The heirs of the French painter Henri Matisse (1869-1954) collected € 40,488,048, almost three times the pre-sale estimate, from the auction at Christie’s in Paris of the art collection owned by the family, held up to now hidden.
The works belonged to Jacqueline Matisse Monnier (1931-2021), daughter of the famous French art dealer Pierre Matisse and Alexina Teeny Matisse-Duchamp, grandson of Henri Matisse and stepdaughter of Marcel Duchamp.
The collection, which illustrates a past life among some of the most important artistic figures of the 20th century, attracted bidders from 21 nations. The auction set a new record for a Henri Matisse screen printing and a new record in France for Yves Klein; thirteen works were sold over 1 million euros.
The work of Henri Matisse was celebrated in this sale and aroused a lot of interest: all the lots of the artist collected 13,753,590 euros. The top lot of the auction was “Nymphe et faune rouge”, a colorful oil and pastel on canvas that was sold for 5,185,500 euros, almost three times its estimate. The auction opening lot, a delicate paper portrait of Jacqieline by her grandfather, sold for € 214,200, more than five times his estimate. As for the majestic pair of silk-screen prints on linen “Océanie, le Ciel and Océanie, la Mer”, very dear to the artist, they achieved respectively 4,002,000 euros and 2,082,000 euros, the first of which obtained a new world record for a screen print by Henri Matisse.
Another record was set with Yves Klein’s “IKB 183”, an iconic blue monochrome, which made € 2,922,000, almost three times its estimate, becoming the highest price achieved for the artist at auction in France.
Other highlights of the sale include several pieces from Pierre Matisse’s personal collection, such as the rare bronze painted “Petit buste d’homme” by Alberto Giacometti, sold for 3,042,000 euros, and “Porte-manteau au Hibou”, by his brother Diego Giacometti, sold for € 2,202,000; “Finissez ce que j’ai commencé” painted by Yves Tanguy in 1927 made € 1,692,000; “Etude” by Simon Hantaï, a delicate oil on canvas reached € 1,362,000; “L’Homme et l’Oiseau” by Joan Miró, Jacqueline’s godfather, was bought for 1,602,000 euros. Close friends of Jacqueline Matisse Monnier were also represented in the sale with unique works by Niki de Saint-Phalle, Jean Tinguely and François-Xavier Lalanne.
The first version of the three iconic Hippopotame resin bathtubs created by Lalanne, from the collection of Teeny Matisse-Duchamp, Jacqueline’s mother, sold for € 1,092,000. Teeny’s husband, Marcel Duchamp, who played a crucial role in Jacqueline’s creative trajectory, was also featured in the auction.
His emblematic “Mona Lisa with mustache, LHOOQ”, part of the book “Propos et souvenirs” edited by Pierre de Massot, reached 1,002,000 euros. Finally, their “Boîte-en-Valise F séries”, assembled by Jacqueline in her small apartment-studio in rue du Bac, was sold for € 315,000, more than double her estimate. Born in 1931, Jacqueline Matisse Monnier, called Jackie by her friends of hers, had art in her blood. Granddaughter of Henri Matisse, she has been drawing since childhood and has always favored her artistic practice as a means of expressing herself. She was the daughter of Pierre Matisse, one of the greatest gallery owners of the 20th century, she was surrounded by some of the most eminent artists of their time. Her mother, Alexina Teeny Matisse – who later became Teeny Duchamp when she married Marcel Duchamp in 1954 – cultivated a thriving artistic network around her and her family throughout her life.
Living between Paris and New York, Jacqueline gradually developed her own artistic language. She formed close friendships with John Cage, Jean Tinguely and Robert Rauschenberg.