9th November 2022 - an historic date in the history of auctions when one sale raked in over 1.5 billion dollars. This is the story of the most expensive piece in the most expensive sale in history
This painting, Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) made history when it sold in November 2022 at Christie’s auction house, as part of the liquidation of the collection of Paul G. Allen at a stunning price of 149 million dollars, which is of course a record for the artist George Seurat, who painted the painting in 1888, three years before his death at the young age of 31.
Georges Seurat
Georges Seurat was born in Paris at the end of 1859. He was interested in art from childhood and even studied at Beaux-arts – the prestigious art school in Paris, but what really interested him was exploring the scientific side of art. Color theories fascinated him. The result was the invention of a new painting method using dots of color in contrasting colors, a method based on optical science, which causes the dots to be perceived by the retina as a single shade. The method of painting with colored dots was given a name – Pointilism and Seurat is considered its founder, along with his student Paul Signac.
The dots in each painting were of a uniform size, calculated to create harmony with the overall size of the painting. The entire canvas was covered with these dots, which defined a shape without the use of lines – a truly revolutionary approach.
Sunday in the park
Seurat’s most famous painting is A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, which is in the collection of the Chicago art institute. This is a huge painting, from 1884, which took him two years to paint.
In 1886, two years later, Seurat began working on another large painting – Les Poseuses, Ensemble, in which there are three models in different poses. In this painting, you can clearly see on the wall of the room, his previous painting, which was harshly criticized when it was first shown, as is often the case with works that are innovative and do not align with the accepted art of their time. (This is exactly how art has developed throughout history). This painting is in the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia.
The small version that made history is really small – only 40/50 cm and it was painted, probably, as part of the preparations for the full scale painting. Seurat was adamant to prove to all his critics that the painting method he developed can also be applied to one of the most noble and revered subjects in the history of art: the nude. In this case, not one but three different angles. The placement of the models next to the painting of La Grande Latte on the left, allowed a comparison between naked and clothed, interior and exterior – all with the aim of proving the rich possibilities of the technique he developed.
Another interesting point about this historical painting is its perfect provenance. All previous owners of this piece from the day it left the artist’s studio are recorded. This is extremely important information when it comes to the works being offered for sale – especially if they are expensive. Today in the age of fakes, it is a critical component of the overall value of the piece.
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