New York (AFP)

A sale organized simultaneously on Friday on three different continents by Christie's reached $ 421 million, a sign of the good performance of the art market despite the pandemic.

Forced by the coronavirus to postpone its big spring sales, the traditional highlight of the art market in the first half, the auction house had chosen to replace them with an event over a day, in an original format.

The event, dubbed "ONE", started with the sale of a series of works under the direction of an auctioneer in Hong Kong, before another took over in Paris, followed by London and then New York.

In Hong Kong, Paris and London, some collectors had been invited to attend the sale in person, while the New York component was held behind closed doors in compliance with the health rules in force in the largest city in the States -United.

Spectators could bid at all stages of the sale, even if they were not in the same room as the auctioneer in the act of officiating.

In all four cities, Christie's specialists also received offers by phone, and it was also possible to bid online.

In total, Christie's sold Friday in just over four hours for $ 421 million in works of art, fees and commissions included, during a sale followed by more than 20,000 people on the various platforms of the group.

No painting has crossed the $ 50 million threshold, but demand has been sustained and 94% of the works offered have found takers, a high proportion even in ordinary times.

Several records have been broken, notably for the American abstract painter Brice Marden, still alive, whose "Complements" was acquired for 30.9 million dollars.

Another record for the American Wayne Thiebaud, who will celebrate his 100th birthday in November and whose "Four Pinball Machines" sold for 19.1 million dollars.

The highest price was reached for a late work by the American painter Roy Lichtenstein, "Nude with Joyous Painting", with $ 46.2 million.

"It was a new format, and it worked," said Alex Rotter, chair of Christie's contemporary art department, after the sale. "It shows that the market is ready for new sales formats and new ways to collect art."

© 2020 AFP