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Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 sold for $181 million, nearly tripling his previous auction sale record
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The painting, created when Pollock was 36, is considered one of the “first truly abstract paintings” in history
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The record-breaking sale was part of Christie’s New York’s pair of auctions on May 18, which totaled over $1 billion in sales
One of history’s “first truly abstract paintings” has been bought in a record-breaking auction sale.
On Monday, May 18, Number 7A, 1948 was sold for a historic $181 million at auction, nearly tripling the lauded abstract artist’s previous auction sale record of about $61 million. The sale, made during a pair of auctions hosted by Christie’s New York, amounted to about 16% of the night’s total sales.
The sale, which was realized after seven minutes of bidding, obliterated the record price at auction for Pollock’s work, which was previously $61.2 million, set in 2021. The artist’s works have privately sold for up to $200 million, The Guardianand the BBC reported.
Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948.
Credit: John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
“It is with this work that Pollock finally frees himself from the shackles of conventional easel painting and produces one of the first truly abstract paintings in the history of art,” Christie’s said in a statement.
Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 is roughly three feet by 10 feet, and depicts abstract black designs with red accents. The artist created the piece when he was 36 at his home at the end of Long Island, according to Christie’s listing for the painting.
Between the two auctions on Monday — “Masterpieces: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse” and the “20th Century Evening Sale” — Christie’s New York totaled more than $1 billion in sales, only the second time that’s been achieved in history. The sales reached “all regions” of the world, according to Christie’s report, “selling 97% by lot.” The evening’s total came to $1,121,126,500.
PEOPLE has contacted Christie’s New York for comment.
Also up for auction was a sculpture by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. Danaïde, depicting a bronze bust, was created around 1912 and, on May 18, sold for $107.6 million; this sale, too, topped the artist’s previous auction sale record of $71.2 million, which was set in 2018, The Guardian reported.
Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948.
Credit: John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
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Other pieces of art sold at the evening’s auctions included a canvas from Mark Rothko, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez), Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop icon AnxiousGirl, and Remedios Varo’s Energía cósmica (Inspiración).
Read the original article on People
