. She is so known now that her diabolic features or incongruous artifacts are no more necessary to appeal the viewer.
Wish World Peace is desperately simple. In her waiting attitude, the arms are not visible. The pupils of the eyes imperceptibly embed the 'Coexist' from the three monotheist religions and a Peace symbol.
This acrylic on canvas 194 x 162 cm painted in 2014 was sold for $ 2.3M by Sotheby's on November 17, 2016, lot 29 and for HK $ 97M by Christie's on May 26, 2022, lot 51.
Wish World Peace is desperately simple. In her waiting attitude, the arms are not visible. The pupils of the eyes imperceptibly embed the 'Coexist' from the three monotheist religions and a Peace symbol.
This acrylic on canvas 194 x 162 cm painted in 2014 was sold for $ 2.3M by Sotheby's on November 17, 2016, lot 29 and for HK $ 97M by Christie's on May 26, 2022, lot 51.
2014 Pagani Zonda 760 LM Roadster
2024 SOLD for $ 11M by RM Sotheby's
The mastery of engineering allows smaller car brands to reach the top level, provided that they apply a great care to all details in a limited production. Pagani and Koenigsegg are the best examples. The Pagani brand was created in 1992 by a former collaborator of Lamborghini who is a specialist in carbon fibers.
The Pagani Zonda was created in 1999 and the Huayra coupe replaced it in 2012. Each of these models has evolved over time through a practice of continuous improvement of the composite materials and of weight balancing. Packages were available for upgrading to more recent standard the previously delivered cars.
The Zonda R is a coupe for track only, made from 2009 to 2011 with a 6 litre 740 hp Mercedes-Benz V 12 racing engine.
A rival to the Ferrari FXX and to the Maserati MC12 Corsa, it targeted to be one of the fastest cars on the circuits. 4.70 m long with a 2.80 m wheelbase, it has a beautiful aerodynamical body. It claims the 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 375 km/h.
Made in 2010, a Zonda R was upgraded in 2014 by the factory to the Revolucion specifications with an engine uprated to 780 hp. It was sold for $ 5.3M by RM Sotheby's on March 4, 2023, lot 171.
Zonda is the historical model of the Pagani brand. To maintain an offering at the highest level of performance, the Huayra is unveiled in 2011 and the obsolescence of the Zonda is announced in 2013 with a final special edition, the Zonda Revolucion.
This is not the end of the Zondas because there are still chassis that can be used with customer specifications, each design for a single unit. These cars equipped with an AMG V-12 7.3 liter 749 hp engine constitute the Zonda 760 range. The most recent cars generally benefit from the technological innovations of the Huayra.
The Zonda LM roadster is a bespoke car built in 2014 with a body of lacquered bare carbon. It was sold for $ 11M by RM Sotheby's on December 1, 2024, lot 134. LM is the classical reference to Le Mans. This car has different headlights compared to the other Zondas, with a full cover similar to that of racing prototypes. At the rear its new spoiler is larger than the other 760s. Two rows of LEDs are added as additional brake lights at the rear.
The Pagani Zonda was created in 1999 and the Huayra coupe replaced it in 2012. Each of these models has evolved over time through a practice of continuous improvement of the composite materials and of weight balancing. Packages were available for upgrading to more recent standard the previously delivered cars.
The Zonda R is a coupe for track only, made from 2009 to 2011 with a 6 litre 740 hp Mercedes-Benz V 12 racing engine.
A rival to the Ferrari FXX and to the Maserati MC12 Corsa, it targeted to be one of the fastest cars on the circuits. 4.70 m long with a 2.80 m wheelbase, it has a beautiful aerodynamical body. It claims the 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 375 km/h.
Made in 2010, a Zonda R was upgraded in 2014 by the factory to the Revolucion specifications with an engine uprated to 780 hp. It was sold for $ 5.3M by RM Sotheby's on March 4, 2023, lot 171.
Zonda is the historical model of the Pagani brand. To maintain an offering at the highest level of performance, the Huayra is unveiled in 2011 and the obsolescence of the Zonda is announced in 2013 with a final special edition, the Zonda Revolucion.
This is not the end of the Zondas because there are still chassis that can be used with customer specifications, each design for a single unit. These cars equipped with an AMG V-12 7.3 liter 749 hp engine constitute the Zonda 760 range. The most recent cars generally benefit from the technological innovations of the Huayra.
The Zonda LM roadster is a bespoke car built in 2014 with a body of lacquered bare carbon. It was sold for $ 11M by RM Sotheby's on December 1, 2024, lot 134. LM is the classical reference to Le Mans. This car has different headlights compared to the other Zondas, with a full cover similar to that of racing prototypes. At the rear its new spoiler is larger than the other 760s. Two rows of LEDs are added as additional brake lights at the rear.
2014 Pie Fight Interior by Ghenie
2022 SOLD for HK$ 81M by Christie's
While the world was trending to the financial crisis and the rise of Fascism and Nazism, US movie-goers enjoyed pie fights. The most spectacular was staged outdoors in 1927 by Hal Roach as a short movie titled The Battle of the Century Pie Fight starring Laurel and Hardy.
This contrast between laugh riot and the social disasters of the time appealed Ghenie, who preferred referring to a 1941 film titled In the Sweet Pie and Pie starring the Three Stooges. Ghenie is a lifelong fan of the great disturbers such as Hitchcock and Lynch. It is no doubt that the soiled faces perfectly match Ghenie's style inspired from Bacon of blurring the faces, in a fancy that missed to Bacon.
After a first series in 2008-2009, the Pie Fight Interior set was executed by Ghenie between 2012 and 2014. The monumental opus 12, painted in 2014, features an actress in a bright yellow dress, alone on stage in front of an apocalyptic landscape, wiping her face with her hands after receiving a cream pie.
This oil on canvas 284 x 350 cm was sold for HK $ 81M from a lower estimate of HK $ 68M by Christie's on May 26, 2022, lot 8A.
The opus 11 is kept at the Centre Georges Ponpidou.
This contrast between laugh riot and the social disasters of the time appealed Ghenie, who preferred referring to a 1941 film titled In the Sweet Pie and Pie starring the Three Stooges. Ghenie is a lifelong fan of the great disturbers such as Hitchcock and Lynch. It is no doubt that the soiled faces perfectly match Ghenie's style inspired from Bacon of blurring the faces, in a fancy that missed to Bacon.
After a first series in 2008-2009, the Pie Fight Interior set was executed by Ghenie between 2012 and 2014. The monumental opus 12, painted in 2014, features an actress in a bright yellow dress, alone on stage in front of an apocalyptic landscape, wiping her face with her hands after receiving a cream pie.
This oil on canvas 284 x 350 cm was sold for HK $ 81M from a lower estimate of HK $ 68M by Christie's on May 26, 2022, lot 8A.
The opus 11 is kept at the Centre Georges Ponpidou.
2014 Circus - Face by Grotjahn
2022 SOLD for $ 9.8M by Phillips
In the signature abstraction style of Grotjahn's Face series, the swirling lines in thick impasto in Untitled (Circus No. 12 Face 44.30) create the illusion of a rotation that may be compared with Seurat's figurative Le Cirque.
This oil on cardboard mounted on linen 260 x 187 cm executed in 2014 was sold for $ 9.8M from a lower estimate of $ 8M by Phillips on November 15, 2022, lot 16.
This oil on cardboard mounted on linen 260 x 187 cm executed in 2014 was sold for $ 9.8M from a lower estimate of $ 8M by Phillips on November 15, 2022, lot 16.
2014 Lamborghini Veneno
2019 SOLD for CHF 8.3M by Bonhams
Since 1966 Lamborghini attribute emblematic names of bullfighting to their models : owners, breeds, equipment, exceptional animals, but excluding the toreros.
In 1879 Murcielago was spared after resisting 24 sword blows. Aventador was highlighted and even awarded for his courage in the arena in 1993.
Launched in 2011, the Lamborghini Aventador was a great success. This model managed to conciliate an extreme performance, with a top speed of 350 km/h, and mass production, 5,000 vehicles in the first five years.
On August 2, 1914 in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Veneno destroyed a young novillero by a powerful blow in the head.
Derived mainly from the Aventador and remaining homologated for the road, the Lamborghini Veneno marks nevertheless a breakthrough for the brand by integrating competition technologies for the first time. The priority given to airflow and downforce had a significant impact on the shape of the body, possibly at the expense of aesthetics.
The Lamborghini Veneno is one of the most exclusive models of the brand. The coupe was produced in 2013 in a prototype and three commercial units that had been sold before the announcement of the launch, a common practice for limited series of hypercars. Satisfied with this operation, Lamborghini manufacture a Veneno roadster in nine units in 2014.
Published after the sales, the ex factory price of the coupe was $ 4M. The roadster was worth € 3.3M excluding taxes. Customers who are frustrated at not being selected pay sometimes a higher price when one of these vehicles becomes available on second hand.
On September 29, 2019, Bonhams sold for CHF 8.3M from a lower estimate of CHF 5.2M a Veneno roadster with 325 km from new, lot 20.
A 2015 Veneno roadster with 1,780 km from new passed at SBX Cars on May 9, 2024, lot 19, and was privately sold afterward for $ 6M.
In 1879 Murcielago was spared after resisting 24 sword blows. Aventador was highlighted and even awarded for his courage in the arena in 1993.
Launched in 2011, the Lamborghini Aventador was a great success. This model managed to conciliate an extreme performance, with a top speed of 350 km/h, and mass production, 5,000 vehicles in the first five years.
On August 2, 1914 in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Veneno destroyed a young novillero by a powerful blow in the head.
Derived mainly from the Aventador and remaining homologated for the road, the Lamborghini Veneno marks nevertheless a breakthrough for the brand by integrating competition technologies for the first time. The priority given to airflow and downforce had a significant impact on the shape of the body, possibly at the expense of aesthetics.
The Lamborghini Veneno is one of the most exclusive models of the brand. The coupe was produced in 2013 in a prototype and three commercial units that had been sold before the announcement of the launch, a common practice for limited series of hypercars. Satisfied with this operation, Lamborghini manufacture a Veneno roadster in nine units in 2014.
Published after the sales, the ex factory price of the coupe was $ 4M. The roadster was worth € 3.3M excluding taxes. Customers who are frustrated at not being selected pay sometimes a higher price when one of these vehicles becomes available on second hand.
On September 29, 2019, Bonhams sold for CHF 8.3M from a lower estimate of CHF 5.2M a Veneno roadster with 325 km from new, lot 20.
A 2015 Veneno roadster with 1,780 km from new passed at SBX Cars on May 9, 2024, lot 19, and was privately sold afterward for $ 6M.
2014 A Flower by Kusama
2023 SOLD for HK$ 78M by Christie's
The flowers had been the theme of Yayoi Kusama's hallucinations from when she was 10 years old. They represent life and death. In red or purple, the blossom heads represent a joyous vitality.
A Flower, acrylic on canvas 162 x 162 cm, was painted in 2014 when the artist was 85 years old. It displays in full front the violet petals of a dahlia head plus the top of the stem and a leaf. The well centered composition over an infinite background of polka dots reminds the paintings of pumpkins of the period.
It was sold for HK $ 78M from a lower estimate of HK $ 65M by Christie's on November 28, 2023, lot 15.
A Flower, acrylic on canvas 162 x 162 cm, was painted in 2014 when the artist was 85 years old. It displays in full front the violet petals of a dahlia head plus the top of the stem and a leaf. The well centered composition over an infinite background of polka dots reminds the paintings of pumpkins of the period.
It was sold for HK $ 78M from a lower estimate of HK $ 65M by Christie's on November 28, 2023, lot 15.
