Press release -
World Record: Le Corbusier sold for DKK 2.05 million
Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers of Fine Art in Copenhagen continue to achieve new auction records. Tuesday afternoon, two enamel paintings by Le Corbusier were sold for DKK 2.05 million (€ 360,000 including buyer’s premium) and DKK 1.9 million (€ 330,000 including buyer’s premium) respectively. A work by the Italian avant-garde artist Piero Manzoni was also sold at the auction for a price of DKK 1.3 million (€ 230,000 including buyer’s premium).
"We are delighted with the results of Tuesday's international auction. It featured four impressive hammer prices in the millions and several world records, including the hammer prices for the two enamel paintings by Le Corbusier and a monumental painting by the Danish painter Edvard Weie – a work considered a masterpiece within Danish modernism – which went for DKK 1.3 million (€ 230,000 including buyer’s premium). The top 5 also included the unique, conceptual "Achrome" piece by Piero Manzoni as well as a cubist "Hen Painting" by the Danish modernist William Scharff, which went for DKK 750,000 (€ 130,000 including buyer’s premium), which is a world record for a work by this artist," says Niels Raben, head of the department of modern art at Bruun Rasmussen.
Le Corbusier’s Enamel Paintings
The greatest interest surrounded the two enamel paintings by Le Corbusier. They were the final two works by the artist from the Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s private art collection. It is a well-known fact that Utzon held Le Corbusier in high regard and that the two men were inspired by each other while they worked on the proposal for the interior decoration of the Sydney Opera House from 1958 to 1960.
We have previously sold art by Le Corbusier from Utzon’s collection, including four of the in total six enamels that were intended for the Sydney Opera House. In 2015, we also sold the monumental tapestry "Les dés sont jetés" (1960), which was bought by the Sydney Opera House.
Piero Manzoni's "Achrome"
There is also a well-documented story behind the sold “Achrome” piece by Piero Manzoni (1933-1963). The Italian artist made several remarkable works while living in Denmark during the years of 1960 and 1961. The relationship with the local shirt manufacturer Aage Damgaard in Herning was of great importance to the Italian artist's work in the years just prior to his premature death in 1963, since Damgaard before this had given Manzoni total autonomy to unfold his great artistic talent.
Modern Art Top 5
Le Corbusier: "Pentecôte" (1959). Sold for DKK 2.05 million (€ 360,000 including buyer’s premium). World record for an enamel by this artist.
Le Corbusier: Composition (1954-1958). Sold for DKK 1.9 million (€ 330,000 including buyer’s premium).
Edvard Weie: "Nereider and Tritoner"; Study for later Poseidon painting (1921). Sold for DKK 1.3 million (€ 230,000 including buyer’s premium). World record for a painting by this artist.
Piero Manzoni: "Achrome" (1961). Sold for DKK 1.3 million (€ 230,000 including buyer’s premium).
William Scharff: "Hen Painting" (1917). Sold for DKK 750,000 (€ 130,000 including buyer’s premium). World record for a painting by this artist.
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Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers is one of Scandinavia’s leading international auction houses, and one of Denmark’s oldest. It all started on 6 October 1948, when Arne Bruun Rasmussen conducted the first traditional auction in the saleroom at Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen. Today, Jesper Bruun Rasmussen stands at the helm of the family-run business together with the third generation of the family, his son Frederik and daughter Alexa, and the company’s CEO Jakob Dupont.
In 2004, the first online auction was launched, and today the auction house has expanded to include departments in Copenhagen and Aarhus and representations in Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Italy, Thailand and the US. About 100,000 lots are put up for auction each year at the traditional auctions and daily online auctions. Here you can bid on everything from art, antiques, modern design and jewellery to books, coins, stamps, wine and weaponry.
