Sculpture “Danaida” of Constantin Brâncuși set an impressive new record on the international art market. The work “Danaida” was awarded at an auction organized by the Christie’s house for the sum of 107.6 million dollars, thus becoming the second most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction.
Through this performance, Brâncusi overtakes the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, whose works dominated the ranking of the most valuable publicly traded sculptures until now, writes News.ro.
The only work that surpasses the “Danaida” remains L’homme au doigt, sold in 2015 for $141.3 million. In third place is L’homme qui marche I, awarded in 2010 for 104.3 million dollars.
“Danaida” it is based on the stylized face of the Hungarian artist Margit Pogany, whom Brâncusi met in Paris in 1910. The sculpture impresses with its face gilded with gold leaf and the black patina of the hair, elements which, according to experts, refer to the influences of Buddhist art from the Far East.
According to the Center Pompidou, Brâncusi made several bronze versions of the work between 1913 and 1918. Other copies are in the collections of prestigious institutions such as the Tate, Kunst Museum Winterthur and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The specimen sold on Monday, May 18, was the only gilded one left in private ownership.
Cast in 1913, the sculpture was originally purchased by banker Eugene Meyer and his wife, Agnes Meyer, during Brâncusi’s first solo exhibition in New York in 1914.
The work remained in the family’s possession until 2002, when it was purchased by media mogul SI Newhouse Jr. for $18.2 million, an amount that at the time represented an absolute record for a sculpture.
In just 24 years, the value of the work has multiplied almost six times. At Monday’s auction, it was bought by an anonymous collector who bid by telephone.
