Decade 2010-2019
See also : Current art Koons Banksy Jewels Blue diamond White diamond African diamonds Russia Time pieces New watches OnlyWatch Patek Philippe Mountains in China New Chinese painting
2011 - 118 Carats Flawless
2013 SOLD 240 MHK$ including premium
Southern Africa has replaced Golconda as the source for the best diamonds in the world, type IIa. The arrival on the market of exceptional pieces of very recent extraction certainly demonstrates improvements in the techniques of prospecting, but also in the preparation of perfect diamonds.
On May 15, 2013, Christie's sold for CHF 26M including premium a white diamond, D color and Flawless. Pear shaped and weighing 101.73 carats, it came from a rough stone of 236 carats of the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. It was named The Winston Legacy after the sale.
The diamond for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 7 is also D and Flawless, but bigger: 118.28 carats. Here is the link to the catalog.
It is oval cut from a 299 carat rough stone discovered in 2011 in a deep mine of southern Africa whose detailed location is not revealed. Its polishing and symmetry are considered excellent by the gemological laboratories.
The press release announces a lower estimate of HK$ 220M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, HK$ 240M including premium, is extraordinary but in line with the expectation.
On May 15, 2013, Christie's sold for CHF 26M including premium a white diamond, D color and Flawless. Pear shaped and weighing 101.73 carats, it came from a rough stone of 236 carats of the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. It was named The Winston Legacy after the sale.
The diamond for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 7 is also D and Flawless, but bigger: 118.28 carats. Here is the link to the catalog.
It is oval cut from a 299 carat rough stone discovered in 2011 in a deep mine of southern Africa whose detailed location is not revealed. Its polishing and symmetry are considered excellent by the gemological laboratories.
The press release announces a lower estimate of HK$ 220M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, HK$ 240M including premium, is extraordinary but in line with the expectation.
2011 Spinach in Art
2014 SOLD 28 M$ including premium
The series of the Celebrations brought to the art of Koons a universal language and a flawless and inimitable technique, with its pure colors in transparent coating onto a perfectly polished stainless steel. A come back to American kitsch was tempting. Koons highlighted Popeye.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the statue has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the statue has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
2010s The Great Star of Botswana
2013 SOLD 26 MCHF including premium
Since the depletion of Golconda, the best pure diamonds of IIa type are extracted in Austral Africa: South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana.
Botswana's mines are operated jointly by the government and by De Beers, with all the precautions that you can imagine. Indeed the small town of Jwaneng was founded in 1982 as a closed community only accessible by permission of the government.
Because of this relatively recent operation, fabulous gems are still waiting to be discovered. The modern art of diamond will do the rest, as technological advances now enable to cut diamonds of perfect shape and symmetry.
Consider an example from the past. The Cullinan, extracted in Transvaal in 1905, was a gem of 3106 carats. Nine major diamonds were cut from it, including the Great Star of Africa achieved at 530.2 carats after eight months of preparation.
On May 15 in Geneva, Christie's sells a perfect diamond (type IIa, D color, flawless). It is pear shaped at 101.73 carats representing an outstanding yield for that rough stone of 236 carats extracted in Jwaneng. Its polishing required 21 months of work.
The price per carat increases for bigger diamonds. Thus, the Archduke Joseph, sold by Christie's in Geneva on November 13, 2012, was recorded at $ 280K per carat (total price CHF 20.3 million including premium for 76.02 carats).
The new wonder from Jwaneng is the biggest perfect diamond ever presented at auction. Although having no other history than its discovery and preparation, it may certainly exceed the Archduke Joseph.
POST SALE COMMENT
This exceptional diamond has been sold CHF 26M including premium. The price per carat, U.S. $ 270K, is consistent with the price obtained on the Archduke Joseph.
Botswana's mines are operated jointly by the government and by De Beers, with all the precautions that you can imagine. Indeed the small town of Jwaneng was founded in 1982 as a closed community only accessible by permission of the government.
Because of this relatively recent operation, fabulous gems are still waiting to be discovered. The modern art of diamond will do the rest, as technological advances now enable to cut diamonds of perfect shape and symmetry.
Consider an example from the past. The Cullinan, extracted in Transvaal in 1905, was a gem of 3106 carats. Nine major diamonds were cut from it, including the Great Star of Africa achieved at 530.2 carats after eight months of preparation.
On May 15 in Geneva, Christie's sells a perfect diamond (type IIa, D color, flawless). It is pear shaped at 101.73 carats representing an outstanding yield for that rough stone of 236 carats extracted in Jwaneng. Its polishing required 21 months of work.
The price per carat increases for bigger diamonds. Thus, the Archduke Joseph, sold by Christie's in Geneva on November 13, 2012, was recorded at $ 280K per carat (total price CHF 20.3 million including premium for 76.02 carats).
The new wonder from Jwaneng is the biggest perfect diamond ever presented at auction. Although having no other history than its discovery and preparation, it may certainly exceed the Archduke Joseph.
POST SALE COMMENT
This exceptional diamond has been sold CHF 26M including premium. The price per carat, U.S. $ 270K, is consistent with the price obtained on the Archduke Joseph.
CUI RUZHUO
1
2013 The Grand Snowing Mountains
2016 SOLD for HK$ 307M by Poly
Cui Ruzhuo assembles polyptychs composed of vertical panels painted in line and wash on paper in his signature finger ink technique. A single monumental work may occupy a full wall in an exhibition.
The themes chosen by Cui appeal to the Chinese sensitivity. His favorite is the unlimited landscape of snowy mountains, eternally indifferent to men.
The Grand Snowing Mountains, inspired by Jiangnan, was painted in ink and color on paper by Cui in 2013.
It was probably unpaid after being sold by Poly on April 7, 2013 for HK $ 236M, lot 2314, just after being prepared as a set of eight mounted panels 292 x 143 cm.
It was sold at the same venue on April 4, 2016 for HK $ 307M from a lower estimate of HK $ 150M as a mounted set of six for an overall 300 x 870 cm, lot 1213.
The similarity between the two lots leaves no doubt that it is the same piece.
The themes chosen by Cui appeal to the Chinese sensitivity. His favorite is the unlimited landscape of snowy mountains, eternally indifferent to men.
The Grand Snowing Mountains, inspired by Jiangnan, was painted in ink and color on paper by Cui in 2013.
It was probably unpaid after being sold by Poly on April 7, 2013 for HK $ 236M, lot 2314, just after being prepared as a set of eight mounted panels 292 x 143 cm.
It was sold at the same venue on April 4, 2016 for HK $ 307M from a lower estimate of HK $ 150M as a mounted set of six for an overall 300 x 870 cm, lot 1213.
The similarity between the two lots leaves no doubt that it is the same piece.
2
2017 Twelve Screens of Landscape
2017 SOLD for RMB 240M by Poly
A set of twelve painted in 2017 by Cui was sold for RMB 240M by Poly in December 2017.
It is illustrated in the post sale report shared by The Value. The reported title, Twelve screens of finger ink landscape, refers to the Cui's signature painting technique.
It is illustrated in the post sale report shared by The Value. The reported title, Twelve screens of finger ink landscape, refers to the Cui's signature painting technique.
2014 In a Blue Moon
2015 SOLD for CHF 49M including premium
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 is estimated between $ 35M (CHF 34,2M) and $ 55M (CHF 53,7M), for sale by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 11, lot 513. I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
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 is estimated between $ 35M (CHF 34,2M) and $ 55M (CHF 53,7M), for sale by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 11, lot 513. I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
2016 Three Continents for a Stone
2017 SOLD for CHF 33.5M including premium
On November 14 in Geneva, Christie's sells as lot 505 a diamond type IIa, D color, Flawless clarity. Weighing 163.41 carats, it is the largest perfect white diamond ever offered at auction and one of the largest ever inspected by the GIA. This performance is not the result of chance but of the involvement of the best specialists in the world.
The steps are told in detail by Christie's in the featured post.
The rough stone is extracted in Angola in February 2016. Weighing 404 carats, it is promising while being far from the records. Its quality is confirmed in New York by spectrography. For several weeks a team of experts researches the defects of the crystal.
Its bean form is not directly usable. In June, the world's best diamond cleaver with more than 50 years of experience cuts the stone in two halves from the middle. The polishing in emerald cut lasts six months, facet after facet.
They must now design a piece of jewelry highlighting this unprecedented wonder. The diamond is brought in December 2016 to De Grisogono in Geneva, which designs an asymmetrical necklace of emeralds and diamonds in 44 cm length. The jewel entrusted to Christie's then travels around the world before returning to Geneva for its auction sale
The steps are told in detail by Christie's in the featured post.
The rough stone is extracted in Angola in February 2016. Weighing 404 carats, it is promising while being far from the records. Its quality is confirmed in New York by spectrography. For several weeks a team of experts researches the defects of the crystal.
Its bean form is not directly usable. In June, the world's best diamond cleaver with more than 50 years of experience cuts the stone in two halves from the middle. The polishing in emerald cut lasts six months, facet after facet.
They must now design a piece of jewelry highlighting this unprecedented wonder. The diamond is brought in December 2016 to De Grisogono in Geneva, which designs an asymmetrical necklace of emeralds and diamonds in 44 cm length. The jewel entrusted to Christie's then travels around the world before returning to Geneva for its auction sale
Later this fall @ChristiesInc will #auction off 163-carat #diamond set into a necklace by @deGRISOGONO #degrisogono https://t.co/jvFFoVvZVF pic.twitter.com/dLcwY9bdy3
— National Jeweler (@NationalJeweler) October 2, 2017
2017 In Memory of Nijinsky
2020 SOLD for CHF 24.4M including premium
The Yakutia region, which has become the Sakha Republic, has been for half a century one of the best producers of pink diamonds, operated by the Russian company Alrosa.
A gem discovered in 2017 is a purple pink diamond of exceptional weight, 27.85 carats. Prepared in Russia, the diamond has retained the elongated shape of the rough stone, allowing a sensational yield of over 50%. It weighs 14.83 carats and is certified Fancy Vivid Purple Pink and Internally Flawless by the GIA. Its oval modified brilliant cut perfectly reveals both colors.
Much rarer than the Fancy Vivid Pink or the Fancy Intense Pink, the Fancy Vivid Purple Pink shows a perfect balance between its two colors, unlike the Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink which has a pink dominant.
The company gave the raw gem the name Nijinsky, in memory of the costume adorned with rose petals worn in 1911 in Monte Carlo by the Russian dancer in the memorable ballet Le Spectre de la Rose. The finished diamond was named The Spirit of the Rose when it was announced in August 2019. It is estimated over CHF 21M for sale on November 11 in Geneva by Sotheby's, lot 204. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A Fancy Vivid Purple Pink weighing 8.41 carats, also Internally Flawless, was sold by Sotheby's on October 7, 2014 for HK $ 138M including premium, making US $ 2.1M per carat, one of the highest results recorded in the whole range of pink diamonds.
With identical characteristics and an optimized shape, bigger diamonds are more expensive per carat. The higher estimate of The Spirit, CHF 35M, corresponds to more than US $ 2.5M per carat before fees.
A gem discovered in 2017 is a purple pink diamond of exceptional weight, 27.85 carats. Prepared in Russia, the diamond has retained the elongated shape of the rough stone, allowing a sensational yield of over 50%. It weighs 14.83 carats and is certified Fancy Vivid Purple Pink and Internally Flawless by the GIA. Its oval modified brilliant cut perfectly reveals both colors.
Much rarer than the Fancy Vivid Pink or the Fancy Intense Pink, the Fancy Vivid Purple Pink shows a perfect balance between its two colors, unlike the Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink which has a pink dominant.
The company gave the raw gem the name Nijinsky, in memory of the costume adorned with rose petals worn in 1911 in Monte Carlo by the Russian dancer in the memorable ballet Le Spectre de la Rose. The finished diamond was named The Spirit of the Rose when it was announced in August 2019. It is estimated over CHF 21M for sale on November 11 in Geneva by Sotheby's, lot 204. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A Fancy Vivid Purple Pink weighing 8.41 carats, also Internally Flawless, was sold by Sotheby's on October 7, 2014 for HK $ 138M including premium, making US $ 2.1M per carat, one of the highest results recorded in the whole range of pink diamonds.
With identical characteristics and an optimized shape, bigger diamonds are more expensive per carat. The higher estimate of The Spirit, CHF 35M, corresponds to more than US $ 2.5M per carat before fees.
2018 Love is in the Bin by Banksy
2021 SOLD for £ 18.6M by Sotheby's
Girl with Balloon, stencil painted by Banksy, first appeared in 2002 on a wall in London. Under a strong wind which messes her hair and inflates her skirt, the child has just let go the string of a heart-shaped balloon. A second painting also in London brings the artist's message, "There is always hope", which in some way revisits the traditional theme of the bottle thrown into the sea.
The image is simple and without social aggression and became immediately popular. Banksy often reused it for happenings or other actions to promote his political opinions.
A spray paint and acrylic on canvas 101 x 78 cm was listed by Sotheby's in London in the contemporary art evening sale of October 5, 2018, lot 67. While Oliver Barker's hammer falls for £ 1.04M including premium, the artwork is shredded in the auction room by a mechanism hidden in the 18 cm thick artist's frame.
Banksy authenticated this remote-controlled destruction with a convincing evidence including short films displaying the preparation of the happening. He also stated that the stop of the shredding halfway of the composition was a malfunction. The modified work has been certified by Pest Control with a new title, Love is in the Bin which is a follow to one of his most successful images, the 2005 Love is in the Air.
The successful bidder appreciated the specific place of her acquisition in the history of art dissidence, beside famous destructive acts by DADA, Rauschenberg, Tinguely or Ai Weiwei. A collusion between Banksy and Sotheby's for this unprecedented event is not credible. It had nevertheless been the last lot of the evening and was exhibited in full visibility during the auction.
Love is in the Bin was sold for £ 18.6M from a lower estimate of £ 4M by Sotheby's on October 14, 2021, lot 7. The frame is still integral with its shredding mechanism which has been decommissioned. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The image is simple and without social aggression and became immediately popular. Banksy often reused it for happenings or other actions to promote his political opinions.
A spray paint and acrylic on canvas 101 x 78 cm was listed by Sotheby's in London in the contemporary art evening sale of October 5, 2018, lot 67. While Oliver Barker's hammer falls for £ 1.04M including premium, the artwork is shredded in the auction room by a mechanism hidden in the 18 cm thick artist's frame.
Banksy authenticated this remote-controlled destruction with a convincing evidence including short films displaying the preparation of the happening. He also stated that the stop of the shredding halfway of the composition was a malfunction. The modified work has been certified by Pest Control with a new title, Love is in the Bin which is a follow to one of his most successful images, the 2005 Love is in the Air.
The successful bidder appreciated the specific place of her acquisition in the history of art dissidence, beside famous destructive acts by DADA, Rauschenberg, Tinguely or Ai Weiwei. A collusion between Banksy and Sotheby's for this unprecedented event is not credible. It had nevertheless been the last lot of the evening and was exhibited in full visibility during the auction.
Love is in the Bin was sold for £ 18.6M from a lower estimate of £ 4M by Sotheby's on October 14, 2021, lot 7. The frame is still integral with its shredding mechanism which has been decommissioned. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
2019 Five Chimes on the Wrist
2019 SOLD for CHF 31M in charity sale without premium
In 2014, for celebrating the 175th anniversary of the brand, Patek Philippe release their first Grandmaster Chime wristwatch under the reference 5175 edited in seven units. Its 20 functions required 1,366 components for the movement and 215 components for the case, surpassing the 6200 Sky Moon Tourbillon. It is the achievement of 60,000 hours of development over seven years.
The 5175 is 48 mm in diameter and 16 mm in height with 11 pushers and buttons. Its central mechanism activates in parallel the visual reading on two dials including the perpetual calendar, the chimes of hours, quarters, minutes and day, and the acoustic alarm preselected with an accuracy of a quarter of an hour. The running time of the mechanical winding is 72 hours in silent mode and 30 hours in grande sonnerie.
Two of these applications are unprecedented : the insertion of an alarm in a wristwatch, and the audible indication of the day in the month in two digits covering 1 to 31 by the tens and units. The watch also strikes on demand the current hour and minute. A security prevents the user from operating two mechanisms at the same time if they are not compatible.
The reference 6300G in gray gold launched in 2016 is similar to the 5175 except that the references to the celebration have been removed.
The Only Watch charity sale is held every second year since 2005 for the benefit of the research on the Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The 2019 auction is managed by Christie's in Geneva on November 9.
According to the rules applicable to this operation, each manufacturer offers a watch for which it guarantees that it is and will remain a one-off. On this year Patek Philippe supplies the unique copy of Grandmaster Chime in stainless steel, reference 6300A-010, lot 28 estimated CHF 2.5M. The steel improves the sound. It is inscribed "The Only One" on one of the dials.
The lot includes a one-day private tour of the workshops and museum for two people and a lunch with Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe.
The 5175 is 48 mm in diameter and 16 mm in height with 11 pushers and buttons. Its central mechanism activates in parallel the visual reading on two dials including the perpetual calendar, the chimes of hours, quarters, minutes and day, and the acoustic alarm preselected with an accuracy of a quarter of an hour. The running time of the mechanical winding is 72 hours in silent mode and 30 hours in grande sonnerie.
Two of these applications are unprecedented : the insertion of an alarm in a wristwatch, and the audible indication of the day in the month in two digits covering 1 to 31 by the tens and units. The watch also strikes on demand the current hour and minute. A security prevents the user from operating two mechanisms at the same time if they are not compatible.
The reference 6300G in gray gold launched in 2016 is similar to the 5175 except that the references to the celebration have been removed.
The Only Watch charity sale is held every second year since 2005 for the benefit of the research on the Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The 2019 auction is managed by Christie's in Geneva on November 9.
According to the rules applicable to this operation, each manufacturer offers a watch for which it guarantees that it is and will remain a one-off. On this year Patek Philippe supplies the unique copy of Grandmaster Chime in stainless steel, reference 6300A-010, lot 28 estimated CHF 2.5M. The steel improves the sound. It is inscribed "The Only One" on one of the dials.
The lot includes a one-day private tour of the workshops and museum for two people and a lunch with Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe.
